1. Playlists

 

You don’t want the majority of your streams to come from playlists. You want them to come from you fans (ie, your own Spotify page). There are currently over 4 billion Spotify playlists and there are four main types:

 

• Personalized playlists (algorithmically generated): based on engagement, not recency and triggered by organic traffic and monitored by engagement level (plays, likes, shares, etc.)

• Editorial (made by actual humans): you get on them by submitting to Spotify Editors at least three weeks before your release date and by releasing regularly (every four to six weeks). Getting press also ups your chances, in addition to driving traffic to their website/app (tagging them on relevant social media posts).

• Personalized Editorial (made be Spotify Editors): this functions similarly to Editorial Playlists but the order in the playlist changes to suit the user so it will be different for every person.

• Listener Playlists (made by listeners): you get on these by submitting to users directly. Be careful of playlist plugging services - never pay for streams (this is illegal and mostly just full of bots). You can get your account taken down for streaming fraud!

 

2. Collabs

 

These releases show up in both artist’s discographies and are different from features (will only show up in the “Appears On,” section). The first step in achieving growth through artist collaborations on Spotify is to identify potential collaborators. Start by making a list of artists who have a similar sound or target audience as you. Look for artists who are in the same genre, have a similar number of followers or plays, and whose music you respect and admire.

 

Once you have a list of potential collaborators, reach out to them and start a conversation. You can contact them directly through social media, email, or through a mutual connection. Be sure to introduce yourself, explain why you would like to collaborate, and share some of your music. Think about what would complement your music and help you reach new audiences.

 

• When working on the song, it's important to communicate with your collaborator and be open to feedback. Remember that you're both trying to create the best possible music and that compromise and teamwork are key to a successful collaboration.

• Decide on a release date and create a marketing plan to promote your collaboration. Share your collaboration on social media, create a playlist featuring both of your music, and consider reaching out to blogs or playlist curators to feature your song.

 

It's also important to make sure that you and your collaborator both promote the collaboration on your own social media channels. Share behind-the-scenes footage, teasers, and exclusive content to generate excitement for the release.

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After your collaboration is released, take the time to analyze your results. Look at your Spotify for Artists dashboard to see how your collaboration is performing. Pay attention to your streams, monthly listeners, and follower count. Use this information to improve your future collaborations and marketing strategies. Consider what worked well and what could be improved. Collaborating with other artists can be an effective way to grow your audience on Spotify, so continue to seek out opportunities to work with other musicians and create great music together.

 

3. TikTok

 

Create Engaging Content that resonates with your followers. TikTok is a platform where trends spread quickly, so it's important to stay up to date with what's popular and create content that fits in with the latest trends.

 

• Consider creating short clips that feature your music, behind-the-scenes footage of your creative process, or even tutorials on how to play your songs. 

• Make sure your videos are visually appealing, and use text and hashtags to make your content easily discoverable.

• Look for other creators who have a similar audience or style to yours and reach out to them to see if they would be interested in collaborating.

• Encourage viewers to check out your Spotify page. 

 

It's important to track your results and see how your TikTok efforts are impacting your Spotify growth. Use Spotify for Artists to monitor your streams, monthly listeners, and follower count. Pay attention to how your TikTok content is performing and which videos are generating the most engagement. Use this information to refine your strategy and create more effective content that resonates with your audience

 

4. Discovery Mode

 

Spotify will take additional revenue from you streams (only from this mode) to get you higher placement on radio stations, increasing your streams by up to 40%. This essentially works like an in-house marketing/ad campaign, but only for users with a certain amount of listeners. For more information, click here.

 

5. Social Media Ads

 

50% of a marketing budget typically goes towards this ($5/day, usually). Driving traffic to your spotify triggers the algorithm and increases how much Spotify pushes your music to listeners.

 

Understanding Google Ads and Facebook Ads

 

Google Ads and Facebook Ads are online advertising platforms that allow businesses and marketers to create and display ads to specific target audiences. 

 

• Google Ads primarily display ads on the Google Search Network and Google Display Network

• Facebook Ads display ads on the Facebook News Feed, Instagram, and Audience Network.

• Both platforms offer a range of ad formats, including text ads, image ads, video ads, and more.

 

Setting up Google Ads and Facebook Ads Accounts

 

1. To create a Google Ads account, go to the Google Ads website and follow the prompts to set up a new account.

2. To create a Facebook Ads account, go to the Facebook Ads Manager website and follow the prompts to create a new account.

 

Understanding Ad Targeting

 

Ad targeting refers to the process of selecting specific audience demographics, interests, and behaviors to display ads to. Google Ads and Facebook Ads offer a range of targeting options, including geographic targeting, demographic targeting, interest targeting, and behavior targeting.

 

• Understand your target audience: Before creating your ad campaign, it's important to have a clear understanding of your target audience. This includes their demographics, interests, behaviors, and more.

• Use audience insights: Both Google Ads and Facebook Ads offer tools to help you understand your target audience better. Use these tools to research and identify the best target audience for your campaign.

• Choose the right targeting options: Based on your research and insights, select the right targeting options for your campaign. This may include geographic targeting, demographic targeting, interest targeting, and behavior targeting.

 

Spotify for Artists: Spotify for Artists is a dashboard that provides data and insights into how your music is performing on the platform. You can see data on your streams, listeners, and followers, as well as insights into the demographics of your audience and how your music is being discovered. Chartmetric is a platform that provides data and insights into how music is performing across various platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok. The platform offers a variety of features, including data on your streams, listeners, and followers, as well as insights into your audience demographics and engagement metrics. TikTok Audience Insights provides data on your followers, video views, and engagement metrics. You can also see insights into the demographics of your audience, including age, gender, and location.

 

• Refine your targeting over time: Once your campaign is up and running, monitor its performance and adjust your targeting options as necessary to optimize results.

 

Creating Effective Ad Content

 

Ad content should be engaging, visually appealing, and aligned with the goals of the campaign. Use attention-grabbing headlines and clear calls to action to encourage users to click on the ad. Use high-quality images and videos to capture users’ attention and showcase yourself as a musician/band. Consider using ad copy that highlights the unique features of you as a musician/artist, such as genre or specific achievements.

 

Campaign Optimization and Management

 

Regularly monitor campaign performance and adjust targeting and ad content as necessary to optimize results. Use analytics tools to track performance metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost-per-click. Test multiple ad formats and variations to identify which performs best. Monitor budget and adjust bids to ensure that the campaign stays within budget.

 

Facebook (Meta) Ads Specifics

 

• Facebook Ads offer advanced targeting options such as lookalike targeting and custom audience targeting.

• Facebook Ads also offer a range of ad formats specifically tailored for mobile devices, such as mobile app install ads and mobile video ads.

• Facebook Ads also offer the option to create retargeting campaigns, which display ads to users who have already interacted with the musician or band's page or content.

 

Google Ads Specifics

 

• Google Ads offers ad formats tailored specifically for the Google Search Network, such as search ads and shopping ads.

• Google Ads also offer a range of targeting options specifically for the Google Display Network, such as placement targeting and topic targeting.

• Google Ads offers an Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool to test how ads will appear in the search results.

 

Campaign Performance Monitoring

 

1. Use analytics tools: Both Google Ads and Facebook Ads offer analytics tools to help you track campaign performance. Use these tools to track metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost-per-click. 

2. Monitor performance regularly: Regularly monitor your campaign performance and adjust your targeting options and ad content as necessary to optimize results.

3. Set goals and benchmarks: Set clear goals and benchmarks for your campaign, such as a target number of clicks or conversions. Use these goals and benchmarks to measure your campaign's success.

4. Monitor budget: Keep a close eye on your campaign budget and adjust bids as necessary to ensure that you stay within budget.

 

Campaign Adjustments

 

• Use A/B testing: A/B testing involves testing two different versions of an ad to see which performs better. Use this technique to identify which ad formats, content, and targeting options work best for your target audience.

 

Based on the results of your A/B testing and analytics, adjust your targeting options and ad content to optimize results. Make changes to your campaign gradually over time to avoid making sudden, drastic changes that could negatively impact performance. Both Google Ads and Facebook Ads are constantly changing and evolving. Stay up-to-date with platform changes and adjust your campaigns accordingly.