Pitching to user-generated playlists on Spotify is absolutely pointless.
For details, I recently dropped what I feel to be one of the most important videos I’ve ever made on the topic if you want to check it out.
But just because user-generated playlist pitching is a horrible idea, that doesn’t mean every playlist on Spotify is bad.
In fact, I would argue there are several playlist options on Spotify that are incredibly powerful and good to keep in mind.
Focusing on these playlists will not only not destroy your data like user-generated playlists will, but will likely help you grow your artist profile on Spotify in the long run.
Algorithmic playlists
Spotify is a social media platform.
Yes, it’s a music platform too, but really, it’s a social media platform.
Just like Instagram or TikTok, Spotify is built on top of a highly complex algorithm that recommends content to its users to keep them engaged and on the platform.
The primary way Spotify recommends content (i.e. music) is through its algorithmically generated playlists.
Now these come in all shapes and sizes, but the three biggest playlists worth paying attention to are Release Radar, Discover Weekly, and Radio.
Honorable mention goes to Spotify’s Daily Mix, Top Songs, and Rewind playlists, and they have done a great job of algorithmically generating some versions of editorial playlists as well, which we’ll get to in a minute.
The reason these playlists are so powerful is that they automatically leverage Spotify’s algorithmic understanding of an artist to find like-minded listeners by presenting music to new people who have shown an interest in similar work in the past.
So in the same way a video might go viral on TikTok, the right piece of content (again, music) can gain exposure on Spotify through the platform’s algorithm.
Editorial playlists
Editorial playlists are difficult to get on.
To begin seeing signs of editorial activity requires a popularity score of 45% for a track.
In my experience, this first indicator comes through Spotify’s autoplay feature (again, the algorithm) placing the song at the end of similar artists’ “This Is…” playlists.
If the song continues to gain traction and increases to a popularity score of 50%, then an artist can expect to see their track actually listed on an editorial playlist or two.
Oftentimes this will first manifest itself via Spotify’s algorithmic editorials, a clever little playlist hybrid that combines some staple songs for every user as well as some variable songs, depending on listening habits and taste.
Honestly, it’s a great little product.
Editorials though, are a tough achievement to unlock.
Sure, big artists end up on them on day one of a release, but for most of us, the odds of getting on an editorial playlist on release day are, statistically, almost zero.
Instead, think of editorials as the cherry on top for a song that has performed well on its own already.
Kind of like how rock stars who can afford all the gear in the world are the only ones who get it for free. 🙄
Your own playlists
Creating your own playlist is a great way to get more streams for your music.
Honestly, outside of pushing a track within its first four weeks of release, I’d say sending traffic directly to your song is one of the worst ways to market your music on Spotify.
Sending users to your profile or to a playlist of your own music is better.
On average, you’re just going to see a lot more streams per listener (and overall streams for your catalog) if people are presented with a body of work rather than just one track.
See, people generally take the path of least resistance, which means they are far more likely to simply keep listening once they hit Spotify rather than going through the process of actually thinking, deciding, and making adjustments to what is currently playing.
When someone lands on an individual track, the system will autoplay them out of your work and onto another artist as soon as that song is done.
When someone lands on your profile, the system will simply push them down your list of top songs and into the rest of your catalog.
And when they land on your playlist, well, you’re the DJ.
If you have a slew of bangers in your catalog, feel free to only include your music; if you’re still building that catalog or you want to aid Spotify’s algorithmic understanding of your similar artists for the Fans Also Like section of your profile, think about dropping in a few songs from others.
The point is, you’re in control here, and no one can pull your music from the playlist except you.
That’s a pretty big deal.
Pitching to user-generated playlists on Spotify is absolutely pointless.
For details, I recently dropped what I feel to be one of the most important videos I’ve ever made on the topic if you want to check it out.
But just because user-generated playlist pitching is a horrible idea, that doesn’t mean every playlist on Spotify is bad.
In fact, I would argue there are several playlist options on Spotify that are incredibly powerful and good to keep in mind.
Focusing on these playlists will not only not destroy your data like user-generated playlists will, but will likely help you grow your artist profile on Spotify in the long run.
Algorithmic playlists
Spotify is a social media platform.
Yes, it’s a music platform too, but really, it’s a social media platform.
Just like Instagram or TikTok, Spotify is built on top of a highly complex algorithm that recommends content to its users to keep them engaged and on the platform.
The primary way Spotify recommends content (i.e. music) is through its algorithmically generated playlists.
Now these come in all shapes and sizes, but the three biggest playlists worth paying attention to are Release Radar, Discover Weekly, and Radio.
Honorable mention goes to Spotify’s Daily Mix, Top Songs, and Rewind playlists, and they have done a great job of algorithmically generating some versions of editorial playlists as well, which we’ll get to in a minute.
The reason these playlists are so powerful is that they automatically leverage Spotify’s algorithmic understanding of an artist to find like-minded listeners by presenting music to new people who have shown an interest in similar work in the past.
So in the same way a video might go viral on TikTok, the right piece of content (again, music) can gain exposure on Spotify through the platform’s algorithm.
Editorial playlists
Editorial playlists are difficult to get on.
To begin seeing signs of editorial activity requires a popularity score of 45% for a track.
In my experience, this first indicator comes through Spotify’s autoplay feature (again, the algorithm) placing the song at the end of similar artists’ “This Is…” playlists.
If the song continues to gain traction and increases to a popularity score of 50%, then an artist can expect to see their track actually listed on an editorial playlist or two.
Oftentimes this will first manifest itself via Spotify’s algorithmic editorials, a clever little playlist hybrid that combines some staple songs for every user as well as some variable songs, depending on listening habits and taste.
Honestly, it’s a great little product.
Editorials though, are a tough achievement to unlock.
Sure, big artists end up on them on day one of a release, but for most of us, the odds of getting on an editorial playlist on release day are, statistically, almost zero.
Instead, think of editorials as the cherry on top for a song that has performed well on its own already.
Kind of like how rock stars who can afford all the gear in the world are the only ones who get it for free. 🙄
Your own playlists
Creating your own playlist is a great way to get more streams for your music.
Honestly, outside of pushing a track within its first four weeks of release, I’d say sending traffic directly to your song is one of the worst ways to market your music on Spotify.
Sending users to your profile or to a playlist of your own music is better.
On average, you’re just going to see a lot more streams per listener (and overall streams for your catalog) if people are presented with a body of work rather than just one track.
See, people generally take the path of least resistance, which means they are far more likely to simply keep listening once they hit Spotify rather than going through the process of actually thinking, deciding, and making adjustments to what is currently playing.
When someone lands on an individual track, the system will autoplay them out of your work and onto another artist as soon as that song is done.
When someone lands on your profile, the system will simply push them down your list of top songs and into the rest of your catalog.
And when they land on your playlist, well, you’re the DJ.
If you have a slew of bangers in your catalog, feel free to only include your music; if you’re still building that catalog or you want to aid Spotify’s algorithmic understanding of your similar artists for the Fans Also Like section of your profile, think about dropping in a few songs from others.
The point is, you’re in control here, and no one can pull your music from the playlist except you.
That’s a pretty big deal.
Pitching to user-generated playlists on Spotify is absolutely pointless.
For details, I recently dropped what I feel to be one of the most important videos I’ve ever made on the topic if you want to check it out.
But just because user-generated playlist pitching is a horrible idea, that doesn’t mean every playlist on Spotify is bad.
In fact, I would argue there are several playlist options on Spotify that are incredibly powerful and good to keep in mind.
Focusing on these playlists will not only not destroy your data like user-generated playlists will, but will likely help you grow your artist profile on Spotify in the long run.
Algorithmic playlists
Spotify is a social media platform.
Yes, it’s a music platform too, but really, it’s a social media platform.
Just like Instagram or TikTok, Spotify is built on top of a highly complex algorithm that recommends content to its users to keep them engaged and on the platform.
The primary way Spotify recommends content (i.e. music) is through its algorithmically generated playlists.
Now these come in all shapes and sizes, but the three biggest playlists worth paying attention to are Release Radar, Discover Weekly, and Radio.
Honorable mention goes to Spotify’s Daily Mix, Top Songs, and Rewind playlists, and they have done a great job of algorithmically generating some versions of editorial playlists as well, which we’ll get to in a minute.
The reason these playlists are so powerful is that they automatically leverage Spotify’s algorithmic understanding of an artist to find like-minded listeners by presenting music to new people who have shown an interest in similar work in the past.
So in the same way a video might go viral on TikTok, the right piece of content (again, music) can gain exposure on Spotify through the platform’s algorithm.
Editorial playlists
Editorial playlists are difficult to get on.
To begin seeing signs of editorial activity requires a popularity score of 45% for a track.
In my experience, this first indicator comes through Spotify’s autoplay feature (again, the algorithm) placing the song at the end of similar artists’ “This Is…” playlists.
If the song continues to gain traction and increases to a popularity score of 50%, then an artist can expect to see their track actually listed on an editorial playlist or two.
Oftentimes this will first manifest itself via Spotify’s algorithmic editorials, a clever little playlist hybrid that combines some staple songs for every user as well as some variable songs, depending on listening habits and taste.
Honestly, it’s a great little product.
Editorials though, are a tough achievement to unlock.
Sure, big artists end up on them on day one of a release, but for most of us, the odds of getting on an editorial playlist on release day are, statistically, almost zero.
Instead, think of editorials as the cherry on top for a song that has performed well on its own already.
Kind of like how rock stars who can afford all the gear in the world are the only ones who get it for free. 🙄
Your own playlists
Creating your own playlist is a great way to get more streams for your music.
Honestly, outside of pushing a track within its first four weeks of release, I’d say sending traffic directly to your song is one of the worst ways to market your music on Spotify.
Sending users to your profile or to a playlist of your own music is better.
On average, you’re just going to see a lot more streams per listener (and overall streams for your catalog) if people are presented with a body of work rather than just one track.
See, people generally take the path of least resistance, which means they are far more likely to simply keep listening once they hit Spotify rather than going through the process of actually thinking, deciding, and making adjustments to what is currently playing.
When someone lands on an individual track, the system will autoplay them out of your work and onto another artist as soon as that song is done.
When someone lands on your profile, the system will simply push them down your list of top songs and into the rest of your catalog.
And when they land on your playlist, well, you’re the DJ.
If you have a slew of bangers in your catalog, feel free to only include your music; if you’re still building that catalog or you want to aid Spotify’s algorithmic understanding of your similar artists for the Fans Also Like section of your profile, think about dropping in a few songs from others.
The point is, you’re in control here, and no one can pull your music from the playlist except you.
That’s a pretty big deal.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.