Playlist pitching in 2026: What artists need to know
Cut through the noise and reach massive new audiences with playlists, but here are some must-know tips for the best chance at success.
In many ways, playlists are the radio of the 21st century. They’re a unified, curated spot where thousands, sometimes millions, of listeners tune in to discover a selection of music refined down to what tastemakers decide you must hear.
Much in the same way as radio, the curators either want to bring together the best of existing music or shine a light on brand new songs. That’s where playlists come in as a massive opportunity for artists, getting discovered by tastemakers’ audiences looking for their next favourite thing.
Follow us in this essential guide to playlist pitching to discover how to make the most of playlists like the huge playlists on Spotify and reach potentially millions of new listeners as part of your music marketing strategy for 2026.
Why playlists are crucial for your artist promotion
Playlists are the primary engine for music discovery on streaming platforms like Spotify. Securing a placement does more than just get your streams; it’s a vital part of your overall artist promotion strategy.
- Massive reach: A single placement on a major playlist can expose your track to millions of new, relevant listeners instantly.
- Algorithmic boost: High engagement (saves, shares, low skip rate) from a playlist placement signals to Spotify’s algorithm that your track is good, dramatically increasing your chances of landing on personalised algorithmic playlists like Release Radar and Discover Weekly.
- Proof of concept: Getting added to official editorial playlists or reputable user-generated lists builds credibility and provides essential social proof.
Understanding the three main types of playlists
To master playlist pitching, you need to know who you’re pitching to. Playlists fall into three main categories:
Editorial Playlists (The Gatekeepers)
These are curated entirely by in-house experts and editors. For example, playlists like New Music Friday and RapCaviar on Spotify are curated by influential tastemakers.
- Focus: Genre trends, cultural moments, and quality
- Impact: Often, you can pitch to these playlists directly to be considered as curators are always looking for the next big, new thing
Algorithmic Playlists
These are personalised playlists for each listener based on their taste, your track’s metadata, and listener behaviour (e.g. Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Radio).
- Focus: Data – specifically user interaction such as streams, saves, and follows
- Impact: Artists can’t pitch directly to algorithmic playlists. Inclusions are based around strong metadata and organic traction
User-Generated / Independent Playlists
These are playlists created by labels, blogs, influencers, and the everyday streamer. They can range from totally person playlists to large, influential ones based around a community, brand, or fans.
- Focus: Genre, mood, and the curator’s personal taste
- Impact: Pitch via direct email, Instagram DMs, or through specialised submission platforms (read on to find out more about them)
Where to focus your efforts for 2026
For a successful marketing strategy on playlists in 2026, a multi-pronged approach is best. Approaching each of the three different playlists requires a different tact, so consider what your goals are, what you can realistically do, and tweak your strategy based on what you want to work towards.
Priority 1: Editorial Pitching
- Impact: A single editorial placement can be career-defining.
- Action: Some streaming services offer direct playlist pitching to their editors. Spotify’s playlists are the biggest in the world, and you can pitch directly to their editors once your music has been uploaded to Spotify. Always pitch your single unreleased track via Spotify for Artists (S4A) at least 7 days before your release date (RouteNote recommends submitting your track to us at least 4 weeks prior to give you maximum pitching time).
Priority 2: The Algorithm
- Impact: A successful Release Radar or Discover Weekly inclusion can generate consistent, high-quality streams.
- Action: Your pitch via S4A is critical, but the most important factor is building traction first. The algorithm rewards songs that listeners actively save and share.
Priority 3: Independent Curators (User-Generated)
- Impact: Smaller, niche playlists often provide more engaged listeners, which helps convince the algorithm you’re legit.
- Action: Research and target playlists that perfectly match your sound’s genre, mood, and even cultural tags. See if the playlist curators have a way to get in touch and pitch so that you can reach out to them with your music.
How to pitch to curators – The process and best practices
Pitching is a professional outreach process, not a spam exercise. Put thought into your pitch and if there is space to give details then be descriptive, authentic, and try to stand out – remember that there is a lot of competition vying for spaces in playlists.
Here’s the process
- Submission: Send your unreleased track via the necessary channel. Think carefully about what you’re pitching, ensure everything is correct, and present yourself the best way possible.
- Review: The curator or editor listens to your track and reviews your pitch.
- Decision: The track is either accepted for placement or declined.
- Distribution & Boost: If accepted, the track is added to the playlist. As the artist, you must promote the placement to your fans to drive traffic and engagement, which in turn boosts the track’s performance for the curator and the algorithm.
Make your pitches better and more effective
A weak pitch will be ignored in a sea of playlist pitches. A strong pitch makes the curator’s job easy as they know who to check out. Here are some tips on how to crat a compelling submission for your artist promotion.
| Pitching Tactic | Why it Works | Key Detail |
| Submit Early | Gives editors/curators maximum time for review. | 7-day minimum before release for S4A is non-negotiable for Release Radar inclusion. |
| Fill Out Metadata Accurately | Helps the algorithm, and the editor, place your music correctly. | Be honest about Genre, Mood, Instrumentation, and Culture tags. “Chill,” “Vibey,” and “Lo-Fi” aren’t genres—be specific! |
| Craft a Personal Pitch | Curators see thousands of submissions. Personalisation stands out. | Mention a specific song on their playlist you like, and why your track is a perfect fit for their specific vibe. |
| Build Traction First | Pre-saves, TikTok buzz, and initial social media activity signal organic interest. | Algorithms track external traffic. Hype your release to show you’re serious about promotion. |
| Be Authentic | Focus on the story and emotion behind the track, not just the genre. | In your 500 characters (S4A), tell the story: “This atmospheric alt-pop track is about the feeling of losing connection with a hometown. Perfect for a night-time drive.” |
Things to look out for: Pay-to-Play traps
Be extremely careful when engaging with external playlist pitching services. The industry is unfortunately full of scams that can damage your career.
- The Trap: Guaranteed Placement & Streaming Fraud: Any service that promises you a guaranteed placement on a massive, vague playlist for a fee, or offers to buy Spotify streams, is a red flag.
- The Risk: These services often use bots or click-farms (streaming fraud). Spotify actively hunts these down. If caught, your streams can be wiped, your track can be taken down, and your entire artist profile can be penalized or banned. Never pay for streams or guaranteed placements.
Genuine services for independent playlist pitching
There are reputable, legitimate services that facilitate ethical connections between artists and independent curators. They charge a fee for a guaranteed review and feedback—not a placement.
- SubmitHub: A long-standing platform where you pay a small fee per submission for a guaranteed review/response from bloggers and playlist curators.
- Groover: Similar to SubmitHub but focuses heavily on high-quality feedback from music industry professionals, including curators, labels, and mentors.
- Playlist Push: A platform that vets playlists for authentic listener engagement and matches them with your music for a professional pitching campaign.
- Symphonic: A powerful digital music distribution service that also offers various levels of promotion and playlist pitching services.
Free music uploads with in-house playlists
Getting your music on streaming services is the very first step before you can start looking at gaining traction from playlists. Thankfully, there is a free and easy way to get your music worldwide with RouteNote – and we even have our own in-house playlists to grow on!
- Create a free account at www.routenote.com
- Upload your music and select all streaming services and digital stores you want to distribute to
- Once approved, pitch to our in-house playlists for added exposure using this form
Once your music is live, you can also claim your Spotify for Artists profile and start pitching your music to the world’s most influential playlists.