Yesterday’s radio is today’s playlist. Spotify playlists have become a predominant form of music listening. From fan playlist swaps to algorithm-driven discovery, playlists are an essential aspect of music listening behavior in 2025.
If you’re looking to get your music on Spotify playlists, this guide is for you.
What is a Spotify playlist?
A Spotify playlist is a collection of songs organized by genre, mood, artist, or other criteria for personal, collaborative, editorial, or algorithmic purposes. Playlists are a categorization and social tool for Spotify. They help place artists within genres and scenes while enabling fans to connect organically by swapping favorite tracks.
Playlists have become an integral part of music releases and marketing:
- 30 percent of all plays on Spotify in 2020 were generated from editorial playlists
- Over 150,000 artists were playlisted between 2020 and 2021
- The total number of Spotify playlists topped 8 billion in 2025, cementing playlists as a predominant form of music consumption
Understanding how to leverage different types of playlists can help you boost your streams and build a community on Spotify. In this guide, we’ll review playlist types, show you how to get your music out there, and explore the benefits of each.
Why do Spotify Playlists matter?
Playlists are crucial for influencing music discovery, boosting your fan engagement, and increasing your artist visibility. The benefits include:
- Exposure: Place your songs in the queue for all the followers of a playlist to discover.
- Fan engagement: There’s no easier way to introduce your music to a new fan than by assimilating with their favorite artists.
- Revenue: Earn a higher royalty payout by boosting your streams.
- Audience insights: Expand your audience sample to gain insights through the Spotify for Artists dashboard.
- Inspiration: Sharing playlists with unknown artists can turn you onto new sounds.
What are the types of Spotify playlists?
Using a variety of Spotify playlists can help you maximize your reach and gain new fans.
Editorial playlists
Spotify has an internal team of music experts who handpick music for editorial playlists based on music trends and artist suitability. Editorial playlists have up to millions of followers and, as a result, are the most difficult to appear on. You can pitch Spotify’s editorial team to be featured on a playlist for any upcoming release with at least 7 days notice.
Algatorial or Personal Playlists
“Algatorial” personalized playlists are a blend of editorial and algorithmic programmed listening. These playlists take from a large pool of handpicked songs and then the Spotify algorithm personalizes them to a listener’s tastes. You can maximize your chances of being placed on these playlists by increasing your visibility and engagement on Spotify. Encourage your fans to playlist and share your music, build out your Spotify for Artist profile in every way possible, and pitch editors for editorial playlist placement.
Algorithmic playlists
Purely algorithmic playlists such as “Discovery Weekly” or “Release Radar” are algorithmically compiled based on artists you follow and might like. You can ensure your music appears on your fans’ custom playlists by having them follow you on Spotify.
Artist playlists
Artist Playlists are playlists you select to feature on your Official Spotify Artist page. Create a Spotify playlist through your personal account (or find someone else’s playlist you like!) and select it as an Artist Pick playlist in your Spotify for Artist dashboard!
Pro Tip: You can use artist playlists to educate the algorithm on your music. Compile a playlist of your best tunes along with some comparable artists you like and select that playlist as your Artist Playlist. The algorithm will take note of the artists you assimilate with your music.
Curator playlists
Curator playlists are made by independent Spotify user accounts. These playlists can be a great way to gain exposure and many accept pitches, but take every precaution to avoid fake playlists and use trusted sources. A good rule of thumb: never pay for plays. Usually that’s a red flag.
How do I get my music on Spotify Editorial playlists?
If you’re looking to get your music on official Spotify playlists such as Editorials or Release Radar, you’ll need to create a Spotify for Artists account. You can pitch the Spotify team through your artist dashboard on any upcoming release, provided at least 7 days advance notice. Then follow the steps below to maximize your chances of being accepted.
Optimize your profile
Spotify editors want to see you’re taking your profile seriously. Follow best practices for Spotify by uploading an image, a banner, a bio, canvas artwork, an artist pick, and encourage your fans to follow your profile.
Tell a story about your song (Elevator pitch)
Tell the Spotify team about how you wrote the song and the experiences, moods, and ideas you’re trying to capture. By bringing your song to life, you’re able to provide valuable context that can help an editor decide what playlist might fit.
Create a marketing plan
Spotify also wants to know how you’re planning to promote your song. Touring? Press coverage? Advertisements? Editorial playlists spots are incredibly competitive; you’ll need to demonstrate to Spotify how you’ll harness the momentum of a playlist feature.
Build a community outside of Spotify
Your socials and community matter too — especially when it comes to creating buzz. Editors will take note of how engaged your followers are on socials as well as your mentions in the press and social platforms. Artists placed on editorials tour frequently and have developed a community-led narrative for themselves that’s amplified across channels.
Leverage other playlist placements
Independent curator playlists are also an effective way of boosting your monthly listeners and growing popularity. If you’re getting playlist placements for other tracks, it demonstrates your music is playlist-friendly and appeals to new listeners.
Conclusion
A Spotify playlist placement may feel like an instantaneous win, but it stems from steady and consistent progress. Whether you’re aiming for an editorial slot or building buzz through curator and algorithmic placements, your approach should combine great music with a compelling story and consistent audience engagement.