How to use Spotify playlists to get more fans

How to use Spotify playlists to get more fans?

The reason the playlists that you create yourself are so important is that they give you full control as an artist. 

You don’t have to worry about wasted hours trying to get on to other peoples playlists only to be turned down. Or getting onto playlists only to be removed for reasons out of your control. You are the gatekeeper of your playlist. 

Please keep in mind that I am by no means against attempting to get on to the top playlists but I am suggesting that you take a more strategic approach to how you go about it.

Creating your own playlists will take some time and promotion in its own right to be successful but at the end of the day, this will be an asset you can use to further your career and leverage in other ways.

Yes, this will take some work but I urge you not to neglect the opportunity at hand here. Think big picture for a moment and start building the foundation that will help you down the road.

Ask yourself this question… Why are third parties (major labels, blogs, management companies, etc) creating their own playlists?

Is it merely out of sheer fun a pleasure?

I highly doubt it.

These are tools that they are creating and using to benefit from. If you ran a record label and had a highly touted playlist getting a ton of engagement, would you not push your acts on these playlists?

So think about this when you are submitting to these playlists or anywhere for that matter. You need to have something to offer them to increase your success rate. 

As you grow your following and increase the buzz around you make sure you build a couple playlists that you can keep in your back pocket and continually utilize for your current and future music.

How Will Your Personal Playlists Help You?

Your personal playlists will help you in a number of ways. For one, it is another avenue for you to promote your music. It also provides you leverage with other artists who may be in a similar position.

When you begin to grow your following on these playlists you are garnering attention from people who may not have found your music previously but will now be introduced to it.

All your new releases can get an extra push when added to these lists strategically.

Have A Plan Of Action

Make sure you have a strategy behind the playlists you make. The more niche and specific you can be the better. Look at other playlists that are run by ordinary users and try to get a sense of what they are doing well and not so well.

I think a lot of people get very selfish when making a playlist and include songs that they like or mostly their own catalog of music. 

This is ok in certain circumstances but keep in mind these may only gain traction on fans you already have. Keep in mind we are trying to grow your following and this will require you to step into the shoes of the audience you are trying to acquire.

Think about who you sound like, or what your desired audience also listens to. Think about the things they may do on a daily basis that would make them interact with music. May it be working out, partying, traveling, etc. 

The goal here is to make playlists that others would like and if your tastes coincide with that then great. Your music may not even be on some of the playlists you create but you should be creating lists that compliment your music so you can tastefully slide one or two of your tracks in there over time.

One strategy you can employ is to brand your playlists to give them a more cohesive feel. With this method, you are working to create a brand that people can identify with and start searching for instead of just one specific playlist. 

If you can do this properly you can build a network of playlists in multiple genres all contributing to one entity. Find out more on how to do this here.

Promote Your Playlists

Lastly, you need to promote your playlists. The whole build it and they will come mentality does not apply here or anywhere in your music career for that matter (unless you’re already a famous musician that is). 

No different than promoting an album or single release you need to give you playlists some time and energy to ensure that they gain traction.

Sometimes this can be a daunting task considering all the other activities you have on the go. But I encourage you to change your mentality and how you view these playlists.

Look at them as an asset no different than your latest single or album and treat it as such. Give it the same love as you would a release. 

After you’ve made your playlist make it shareable with Spotify Codes. You can get your friends and followers to scan your playlist code on their phones to instantly play music. What you put in is what you’ll get out.

I certainly stress the importance of this and how it can help you in your career, however, if you don’t invest the required time into growing it then you are better off not making it at all and directing your energies elsewhere.

One way to promote your playlist is to post it to the Spotify Playlist Exchange with a brief description about the genre, why you created it and whether you’re going to keep it updated or not. 

It’s also a good idea to tag related genres in case users search for particular music through the playlist exchange. You can also rate playlists submitted by other curators, comment on their threads with your playlist attached and encourage them to follow it.

Another way to promote your playlist is to collaborate with other playlist curators. By creating a playlist that’s mutually beneficial it could help it rank higher on Spotify searches. 

These websites are helpful for collaborative playlist curation: Filtr, Indiemono, Streaming Promotions and Playlist Pump.

Music is certainly not all about money but If you are complaining that your music isn’t getting the traction you desire you need to ask yourself if you are doing everything in your power to promote it. 

Creation in this day and age is only part of the battle and for some, if you are not willing to market yourself and promote your music it won’t see the light of day.

I see so much money wasted on a great song, a well shot music video only to have it poorly promoted and go nowhere. Your playlists are a part of this as well. But I can assure you that if you give them the time they require they can be a huge help to you and your career.