Introduction
Creating an engaging playlist on your DSPs artist pages that attracts the right audience is a powerful tool for emerging artists. When coupled with targeted promotion through Meta ads, this strategy can not only increase your qualified streams but also improve your algorithmic positioning on platforms like Spotify.
In this guide, we'll show you how to leverage Music Tomorrow data to build the perfect playlist and then run Meta ads campaign that delivers positive signals to DSPs algorithms, by generating qualified streams made by qualified listeners.
Step 1: The building of the optimized Playlist
(using Music Tomorrow’s Data) 🏗️
I. Understanding your artist data insights 🔍
Music Tomorrow’s platform provides valuable insights into an artist’s audience genre alignment. Here’s how to use this data effectively:
Identify Relevant Artists Clusters connected to your artist profile
Use the "Overview" & "Cluster Focus" sections of the app to find clusters that align with your music and meet the following criteria :
1) Target clusters with a decent average popularity index (at least 15) and addressable audience.
2) Explore the artists in each group and check their genre alignment, Spotify popularity score, followers number and of course their musical proximity with your artist. Following this internal study, you will be able to identify artists niches where your artist's music could resonate most.
3) Analyze cluster audience data: Make sure the targeted clusters match the target demographics/geographic data of your future playlist audience (gender/age/location), using the "Audience Builder" section.
4) Use the "Playlist Recommandations" section to identify the keywords/themes covered by the editorial / third-party / user playlists in which the artists of the cluster are found. Studying this playlist coverage can help you refine your clusters targeting, but also define a clear sonic identity for your future playlist
(valuable insights for the choice of the title & theme of the playlist, selection of musical genres covered).
Prioritize the tracks from your catalog that benefit from strong exposure in the targeted clusters
From the "Cluster Focus" section, scroll down to the "Catalog Analysis" subsection. You will then be able to identify the songs in your catalog with the highest affiliation index, indicating those that are currently overexposed in the ecosystem of the cluster studied (greater presence of the track in the algorithmic playlists of listeners in this cluster compared to the rest of the catalog).
By selecting tracks of your catalog that are already included in your target audience's recommendations, you maximize your chances of getting positive responses while they listen to the playlist and your tracks in it:
reduction of the skip rate, increase of the save rate, personal playlists adds,...
Integrate artists with strong exposure in targeted clusters
Prioritize integrating artists in your target clusters who have a strong algorithmic connection with the rest of their cluster: Artists with a "Very Strong" or "Strong" affiliation index indicate a strong algorithmic presence on other artists' profiles (high exposure in artists & tracks radio playlists and "Fans Also Like" sections). Including their track in your playlist will facilitate the strengthening of your algorithmic connexions with the corresponding cluster.
II. Playlist Structure and Best Practices 🧩
A well-structured playlist should:
Have 20-60 tracks: Avoid making it too short (<30 minutes) or too long (>3 hours) to balance depth and retention and maximize listeners engagement.
Feature a mix of known and emerging artists: Include artists from your artist's "clusters analysis" who have a strong listener overlap with your audience, musical similarity, or same audience characteristics. Try to alternate between identified and underground tracks to enhance the playlist listening experience.
Avoid too many tracks from the same artist (1-2 max).
Position your tracks strategically: Place several of your own tracks within the first 10 songs for higher play-through rates. The goal behind is to generate a maximum of listening sessions between your music and the one from relevant artists, in order to boost the algorithmic exposure of your tracks on their audience.
Include your own tracks that are either:
Underexposed algorithmically, but sonically fitting.
New releases with no algorithmic history (ideal for upcoming EPs/Albums).
Use an engaging title and a visually strong cover: Ensure the playlist name reflects the mood/genre (e.g., "Indie Art Pop for Rainy Days") and visuals align with the targeted audience's aesthetic preferences.
Update the playlist every 2-4 weeks to keep the algorithm interested.
Step 2: Promoting your playlist with Meta Ads campaign 🧑💻
2.1 Defining Your Target Audience on Meta Ads Manager 🧑🤝🧑
To maximize ad efficiency, use data-driven targeting strategies:
Create Lookalike Audiences (1-2%) :
Past engagers: People who have previously liked, commented on, shared, or interacted with your posts or ads.
Listeners from DSPS links: People who clicked on your smart link or directly accessed your music via a DSP link you shared.
Visitors to your website (if you have a pixel installed).
By creating lookalike audiences from these sources, you allow META to find new users with similar profiles and behavior, increasing the chance they’ll also be interested in your playlist and music. It's a great way to scale your reach to new but relevant listeners.
Define the characteristics of your targeted audiences from your "Music Tomorrow targeted audience insights analysis": most represented genres, age groups, countries, ...
Exclude Current Artist's Instagram/Facebook followers : The goal behind is to avoid cannibalizing organic reach.
Refine based on Interests: Use Music Tomorrow’s data to select the most represented metadata in the targeted artist clusters (associated genres, artists, medias, brands...) and detect available similar Meta interests on the "Audience Detailed Targeting" section.
2.2 Structuring your Meta Ad Campaign 🔧
To find out how to complete each section of your campaign using the Meta Ads Manager tool, we invite you to read our guide article dedicated to setting up a music ads campaign on META:
Use a funnel approach for efficient conversion 👥
Promote your themed playlist to attract new, genre-aligned listeners.
Track user interactions on your campaign.
Retarget users with ads spotlighting your artist's music.
Convert passive playlist listeners into active fans and followers.
Phase 1: Awareness & Engagement 👀
Objective: Increase playlist interactions.
Creative: Use short-form videos (keep it under 15s) featuring a playlist teaser with:
Moody visuals : you can add some artists faces if it helps the user understanding of your ad.
Text with artists featured (e.g.,"For fans of Weyes Blood, Tamino, Big Thief") and covered genres/moods in your playlist.
A strong CTA (e.g., "Discover Your Next Favorite Indie Artist!").
Placement: Prioritize Instagram Reels/Feeds/Stories for discovery-based engagement.
Phase 2: Retargeting & Conversion 🎯
Objective: Convert engaged users into playlists listeners > listeners of your artist
Targeting:
Retarget users who interacted with the first ad but didn’t click the playlist link.
Based on your data, you may also decide it's best to exclude those who have already interacted with your previous ads if you want to avoid paying for the same people.
Optional Creative advice: Use a direct approach highlighting social proof (e.g., "Thousands are discovering this playlist, join them!").
Step 3: Optimizing Your Meta Ads for Maximum ROI 📈
3.1 Key Metrics to Track 📊
Use these benchmarks to monitor and optimize your campaign:
KPI | Good Benchmark | What It Means |
CTR (Click-Through Rate) | 1.2% – 2.5% | Below 1% → weak creative or targeting. Aim closer to 2% for playlist ads. |
CPC (Cost Per Click) | €0.20 – €0.40 | Above €0.50 suggests poor audience match or creative. |
CPM (Cost per 1,000 Impressions) | €4 – €8 | A lower CPM is good, but don't chase it at the expense of meaningful interactions. |
Landing Page View Rate | 70%+ of clicks | This metric tells you whether your smart link is loading fast and working smoothly. Below 60% indicates technical friction. |
DSP Save Rate | > 10%
|
|
Streams per Listener | >1.4
| A high number means your targeting and playlist flow are resonating. |
Conversion Rate | 30% – 50%
| This tells you how well your playlist delivers on the promise of the ad. A good stream rate suggests alignment between your creative, targeting, and playlist content. |
Playlist Growth Rate | 1% – 2%
| Playlist follows indicate strong intent and can influence Spotify’s algorithmic treatment. Most casual listeners won’t follow, so even 2%+ is a solid result. |
3.2 A/B Testing for Better Performance 🛠️
Test different creatives: Launch several variations (formats, visuals, targeting) with a modest budget (€5-10/day per campaign) to see what converts best (test for 2-3 days before optimizing)
Experiment with CTAs: "Listen now" vs. "Find your new favorite artist."
Optimize placements: Reels vs. Feed vs. Stories.
3.3 Diagnosing Drop in Organic Reach 📉
Avoid audience overlap in ad sets.
Never target your own followers in cold campaigns.
Limit simultaneous sponsorship and organic pushes.
Conclusion
Music Tomorrow’s artist algorithmic environment analysis empower you to make informed creative and marketing decisions that scale organically over time. By combining our data with a well-structured meta-advertising strategy, artists can attract highly qualified listeners to these sponsored playlists, then direct the most engaged ones to their own content.
This approach improves the artist's engagement and performance on streaming platforms, thanks to an increase in positive signals from listening to their own tracks in the playlist. But promoting a thematic playlist is above all a powerful lever for improving your artist's algorithmic reach and positioning on streaming platforms, by generating listening sessions combining their music with that of artists reaching musical niches and audiences aligned with the desired positioning on their profile.