Getting your music featured on a Spotify playlist can really boost your visibility, whether it’s a special spot on editorial lists or part of curated influencer collections.
So, how do you successfully pitch your music for Spotify playlist consideration?
While there’s no guaranteed way to succeed, there are some best practices you can follow to improve your chances.
In this article, I’ll break down the basics of playlist placements and show you how to increase the likelihood of getting on a Spotify playlist that matters.
How to pitch music to Spotify editorial playlists?
To clarify, you can’t directly pitch music to Spotify playlist editors. Spotify’s influential editorial playlists significantly impact music discovery.
Artists view these playlists as a gateway to success, given their ability to boost key stats.
Getting noticed requires a blend of organic success, strategic positioning, and effective platform use.
Despite algorithmic playlist assignments, human curators play a crucial role, with the submission process kept private.
Contacting editors directly isn’t straightforward, given the potential overwhelming requests.
Achieving visibility involves a mix of organic success, strategic positioning, effective platform use, and at times, external PR assistance.
Spotify playlist pitching tips
With that said, now you can highlight tracks from your upcoming releases for Spotify playlist consideration.
After delivering a release via digital distribution, you’ll find an option in your Spotify for Artists dashboard to pick a single track for evaluation.
Answer some basic questions about the song and offer a brief pitch to help editors understand its potential placement.
Here’s my top advice on navigating this step.
1. Be real in your responses
Editors sift through numerous tracks, making it crucial to provide accurate and respectful information. Avoid sarcasm, be clear, honest, and informative about your identity and work. Never misrepresent your music genre, communities, or track details.
2. Highlight your successes
Highlight significant achievements and career milestones to craft a compelling narrative. When sharing your identity and aspirations, emphasize a positive journey. Showcase successes like media coverage, tours, and show highlights as continuous steps toward your goals.
3. Create an entry point for your music
What’s your song about? What feelings do you want to express, and how did your ideas develop?
Music curators need more than a quick listen to understand a new track.
If you don’t share important details, editors might skip your song without really getting what’s great about it.
Don’t worry about saying too much; curators often need extra info to really get into a new song.
When talking about your music or how you connect with fans, feel free to show your personality.
How to Increase Your Chances of a Successful Spotify Playlist Pitch?
1. Manage your online artist presence
To get more people to notice your music on streaming sites, start by making sure your artist’s identity is clear.
If folks can’t easily find info about your music and what you’re about, they won’t pay attention. So, get verified on the platforms you use and connect with your listeners.
Anything about you online should show the important stuff about your music.
Who you are, who likes your music, and how you connect with people and groups – that’s key.
This is the basic stuff for growing your fanbase. The main advice is to be active and real, have a clear idea of your music style, and stick with what your fans like.
For a more detailed guide on how to build your presence more efficiently, check out our music promotion services to get started.
2. Make use of Spotify’s built-in features
Spotify for Artists is like your control center on the big music app. It helps you see how many people are listening to your songs and gives you cool tools to connect with them. You can make your songs look cool with Canvas, sell stuff with Merch, and show off your best stuff with Showcase. Just make sure your profile has everything—like a good story, recent pics, and favorite playlists—to stay interesting and updated.
3. Make playlists of artists
Making artist playlists is a smart move to make the most of playlist content. They let you put together sets of songs to share with people checking out your profile. Plus, they’re a great way to link your music strategically with other songs on the platform.
Who inspires you? What music are you into right now? Crafting playlists with similar artists lets listeners explore your music in a broader context, giving them a better feel for your vibe.
4. Pitch to smaller playlists
Getting your song on big playlists run by the platform is great, but don’t forget about playlists made by regular people. When someone adds your song to their playlist, it tells the computer that your music fits with the other songs there.
The more playlists your song is in, especially the ones with lots of followers, the more the computer notices. This helps your song get seen by more people. Eventually, this good info about people liking your song might get your track on those big playlists everyone sees.
So, to start, focus on getting into playlists made by regular users. Some websites let you send your song to playlist creators, but it might cost you money, and they can’t promise your song will be picked. Be smart about who you reach out to and pick playlists that match your music style.
5. Avoid fake streams or paid scams
One tempting strategy is to pay for streaming plays upfront. However, this is against the rules, and platforms and distributors have strict punishments if they catch it.
Engaging in such fraudulent activity can seriously harm your chances of making it onto major playlists.
Always keep in mind that any legitimate service for promoting music or playlists won’t promise you a direct boost in plays in return for money. If someone does, it’s best to steer clear.
6. Maintain consistency
Regular posting forms the foundation for success on platforms guided by algorithms.
Spotify suggests putting out new content frequently, ideally, every 4 to 6 weeks, to increase your visibility to the algorithm.
Besides Spotify, it’s crucial to stay active on social media. Even if your follower count isn’t massive, consistent engagement with an interested audience helps editors gauge your online presence.
Be intentional in your social media posts, maintaining a visual style that resonates with your audience. This dedication becomes evident when you’re in the running for playlist consideration.
7. Keep an eye on your analytics
Keep tabs on your stats using Spotify for Artists and your digital distribution dashboard.
These tools provide essential details to shape your promotions and notify you of accepted playlist submissions on Spotify.
Use the analytics to see who’s actually listening and engaging with your music.
The more you understand your audience, the better you can target your promotions toward those who truly connect with your music.
8. Maintain your presence in the real world
While online efforts are crucial in music promotion, your real-world presence is irreplaceable.
Frequent live performances, attending events, and networking with industry professionals and fellow artists are essential.
Getting on playlists is a significant boost, but in-person connections can be equally valuable for expanding your audience.
Closing thoughts
As streaming continues to evolve, Spotify playlist submissions will play an increasingly vital role in music discovery. For independent artists promoting themselves, a solid grasp of playlist mechanics is essential for success.
By reaching this point in the article, you now have a solid foundation for getting your music onto streaming playlists.