What to get on a Spotify playlist? Add these 4 things to your pitch

Want to be in the next Coffee House mix? Or in the next Best of Indie mix? Here are some important tips you need to know if they want to get music on official Spotify playlists.

by Chris Robley from the Reverbnation Blog

Want to get your new music onto official Spotify playlists?

Then there’s a few things you’ll need to remember when you pitch an upcoming track. I’ll get to those in a sec.

First, though…

To pitch a song to Spotify:

• Distribute your music to Spotify with a future release-date
• Then claim or update your artist profile on Spotify
• Finally, use Spotify’s pitching tool to suggest one of your upcoming tracks

Spotify’s editorial team recommends you pitch a track at least 7 business-days in advance of the release, but the earlier the better. 

It’s this last step — the pitch itself — where many musicians miss key opportunities.

And I don’t mean the part where you’re automatically prompted to choose specific characteristics from a pre-populated list. Things like instrumentation and the language of the lyrics. That’s easy!

No, it’s the text-box towards the end of the process where many musicians freeze up or fumble. So let’s address what you SHOULD include when you write your pitch in that blank field.

4 things to include when pitching to Spotify

1. The mood, vibe, or topic

What feeling does the song elicit? What subject matter does it tackle? Tell them in the first few words!

Not only does this lead with an emotional hook and plant curiosity for the editors, you’re also providing more keyword-rich context for where the song belongs in the Spotify ecosystem.

2. What playlist the track belongs on

Reference one or two existing playlists where the song would fit perfectly. It should be a relevant and genre-appropriate playlist, but don’t swing for the fences.

Mention smaller playlists where emerging artists have a chance of gaining traction. If your tracks do well there, they could then get tested on bigger lists.

3. Your plan to drive Spotify engagement

What’s your marketing plan? If you have one, you’re ahead of the crowd. Good job!

Now it’s time to tell Spotify exactly what that plan entails, specifically as it relates to their platform. Summarize what you will you do, create, and spend in order to get new and existing fans to listen on Spotify.

4. Name-drop!

Are there any notable producers, featured guests, or co-writers on the track? Tell Spotify.

If there’s nobody to name-drop with a collaborator credit, you can list some other artists you sound like. 

Again, this is all about positioning your track in a larger ecosystem of musical peers and influences.

Conclusion

Whenever you release new music on Spotify, be sure to include these four things in your pitch. Even if this doesn’t lead to placement on an editorial playlist, you’re giving Spotify the information it needs to make smarter music recommendations.

So this same process is also boosting your chances of appearing in algorithmic playlists such as Release Radar and Discovery Weekly. 

Happy pitching!