With over 82 million songs on Spotify, getting your music noticed can feel overwhelming as an artist. One of the best ways to get streams and new listeners is by getting your songs added to popular Spotify playlists. But with so many playlists on Spotify, how do you identify the best ones to target? Here’s a step-by-step guide to finding the right playlists and successfully submitting your music.
Research Playlists in Your Genre
The first step is to explore Spotify and make a list of playlists that feature music similar to yours. Are you an indie folk artist? Search for popular indie folk playlists. Are you a hip hop producer? Find playlists for lo-fi beats or chill rap. Discover playlists with themes or vibes that match your sound.
When researching, prioritize playlists with higher followers rather than just those with the most total plays. 100,000 engaged followers means more potential new fans rather than 1 million plays from an disengaged audience. Also check how recently the playlist was updated – inactive playlists won’t lead to new streams. Read more about how to submit music to the best Spotify playlists
Study the Playlist Contents
Once you identify relevant playlists, study the artists and songs they contain. Listen to a variety of tracks in the playlist to better understand the curation. Ask yourself questions like:
- What are common sounds, instruments, tempos and genres?
- Are most songs by independent/unsigned artists or bigger names?
- Does the playlist include a mix of popular and deeper cuts?
Understanding a playlist’s patterns helps create tracks that fit the curation. Customize your submissions by selecting songs that sound at home with existing playlist contents
Find our about Spoitfy playlist submission
Analyze Playlist Provider and Curators
Beyond playlist contents, research who the curators are. Most major Spotify playlists fall into two camps:
Spotify Curated Playlists – Playlists like RapCaviar, Mint, Rock Classics are curated directly by Spotify’s editorial team. These have the most reach but are also the most competitive.
User Curated Playlists – Many popular playlists are made by individual Spotify users building an audience. Though their following size varies greatly, user playlists often provide an easier path to playlist adds.
Study curator names that also suggest connections like “Digster” or “Filtr” which represent companies making multiple playlists. User curated playlists also often belong to full profile pages with multiple playlists around a genre or theme. All these details help customize your pitches. There are many music submission services available today, check out the best Spoitfy promotion services.
Check Social Followings of Playlists
Beyond followers within Spotify, check if playlists have external social followings. Playlists with big Spotify follower counts but few external connections might have gamed their numbers through fake accounts or bots.
Conversely a playlist with a modest Spotify follower count but highly engaged external social followings can still be impactful. Check playlist descriptions and curator’s social profiles for links to outside channels like an Instagram page or Twitter account. Compare follower counts on various platforms to better evaluate reach.
Craft Your Pitch
After researching playlists, craft customized pitches explaining why your song belongs. Address your email to the specific playlist curator name rather than a generic “to whom it may concern.” Start by showing you understand and value the playlist by briefly complimenting the well-curated selection.
Next explain why you feel your song is a great fit, citing specific playlist contents that your track compliments without sounding demanding. Share any impressive metrics or rising traction that shows existing fans are responding to your music which could get a curator’s attention faster.
Close by providing an easy next step, sharing a private SoundCloud link they can use to access the song. Make their job as easy as possible by eliminating barriers to listen.
Follow Up Persistently But Politely
One pitch likely won’t be enough so diligently follow up if you believe the playlist is a fit. However, aggressively hounding a curator who never responded risks damaging the relationship. Find the line between persistent and overbearing and know when to move on if you receive multiple firm rejections.
If a playlist adds your track congratulate them, share the news on social media and let fans know to follow the playlist. Successful placements builds relationships with curators who will listen harder to future submissions if your last track performed well.
Produce Premium Content
Ultimately no amount of pitching matters if the song itself isn’t amazing. Skip gimmicky tricks to game the system and focus efforts into polished production. Even if a song secures big playlist placements, weak music won’t convert into engaged listeners and fans. Let your incredible music speak for itself.
Experiment with promoted posts or short playlist promotions if your budget allows to help give promising songs a boost. But put creativity first and let premium content drive long-term discovery versus temporary paid placements.
Use Data to Refine Your Approach
Analyze streaming and follower data to see which playlists perform best. Notice which placements translate followers and saves into regular listeners and live show ticket buyers. Apply lessons learned to refine future playlist submissions and marketing budgets.
Consolidate Your Learnings
Finally store your research into a spreadsheet cataloguing relevant playlists, curator contacts and notes on past submissions. Well documented data saves time relearning specifics when preparing your next release. Keep organized records to track learnings over time about which playlists best serve your music and how to best connect with their curators.
Getting added to major playlists accelerates the growth of dedicated fanbases for artists. But even the most popular playlists take work to identify and pitch successfully. Follow this guide to match your music with the right playlists, effectively pitch curators and advance your artist career using the power of Spotify playlists.
The key is persistence balanced with patience. Keep working to get your music heard but understand it takes time for even incredibly talented artists to build real momentum. Trust your musical gifts and use platforms like Spotify playlists to help connect with the audiences your art deserves. Stay encouraged through small wins while relentlessly refining your craft with each new song. Your time to truly breakthrough could be closer than you think.
