As an “elder millennial” I’m old enough to remember mixtapes — little plastic cassettes with a jumble of songs recorded straight off the radio. I loved curating the mixtapes and I loved giving them away. I remember every single mix someone else gave to me — I listened to them over and over! Mixtapes were the best!
Ok, Andrea, we get it: you’re old. You’re so old your hair scrunchies are making a comeback. What does this have to do with growing a Spotify playlist?
I’ll quit rewinding my old cassettes and get right to it. They’re the same because it’s so much fun to curate and share a unique mix of music! You’re the DJ now! But unlike the hours I spent sitting in front of my boombox in Middle School, it actually doesn’t take much effort to create and grow a great Spotify playlist — and get it into the hands of thousands of listeners. In fact, growing a Spotify playlist is probably the cheapest, most efficient way to get more streams on your Spotify tracks.
What? The most affordable way to find an audience is also the most fun?
Yup. Let’s do this!
I’ll briefly share the 3 steps to effectively grow a Spotify playlist below and then I’ll walk you through each step and offer easy tips for how to increase traffic and interaction.
How to grow a Spotify playlist 1-2-3:
1) Create a great playlist that is optimized for searches.
2) Promote your Spotify playlist and create some buzz. You can spend a few dollars and promote it on Meta platforms with conversion ads, but there is plenty you can do for free as well.
3) Finally, listen to your playlist, be patient with it, and keep tweaking it.
Think of your Spotify playlist as a new houseplant. If you set up the plant in a good spot with plenty of sunlight it will be happy, but only if you keep watering it from time to time. With just a little TLC your Spotify Playlist will grow and slowly take over your entire kitchen counter!
Are you ready to grow your Spotify following as cheaply as possible and have fun with playlists all at the same time? Let’s dig into each step.
Create Your Spotify Playlist
To grow a Spotify playlist you must choose tracks and text that will appease the algorithm overlords and grant you favor with Spotify’s recommendation bot, BaRT. In other words, you are creating your own SEO Playlist. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds.
Follow these steps to create a Spotify playlist that will grow:
Give your Spotify playlist a specific, quirky title and stick to that theme throughout. “Women in Americana Favorites 2023” would find more listeners than “Americana Music,” for example.
Use the playlist description to highlight popular keywords. Descriptors like “Best,” “Hits,” “2023,” “Relaxing,” “Workout,” “Party,” etc. will show up in more searches on Spotify. This may seem obvious, but include established artist names and genre names in your title and description as well. Ask listeners to follow your playlist in the description and let them know you’ll keep it updated.
The tracks you choose are essentially roommates for your original songs. Pick tracks that feel at home together (genre, lyrics, tempo, timbre, mood, etc.) and focus on your musical niche. This data will help Spotify learn more about your songs and recommend them to listeners who like the more well-known tracks on your playlist. The advice from a previous post on this topic is to use 80% well-known/popular tracks (old classics and new trends) to grow your playlist.
Study popular playlists and mimic what you like!
Put the most popular tracks at the top of the playlist. Listeners will be “hooked” and stay for the lesser-known gems you’ve buried further down the list.
Include only songs you absolutely love. No filler. Your songs deserve to be in good company!
Don’t overlook the playlist cover. It can entice listeners or turn them away. Make sure it follows best practices and doesn’t violate Spotify’s image copyright guidelines (basically, don’t use an image of an artist without permission). I tried to use AI to generate a cover using the keywords “Love, Romance and Partnership” and ended up with the image below. I loved it so much I decided to share. You might have more success creating a Spotify playlist cover with software like Canva, Snappa or Kittl.
“The Doomed Relationship Playlist”
Promote Your Spotify Playlist
You have an awesome playlist — be proud to share it with the world!
Share to the Spotify Community Playlist Exchange — a great place to discover and share playlists.
Decide if you’re ready to pay some money up front to promote your music. If you are ready, Meta conversion ads (Facebook and Instagram ads) are the most affordable way to grow a Spotify playlist. In fact, it is cheaper to grow a playlist following than an individual artist following with Meta ads. If you’re ready to invest in promotion you can also use Spotify Ads or hire a firm like Sound Campaign to help promote your playlist.
Don’t forget your peeps. Directly message your friends and followers, post in groups and post to your pages. I love it when friends text me a playlist they just made. That’s one less decision I have to make today!
Play with Your Playlist
Spotify’s BaRT machine is watching your own engagement with your playlists. That means that to grow your Spotify playlist, you need to listen to and update your playlist regularly. As I said in the beginning, you can think of it like your beautiful new house plant. But, unlike my poor jade plant, if you neglect your playlist for months or years, you can tend to it at any time and it will grow again.
Here are a few tips for keeping that succulent Spotify playlist growing:
Listen to your playlist — a lot. You will need to be patient, but this does work to grow your Spotify playlist. If you only take one piece of advice from this whole flora-filled article, let it be this: To grow your Spotify playlist, listen to it!
Cycle off tracks you’re ready to retire and add new tracks. If it makes sense for your playlist, you can add trending artists or songs. Be sure to list those artists in the description or title.
Change the description and update the title. “Life is good at the lake 2023 Summer” can become “Life is good 2024 Spring break,” for example.
Consider using an app like TuneTidy to update, organize, and listen to your playlists. These apps let you watch your playlist stats and immediately publish your playlist changes.
Use AI with caution. As my AI-created playlist cover demonstrates, it does not always give the listener the best impression. You might find new tracks you’re excited about in the process of curating a Spotify playlist, which is a great perk. Just remember that someone is going to listen to your playlist precisely because they are wanting your home-grown heirloom variety, not an AI-generated mono-culture (I promise that was the last plant analogy).
Final Thoughts
How great is it that you don’t have to wait for the radio to play your songs? You can include your own music right next to your music inspirations old and new. And, when you grow your Spotify playlist, you grow your music community around the world. Every new stream, follower, and download is encouragement that you are reaching people who are engaged with your music on Spotify.
Enjoy all the love your tracks get when you grow your Spotify playlist. And enjoy that new house plant — it really spruces up the place.
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