How to Make Your Spotify Profile Stand Out (Tips From a Playlist Curator)

I've reviewed more than 50,000 song submissions as a playlist curator. In my busiest year, that was about 40 songs a day.

And here's what keeps me up at night: more and more AI songs are slipping through. Some sound so good that I can only tell they're fake when I check the artist's profile.

That's when it hit me. Your Spotify profile is your first proof that you're human.

Curators, fans and potential collaborators all judge you by your profile, and one glance decides if you're worth their time.

So let's make sure you look 100% human (and professional) before your next promotion push.

1. Header Image

A lot of musicians don't know they have one.

Open Spotify on desktop. Do you see the blank space behind your name? That's where your header image goes.

2. Profile Picture

It depends on your brand and genre, but the more authentic you look, the easier it is for people to connect with you.

3. Monthly Listeners

If you have a low monthly listener count, that's fine. Only 19% of Spotify artists have more than 1,000.

But if you have 500K streams and only 47 monthly listeners?

That's a huge red flag. It screams "I bought bot streams." Focus on getting your music on legit playlists and running your own ads. (And if fake streams showed up without you buying them, here's what to do.)

4. Artist Bio

Three approaches that work:

Type 1 is the personality bio. It's short, funny and memorable, like "I make sad songs for happy people," or just "I make music."

Type 2 is the professional bio, with just the facts: "Alternative rock from Seattle. Influenced by Nirvana and heartbreak. New album 'Restless' out now."

Type 3 is the Wikipedia bio. It tells the full story for superfans, with your background, achievements and upcoming projects.

Must-haves for any bio:

• Where you're from
• What you sound like
• Your current project or release

5. Social Media Links

30% of the profiles I review have no Instagram linked.

Connect everything: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. It takes 2 minutes in Spotify for Artists.

6. Image Gallery (Show You Exist IRL)

Add photos from your shows, studio sessions and band shoots, anything that proves you're more than a profile picture.

AI can't play a show (yet). Show that you can.

More Things You Can Add to Your Profile

You can also add your own playlists, an artist pick, upcoming shows and the merch you sell. All of those make your profile look fuller and more interesting.

Start with whatever's easiest. Even one change makes you look more legit than half the artists out there.

Because here's the truth: I want to playlist human artists making their own music. But if your profile looks like it was generated by ChatGPT, I might move on to the next submission.

Make it easy for us to believe in you.

And once your profile is ready, you can submit your song to me. I listen to it, send you personal feedback, and add it to one of my playlists if it fits.