How to Enter Spotify's Editorial Playlists

Nowadays, it’s really hard for artists to enter editorial playlists, which represents the ones created directly by streaming platforms, that helps reaching a wider audience.

What is an editorial playlist?

This kind of playlists are directly managed by expert curators of the Spotify Team: they’re based on different genres, moods, specific events and so on. They aim to offer a unique and high-quality music experience, helping artists reach a big audience because there directly promoted by streaming platforms and so these playlists ensure great visibility.

How can you send your music to editorial playlists?

A common way to get into editorial playlists is by having your label or distributor submit your music to Spotify's team because labels or distributors usually manage multiple artists so they have closer connections with streaming platforms.

Unfortunately, getting into Spotify's editorial playlists as an emerging artist is very difficult. Spotify tends to prioritize already famous artists with many streams, so you rarely find tracks from emerging artists in these playlists.

However, there is a way to submit your music to Spotify's editors before its release, so it can be included in Release Radar, an algorithmic playlist by Spotify, and potentially in editorial playlists after its release.

Here's how to do it:

Sending your music to Spotify's editors

In order to send your tracks to these playlist, you should follow some tips so it’ll be easier for you to enter them.

Firstly you have to join Spotify for Artists where you can see all your artists infos. If you have an upcoming release it will appear on the home page like this image:

Once you've clicked on your upcoming releases, select the track you want to submit to Spotify's editors.

Once you have selected the track to submit, you will need to fill out some information about it, such as genre, style, instruments used, a description of the track, and your future plans.

It is important to be very specific and also very creative at this stage to spark the interest of the editors, as this part makes a significant difference. A track without a good description and specific information is more likely to be discarded from the start.

Once you have done this, make sure you have included everything necessary and click "submit".

From this moment, if you're lucky and your track is well-received, you will have the chance to appear in Release Radar and, in rare cases, even in Spotify's editorial playlists.

Another way to enter Spotify's editorial Playlists

We have seen that getting into editorial playlists is very difficult. One solution is to submit your tracks to Spotify's editors, but this does not guarantee access to the playlists.

However, there is another way to increase your chances of getting into editorial playlists: by gaining high interaction on your Spotify profile (playlist adds, saves, etc.). For Spotify's algorithm, high interaction means your music is popular, which can "unlock" the recommendation algorithm and suggest your tracks to listeners of your genre.

One way to achieve this is by submitting your music to many user playlists. This signals to Spotify that your track is liked enough to be added to user playlists.

Submitting to many playlists can be complicated and time-consuming, as it involves finding curators and playlists. However, there is a method to simplify this process: through Matchfy, a music promotion platform, you can submit your track to an unlimited number of playlists by subscribing to the Artist plan.

In this way, besides gaining streams from playlist listeners, you will have the chance to "unlock" Spotify's algorithm, be recommended to other users, be included in algorithmic playlists, and eventually in editorial playlists.

Pro Tips

First of all you should send your music at least 4 weeks before the release, so the editors will be able to listen to it, but you can propose it once, when your track is out, you’ll be able to send another request.

Submitting your music well before the release date is essential. This gives playlist curators the necessary time to listen to and evaluate your track. Additionally, it's important to run a pre-release campaign, creating anticipation and interest around your music. Engage your fans on social media and other platforms to increase attention.

Finally, using pre-save links is an effective strategy to ensure that your track is automatically saved to users' libraries when it is released. This not only increases the chances of immediate plays but also shows Spotify that there is already significant interest in your music.

Additionally, when submitting to playlists, do not underestimate smaller playlists just because they have fewer followers. Remember that all user playlists (if they are genre-appropriate) are crucial for Spotify's algorithm, even if they may not bring immediate streams.

Also, when submitting, we recommend sending to at least 5000 playlists. From our promotional experience, we've found that a track with 1 million streams typically has submissions to at least 300k playlists.

Conclusion

In conclusion, breaking into editorial playlists can be challenging in today's crowded music market.

However, leveraging platforms like Matchfy can significantly boost your chances by helping you promote your music across various channels, including Spotify, magazines, TikTok, and YouTube. We offer you the opportunity to send your tracks endless times to many playlists thanks to the Artist Plan.

While there's no guarantee of placement, consistent effort and strategic promotion can pave the way for greater visibility and success on Spotify and beyond.