How to make a viral Spotify playlist
Disclaimer: I'm still trying
As someone takes her playlists very seriously, from choosing a creative name to selecting an alluring cover photo and, most importantly, selecting the best songs, I’ve always wondered how one creates a viral Spotify playlist. After having a playlist of mine achieve 1000+ likes after going viral on TikTok, my curiosity grew stronger. How could I make my playlists appear higher up in search? Could I make a popular playlist without the help of TikTok?
Spotify SEO best practices do exist. There are even artists—like White Noise Baby Sleep—who craft stage names based on search keywords to gain more attention. In addition to “Spotify SEO Spammers,” here’s what else I found out about how the app’s algorithm works, and how to get more eyes and ears on your playlists.
How the Spotify algorithm works
So, the Spotify algorithm is fairly despised.
According to Tinuiti, the Spotify algorithm examines three factors when choosing what content to recommend: 1) lyrical content and language, 2) song features, and 3) past interactions. The algorithm also pays attention to how a user interacts with a song, such as how long they listen to it.
If you’re hanging out on the main landing page, you’ll probably only see algorithmic playlists curated by Spotify or Spotify AI (e.g. The Discover Weekly, Daily Mixes). So if you’re a playlist curator, the search engine is what you wanna pay attention to.
But if you’re an artist releasing music on Spotify, there’s plenty of ways to make the algorithm work in your favor. I’m writing this blog post to focus on playlist curation, but I posted a Twitter thread on the subject below if you are an artist looking to put your music out there. Many industry experts will tell you that creating an artist playlist is a great way to introduce users to the type of music you like and create.
Or, if you’re okay being on any playlist at all, regardless of likes, you can always pitch me!
How Spotify SEO works
If you want to curate a playlist, this is what you should pay attention to.
If you’re familiar with “Search Engine Optimization” in any capacity, Spotify is no different. You want to take note of key words that users frequently type into the search bar.
According to Spotify Support, people search titles of songs, albums, artists, and podcasts, but also moods, genres, and even lyrics. Consider this when deciding what to name your playlist.
Okay, but what are the secrets?
I scanned several blog posts and articles about how to make a popular playlist, and they all said similar things. Here’s what I found, and my experience trying out these suggestions:
1. Find a niche
This may be obvious, but a playlist with a niche, whether it’s a vibe or hyper-specific sub-genre, will have more demand and draw more listeners. So “country playlist” won’t be as successful as “summer country playlist” or “surf country playlist.” Give your playlist a niche, then reflect this niche in the title.
A personal example: my playlist “Groupie’s Workout” has over 50 likes and did pretty well on TikTok. Instead of just making a 60s-70s era or hippie-like playlist, I went a step further to include songs in those sub-genres that worked well for exercise or had a female-empowering themes.
2. Add a cover image
This one seems pretty self-explanatory. I love using Unsplash for finding high-quality and royalty-free photos. Pinterest has more variety, especially if you want something pop-culture related, but the quality won’t always be good. Or, a good meme always goes a long way.
3. Choose a good title and description
A clever title that reflects your niche is important. This medium writer said: “The ‘100 best punk songs’ have already been done. Have some fun while brainstorming — A title like “Cheap Beer & Dirty Basements” will guarantee more plays.”
Title and description are also where SEO comes into play. Something I did not do with “Groupie Workout” at first was take advantage of the description. Your description is where you can add more key words, such as artist names, genres, moods, or specific songs included on the playlist.
I’ve also noticed playlists named for song lyrics or after song titles do particularly well. As I was doing background research for this blog post, I had the idea to make a playlist based on Lana Del Rey’s latest single “A&W.” I wanted the playlist to include songs with the same dreamy, bedroom-pop vibe and similar themes of heartache, feminine anger, betrayal, and sexual exploitation. Lana’s brand is very old-Hollywood starlet, so I tried to capture those themes as well.
I made the playlist and promoted it on TikTok only a day after the single dropped, so the sound was currently trending. And, having the title “AW” definitely helped my playlist appear high in Spotify searches. I also included the names of several artists included on the playlist in the description.
4. Be aware of trends
This is pretty much what I did for my “AWs” playlist, but another playlist I made that’s done well, with over 140 likes, is “rockstar’s girlfriend (is the rockstar).” The “rockstar’s girlfriend aesthetic” has been trending lately on TikTok and various other apps, so that definite helped it gain popularity.
If you’re looking for playlist inspiration and want to see what’s trending, Google Trends is a great free resource, or just see what searches TikTok and Twitter recommend (again, SEO is your best friend).
5. Listen to your playlists
This was one I didn’t know about. Apparently, Spotify takes notice when a creator has abandoned one of their own playlists, and avoiding this will help grow your followers.
6. “Don’t use the same artist twice”
I wouldn't overthink this tip from DIY Musician. I’ve seen plenty of playlists that include more than one song by an artist. However, Spotify’s algorithm will downgrade playlists that overload on one particularly artist. I kept this in mind when making “AWs,” and it actually helped me be more selecting with my song choice. I would go back and add more from an artist later, but only if I really believed that song worked with my playlist. Avoiding more than one song by one artist helped me be more selective in my overall song choice and resulted in a more niche, yet diverse playlist.
7. Update the playlist often
Another one I think of previously, but helps maintain the listeners you already have to keep them coming back to the playlist for more.
8. Have at least 20-30 songs
This is tricky if you’re working with something very niche, but it’s important.
9. Share your playlist on social, Reddit, newsletters, etc.
This was probably the most disappointing find. It’s unlikely for your playlist to do so incredibly well on Spotify search that you gain thousands of likes overnight, or at all. If you want to gain a following on Spotify or attract more listeners to a playlist, the best way to do that is share, share, share.
Also, tag the artists you include on social media when you share the playlist, especially if they’re a smaller artist who’s more likely to notice and repost. Reddit has a thread just for sharing Spotify playlists, too.
So, maybe there’s no secret to hack the Spotify search engine or algorithm so you wake up and your playlist has a million views. It’s not that easy. Then again, nothing is easy.
Your step-by-step guide on curating viral Spotify playlists is incredibly helpful. I appreciate the emphasis on understanding your target audience and the importance of consistent branding. These tips are practical and actionable.
https://techsprintx.com/