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How to get on Spotify playlists, and why it's rented reach

There are three kinds of Spotify playlists, and each has its own way in: pitch the editors, earn the algorithm, or reach independent curators. All three are worth doing. But playlist listeners mostly listen in the background, and when the playlist drops your song, they're gone. Here's how to get on playlists, and how to turn the reach into listeners who stay.

By Plastic · Updated 15 October 2026 · 5 min read

In this guide
  1. The three kinds of Spotify playlists
  2. 1. Editorial playlists: pitch in Spotify for Artists
  3. 2. Algorithmic playlists: Release Radar, Discover Weekly, Radio
  4. 3. Independent curators
  5. Why playlist reach is rented
  6. How to turn playlist reach into listeners who stay
  7. Questions

The three kinds of Spotify playlists

EditorialAlgorithmicIndependent curators
Who picks the songsSpotify's editorsSpotify's recommendations, per listenerThe people who run them
ExamplesGenre and mood playlists made by SpotifyRelease Radar, Discover Weekly, Radio, MixesPlaylists by fans, blogs, labels and brands
How you get inPitch in Spotify for ArtistsListeners who play, save and followSubmit, often through a service
CostFreeFree (Discovery Mode takes a commission)Free to paid, per curator

1. Editorial playlists: pitch in Spotify for Artists

Spotify's editors pick songs for its own playlists, and the way to reach them is free:

  1. Deliver your song early. Spotify asks for the music at least a week before release, so editors have time to listen.
  2. In Spotify for Artists, go to Music › Upcoming and pitch the song.
  3. Fill in everything: genre, mood, instruments, whether it's a cover, and the cultures you or the song belong to. Editors use it to decide where a song fits.
  4. Pitch one song per release. You can only have one pitch active at a time.

Pitching doesn't guarantee a placement, and Spotify says so. But a pitch made at least 7 days before release also puts the song in your followers' Release Radar, so it's always worth doing.

2. Algorithmic playlists: Release Radar, Discover Weekly, Radio

These are built for each listener by Spotify's recommendations, which learn from what people listen to, save and skip, and who they follow.

  • Release Radar (updates every Friday): your followers get your new release in it, and it also reaches some listeners Spotify thinks will like you.
  • Discover Weekly (updates every Monday): songs a listener hasn't heard, picked from their listening.
  • Radio, Autoplay and Mixes: endless listening after a song or an artist. Spotify's paid Discovery Mode can raise your odds here, for a 30% commission on those plays, once you have 25,000 monthly listeners.

You can't pitch these. You earn them with listeners who play, save and follow. Our Spotify algorithm guide explains what moves them.

3. Independent curators

Many big playlists aren't Spotify's: they belong to fans, blogs, labels and brands. You can write to curators yourself, or use a service such as SubmitHub, Groover or Playlist Push, which pays curators to listen. Our comparison of promotion services has their prices.

One rule matters: never pay for a guaranteed placement or guaranteed streams. Spotify says those services aren't legitimate, and fake plays can cost you your royalties.

Why playlist reach is rented

Playlist listeners count in your monthly listeners, but Spotify for Artists calls them programmed listeners: people who've only heard you from editorial playlists, algorithmic playlists or radio. They didn't choose you; the playlist did. When it drops your song, their plays stop.

The listeners who stay are the ones who play you on purpose: from your profile, their library or their own playlists. Spotify calls them active listeners, and its own Fan Study shows why they matter: about two-thirds of super listeners were still listening six months later, against about one-third of light listeners. And a listener who adds you to their own playlist streams you 41% more.

Playlist reach vs listeners who stay: streams from a playlist add stop when the playlist drops the song, while listeners who came from an ad, saved the song and followed you keep streaming (an illustration, not real data)

Andrew Southworth, who runs Meta ads for artists, explains the difference: people who come from an ad go straight to the song and count as active, "lean in" listeners, while playlist plays are "lean back". In his experience, saves and adds to listeners' own playlists are what make a song part of someone's routine.

How to turn playlist reach into listeners who stay

  1. Pitch every release in Spotify for Artists, at least 7 days ahead. It's free, and it feeds your followers' Release Radar.
  2. Ask for the save and the follow everywhere you post. A save puts you in someone's library; a follow puts your next release in their Release Radar.
  3. Send listeners to the song yourself, with ads. People who tap an ad chose to listen, so they're the ones who save, follow and come back, and their plays keep coming after the ad ends.
  4. Use the part of your song that hooks people. Make a short video for each part, run them side by side for a week, and put your budget behind the winner. Our guide to promoting a song with ads shows how.

Southworth's full walkthrough of running Meta ads for a song, from the landing page to reading the results:

Find the part of your song that brings listeners.

Clips makes the ad for every part, from one song.

Four ads of one song, one per part, one marked as an example of the part that brought the most listeners; then those listeners save the song, follow, and get the next release in their Release Radar

Questions

How do I submit my song to Spotify playlists?

For Spotify's own playlists, pitch it in Spotify for Artists under Music › Upcoming, at least a week before release. For independent playlists, write to curators or use a service that pays them to listen, such as SubmitHub or Groover.

How long before release should I pitch to Spotify?

At least 7 days. That gives editors time to listen, and it's the cut-off for your followers' Release Radar.

Is it worth paying for Spotify playlist placement?

Paying for a guaranteed placement isn't allowed. Paying a service for curators' time can bring feedback and some placements, but those listeners are programmed: they leave when the playlist drops you. Ads bring listeners who chose you.

How do I get on Discover Weekly?

You can't pitch it. Spotify builds it for each listener from their listening, so songs that the right people play, save and come back to have the best chance.

Do playlist streams help my monthly listeners?

Yes, while you're on the playlist: programmed listeners count. They fall away when the song leaves the playlist, which is why active listeners, the ones who play you on purpose, are the number to grow.

Sources

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