Music streaming services like Spotify play an important role in every music artist’s career.
But the song’s popularity on Spotify is determined by several factors, and there’s no single best way to build a fanbase.
However, there are some strategies you can use to get more streams and therefore generate more royalties and come across more opportunities.
So, keep reading to find out how to get more streams on Spotify and how to take advantage of all the promo tools you have at your disposal.
How Do Spotify Streams Work?
Before diving into specific steps on how to get more Spotify streams, let us briefly explain how these streams really work.
First of all, your total number of streams includes songs where you’re credited as a main artist or remixer.
And the song stream is counted when someone listens for 30 seconds or more.
If a song appears on multiple releases, it counts toward the stream count on every release.
Also, Spotify counts streams when the listener goes online, which must happen at least once every 30 days.
But if you want to get your music heard and grow an audience, you should think about different elements that affect the song’s popularity.
Generally, the Spotify popularity index can be calculated by:
- A number of streams
- How recently the song has been played
- How frequently the song has been played
Spotify popularity index is something to watch out for, even though it’s not visible on the artist’s page – it’s simply the way Spotify prioritizes tracks and recommends your music to new listeners.
If you want to become a successful artist on Spotify, you should think about the elements that can shape your success.
And the total number of streams is arguably the most relevant factor here.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the best ways to get more streams on Spotify.
How to Get More Streams on Spotify – 12 Ways
Finding new listeners, increasing Spotify followers, and building a fan base is definitely not an easy task.
But of course, it’s also not impossible – you just need to be persistent, and you need to approach it in the right way.
The platform is very clear and straightforward, so if you learn how the Spotify algorithm works, you’ll be able to find a way to grow your audience.
1. Use Spotify for Artists
First and foremost, you need to claim your Spotify for Artists profile.
Spotify for Artists allows you to customize your artist profile, promote your music, pitch your songs to playlist editors, and connect with your fans.
You’ll also be able to see detailed analytics and streaming data about your music and your listeners.
And you’ll get that blue checkmark next to your name so everyone will know you’re the real deal.
You can claim your Spotify for Artists profile if:
- You previously shared your music on Spotify
- Your music isn’t released yet but it’s accepted by Spotify
If you’ve already distributed your tracks on Spotify, you can simply search for your artist name, select it and follow the instructions to verify your profile.
You can also head to Spotify for Artist’s homepage and click the Get Access button.
Once you get verified, you can customize your artist profile and add all the necessary information and links such as Artist bio, images, upcoming gigs, and social media links.
2. Keep your profile fresh and updated
If you want to get more followers on Spotify, creating an appealing, professional artist profile is a must.
Your Spotify profile should also reflect your musical personality, and it should give new listeners an idea of who you are as an artist.
That said, you should think about the visual storytelling that accompanies your music.
Your profile should look fresh, and it should always feature new tracks and up-to-date information and links.
If you regularly update your account, you’ll increase your chances to get a placement on popular playlists and recommendations.
Consequently, you’ll get more attention, more likes, and a lot more streams.
3. Use Spotify pre-save campaigns
Another way of maximizing your success on Spotify is to utilize Spotify pre-save campaigns.
When someone clicks your pre-save link, they’ll end up on a page where they can “pre-save” your upcoming track or album.
This way, your track will automatically appear on their list as soon as the track is released.
You can post the link on your social media accounts or via email.
Either way, using the Spotify pre-save option should be an integral part of your release campaign plan.
This will allow you to create hype around your music before it comes out.
And it will help you trigger Spotify’s algorithm and place your track on your follower’s playlists.
4. DON’T buy fake streams
When talking about the best ways to get more Spotify streams, it’s important to point out that we’re talking about real, organic streams.
The thing is, some Spotify promotion services promise to get you more streams (for a fee) and they will guarantee you an exact number of streams and new followers – and this means you would probably get fake streams.
Now, there are also promotion platforms that will help you get your track on popular playlists, and they will ultimately help you get more organic streams and find new listeners.
But don’t fall for any tricks – you need to grow your audience in a natural and gradual way.
Buying fake streams is not real and honest, not to mention the danger of getting your tracks removed from Spotify.
Spotify has a clear policy regarding fake streams and any fraudulent activity – whenever an artist is caught buying fake streams, their account will be penalized or permanently disabled.
5. Reach out to independent playlist curators
The next thing you should do is submit your tracks to playlists.
Most people search for music based on genre, mood, or similar music.
Therefore, getting your song on the right playlist will help you reach new listeners and generate more streams.
You can start with either an official Spotify editorial list or independent playlists.
Independent playlist curators are perhaps more open to new artists.
And their playlists tend to have a lot of followers.
That being said, start looking for independent curator lists and reach out to those who suit you best.
You should try to include your track on playlists that fit your mood and genre – that’s arguably the best way to increase your chances for success as well as a good way to get more fans.
And if you succeed to include your music in independent playlists, you’ll have more chances to be featured in the editorial playlists as well.
6. Pitch to official Spotify playlists
When you feel ready, you should pitch your music to official Spotify playlists.
You can pitch an upcoming, unreleased song to Spotify playlist editors by following these steps:
- Log in to Spotify for Artists
- Select ‘Upcoming’ and then ‘Pitch a Song’
- Pick a song and fill out the info (the more info you give, the better chance you have)
Don’t forget to pitch your song to Spotify editors early – this will give them enough time to listen to it and make a decision.
You should submit a song at least 7 days before release.
Also, you can only pitch one song at a time, and once your song goes live, you can pitch another one.
But pitching doesn’t guarantee playlist placement.
However, you never know if you’ll get noticed in the future – so if your song doesn’t get picked, keep releasing new music and building a fanbase nevertheless.
See also: Best Spotify Playlists
7. Create your own playlists
Besides pitching your songs to independent and editorial playlists, you should also create your own playlists
This is an effective (and fun) way to attract new listeners, show them your personal taste and at the same time showcase your tracks as well.
So, make sure your playlists feature tracks from your favorite artists alongside your own.
You can base them on mood or genre – anything that works for you and that will make sense to your listeners.
And don’t forget to update your playlists.
Add new tracks or remove some songs to keep the playlist fresh and therefore more appealing to Spotify’s algorithm.
You can also consider creating a collaborative playlist with another artist – this is a good way to get more streams because you’ll reach out to other artists’ fans (and the other way around) – so it’s a win-win situation.
8. Use Spotify promo tools
Thanks to Spotify for Artists, you can utilize Spotify promotional tools and push your music to reach a wide audience.
For instance, Spotify Ad Studio allows you to advertise your music and manage audio or video promo campaigns.
You just need to define your target audience, set your budget, and choose your goals.
The Studio will give you access to real-time reporting on ad performance, CPMs, and budget pacing, so you can easily track your progress and adjust strategies accordingly.
Spotify Canvas, on the other hand, allows you to create short looping visuals to play in the back of your song.
Users are more likely to keep streaming when they see Canvas, and there’s a higher chance they will share your track and/or visit your artist page.
Furthermore, you should take advantage of Spotify codes.
In essence, Spotify codes are QR code-like images you can use to easily share your music and promote your profile.
These codes are shareable on almost any platform, so you can include them in your social media accounts, website, and so on.
If you want to get more Spotify streams, you need to promote your music outside the platform too, but we’ll get back to that in a bit.
9. Get your song on Release Radar
Getting your music on Spotify Release Radar playlists is another way of finding new listeners and getting more organic streams.
Generally, listeners get new music from artists they follow, artists they listen to, and other artists they might like.
Now, submitting a pitch to playlist editors at least 7 days before release day will get your song on your followers’ Release Radar playlists.
New releases also show in the What’s New feed to all your followers.
So, plan your releases in advance, release new tracks regularly, and make sure you submit to playlist curators on time.
10. Use Discovery Mode
A new Spotify tool that will help you get your music heard is Spotify Discovery Mode.
This feature is still in the beta phase, but it’s certainly something you should keep an eye out for.
Discovery Mode allows artists to influence which songs they want the Spotify algorithm to prioritize, and the platform will then suggest those tracks on Radio and Autoplay to listeners who may like them.
A track is eligible for Discovery Mode if it has been released on Spotify for at least 30 days.
11. Promote your music off-platform
As we mentioned before, if you want to get your music noticed on Spotify, you need to promote it outside the platform as well.
There are many music marketing strategies you can utilize.
For instance, you can reach out to music bloggers – send them your EPK (Electronic Press Kit) and links to your Spotify tracks.
You can also get in touch with creators and influencers and introduce them to your music.
If someone uses your track in an Instagram story, you can easily attract new active listeners and get more profile visits.
Social media is very important when it comes to your visibility as an artist, so make sure your social media profiles are fresh and updated.
And don’t forget about email marketing – this is still one of the most effective music marketing strategies.
Either way, you need to keep finding new ways to promote your music and engage your fans.
12. Be consistent
There’s no secret formula or one-size-fits-all for Spotify popularity.
And things don’t happen overnight, growing an audience and generating streams takes time.
However, there’s one thing that always helps – consistency.
If you release music regularly, you will trigger the Spotify algorithm and you’ll more likely get placed on playlists and Release Radar.
In other words, the more active you are on Spotify, the more its algorithm will work in your favor.
So, be consistent, release new music regularly, and keep your own playlists refreshed.
Spotify Promotion Services – Are They Worth It?
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to get more streams on Spotify, you can also consider submitting your track to a music promotion platform.
Most Spotify promotion companies rely on playlisting – so, they pitch their customers’ music to playlist curators.
However, you should conduct research and pick a platform carefully.
Some services offer artists to buy Spotify streams and they guarantee a certain number of followers of streams, which means they’re offering fake streams.
And as we mentioned earlier, you should avoid fake streams at all costs.
You should look for a platform that is focused on targeted playlists and high-genre-match placements instead.
Although most good Spotify promotion platforms don’t provide placement guarantees, they are still a great way to get started with Spotify.
And in most cases, if you don’t succeed and you don’t get more streams, you’ll get your money back.
All in all, Spotify promotion services are worth checking out, but you should also invest time and effort into other methods we explained today.
How to Get More Streams on Spotify – Final Thoughts
To get more streams on Spotify, you first need to claim your Spotify for Artists profile.
Once you get verified and edit your artist page, you can start using various promo tools and submit your songs to independent and official Spotify playlists
Building a fan base on Spotify is not easy, but if you follow the steps from our guide, you’ll surely start to get more streams.
And the rest is on you – if you stay active and consistent, you’ll be on the right track to success.
You may also like: How to Get Playlisted on Spotify
