If you want to find new listeners and build a fan base, getting your music on the right Spotify playlists is essential.
But landing on popular Spotify playlists is not a piece of cake – the competition is high, and playlist curators receive countless submissions on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, if you remember the guidelines we’ll show you today, you’ll significantly increase your chances for success.
So without further ado, let us show you how to get playlisted on Spotify and get heard by fans around the world.
Types of Spotify Playlists
Spotify is a music streaming platform that relies on playlists.
And there are three types of playlists you can take advantage of (both as a listener and an artist):
1. Personalized playlists
Spotify’s personalized playlists are based on the listener’s unique taste.
These playlists are created by algorithms that analyze listening habits as well as habits of people with similar music preferences – so the more followers and the more active you are, the more personalized playlists you get on.
Popular personalized playlists on Spotify include Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Daily Mix, On Repeat, and Repeat Rewind.
2. Editorial playlists
Spotify editorial playlists are curated by genre, lifestyle, and culture specialists who keep finding music around the world and creating unique playlists.
There are thousands of editorial playlists on Spotify, and you recognize them by the Spotify logo in the top-left corner.
3. Listener playlists
As the name suggests, listener playlists are made by Spotify users.
They can play an important role in an artist’s success as they can influence other playlists.
How to Get Playlisted on Spotify – 6 Ways
Getting your music placed on the biggest Spotify playlists is the best thing you can do to boost your streams and increase your followers.
Most people search for new music by mood and genre, so if you get your tracks on a playlist that fits with your music style, you’ll get the chance to attract the right crowd.
So, what is the best way to get playlisted on Spotify, and how can you submit your tracks?
1. Use Spotify for Artists
First and foremost, you need to upload your music to Spotify and claim your Spotify for Artists profile.
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.
Spotify for Artists allows you to customize your artist page, promote your music, and connect with your fans.
And you’ll get that blue checkmark so fans will know you’re the real deal.
2. Pitch your music to Spotify editors
Spotify for Artists also allows you to pitch your music to the Spotify editorial team.
And keep in mind that you can submit only unreleased songs here.
Also, you can’t pitch compilations if you’re a featured artist on the song.
So, how do you pitch a song to Spotify playlist editors?
Once you’re logged in to your account, there are two ways you can submit your track:
- Select ‘Pitch a song to our editors’ on the Home tab
- Select ‘Upcoming’ and then ‘Pitch a song’ on the Music tab
When submitting a song, Spotify will ask you to fill out some info about the release.
Make sure to provide all the necessary info – the more information you give, the better chance you’ll have.
Also, don’t forget to send your track at least 7 days before its release.
This will give the editorial team enough time to review it and make a decision.
If you see the status ‘Available Soon’, the team is still processing your release.
If your song gets picked, you’ll be notified via email.
And if it doesn’t, don’t panic – there’s still a chance your music will be picked in the future, and you can always pitch another track.
You can only submit one track at a time though, so don’t forget to wait until your song goes live or gets through the review process before submitting a different track.
And since you can’t submit more tracks under one submission, think carefully about which track from the upcoming album you want to pitch.
3. Pitch your song to independent curators
Besides official editorial playlists, your tracks can also be featured on independently curated playlists.
Anyone can be an independent playlists curator on Spotify – therefore, there are thousands of independent playlists out there, covering all styles and genres.
Some independent playlists are quite popular too.
But the most important thing is to find a playlist that fits your music genre, style, and mood.
This way, there’s a high chance curators will add your track to their list.
And if they do, you’ll probably attract many new followers since people who follow this playlist enjoy your type of music.
So, make a list of independent playlists and start reaching out to their creators.
It shouldn’t be difficult to find their contact details, as many curators also provide social media links and/or email addresses.
When reaching out to them, keep your message clear and straightforward, and don’t forget to include links to your songs.
4. Get your song on Release Radar and Discover Weekly
Thanks to the use of an AI algorithm, Spotify provides its users with unique, personalized playlists of new releases and tracks they might be interested in and they’ve never heard before.
Release Radar and Discover Weekly playlists are probably the best part of Spotify – if you’re listening to music on Spotify regularly, they will always provide you with fresh tracks you can add to your own playlists.
That said, getting your music on Release Radar and Discover Weekly would undoubtedly help you reach a wider audience.
Spotify users get new music from artists they follow, artists they listen to, and other artists they might like.
So, submitting a pitch to playlist editors at least 7 days before release day will get your song on your followers’ Release Radar playlists.
But Discover Weekly works a bit differently.
Spotify uses data across various playlists to determine what listeners might enjoy, so adding your music to other playlists (official and independent playlists and your own playlist) would increase your chances of landing on Discover Weekly.
Other ways that will boost your chances include:
- Ask your friends to add your track to their private playlists
- Build engagement
- Release new tracks regularly
- Promote your music across all platforms
- Focus on the quality of your music
5. Create your own playlists
Adding music to playlists so you can increase your chances to be featured in Discover Weekly includes your own playlists.
But creating your own playlists is also a good way to get more streams and therefore boost your chances to get discovered.
Your playlists should be a reflection of your personal taste and music expression.
Therefore, they should feature tracks from your favorite artists alongside your own.
You can base them on mood or genre, and you should always keep them fresh and updated as that’s what the Spotify algorithm prefers.
6. Boost your streams
Creating your own playlists and generally being active on Spotify will help you generate more streams.
And boosting streams will ultimately increase your chances for playlisting.
So, how can you get more Spotify streams, and how do they really work?
How do Spotify streams work?
Your total number of streams includes songs where you’re credited as a main artist or remixer.
The song stream is counted when someone listens for 30 seconds or more, and if a song appears on multiple releases, it counts toward the stream count on every release.
Spotify counts streams when the listener goes online, which must happen at least once every 30 days.
But the song’s popularity on Spotify is determined by several factors.
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 uses this index to prioritize tracks and recommends music to listeners.
How to get more Spotify streams
Besides claiming your Spotify for Artists profile and submitting your songs to playlists, there are several other strategies you can use to boost your Spotify streams and followers.
For instance, you can use Spotify promo tools.
Spotify Ad Studio allows you to advertise your music and manage audio or video promo campaigns, and you can define your target audience, set your budget, and choose your goals.
And Spotify Canvas allows you to create short looping visuals to play in the back of your song.
Listeners 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.
You can also use Spotify codes to promote your music outside the platform – these QR code-like images are easily shareable on almost any platform.
And whenever you plan to release a new song, don’t forget about 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.
If you want to get more streams on Spotify and get playlisted, you should also promote your music off-platform.
There are many music marketing strategies you can utilize, such as:
- Reaching out to music bloggers
- Reaching out to creators and influencers
- Creating a strong social media presence
- Email marketing
- Getting your song on the radio
You can also research Spotify promotion services – most Spotify promotion companies rely on playlisting and pitch their customers’ music to playlist curators.
However, you should be careful when choosing a Spotify promotion platform.
Although there are many reliable platforms that will help you get a placement, some websites use bots that drive-up Spotify numbers artificially.
And you should never buy fake streams – this is simply not real, but it can also get you in trouble.
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.
You should generate real, organic streams in a natural and gradual way.
And that requires patience and persistence.
So, be consistent, use Spotify promo tools, and promote your music on different platforms.
That’s the only way to become a successful artist and get your music heard by millions.
How to Get Playlisted on Spotify – Final Thoughts
Getting your songs playlisted on Spotify will undeniably help you get more streams and followers.
So, claim your Spotify for Artists profile and pitch your music to Spotify editors and independent playlist curators.
And don’t forget to promote your music off-platform as well.
All of this will ultimately increase your chances of being featured on popular playlists and reaching an audience of millions.
You may also like: How to Get More Streams on Spotify
