Spotify Growth Secrets: 7 Easy Steps to a Million Streams
In partnership with S99
For most musicians and Indie artists just starting out, getting a million streams on Spotify seems like an unattainable dream, as unlikely as getting superpowers from a lightning strike. While it’s true that musical success takes talent and vision–and there’s no denying that the life-changing luck of viral discovery can and does happen–you’ll be a happier, freer, more ambitious artist when you realise that a million streams is an attainable goal that just takes strategy… and work.
How to Get More Fans on Spotify
Here are seven proven steps on how to get more listeners on Spotify that have gotten real results for thousands of independent artists and bands. These are best used together.
1. Release Quality Music Consistently
Releasing a single every month is key to maintaining a presence on Spotify’s Release Radar, which runs for four weeks. This means that by putting out new music regularly instead of a single content dump, you can ensure consistent exposure. For today’s listeners, new content is king, so creators who consistently release new materials are the ones grabbing the most attention.
By spacing out your album into monthly singles, listeners may stay more engaged, maximising your algorithmic reach. This strategy not only helps in converting casual listeners into dedicated fans but also leverages Spotify’s algorithm to your advantage.
2. Implement Targeted Music Promotion
For fast and long-term growth, you need engaged fans who want to hear your songs on repeat. Using social media ads on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok that get your music in front of a laser-targeted audience of music fans, who already love your style and sound, is one of the most effective ways to attract engaged fans. Although ads are not for free, they can be highly effective and deliver nonstop growth in real Spotify listeners, streams, and fans, even at a budget of just £5 per day. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at services like Hypeddit that allow you to automate the launch of highly effective music campaigns in just minutes, for example with their “Grow My Spotify Song” campaign template.
3. Collaborate with Other Artists
Partner with artists in your genre for musical collaborations and cross-promotion. Feature on each other’s tracks to tap into new audiences and expand your reach. To get the biggest boost for your artist profile on Spotify, list each of the artists as “main artists” when you distribute your song. This strategy can lead to significant growth in streams and followers by exposing your music to established fanbases. Besides being a natural music promotion, it’s also a great artistic opportunity.
4. Build and Nurture Your Fan Base
Emphasis on ‘nurture,’ which in this context just means keeping them entertained and engaged. If you can, make your fans feel special for getting on board so early. You can offer exclusive content–like early releases or exclusive demo tracks–to incentivise fans to join your mailing list.
5. Intensify Your Promotional Efforts
As your music catalogue grows, step up your promotion. Run music ad campaigns for multiple songs simultaneously to multiply their impact. Create a playlist of your songs on Spotify and direct your music ad traffic to it. In case you use Hypeddit to run your ads, this can be as simple as using their “Grow My Spotify Playlist” campaign template. This will encourage listeners to loop it through your music on Spotify. Build momentum and make it clear that something special is beginning to happen.
6. Optimise Your Campaigns with Analytics
If that sounds complicated, keep in mind that software like Hypeddit can help you with this part. It’s an AI-driven promotion tool that will help you with the more difficult steps. For this step, you want to identify which tracks and ads are doing the most to turn first-time listeners into long-term fans and put more of your effort into those. This makes the most of your Spotify promotion.
7. Re-engage Existing Fans
Maintain consistent communication with your existing fan base. Use your email list to keep fans updated about those consistent releases from step one and the exclusive content from step four. Keep your listeners thinking about you.
It’s Not Just Algorithms; It’s Personal
So much of the advice you see on how to get more streams on Spotify and grow an audience on social media focuses exclusively on working your way up the algorithmic ladder to discoverability, but you can’t fake musical charisma. Once a listener finds you, they need to love you, so you need to be real, and you need to be alive. This means you’re putting out new music, you’re communicating, you’re reacting, and you’re giving them something to love. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. It’s a dream you can create, and you can start today.
This article uses steps created by this video on YouTube, with permission given.
Rolling Stone UK newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this featured content