How to Pitch to Spotify Editorial Playlists
There is one official way to get a song in front of Spotify's editors: pitching it through Spotify for Artists before it is released. Editorial playlists are the playlists Spotify's own editors put together by hand. Pitching is free and open to everyone, but it doesn't guarantee a spot. The information below is based on Spotify's help pages as of September 2026.
Most bands who bring this topic to me arrive with a screenshot. A band member forwards an offer that landed on their phone: "We'll place your song on dozens of playlists, streams guaranteed." Underneath, a question: "Should we try it?" In the same band, nobody is quite sure who has access to the Spotify for Artists account. The official route is both safer and simpler than those offers.
What is an editorial playlist, and how is it different from algorithmic ones?
Some of Spotify's playlists are made by people and some by algorithms. Telling them apart makes it easier to see what pitching actually does.
| Playlist type | Who makes it | How a song gets in |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial playlist | Spotify's editors | Editors choose. Pitching is how you introduce the song to them. |
| Algorithmic playlists (for example Release Radar) | Spotify's recommendation system, personal to each listener | Based on listening habits. Release Radar shows new releases from artists a listener follows. |
| User and independent curator playlists | Listeners, blogs, brands | Whatever the playlist owner picks |
Pitching only targets the first row. But a pitch made in time helps with the second row too, as I explain below.
What do you need before you can pitch?
Three things. First, a Spotify for Artists account with access to your artist profile. Second, a song that has been delivered to your distributor, has a release date and hasn't come out yet. You can't pitch songs that are already released. Third, a few clear facts about the song.
For a band, the real decision is the first one. If you don't agree in advance who has access, who submits the pitch and who writes the description, the pitch either never happens or gets left to the last day. Giving the job to one person and asking the others to read the description before it goes out is a setup that works well. It also matters that access doesn't sit with just one person. A band locked out of its own artist profile because that person left or can't be reached is a problem I have come across more than once.
How many days before release should you submit?
According to Spotify's pitching page, the song needs to be submitted at least 7 days before its release date. You do it in Spotify for Artists under "Music", in the "Upcoming" tab, by selecting the unreleased song and filling in the form.
Seven days is the minimum, not the target. Submitting earlier gives editors more time to listen. That is why uploading to your distributor a few weeks before release day makes life easier. The song won't show up under "Upcoming" until the distributor has delivered it to Spotify.
What does the form ask for?
The form asks you to describe the song. There are selectable fields such as genre and sub-genre, mood and instruments, plus a short description. Spotify's page says the more detail you give, the better. You can edit the pitch up until release day, but there is no guarantee editors will see the change, so it is best to make the first submission as complete as you can.
How should you write the description?
The description is the only text an editor reads before listening. The bands I talk to usually write something either too short ("our new song, hope you like it") or too long and scattered. A description that works answers these questions:
- What is the song about? Its subject or feeling in one sentence.
- What does it sound like? Genre, tempo, the standout instrument. Describing a similar vibe makes it easier for an editor to think of which playlist it fits.
- Who is the band? Where you are from, how many of you there are, the band's short story.
- What is happening around the release? Upcoming gigs, a video, press. Showing that the song will keep being promoted after release matters.
Once you have written and sent the description, you can reuse the same text for social media and press. Starting from one core text saves time over writing several for a single release.
What happens if you don't get picked?
The pitch isn't wasted. According to Spotify's page, a song pitched at least 7 days ahead gets added to the Release Radar of your followers. So even if editors don't pick it, the new song reaches the listeners who follow you in release week. That is a direct reason to grow the band's follower count.
A few more rules are worth knowing. You can only pitch one song at a time. Once that song is out, you can pitch the next. On a multi-track release you choose which song to pitch, though editors may pick a different one from the release. Compilations and songs where the artist is only featured can't be pitched. That is one reason to release songs one at a time, and the difference between singles, EPs and albums helps you plan around it.
From pitch to release week, who does what and when?
A pitch isn't a job on its own, it is one step in the release plan. Working with bands, the setup I have seen work best gives every step a date and an owner:
- A few weeks before release: the song, artwork and details go to the distributor. Owner: whoever runs the distributor account.
- Once the song shows under "Upcoming": the pitch form gets filled in. Owner: the member with Spotify for Artists access. At least one other person reads the description before it goes.
- No later than 7 days before release: the band confirms the pitch has gone in. Miss this date and you miss the Release Radar chance too.
- Release day: the link goes out from all the band's accounts and from members' own accounts.
- First week: if there is a gig, the new song gets announced from the stage, and a short clip goes up on social media.
Writing this list down takes five minutes. When nobody does, in most bands the pitch becomes the job everyone thought someone else had done.
Why are paid playlist services risky?
Services that guarantee streams or playlist placement for money break Spotify's rules. When Spotify detects artificial streaming, it can withhold royalties from those streams, correct public stream counts, and remove the song from playlists or, in serious cases, from Spotify entirely. Since April 2024 it also charges the label or distributor a per-track fee in flagrant cases. Distributors can then issue warnings, take content down or suspend the account.
An offer that brings fake streams instead of real listeners inflates the numbers in the short term and puts the band's account at risk in the long term. What counts for income is real listeners and the streams Spotify actually counts.