How to pitch your song to Spotify playlists.
There are three kinds of playlists, and each one needs a different pitch. Here is how editors and curators pick songs, what to write to them, and what you must never pay for.
- Editorial pitch: free, 7 days before release
- Curators: one short email each
- Never pay for a placement
Three kinds of playlists
Know who picks the songs before you pitch.
- Editorial playlistsSpotify's own editors pick these. Pitch one unreleased song in Spotify for Artists at least 7 days before release day. It is free, and nobody can sell you a better pitch.
- Independent curatorsPeople, blogs and brands run these. Many publish an email in the playlist description for submissions. Write to that address, one person at a time.
- Personal playlistsRelease Radar and Discover Weekly are made for each listener. You cannot pitch them. Saves, follows and real listens from the other two kinds feed them.
The pitch
Write about their playlist, not about your career.
A curator reads a pitch in seconds. Keep it between 60 and 140 words, with one link, and make the first line about them.
- Name a song they addedSay which recent add your song sits next to, and why. It proves you listened to the playlist.
- One link, one songSend one private listening link. No attachments, no list of five songs, no press kit in the first email.
- One follow-up, then stopIf there is no answer after a week, send one short follow-up. A curator who says no stays a no for this song.
Rules
What Spotify says about pitches and paid placements.
| Fact | What it means for you | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial pitch | One unreleased song in Spotify for Artists, at least 7 days before release. Free. | Spotify for Artists help |
| Paid streams or placements | Spotify prohibits services that promise streams or playlist placement for money. | Spotify for Artists help |
| If it happens | Royalties can be withheld, stream counts corrected and the song removed. | Spotify for Artists |
| Your distributor | TuneCore calls services that sell streams or placements typically fraudulent. | TuneCore help |
| Paid promotion that is allowed | Spotify's own Marquee and Showcase ads in Spotify for Artists. They are ads, not placements. | Spotify for Artists help |
Checked on October 11, 2026.
Questions
Questions about playlist pitching
At least 7 days before release day, in Spotify for Artists. Earlier is better: your distributor must deliver the song first, and only then can you pitch it.
No. Paying for a placement breaks Spotify's rules, and the penalties fall on your song. Pitch the playlists that fit, and let the curator decide.
Look for playlists that added artists like you in the last months, and that still add songs. The free playlist finder ranks them for your song.
Fewer than you think. Twenty curators who fit beat two hundred who do not. Music24 lets one curator get at most 10 pitches a week from all artists together.
Let Plug pitch the curators who fit.
Music24 finds the playlists that add artists like you, and Plug, your pitch agent, writes one email to each. You approve every pitch. Start free; 7 days of Pro, no card.
