Category: Blog Posts

Put most simply, gaining more followers on Spotify is a two-fold process:

1. Be an artist worth following
2. Send traffic to your Spotify artist profile

Setting out to grow your following on Spotify is just as tricky as growing on social media platforms. In fact, think of Spotify as another social media platform in itself. It really needs working, with strategy and persistence. It feels frustratingly slow at times, and it could be a full-time job in itself! But fear not, we’ve got some bright ideas up our sleeves here at Decent to help you along the way to gaining more Spotify followers.

As with any aspect of your artist career, it’s important to keep your mindset positive, or you risk burning out. We know how overwhelming trying to juggle everything can seem, especially when you’re trying to create the music too! Oh, and please remember that it’s always quality over quantity of numbers. Wouldn’t you rather have a dedicated, cult following over masses of one-time listeners – or even worse, bots – who aren’t that bothered about what you do?

Why Spotify Followers Count

One of the main reasons why Spotify followers are important is that by growing your following on Spotify you’re essentially creating a virtuous circle of support for your music there. Increasing the number of Spotify followers you have can impact your visibility on the platform.

Fast-emerging artist Ren has over 300,000 followers on Spotify after gaining popularity with his viral track ‘Hi Ren’. Though his subsequent releases might not rack up millions, they still have healthy stream counts, no doubt down to this healthy number of Spotify followers.

That’s because the more followers you have, the more likely your profile and music will be recommended to users through algorithms like personalized playlists and radio stations. Followers are notified of your new release via the likes of Music Radar, Discover Weekly and Daily Mix. If you have 100 followers on Spotify, your next release will land on 100 Release Radar Playlists. This means that if you’re consistent with your release schedule you’re going to see an increase in streams for sure.

Spotify Followers versus Monthly Listeners

‘Monthly Listeners’ gives you a snapshot of how you’re doing streaming-wise on a given month. Yet we all know how variable this number is. You might have song land on a major playlist and you’ll see your Monthly Listeners skyrocket, only for this number to drop as soon as you’re off that playlist. Ideally, you’d be converting those listeners into followers, and essentially fans of your music, not just passive listeners. The idea is that these followers then buy your merch, come to your gig, look out for your new music releases etc.

How to be an artist worth following on Spotify

At the end of the day, if you aren’t a product people want to consume, you’re not going to get followers. You need to create a sense of cult and community around your act, so that people feel drawn towards you, and left out if they don’t follow you.

Refine your artist brand

The starting point for creating that community, is always going to be in pairing your great music with a refined artist brand that is easily recognisable, unique and true to you. This can take years to get right, and much easier said than done. Essentially, all of your design and aesthetic elements should function together and build the same overall picture. Applying consistent branding will help market your music as distinguishable from the rest of the artists out there releasing music.

Make your Spotify artist profile look good

Your artist profile on Spotify is a space to connect with your visitors, and capture the attention of those who are curious about you. Any traffic to your Spotify artist profile means potential fans and potential followers, so don’t let this opportunity slip. It’s part of the set-up process for gaining more followers. Not only that, but it makes you look like you’re actually active on the platform and also like a true pro for any industry folks snooping around. Think about the following:

• Verify your profile (distributors can easily sort this if you’re unsure)
• Your artist biography
• Striking press shots and banner
• ‘Artist’s Pick’ playlist or song
• Consider adding any merch to your merch-bar (if you have Shopify)
• Create a playlist & add it to your ‘Artist Playlists’ sections
• Add all your social links

Part of Ren’s appeal as an artist has to be his compelling story, which he tells in great detail across his socials and here in his Spotify artist profile biog. Though a single emoji in your biog might be more you, maybe think about elaborating and telling a story. Just a thought.

Now, let’s look at the varying ways you might send traffic to your Spotify artist profile.

Create & release great music, consistently

Ultimately, Spotify rewards those releasing new music consistently on the platform. Provided that music is also great, which we’re sure is the case, if you’re taking your career seriously. If you are prolific with your music releases – say, a song a month for 12 months straight – you’re going to get a TON more traffic than an artist who puts out one song a year. Being prolific pays of in this industry, so stick to a release calendar. What’s more new music is also fresh bait to draw people from other platforms too, both organically and if you choose, via ads. Which leads us on nicely to the following…

Sending traffic to your Spotify artist profile

It doesn’t matter if you’re ‘followable’ if no-one is finding you in the first place, right? So let’s look at various ways you can encourage people to visit your Spotify artist profile.

1. Organic off-platform traffic

Secure Press coverage

Securing press coverage online is a fantastic way to reach new audiences.

Connect with other artists

Playlists: Create your own playlists featuring not only your music but also songs from other artists in your genre. This can showcase your taste and connect you with fans of similar music.

Collaboration: co-writing or releasing a track

Engage potential Spotify followers on social media

Promote your music and Spotify profile on your social media platforms. Share behind-the-scenes content, updates about upcoming releases, and interact with your followers to build a strong online presence. Respond to comments, messages, and interactions from your listeners. Building a connection with your audience can turn casual listeners into dedicated followers.

Collaborate with influencers or brands

Collaborate with Influencers: Identify influencers or bloggers in your niche who can help promote your music. They can introduce your music to their followers, which can lead to more Spotify streams and followers.

“Follow us on Spotify”

Shout-out about your Spotify profile everywhere you can – be that on your website, at your live shows, in your mail-outs, everywhere.

2. Ads-based traffic

The idea here is that you run ads from another platform (usually Meta, for Facebook and Instagram) to your Spotify artist profile, or perhaps to a landing page inviting them to follow you. It’s also worth taking a look at Tiktok ads. Make sure to continually refine your targeting in order to run the most effective ads. You’ll then want to incorporate retargeting and lookalike audiences that can cut your costs down further. It can be a lot of work, but it’s worth it if you can find something that works out for you.

Whilst running ads might seem expensive at first, they end up being pretty predictable. With a few hundred quid a month, you can probably expect to get between 50 and a few hundred followers per month, which is kind of cool.

3. On-platform traffic

This final method involves directing people who are already on Spotify to your artist profile.

Get Spotify followers via playlist placements

Pitch Your Music to Curators: Submit your tracks to independent playlist curators who have a following. If your music gets added to their playlists, it can help you gain exposure to a broader audience.

Run ads directly on Spotify to get more followers

Running Spotify ads for musicians can be an effective way to promote your music and grow your fan base on the platform.

The coolest ads format has to be Marquee, which is where you can show interested people a pop-up that’ll take them straight to your new release. Marquee is a great music recommendation tool that doesn’t look like an intrusive advertisement. Whether they turn to followers is up to them of course, but if they’re sold enough by you then they will. However, you need more than 5,000 streams over the past 28 days or more than 1,000 followers, so it’s not really an option for those just starting out.

On a per-click basis, Spotify ads are generally more expensive than off-platform ads, but they tend to generate more valuable clicks (since users are already on Spotify, so they’re less likely to drop off). Remember that running any ads are just one part of a comprehensive music promotion strategy.

Final thoughts: Spotify Followers in 2023

Make Use of Spotify for Artists

Spotify offers a platform called Spotify for Artists, where you can access data about your streams, followers, and engagement. This information can help you tailor your strategies and track your progress.

Quality Over Quantity of Spotify Followers

Whilst numbers are nice but it’s all about quality of quantity of your Spotify followers. It’s super important to note that while follower count is a valuable metric, genuine engagement and connection with your audience, across Spotify and socials alike, are ultimately more meaningful. It’s better to have a smaller, engaged fan base than a large number of inactive followers.

One indispensable tool in any musician’s kit is the EPK. A word often thrown around by music industry pro’s, publicists and managers, the term ‘EPK’ is a little confusing for many, especially those newer to the industry. If that’s you, then fear not as we’re here to cast light on this mystery term, why it’s used and even more importantly, how to make one.

What Is An EPK?

Let’s start with the basics. What is an EPK? Quite simply, EPK stands for Electronic Press Kit. Emerging talent (from new bands, to solo artists and everything in between), will find that having an electronic press kit is a great way of collating all of their promotional materials in one space.

What Is An EPK Used For?

As an independent musician releasing music in an over-saturated industry, an EPK helps you to cut through the noise. If you’re an artist looking to attract the attention of press, radio stations, playlist curators, collaborators, event organises, managers, labels and more, then having an electronic press kit is the best way of firing over your artist information to them.

What To Include In Your EPK

So you have a ton of press shots, song releases, and career highlights (if you’re lucky). And yet, collating that information is key. That means being selective. Otherwise, your EPK is going to be overkill, and it might be side-lined by busy music pros who simply don’t have time to check yours out.

Organize your EPK into sections to make it easy for recipients to find the information they need. Write compelling and concise descriptions for each section. Use a professional tone and highlight key achievements, unique selling points, and any relevant background information.

Common sections include:

• About: Artist/band biography and background information.
• Music: Showcase your best tracks or music samples.
• Videos: Embed or link to music videos, live performances, and interviews.
• Photos: High-quality press photos in various poses and styles.
• Press: Include press releases, interviews, reviews, and news articles. You might tailor your EPK to include info about your latest, upcoming single or tour. This would be a good use of an EPK, for sure.
• Tour: List past tour dates, upcoming shows, and notable performances.
• Contact: Provide contact information for booking, management, and public relations.
• Media Files: Ensure that all media files (photos, videos, music) are of high quality and easily downloadable. Provide different formats (e.g. JPEG for photos, MP3 for music) to accommodate different needs.

What Is An EPK? – EPK Examples

In a digital age, having a press kit to hand that’s easy to include in a DM or email is the way forward. Gone are the days of sending off CD’s and info to label execs or PR companies via post. Not only is it more environmentally-friendly to host your press kit digitally, it is hands down the most welcomed format by industry pro’s these days. It’s also cheap for independent artists to create, and super simple to send out. What’s more, you can collate all of your information in one place in a format you can choose and control at the click of a button, editing as and when you have new music coming out, or an upcoming tour on the horizon. Where you choose to create and host your EPK is entirely down to personal preference. Let’s look at some different EPK examples by format.

What Is An EPK? – Website-hosted EPK example

Your own website

At Decent, we’d recommend creating and hosting your EPK on a private a page on your website that’s only accessible to those with a link to it. On this page, you can then create your EPK with the functionality to embed audio and video players. You could have a special password, giving a sense of exclusivity to your EPK.

Host websites

Alternatively, you can use EPK-specific online platforms that offer templates and customization options, allowing you to create your Electronic Press Kit on their site. This can be good if you don’t have your own website or don’t want to go through the effort of designing one there. These EPK-hosting platforms include ReverbNation, Sonicbids and Bandzoogle.

What Is An EPK? – PDF-download EPK example

You can create your EPK using graphic design software like Adobe InDesign or Canva and send it out as a pdf download. Some of the above sites also allow you to automatically download in PDF format.

What is an EPK versus a ‘press release’?

You may have heard the term ‘press release’ thrown around too. A press release is a subset of an Electronic Press Kit rather than something similar. It’s the text that explains your latest project or news. You could include this within your EPK if you so wish, especially if you’re sending out your press kit to promote an upcoming release. Perhaps you might even include a downloadable copy of your latest press release in PDF form, hosted on your Electronic Press Kit.

In fact, tailoring your EPK towards your latest project or news is a great way of making use of an EPK. You can edit your press kit to include information each time you have a new release or upcoming tour for instance.

Top 3 EPK Essentials

1. Make Your EPK User-friendly

Whichever Electronic Press Kit format you choose, make sure it’s user-friendly. Think about striking that balance between something that is visually appealing and on-brand, yet that is also clear and easy to digest for the recipient.

2. Keep Your EPK Up-to-date

This leads to our final point… make sure to keep your Electronic Press Kit up-to-date. As you achieve new milestones, release new music, or have new press coverage, make sure to update your EPK accordingly.

3. Ensure Your EPK Is On Brand

The bottom line is to curate your EPK carefully. Think about what you’re including, and how you’re presenting that information. Which fonts, colours, photos are you using? Are they on brand and easy-to-read? Remember that your EPK is a representation of your brand, so invest time and effort into creating a professional and engaging package that accurately showcases your talents and accomplishments.

You’ve got this… Now go and get yourself some attention!

At Decent Music, we encourage all our artists, and everyone that we speak to, that you are right to approach any marketing of your music with some level of skepticism. Music PR and promotions can certainly be a murky world, and there are lots of companies out there that always seem to offer a ‘big discount’ and promise  large streaming numbers for a quick one-time purchase. A lot of this is facilitated by using fake streams from bot farms, or users that are paid small amounts to stream songs multiple times. This is never going to really help you to find new fans, engage with real listeners or ultimately progress you in your music career.

We get it, the music industry is full of people that promise the world and deliver very little. We started Decent Music PR because we are a team of artists, producers and music lovers, and we are tired of shady practices, scammy bot streams and broken promises.

We created this article to provide a fully transparent, behind-the-scenes look into Decent Music PR, who we are, what we do and we are different from these scam companies.

Who We Are and Why We’re Different

Our founders, Anna Stephens and Alfie Cattell are both artists in their own right. Anna is an accomplished music journalist and has an incredible knowledge of the world of press, and Alfie is an established music producer and has, and continues to, work with major labels and successful artists on music. The whole of the Decent Music PR team are either artists themselves, come from a management background, or otherwise have worked in the industry – it’s a core value of Decent’s that we always look for team members with an actual passion for music, and with understanding of the industry and what’s really going to help artists to reach their goals.

We are ‘By Artists, For Artists’ – but what does that mean? It means that we really understand the struggle, we understand how much energy, passion and effort goes into creating your music – but so many artists then don’t have time, energy or budget left to invest in the promotion and release of their artwork. Without a release strategy that is defined by your goals, and your own skills, releasing can really feel like dropping your art into a big black hole and hoping that you see it rise back, and we want to help guide you with up to date information, campaign ideas, and advice on when the right time to invest in which services is right for you.

Many PR’s and music marketing agencies are out for your money, and it’s completely key to our mission that we are not just someone else looking for a quick buck and take away from your recording budget. Our services are set up as paid packages and the reason for this is that we don’t want to take ownership of your music, we believe in owning your own masters – but more importantly we don’t want to tie you into any difficult contracts – our services have a clear beginning, middle and end.

Our Vetting Process: Why We Don’t Accept Everyone.

Our whole business is built on reputation and building lasting relationships with real tastemakers, playlisters, journalists, outlets, radio presenters, and artists. Therefore, our word is important to us – we only work with artists and music that we genuinely believe in, and know that we can actually effectively help to promote. This is why we don’t accept all music, and is why we reach out to artists directly. Our Artist Liaison team spends a lot part of each day actually listening through music and finding contact details for the music and artist that they come across that they like.

So why have I got an email from Decent Music PR? If you have been reached out to by someone from Decent Music directly about your music, then our team has found you through Spotify, Soundcloud or their local networks and wants to speak with you about your release plans. You are NEVER obligated to buy anything from us, and it’s an important part of our process to get to know you and your goals as an artist before just pitching you our services.

We do also get a lot of submissions from our website and from other sources too, and for these submissions, we guarantee that we will always take the time to listen to your music. We are looking out to hear the quality of the overall mix, the skill of the songwriter, the marketability, and somewhat most importantly where you music fits (or doesn’t) with our existing relationships and catalogue. If we like your music and know that we have the reach to help you out, or just need to know more, this is when our team will reach out directly to you to book a call in to get to know you more, and help to define your goals for the future with your music, and your ‘brand’ as an artist.

Our commitment to being selective ensures that we work exclusively with artists that we really believe in, and are confident in our ability to help. We will never try to sell anyone a service that won’t help them.

Industry Red Flags, and How Decent Music PR Avoids Them

Red Flag 1: Music promotion companies using bots to get you streams.

Let’s be clear, bots are a scam and do nothing but damage to your music promotion. A lot of playlisting services where you get just pay for one-size-fits all ‘cheap’ package rarely involve bot streams, and even paid-to-listen human streams which also don’t find you new fans or help streaming services algorithms learn who exactly to push your music to.

Decent Music does not use bots, or buy streams for any campaigns. Our Playlisting campaigns involve humans pitching to real tastemakers and playlist curators. Weekly we quality check all the playlists on our roster and we ensure playlists are not botted. One way that we do this is by using Chartmetric to check on the playlist traffic to ensure that it is all natural. We partner with Chartmetric and are happy to offer a three month free trial to the software, and any of our team would be happy to show you how to check this on a call! If you want to make the most of this free trial, or check if your music is in any botted playlists, please sign up here.

Red Flag 2: Music PR companies offering quick, low-quality placements.

Sadly – Ill timed, or low quality PR is not going to suddenly provide you with a new fan base, and landing on irrelevant blogs that no one reads will do nothing for your career. And that’s not what Decent Music PR is about.. We focus on high quality press, telling the story that you want to tell, and at a time that’s really helpful for your goals.

By working in Music Publicity as publishers, and artists, for years we have built strong relationships with respected curators, tastemakers, and media outlets and this means that when we pitch your music, it’s going to the right people. We’ve secured coverage in top-tier platforms like CLASH, Notion, Wonderland, Billboard, Complex and placements on high quality publishers, as well as help to create buzz using reputable mid-tier blogs too. These placements are not just a vanity spot, they’re the kind of features and playlists that give your music credibility and real visibility.

Publicity and Press are very rarely going to equate to a noticeable change in streaming numbers, but it is an incredible tool to help with building your credibility when looking to secure festival spots, more gigs and shoes, label interest and much more. When linking to articles in your EPK, this is a massive SEO and credibility win.

Red Flag 3: Overpriced PR companies with low quality results

As artists, we get it. When you are an independent artist, every penny counts. But here’s the thing.. Pouring your heart, soul and budget into recording and perfecting an album and then not investing in some sort of promotion plan to get that music to the right ears is the sad reason that there’s so much brilliant music that never gets the recognition that it deserves.

A typical campaign with us isn’t just a quick automated pitch and email blast. It’s hours of researching and pitching to the right curators, building on years of trusted relationships, writing tailored press releases, chasing follow-ups, and constantly keeping momentum going. That’s work done by a real human expert that would take you weeks, even months to even attempt on your own, and without our network, it’s a lot harder to get a reply, let alone a placement.Breaking our pricing down, it is fair for the amount of time, strategy, expertise and energy put in. We have built systems and connections that are difficult to replicate solo and that’s where the real value is. You aren’t just paying for placements, you’re paying for us to join your team and bring our experience, credibility and results.

Compared to other Music PR companies, we are reasonably priced, but we certainly aren’t the cheapest out there, and we don’t want to be. Cheap usually means fake streams, botted playlists, automated services you can do on your own, and ultimately wasted money. At Decent, you are paying for real targeted campaigns for real growth that lasts. 

Tyler put’s it well here (if the video’s not showing, please make sure to accept the sites cookies):

Proof is in the pudding, here’s our Real, Recent Reviews

A lot of companies say that they’re real but don’t have much to back it up with – here are some recent reviews on our Google Reviews (see here), and Trustpilot reviews, please feel free to take a look for yourself:

At the end of the day, Decent Music PR exists for one sole reason: we want to help artists grow in an honest, transparent and meaningful way. We are not here to help with impactless quick wins, fake streams and empty promises – we are here to support your musical journey with integrity and music that we really believe in.

If you are interested in talking to a Music PR company that are only looking to help artists define and achieve their goals, that’s exactly who we are. Feel free to check out some of our case studies to see how we have helped other artists with their release plans. And if you are ready to speak to someone about your own music’s release plans, you can reach out through our submission form directly here.

We would love to hear from you, and listen to your music to see if and how we can help you take the next step in your career. Please submit your music here and we will be in touch!