How to Get Your Music on Spotify Playlists: My Step-by-Step Pitching Strategy

A while ago, I did something I had never done before.

Until then, I had been submitting music to playlists as a musician and reviewing songs as a playlist curator.

But I had never pitched another musician's songs to curators.

So when a musician asked to hire me to pitch his music to different playlists, I said NO.

I felt unsure, since it was something I had never done before.

Pitching my own music was easy for me. Pitching for someone else? Mmm… I wasn't so sure about that.

But he insisted, so I took on the job.

And the results were way better than I expected, which made both of us very happy (:

It was his first song, and it got hundreds of streams from the playlists that approved it.

So how did I get his music on mid-sized and big playlists?

Here's the whole process.

The Song

Not every song is playlist-friendly.

You need to understand that a playlist has a flow.

When a curator adds your song, they believe it will blend perfectly between the song the listener just played and the one that comes next.

If your song has a long intro or outro, if the mix doesn't meet industry standards, or if it's overly generic, it has less potential to fit into a playlist.

Actionable tip: Long before releasing a song, send it to 2-3 curators and ask for their opinion on its playlist potential. If they like it, it's worth investing in a playlist campaign.

If the song isn't playlist-friendly, consider releasing it as part of an album instead of promoting it heavily.

The Platform

I can't recommend SubmitHub enough.

As a curator on the platform, I know how it works from the inside. And because I "hate" it, I also know how much it benefits musicians.

SubmitHub forces curators to listen to at least one minute of your song and write feedback that's at least 20 words long (and not copy-pasted). It even punishes curators who give bad feedback or have low engagement on their playlists.

If you use SubmitHub correctly, you can get great results, but only if you follow what I'm teaching here.

If you want to support me, you can sign up through my SubmitHub link (I get a small commission).

Actionable tip: Use SubmitHub as your first option. If you have a bigger budget, consider Playlist Push or Groover, which are also great for playlist submissions.

The Timing

Here are three things you need to know about curators:

• They sometimes receive dozens of submissions a day.
• They have 3-7 days (or more) to respond.
• They often go on "vacation mode," which means your submission waits until they come back.

Because of this, submitting your song after its release isn't ideal.

A song might get approved long after you submit it, and then you miss out on early traction.

That's why a lot of platforms let you submit an unreleased song and schedule the playlist placement for release day.

Since you won't have the Spotify link before release, send curators an MP3 file (not SoundCloud!), and remember to send them the Spotify link on release day.

Actionable tip: Send your song to curators about a week before release. This gives them enough time to listen, and your song is already on playlists the day it comes out.

The Aesthetics

This isn't The Voice. Curators often judge your music on more than how it sounds.

Your song name, artwork, social media, Spotify stats, bio, story and career background all influence their decision.

Social proof plays a huge role in getting playlist approvals.

Actionable tip: If your social media isn't connected to your SubmitHub profile, connect it now. If your Spotify profile has no bio or header image, add them now. I wrote a whole guide on making your Spotify profile stand out.

The more professional you look, the more respect you'll get from curators and industry professionals.

The Selection

Now, onto finding curators and pitching your song.

The first step is defining your genre as accurately as possible.

Most songs don't fit into just one genre, so aim for 2-3 genre tags. If you're unsure, think of an artist or song that sounds similar and Google their genre.

Once you've classified your song, SubmitHub shows you a list of curators who fit your genres. The most relevant curators appear first, and the less relevant ones are further down the list.

On the left side of SubmitHub's interface, you can filter curators by different factors.

Next to every playlist, SubmitHub shows how many songs of your genre have been approved. The more approvals, the higher your chances of getting in.

If a playlist's approval rate for your genre is lower than 15%, don't bother submitting.

Actionable tip: Before submitting, listen to 2-3 songs from each playlist to make sure they fit your song's style. If they do, write a personal pitch.

The Pitch

Never underestimate the power of a good pitch.

SubmitHub limits your pitch to 200 characters, and that's still enough to convince a curator.

What should you include? If you have social proof, mention it.

If you don't have social proof, keep your pitch simple and include:

• The curator's name.
• The specific playlist you're pitching for (and proof that you've listened to it).
• The best part of the song they should check out.

These three things make your pitch personal, professional and convincing. If you get stuck on the wording, my free Song Pitch Generator writes a first draft for you.

The Results

Since I had never pitched for another musician before, I asked him to start with a small playlist promotion budget.

I decided to target mid-sized and big playlists for this campaign, because I wanted a high volume of streams instead of a high approval rate from smaller playlists.

I submitted the song to 10 playlists and got approved by 5!

That's a 50% approval rate, even better than what I usually get for my own music.

I'm sure the artist felt relieved knowing his song would get quality streams on release day.

And that's why submitting music the right way matters. We were both happy we worked together.

Final Thoughts

I hope this inspires you to pitch your music for your next release.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

And if you want to skip the pitching work, you can submit your song straight to me. I listen to it, send you personal feedback, and if it fits one of my playlists, I'll add it.