Spotify Editorial Playlists: How to Submit and Get Featured

Key Takeaways

• Submit your unreleased track at least 28 days before release using Spotify for Artists, providing complete metadata and a compelling pitch.

• Highlight your song’s story, target audience, and promotional strategies in your pitch to attract editorial curators’ attention.

• Ensure your Spotify artist profile is fully updated with a professional bio, photos, and accurate genre tags.

• Regularly release music and engage your audience to improve algorithmic visibility and strengthen your playlist consideration.

• Promote your playlist submission and placement via social media to increase engagement and signal momentum to Spotify’s editorial team.

What Are Spotify Editorial Playlists?

Spotify Editorial Playlists represent curated collections of music selected by the platform’s internal team of experts, designed to drive discovery and engagement among listeners.

Each Spotify editorial playlist, such as ‘New Music Friday’ or ‘Fresh Finds,’ highlights tracks chosen based on trends, genre, and audience engagement metrics. Playlist editors carefully assess submissions through a dedicated submission form, evaluating music to Spotify by considering song quality, artist momentum, and data-driven listener responses.

These editorial playlists carry official Spotify branding and are updated regularly to reflect current tastes. Securing placement can enhance an artist’s visibility, often resulting in increased streams, followers, and potential inclusion in algorithmic playlists. Ultimately, engaging with your audience and meeting editorial standards are central to maximising the impact of playlist placement. Additionally, pitching unreleased tracks through Spotify for Artists at least seven days before release is crucial for consideration in these playlists.

Key Differences Between Editorial and User-Curated Playlists

While both editorial and user-curated playlists serve as important tools for music discovery on the platform, distinct differences set them apart regarding curation, reach, and influence.

Editorial playlists are curated by Spotify’s in-house team, ensuring a professional selection process that highlights both emerging and established artists across diverse genres and trends.

In contrast, user-generated playlists are created by individual users, which can allow for niche curation but generally lack the same breadth and strategic updating.

Being featured on editorial playlists offers substantial visibility and promotional support, often resulting in a significant boost to an artist’s streams and overall profile.

User-generated playlists, while potentially popular, rarely provide the same level of exposure or industry impact as Spotify’s editorial playlists. Additionally, understanding curator preferences is crucial for artists looking to increase their chances of being featured on these playlists.

Steps to Prepare Your Track for Submission

Preparing a track for editorial playlist submission requires a strategic and detail-oriented approach to maximise its chances of being noticed by curators.

Artists should submit their music at least 28 days before its release, allowing editorial teams ample time for review and consideration for Spotify playlists. A compelling pitch is essential; it should clearly articulate the story behind the track, specify its target audience, and outline promotional strategies.

Detailed metadata—covering mood, instrumentation, tempo, and language—provides context to curators, enabling more informed playlist placement. Additionally, an updated Spotify profile, including a relevant bio, professional press shots, and active social media links, enhances credibility.

Since only one unreleased song can be pitched at a time, selecting the strongest candidate is critical for submission success. Furthermore, ensuring your submission aligns with genre-matched playlists can significantly increase your chances of playlist placement.

How to Submit Your Music to Spotify’s Editorial Team

Submitting music to Spotify’s editorial team involves a structured process that centres on timing, presentation, and adherence to platform guidelines.

Artists must use the Spotify for Artists platform to pitch one song at least 28 days prior to the release date, guaranteeing the editorial team has adequate time for consideration.

The submission should highlight details such as the story behind the track, intended audience, and promotional strategies, as these aspects can influence playlist inclusion.

Additionally, a complete and current Spotify artist profile is essential for credibility and appeal.

1. Submit your music through Spotify for Artists a minimum of 28 days before the release date.

2. Pitch only one unreleased song at a time, focusing on your strongest track.

3. Confirm your artist profile is fully updated with a bio, press shots, and social links.

Furthermore, maintaining an authentic bio on your artist profile can significantly enhance your chances of playlist inclusion by establishing relatability and connection with listeners.

Essential Elements of a Successful Playlist Pitch

A successful playlist pitch hinges on two critical factors: presenting a compelling narrative behind the song and selecting precise genre tags.

Sharing the story of the track’s creation and unique characteristics can capture the attention of editorial teams. Accurate genre categorisation further guarantees the song reaches the most appropriate audience and playlist placements. Additionally, being featured in editorial playlists can significantly increase visibility and recognition for emerging artists.

Crafting Compelling Song Stories

Capturing the attention of Spotify’s editorial team hinges on a concise and evocative song story that goes beyond basic track information.

A strong playlist pitch must articulate not only the inspiration and creation process but also what sets the track apart, enabling a deeper emotional connection with curators.

Specifying the target audience, including relevant regional and genre-specific insights, allows Spotify editorial to envision the song’s ideal listeners and placement.

Outlining promotional plans—such as release schedules, PR strategies, and supporting content—demonstrates a thorough approach to maximising reach.

Key elements for a successful song story include:

1. Narrative Depth: Describe inspiration, creation, and unique musical features.

2. Audience Alignment: Define the target audience’s demographics and interests.

3. Strategic Promotion: Detail upcoming promotional plans and supporting activities.

Including key metadata guarantees relevance and contextual fit for unreleased music submissions.

Selecting Accurate Genre Tags

When pitching to Spotify’s editorial team, selecting accurate genre tags is a critical step that directly influences playlist placement and discoverability.

Artists can select up to three genres, enabling a nuanced representation of their music’s style. Accurate genre tagging assists Spotify’s editorial team in understanding the track’s sound, ensuring it is routed to the most suitable playlists and increasing chances of editorial support.

Correct tags enhance discoverability by aligning songs with listener preferences and facilitating targeted playlist inclusion. Conversely, mislabelling genres may reduce the likelihood of a track being featured, as it can create confusion for editors and listeners alike.

Maintaining consistent and precise genre tags across releases also builds a cohesive identity, strengthening the artist’s presence and recognition within Spotify’s ecosystem.

Understanding the Role of the Spotify Algorithm

While editorial playlists remain influential, the Spotify algorithm serves as a central mechanism for curating personalised listening experiences. By analysing user listening habits, the algorithm determines which tracks are included in Spotify playlist staples like Discover Weekly and Release Radar.

Placement on a Spotify Editorial list can trigger further algorithmic inclusion, amplifying an artist’s reach. The algorithm prioritises tracks that demonstrate strong audience engagement, such as frequent saves, shares, and minimal skips.

For musicians promoting your music, best practices include optimising track metadata with accurate genre tags and mood descriptors, which enhances algorithmic understanding of a song’s context. Additionally, regular releases of new music can signal activity to Spotify’s algorithms, further increasing chances of visibility.

Key factors considered by the algorithm include:

1. Listener behaviour: Skips, saves, and shares.

2. Consistent streaming activity.

3. Effective metadata usage for precise recommendations.

Maximising Your Chances After Submission

Once a track has been submitted for Spotify editorial playlist consideration, strategic post-submission actions can substantially influence its trajectory.

Artists should immediately share news of their playlist pitch across social media, actively engaging their audience to generate excitement and support for the song.

Monitoring analytics through Spotify for Artists allows for real-time assessment of the track’s performance and effectiveness of music promotion tactics.

Gathering feedback from peers can illuminate areas to refine pitch materials, ensuring the content remains compelling and authentic for future submissions.

If the song undergoes significant improvement, such as enhanced audio quality, resubmission may increase its chances of getting featured.

Tagging Spotify’s editorial team in relevant posts can foster a professional connection, potentially increasing editorial awareness and consideration.

Additionally, preparing press materials and artwork ahead of submission can enhance the overall quality of the pitch and make a more compelling case for inclusion.

Leveraging Playlist Placement for Greater Exposure

After securing a spot on a Spotify Editorial Playlist, artists can further increase their reach by strategically amplifying social media buzz around the placement. Proactive networking with playlist curators may also open doors to future opportunities and sustained visibility within the platform. These actions enable artists to maximise the promotional impact of their editorial playlist features. Additionally, understanding listener demographics can help tailor promotional strategies that resonate with the audience.

Amplifying Social Media Buzz

Although playlist placement on Spotify provides a valuable opportunity for artists to reach new listeners, its impact can be greatly magnified through strategic social media promotion.

Sharing news of being featured on Spotify’s Editorial playlists introduces music to stand out in a crowded market and can boost your chances of further exposure.

Objective analysis indicates the following effective tactics:

1. Announce the Placement: Promote the new playlist feature on social media with visually appealing promo cards to capture attention and drive listeners to the track.

2. Tag and Engage: Tagging Spotify for Artists and relevant editorial playlists in posts increases reach and encourages shares, expanding audience engagement.

3. Foster Community: Express gratitude to fans, encouraging ongoing support and fostering loyalty, which may lead to sustained streaming and catalogue growth.

Networking With Playlist Curators

Amplifying social media buzz can drive significant traffic to a newly featured track, but further momentum is often achieved by cultivating relationships with influential playlist curators. Engaging with independent playlist curators not only increases an artist’s visibility but also improves the likelihood of being considered for Spotify’s editorial playlists.

These curators typically have dedicated audiences who trust their selections, making networking essential for organic growth. Proactive submissions, regular updates, and sharing music directly with curators keep an artist’s work prominent in curator circles.

Utilising platforms like SoundCampaign streamlines the process, providing access to a broad network of playlist curators. Additionally, participating in community events and discussions can yield valuable insights and foster connections, ultimately enhancing editorial playlist placement opportunities and overall audience reach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Get Added to Spotify Editorial Playlists?

To get added to Spotify editorial playlists, artists should use effective playlist submission strategies, apply music promotion tips, leverage artist networking techniques, understand Spotify algorithm insights, focus on creating shareable content, and prioritise building listener engagement for increased visibility.

How Hard Is It to Get on a Spotify Editorial Playlist?

Securing placement on a Spotify editorial playlist is highly competitive due to increased competition levels, varying playlist algorithms, and genre preferences. The submission process is rigorous, requiring standout artist exposure and compelling content to attract playlist curators’ attention.

How to Get Your Music Featured on Spotify Playlists?

To get music featured on Spotify playlists, artists should employ music promotion strategies, optimise playlist submission tips, strengthen artist branding essentials, leverage social media influence, pursue networking opportunities, and utilise audience engagement techniques to increase visibility among curators and listeners.

What Is the 30 Second Rule on Spotify?

The 30-second rule on Spotify states that a song must be played for at least 30 seconds to count as a stream, significantly impacting Spotify algorithm decisions, playlist curation, music promotion, listener engagement, and the editorial team’s submission process.

Conclusion

Securing placement on Spotify editorial playlists requires a strategic approach, from preparing high-quality tracks to crafting compelling pitches. By understanding the differences between editorial and user-curated playlists, artists can tailor their submissions for maximum impact. Utilising knowledge of the Spotify algorithm and actively engaging with listeners post-submission further enhances visibility. Ultimately, a methodical, informed process increases the likelihood of editorial playlist inclusion, offering valuable exposure and growth opportunities within the competitive streaming environment.