In this article, I will show you how I got 12,343 Spotify streams and 3 editorial playlists using mostly Facebook / Instagram ads and Social Media Marketing.
I’m going to break down the stats, strategies, and tactics I used, in hopes that you will be able to apply these to your own releases and increases your own Spotify streams.
Continue reading to learn more about the results I got, how I got them, and how you can get even better results on your next release. 🙂
Music Marketing Campaign Overview
On July 11, 2021, I released a song called Lov Sick and the music marketing campaign that I ran for it got some decent results:
| Ad Spend: | $203.29 CAD |
| Streams (First 28 Days): | 11,083 |
| New Followers(First 28 Days): | 189 |
| Playlists (First 28 Days): | 242 |
| Editorial Playlists: | 3 |
All in all, I am quite happy with the results I got here.
I was able to gain some new listeners, make my current listeners happy with a new song, and hit some solid numbers.
Although this marketing campaign was not profitable, I only spent about $200 Canadian dollars and this song will continue to generate new streams and listeners over time.
This is because it was added to over 200 real user playlists and is maintaining a solid save and repeat-listen rate, meaning it should continue to get free Spotify streams from algorithm playlists.
Let’s take a closer look at this campaign’s results and see what we can learn from this single release strategy and campaign.
Spotify Editorial Playlists
The 3 editorial playlists this song got placed on were Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Basement, Fresh Finds, and Friday Cratediggers.
Although they aren’t freak-show heavy hitter playlists with millions of followers, they are very targeted towards my style of music which is electronic and underground:
Spotify editorial playlists are playlists on Spotify that are curated by Spotify’s music experts and genre specialists.
Each playlist usually revolves around a theme such as a genre, sub-genre, mood, or even particular activities like working or running.
In addition to these 3 editorial playlist placements, I’ve gotten over 10 of my songs on 15+ Spotify editorial playlists to date.
If you want to learn more about what editorial playlists are, how to get on them, and how exactly I got on so many different Spotify editorial playlists, check out my article on Spotify Editorial Playlists. 🙂
Spotify Editorial Playlist Submission
In order to get placed on editorial playlists, an important step any artist needs to do is pitch their song to the Spotify editors.
To make sure I never forget to do this, I’ve put together a release checklist that I used to get 3M+ Spotify streams that will help you on your next release, which you can download for free right here.
And to learn more about how to pitch most effectively, I gave my top tips for Spotify editorial playlist submissions and even recorded a video myself doing a playlist pitch weeks before it actually ended up in an editorial playlist. Click here to check it out.
Spotify Algorithmic Playlists
In addition to the editorial playlists, I was also able to trigger the Spotify algorithm to land my song on 4 different algorithmic playlists:
Spotify’s algorithmic playlists are custom playlists that are automatically generated by Spotify’s algorithm and are personalized for each user based on their listening habits.
If you want to learn more about the Spotify algorithm and Spotify’s algorithmic playlists, check out my full article on Spotify’s algorithm playlists. 🙂
Spotify Algorithm Hack
Ultimately, the way I was able to get all of these streams from Spotify’s algorithmic and editorial playlists was by ‘hacking’ the algorithm.
To hack the Spotify algorithm you need to consistently send real, targeted listeners to your music from multiple sources such as directly from your profile, average user playlists, and more influential Spotify user playlists.
If you want to learn more about this technique, I can show you how the algorithm works and what you can do to manipulate it in my article on the Spotify Algorithm Hack. 🙂
Spotify Streams Tracker Data
For each of my releases, I input my streaming and advertising data into a Spotify Trackers For Artists (aka spreadsheet with formulas and nice formatting) on a daily basis.
This allows me to track my campaign performance, find patterns, and ultimately see what works and what doesn’t work from release to release so that I can continuously improve.
The key takeaways I found from this release were:
- This song had a solid repeat listen rate of 2.1 before triggering the algorithm and getting Editorial placements
- After the editorial playlists, my repeat listen rate dropped but still stayed solid at around 1.5
- The save rate was solid at about 50% before the editorial playlists, meaning my ads were highly effective (1 out of every 2 people were saving the song to their own library!)
- Although I had a high Spotify Popularity Index, I didn’t get a massive Release Radar boost (my guess is that it is because of the dropped listen and save rates from the editorial ads)
In the end, this showed me that the song was strong and that the targeting for my ads.
Before we dive into my personal Spotify For Artists backend, do you want to learn how to track stats like this for your own releases?
Keep on reading to learn more and get your own free tracker template, my friend. 🙂
The Best Way To Track Spotify Stats & Grow Spotify Streams
As an artist on Spotify, it is incredibly important to track your streams using a Spotify stream tracker to make sure you are growing your Spotify stats on a regular basis.
A Spotify tracker for artists is a way for Spotify artists to leverage the data available in the Spotify For Artists dashboard to calculate the same stats the Spotify algorithm is looking at and help you grow your Spotify streams.
To get your own free Spotify Tracker template and learn how to use it to grow your Spotify streams, check out this article on Spotify Trackers For Artists. 🙂
Spotify For Artists Review
For each release, I like to review my Spotify For Artists data even though I am logging into it each day to fill out the rows inside of my Spotify Tracker For Artists.
The reason for this?
Nice graphics, illustrations, and an easy way to see how the release did from a higher level.
For a deep dive into the Spotify For Artists stats for this marketing release campaign, watch this video:
Next, we are going to dive into the juicy part of the campaign: Facebook and Instagram ads.
But first, do you need help navigating Spotify For Artists or need help getting access in the first place?
You guessed it…
Keep on reading, my friend. 🙂
Spotify For Artists – App & Dashboard Guide
Spotify For Artists is a service created by Spotify to help artists keep track of their stats, promote their music, and control their overall presence on Spotify.
I’ve created this handy guide to help you make the most out of Spotify For Artists: Spotify For Artists – App & Dashboard Guide. 🙂
To get access to the Spotify For Artists dashboard, you need to be a verified artist first, which you can learn all about in the section below.
How To Get Access To Spotify For Artists
To claim a Spotify artist profile and get access to Spotify For Artists, you must claim your profile via your music distributor or directly from the Spotify For Artists’ claim page.
This process is quick and straightforward – but it may be a bit different depending on what music distribution company you are signed up with.
To learn exactly how you can easily get access today, check out my article on How To Claim Your Spotify Artist Profile. 🙂
How I Promoted My Music With Facebook Ads
I promoted my music on Spotify by using Facebook ads that take advantage of the Facebook Pixel, Conversion Events, and Facebook’s powerful interest-based, custom, and lookalike audiences.
For this particular Spotify marketing campaign, I spent $203 CAD on Facebook and Instagram ads.
The campaign objective I optimized the ads for was ‘Conversions’ with the conversion event linked to a “Listen on Spotify” button on a Smart Link that I made for the release.
In my experience, the best smart links for music promotion can be made with a basic WordPress website and a premium plugin (it’s cheaper and way more flexible).
The actual ad creative looks quite similar to the Smart Link design, but has a section of the song playing and the circle spins (kind of like a record player).
The main audiences I targeted were Custom and Lookalike audiences based on the data I’ve built up on my website and from past release campaigns.
Want to learn more about how you can use Facebook and Instagram ads to grow Spotify streams?
Just keep on reading, my friend. 🙂
Facebook & Instagram Ads For Musicians To Grow Spotify Streams
Facebook and Instagram ads are an effective tool for musicians looking to grow Spotify streams and followers.
This is because Facebook provides:
- In-depth targeting options
- Flexible budgeting
- An algorithm that can optimize itself to get the most results possible for the lowest cost possible
In particular, Facebook ads for Spotify growth are made possible by using the Facebook Pixel, Conversion Events, and Facebook’s powerful interest-based, custom, and lookalike audiences.
By combining all of these together, you have the power to send highly targeted listeners over to your Spotify profile and then leverage the Facebook algorithm to find more of those people for less over time.
This in turn increases your chances of tripping the Spotify algorithm to find you even more of those people for free.
To learn more about how Facebook ads for Spotify growth work, check out this article on Facebook & Instagram Ads For Musicians To Grow Spotify Streams. 🙂
Social Media Music Promotion Review
For each one of my releases, I usually post a small tease the week before release and then post a promotional animation once per week for the first 4 or 5 weeks of the song’s release.
Here is an example of what my social media look liked (the promo animations are the pink circles):
For a deeper dive into how I do social media music promotion, I put together a free guide on Social Media For Musicians that you can read online:
Free Social Media For Musicians Guide
If you (like me) are a musician that hates posting to social media but still wants to get the benefits of a social media presence without it like taking over your life…
I discovered some techniques and strategies for you that you can start using today and wrote about them in a handy guide. ?
Read more to check out this new guide on social media for musicians.
This guide is based on a video I did in the past where I covered 3 essential tips to finding the right content for your audience and how to create a crazy amount of it.
How To Get Fans To Stream Your Music (By Building A Fanbase)
Finding success on Spotify is more than just increasing stream counts, I’ve found that the best way to increase Spotify streams is by building a fanbase of fans who want to stream your music.
To get fans to stream your music, you need to build a fanbase from scratch by releasing music monthly, tripping the Spotify algorithm to give you more listeners and free streams, and have a place to foster a community for your fans on and off social media platforms.
…the reality is this:
It’s not just about Facebook ads or playlisting promotions.
It’s also about branding, social media, web presence, building momentum (or “buzz”), and most importantly – having an active and growing fanbase of real, genuine music lovers that actually care about you and what you do.
The 4 fundamental components of creating a thriving and active fanbase that you can call upon to stream your new releases and support your latest projects are:
- Brand-building and world-building
- Respecting the Fan’s Journey
- Omni-channel platform presence
- Touch points and return paths
Without a fanbase, you have no chance of learning how to find Spotify Success and a music career in general, really.
To learn more about this, check out my article on How To Get Fans To Stream Your Music. 🙂
Looking For A Music Distributor
Although my top suggestion for a music distributor is definitely DistroKid, I’ve gone ahead and compared DK to other popular services in case you are in the market for a new digital distributor or are simply just curious.
Popular alternatives to a music distribution service like DistroKid include TuneCore, CdBaby, Ditto, and Amuse.
If you would like to see how DistroKid compares to these services, more closely check out this articles:
- DistroKid vs TuneCore
- DistroKid vs CdBaby
- DistroKid vs UnitedMasters
- DistroKid vs Ditto
- DistroKid vs Amuse
- DistroKid vs SoundCloud
Or, if you would like a more detailed look into what DistroKid has to offer, you can check out my big fat DistroKid review. 🙂
P.S. If you also want to learn about music publishing and make sure that you are not leaving any money on the table with your music distribution setup, I’d recommend checking out these 2 articles:
