I've noticed several different artists that are excited about the addition of their songs to playlists, but in the long run, the number of their monthly listeners didn't increase much at all. Their follower counts stayed the same, and the next time they released a new song, it seems to launch into a vacuum. This isn't just bad luck; this is generally a result of poor playlist selection.
The number of followers is a significant measurement; however, alone it is not a good measure of how successful your playlist is anymore. For example, you could have 50,000 followers on one playlist, and that playlist isn't being used at all, or you could have only 1,800 on another one, and that playlist is sending you real fans who are saving the song and coming back to your songs frequently. If you need immediate attention to your new release, some teams will combine Spotify music promotion with outreach to achieve an audience quickly as well as measurable results through saved tracks from the audience and returning to the audience, rather than just counting how many people follow a playlist.
Most guides show you how to talk to curators but the real hard skill is knowing what curator to talk to. The selection process will help eliminate hours spent trying to get vanity placements.
A playlist scorecard that works
I assess potential targets with a quick scoring rubric. No special systems, just a few cues that suggest if the target is actively listened to and can lead to additional behaviors on Spotify (e.g., saving, replaying, algorithmically picking up). Each component is rated on a scale of 0-5 and added up. Any total below 12 is generally a waste of time.
-Listener-to-follower ratio
-Track turnover speed
-Genre adjacency fit
-Engagement outcomes (saves, returns)
To create a printable shareable document from your worksheet above, use a grid-style layout with 4 rows (the 4 Domains), 1 Notes column, and a place to enter scores. Other bloggers appreciate making connections to beneficial resources that are functional not just words of encouragement or inspiration.
The 4 checks that beat vanity
1) Fan-to-follower ratio. To determine whether or not your followers are actively engaging with your playlists, it helps to compare the number of people who played your playlist shortly after you added it to Spotify versus how many people have added it as a follower. Playlists with a higher fan-to-follower ratio will likely show up in search results and be shared amongst users and/or used frequently by real users. Playlists that have a lower fan-to-follower ratio may have inactive followers, have been created using paid growth methods, or have simply been added to user's library and are sitting there collecting dust.
2) Monitor turnover by observing track rotation frequency. For instance, the lack of an updated list over several months may indicate abandonment by the curator, even if it still contains a large number of tracks. In contrast, a list with constantly changing tracks (more than dozens of adds per week) could lead to songs being buried due to becoming too many tracks on the playlist before accumulating enough listens to have any significant impact. I prefer playlists that have a regular human cadence with a few swaps each week or one refresh every 2 to 3 weeks.
Instead of only focusing on finding your song's exact genre match, take a look into all of the genres that complement your own to create a more diverse list of potential playlists. Many artists make this mistake and they don't realize that they could reach more fans if they broadened their search for playlists. For example, even though an artist's moody alt-pop song would work well with other indie pop and chill electronic songs; it wouldn't work well if it were on a playlist that contained fast-tempo gym songs, even if the playlist creator was a fan of their music. When you place your song in the correct mood category for a listener who finishes listening to your song and saves it as a favorite, you will often gain new fans.
Proof of engagement. Passive plays are not without worth but don't really affect your path to success very much. Rather than focusing on what has your song sitting in playlists; when have people saved, repeated, and returned to your songs later in the week? Spotify itself wants artists to think of their audiences based on the way their listeners are behaving. When looking for context about how different listener types behave (active, programmed, etc.), be sure to visit the Artist Spotify for Artists audience segmentation notes via official guide.
Sequencing: editorial, user, algorithmic
Much of the frustration arises from completing tasks correctly, but out of sequence. Editorial, user-curated and algorithmic entry points represent distinct ecosystems with unique timelines.
It is best to get the editorial aspect down first and do it right. If you are pitching to Spotify for Artists, get that part done early and be yourself when writing your pitch. Also consider things like what the mood of the playlist is, or what kind of moment a listener would have. Getting placed on an editorial playlist does not guarantee anything, but will open up a clean slate for your music. Custom user playlists represent your go-to spot for grinding out tracks in terms of use, with many types of selections available; thus, there are many different levels of quality. It is during campaign launches that PromosoundGroup typically shows up in promotional campaigns as a tool for helping to enhance initial reach through curators with high scores whilst simultaneously achieving ample amounts of engaged listeners on Spotify.
When it comes down to it, you will get more response through Algorithmic Surfaces if there are enough signals (good completion rates, saved songs, repeat listeners) that show somebody wants to hear what you've put out. Chasing Algorithmic success alone is like cooking without turning on the stove.
When playlist adds do nothing
A playlist addition can sometimes be a non-fraudulent or mismatched item. The following are the common observed situations where a placement appears solid, on paper, but produces a flat-lined response:
-The playlist is follower-heavy but listener-light (low ratio).
-Your track sits too deep in the queue, so it gets skipped before the hook.
-The list is updated so aggressively you only get 12-48 hours of visibility.
-Genre adjacency is off, so people bounce quickly even if the curator liked the song.
I was part of a team that had been placed onto a large playlist by an industry leader, and they thought they would see fireworks after being put on this playlist; however, they did receive a small increase in streams shortly after the placement but did not see any other long-term streaming growth from being on the large playlist. Instead we started focusing on playlists with a smaller number of songs, a better listener to follower ratio, and steady turnover. While total streams were lower than the first placement, total saves finally increased, and two weeks later the artist began to see airplay from the song for new listeners. This is what I would call a boring triumph.
To establish routines and eliminate mistakes with other playlist names; it takes recording listener statistics after each addition along with return and new follower stats for each addition of your music or content every time at least ten minutes of work. All playlist ecosystems will continually change over time; however, comparing listener quality against vanity followers is always an advantage. Score your targets and sequence your action steps. Treat every placement as a test; you will spend less time on trial and error. You'll be able to build up momentum for your releases rather than starting from ground zero.
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