Spotify editorial playlists and how to pitch them
Updated 5 October 2026 · 2 min read
Editorial pitching is free, it is available to every artist with a claimed profile, and it is the highest-variance action in your release plan. Understanding it properly stops it becoming the whole plan.
What the tool actually does
Through Spotify for Artists you can submit an unreleased track for editorial consideration before release, with a short description and a choice of mood and style tags. The submission goes to a curation team.
It is a human consideration process with a very large number of submissions. Most tracks are not selected, and that is normal rather than a judgement on the music.
What tends to get selected
Editors are building coherent playlists for an audience, so they look for fit: does the track belong beside what is already there, is it finished and well-mixed, does the artist have any traction or story behind them. Genuine momentum elsewhere helps.
- Submit early — the window closes at release.
- Write a description that is specific about sound and audience, not adjectives.
- Choose the closest-fitting genre and mood tags rather than the largest audiences.
- Have something happening around the release: a feature, a video, press, a collaborator.
Do not build a plan on it
Editorial placement is uncontrolled. A release plan that depends on it has no floor. Independent curators, radio, press and your own direct outreach are all reachable without permission and should carry the plan, with editorial as upside.
The pitch you control
Independent curators — thousands of them — answer email. Pitching twenty tightly matched playlists is more predictable than one editorial submission, and it builds relationships you can use on every future release.
What to do while you wait
The editorial decision is out of your hands, so the release plan should not idle while it is pending. Run the parts you control in parallel: independent curator pitches, press approaches, radio, and a direct message to your own audience on release day.
If editorial placement arrives, it amplifies an already-moving release. If it does not, you still had a release with coverage, and the listeners it produced were earned rather than granted. That is the difference between a plan with a floor and a lottery ticket.
Frequently asked questions
Does a pitch cost anything?
No. Editorial pitching through Spotify for Artists is free and always has been.
Can I pitch an already-released track?
The unreleased submission window exists to give editors lead time. Tracks already out can still be added by editors, but you cannot submit them for consideration.
Should I pay a service to pitch for me?
Be careful. No third party can guarantee editorial placement, because the decision belongs to Spotify’s editors.
Keep reading
- How to Pitch a Spotify Playlist Curator
What curators actually read, why most pitches are ignored, and a template structure for a short, specific pitch that gets a listen.
- How the Spotify Algorithm Works for Artists
What the Spotify recommendation system actually responds to, how algorithmic playlists choose tracks, and what that means for your release plan.
- A Release Strategy That Grows Monthly Listeners
How release timing, cadence and pitching interact with the rolling 28-day listener window, and a repeatable plan you can run every cycle.
- Growing Spotify Listeners as an Afrobeats Artist
How Afrobeats listening is distributed across markets, what curators in the space look for, and how to pitch without leaning on the genre label.