How to make your Playlist go VIRAL
You’re making a playlist? Cool, So does millions — but how can you make yours stand out?
Check out our guide for the essential steps to make a bangin’ Playlist that speaks to your audience!
A Considerate Tastemaker
Before you start, figure out who your target audience is and what kinds of music listeners you’ll have to deal with — Savant, enthusiast, casual, or indifferent? A casual listener will generally be happy with a few people pleasers, but it could scare a savant listener away. Be yourself but keep your audience in mind while curating.
‘Nuff Said
Have a clever title. Like I mentioned, you’re not the first one making a playlist, so be creative. 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. Don’t forget to check out what keywords are trending right now for a chance of getting more hits!
“Paint me like one of your french girls”
The artwork is essential as it is the face of your playlist — no one knows what it sounds like before they actually make the active decision to press play. But why would anyone choose YOUR playlist over someone else’s? — They get intrigued by your cool artwork and smart title.
Jazz It Up!
With exceptions, there should generally not be more than two songs from the same artist in a row, unless there is a ‘special link’ between the songs; consecutive songs should have complementary styles or sounds so that the playlist doesn’t clash. Your opening track generally sets the tone for the rest of the playlist. You want the momentum to build up, back down a bit, then push forward, and finish with a strong track that wraps everything up nicely.
Keep it Fresh
Keep the playlist updated to encourage users to come back and listen often — Make some touch ups once a week (or month). It’s better to have a lot of followers on one playlist that you regularly update, rather than splitting your audience on a long tail of playlists, quality over quantity. As we’re inpatient listeners, the optimal length is around 1 h, meaning 12–15 tracks per playlist, before we loose our interest.
Do you speak Spotify?
Congratulations, you’ve now created your playlist! In order for you to have a viral playlist, it needs to be available for anyone. Don’t simply share your playlist on ONE platform that will be exclusive for their users — make it universal. Soundsgood lets you share your playlist across all platforms in one step, letting people listen directly with their platform of preference. Best of all, playlists are free to share — so what are you waiting for?
SIMPLY SPEAKING:
1. Title / Artwork / Tracks / Order
2. Publish it everywhere with Soundsgood
3. Share it on your networks (newsletter, website, FB …)
4. Connect every week to check # followers and update the playlist
= ROCKn’ROLL
There you go, you have an amazing playlist at your disposal, now all you gotta do is promote it! Keep checking our media channels and Subscribe to our Newsletter for further tips to help you achieve PLAYLIST GREATNESS!
/ Miranda Lundberg: Community + Content at Soundsgood
Related Articles:
Playlisting: 3 Takeaways from the Amazon Music Launch
Music Strategy — An Essential Part in Modern Day Branding
Join the world’s first community of music influencers on Soundsgood and create universal playlists for your audiences. Seamlessly publish your playlists across all music platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube & Soundcloud in just a few simple steps! For more info, check out our website!
