How to pitch your song to playlist curators

A playlist curator is one person with an inbox and a playlist to look after. Most of what lands in that inbox ends in a no. In the same indie and pop playlists behind our post on why curators reject songs, 588 of 1,531 submissions were accepted, about 2 in 5.

A good pitch does not make a weak song pass. What it does is put a good song in front of the right curator, in the way that curator asks for, so the song gets a fair listen. This post covers how to do that, step by step.

Choose the playlists before you write

Fit decides more than most artists expect. Of the written declines we sorted, 36% were about genre, mood, tempo or the lyric theme, and none of those also found fault with the recording. Those songs were good. They were sent to the wrong playlist.

So start with the playlists, not the email:

1. Play the ten most recent tracks on the playlist. They show what the curator adds now, which is not always what the name suggests.
2. Note the genre, the mood, the tempo and the kind of vocal. Then compare your song with them honestly. If it would stand out as the odd one, do not send it.
3. Read the title and the description. A playlist that calls itself chill, sunny or late night is telling you what it wants.
4. Check that the playlist is real. A playlist with bought followers does nothing for your song, however well it fits. How to tell if a Spotify playlist is legitimate shows two free checks.

Do not choose playlists by follower count alone. A large playlist that does not fit your song will decline it, and one that fits but has no real listeners will not help it.

Write one line per playlist about why your song fits it, for example "slow, warm, clean vocal, close to the third track on it". That line becomes the most important sentence of your pitch.

Find the way in

Most curators who take submissions say how in the playlist description: an email address, an Instagram handle or a link to a submission platform. Use the route they name. A curator who asks for submissions through a platform may never read a pitch sent anywhere else.

If the description gives no contact at all, the curator probably does not take submissions. Leave that playlist off your list rather than hunting for a private address.

Write the pitch

Keep it short enough to read on a phone, under 100 words. A curator decides about the song, not about the email, so the email has one job: tell them what the song is, why it fits their playlist, and where to hear it.

A weak pitch

Hey! Check out my new single, link below. It would be perfect for your playlist. I've been making music since I was 12 and this is my best song yet. Please add it, I would really appreciate it!

It does not name the playlist, so it reads as sent to fifty people. "Perfect for your playlist" gives no reason. It talks about the artist rather than the song, and it ends by asking for the add, which is the curator's decision to make.

A better one

Subject: Submission for [Playlist]: [Artist], "[Song]"

Hi [curator's name],

I'm [Artist], an indie pop artist from [city]. My new single "[Song]" came out on [date]. It's a slow, warm track with a clean vocal and soft drums, close to "[a song on your playlist]", which is why I'm sending it to [Playlist].

Spotify: [link to the track]

Thanks for listening,

[Name], [Instagram or email]

It names the playlist and gives one concrete reason it fits. It links to the track on Spotify, which is where the curator would add it. And it lets the song make the case.

What to leave out

• Attachments. Send a Spotify link to the track. A curator can only add a song that is on Spotify, and many will not open files.
• One email to many curators. A list of addresses in the "To" field, or a pitch that names no playlist, tells the curator that nobody chose them.
• Your full story. One or two facts are enough: where you are from, a previous release, a show. Save the rest for the curators who ask.
• Several songs at once. Send the one song that fits that playlist best. If you have more, the next release is your next pitch.

Timing and follow-up

A playlist can only hold a song that is on Spotify. Unless a curator asks for unreleased music, send your pitch from release day onwards, with the link to the live track.

If you hear nothing, send one follow-up after about a week, in the same thread, in one line. If there is still no answer after that, take it as a no and move on.

If the curator declines, read the reason. A decline is a decision about that song, so do not send it to the same curator again. Why playlist curators reject songs explains what each kind of reason tells you.

Direct pitch or submission platform

There are two ways to reach a curator. You can contact them directly, through the route in their playlist description. That costs nothing, and you may not get a reply.

Or you can use a submission platform such as SubmitHub, Groover or PlaylistPush. You pay per submission or per campaign, and in return the curator listens and replies. You pay for that time, not for a place: the curator still decides whether the song goes on the playlist. We will compare those platforms in a later post.

Keep track of what you sent

Keep a simple list: the playlist, the curator, the route, the date you sent the pitch, the date of your follow-up, the answer and the reason. After a few releases it shows which playlists answer, which ones keep saying no for the same reason, and which ones are worth pitching again with your next song.

Once your song is on a playlist, Spotify for Artists shows it under Music, then Playlists, with the streams it brings.

How we pitch at Ovation

This is the work a campaign manager does for every Ovation campaign. They choose the playlists in your genre that fit your sound, and they pitch your song to the curators behind them. We would rather place your song on three playlists that fit than on ten that do not, and if we cannot find placements that fit your song, you get a full refund. How we work with curators explains it in more detail.

If your song is out and you would rather hand this part off, you can build a campaign.