How to post spotify playlist on instagram
How To Promote A Spotify Playlist Using Instagram Stories Ads
Brian Hazard of the project Color Theory shares how he recently saw some promotional success with his Spotify playlist by utilizing a classic industry technique: paying for advertising – in this case Instagram Stories ads.
Guest post by Brian Hazard of Passive Promotion
If you were wondering how I found your work, it was through Spotify. I was looking for vocal synthwave playlists. Yours had the most followers and I really enjoyed the first song.
My Spotify playlist is getting a lot of action lately. Not because the search algorithm starting picking up on it, or because it went viral on Reddit. No, I’m growing it the old-fashioned way: by paying for it.
On March 10, it had 1079 followers. As I write this on March 19, it has 3124 followers. That’s 2K followers in two months, for a total of $378.46 in ad spend (click to enlarge).
I learned a lot in those two months, and I’m paying much less per follower now than I was at the beginning. More on that later!
The benefits of owning a popular Spotify playlist
Owning one of the top playlists in your genre offers several advantages:
- Strangers are more willing to check out a playlist than a song, album, or artist profile.
- You can promote your entire scene instead of just pushing your own stuff.
- You can trade placements on other artists’ playlists.
- You can place your name (in the description), likeness (in the cover art), and music alongside the biggest names in your genre.
- A high follower count legitimizes the playlist and generates more streams due to its perceived authority.
- A high follower count attracts higher quality submissions on SubmitHub.
Convinced yet? Here’s how I did it…
How I created my Instagram Stories ads
Instagram Stories ads are 15-second videos with a 9×16 aspect ratio, essentially 1080p flipped sideways. iMovie can’t do it, but it’s a breeze with ScreenFlow.
ScreenFlow is also great for making square videos, which take up more screen real estate on social media.
I’m using a really old version that I bought years ago for screen capture, but it still does everything I need.
I’m hyping ScreenFlow so much, I may as well become an affiliate… done! If you want to try it out while supporting the site, click on the banner below:
Note that it’s Mac only. If you know of any good Windows alternatives, please share them in the comments!
I just add my assets to the sidebar, drag them to the video window and/or timeline, resize them to 15 seconds, add text and “effects” (mostly just fades), and export using the following settings:
I’m sure that’s way overkill video-wise, but I love that it encodes audio at 320 kbps!
My winningest Spotify playlist ads
Here’s a playlist with 4 of the 24 ads I’ve tested so far. Remember that Instagram also includes a call to action (“Listen Now”) at the bottom of the screen, with a caret telling the user to swipe up.
FRAME DJ was a huge help in coming up with ideas. He noticed that “scrolling through the playlist” ads like the first were being used to build massive EDM playlists.
He also came up with “imagine the warmth of 80s synth music.” I was skeptical at first, but it outperformed the others at the time.
I’m quite proud of “it’s always midnight somewhere,” featuring the music of The Midnight. Clever, huh?
Still, I was glad that “bask in the neon glow of an 80s that never existed” performed just as well using my own music.
Facebook Ad Library is a helpful resource. There are several expensive courses on Spotify promotion that center around Instagram Stories ads. Rather than pay for them, I just looked up the relevant artists’ ads for inspiration.
Test, test, test! I can’t stress this enough. Try different songs, background images, copy, fonts, timing, you name it! Don’t forget to test which 15 seconds of your track converts best, rather than just starting at the top of the chorus.
I test each ad by letting it run solo for two days, ideally two weekdays because weekends may perform differently.
Remember that followers are the goal, not clicks.
Every morning I write down my follower count and track the increase from the previous day. It should scale with clicks, but if it doesn’t, your ad may be confusing users.
I place the song from my ad, typically my own, in the top slot of the playlist so people recognize it immediately and know they’ve come to the right place. Sure, it’s self-serving, but not entirely selfish!
Setting up my Instagram Stories ads
I won’t walk through every step in the ad creation process, because yawn. The campaign objective is traffic, and the sole placement is Instagram Stories.
I mostly targeted US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Once I launched my free CD campaign, which I’ll write about soon, I restricted my targeting to US-only, where I charge $5 to ship a CD rather than $15 internationally.
Eventually I opened it up to Mexico and Brazil, where I’m getting clicks for $0.04, versus $0.11 in the US. The lower cost per follower is offset by a lower payout per stream.
Ultimately I settled on splitting my geographic targeting into two ad groups at $2.50 each per day: US, and Mexico/Brazil. If I kept them in the same ad group, the latter would eat up the vast majority of my budget.
Choose your targets wisely, and for chrissakes make sure they are all countries where Spotify is available!
I’m getting about 50 new followers a day, so $0.10 per follower if we attribute all growth to the ads. That assumes that organic growth is canceled out by unfollows.
Interest targeting no more
You may have noticed that I mentioned where I’m targeting, but not who I’m targeting.
That’s because I already spent a few hundred bucks to build a lookalike audience of 75% video viewers — yet another topic for a future post! I know I previously said that lookalike audiences don’t work, but it turns out I was doing it wrong.
You’ll likely need to use interest targeting, in the form of “artists I sound like” or “my genre” plus Spotify.
Remember, you want to narrow the audience using Spotify as an additional interest.
Hopefully, there are targetable artists that you sound like, or genres your music fits into cleanly. I’m not so lucky, which is why it cost so much to create that lookalike from mostly non-music-related interests.
Deep Linking with URLgenius
Let’s swap places with our potential fan for a moment. Imagine you see an ad for a cool playlist, swipe up, and are greeted with this screen:
“Wait, don’t I already have the Spotify app?,” you wonder. Yes, you do, and clicking the “download app” button will open it.
We want to avoid this confusion at all costs. The solution? URLgenius.
URLgenius creates deep links that bypass the download prompt and open the relevant app directly.
The first 1000 clicks are free. After that, it’s a penny per click. In this case, a penny spent is more than a penny saved in cost per follower!
Here’s a URLgenius link to my playlist.
Now you owe me a penny.
My Spotify playlist results
Do people actually listen to my playlist? Indeed they do!
Here’s my Spotify for Artists data for the top slotted track (click to enlarge):
I’ve got another track in the middle of the playlist, which only generated 436 plays over the same period.
If I consider my playlist campaign only in terms of my two songs, that’s 2K streams for $174. That’s not terrible relative to what you’d pay for Spotify PR, and I know the streams are legit!
SubmitHub to the rescue
When my playlist hit 2K followers, I made the mistake of announcing it on social media. Suddenly I was receiving submissions from every corner of the internet.
Most obviously didn’t fit, because they didn’t have vocals, or weren’t even close to synthwave. Some artists sent me full albums, or worse, directed me to their Spotify profile, expecting me to scour it for any appropriate tracks. It got to be too much, so I turned to SubmitHub:
If you’re unfamiliar with SubmitHub, you can read all about it in last month’s article.
It’s a platform where curators of all stripes screen and manage submissions from artists, labels, and publicists.
I’ve always pushed back against claims that SubmitHub was payola and that curators were somehow scamming artists, but now it’s obvious how off-base those accusations are.
Once I worked through 200 submissions I was allowed to raise my price to two premium credits. Now I get $1 out of every $2 submission.
I’m currently receiving 15 submissions per day on average, making $20 per hour while falling behind on mastering and production work that pays far better.
SubmitHub is no get rich scheme.
Keep in mind that the vast majority of curators only charge a single premium credit, which is $10 per hour at my pace.
It has its perks though! Curators can purchase credits at a 50% discount. 45 minutes per day of my time covers both the cost of my playlist ads and my own artist submissions.
Feel free to submit your track to me if it has 1) great vocals (not just vocoder), 2) obvious 80s elements, 3) traditional pop structure, and 4) a synth-driven arrangement.
You wouldn’t believe how many people send me instrumentals!
Spotify playlists conclusion
I think that covers the entire ecosystem!
What do you think? Is playlist promotion a viable substitute for artist promotion, at least on Spotify?
It’s definitely a ton of work, but I take pride in my playlist, and genuinely enjoy listening to it. It’s nice to be in a position where I can help other artists, rather than feeling like we’re all competing in a zero-sum contest. I suppose that goes for this blog too.
Do you curate a Spotify playlist? Have you tried Instagram Stories ads? Let’s swap strategies in the comments!
Like it? Share it!
Brian Hazard is a recording artist with over twenty years of experience promoting eleven Color Theory albums, and head mastering engineer and owner of Resonance Mastering in Huntington Beach, California.
His Passive Promotion blog emphasizes “set it and forget it” methods of music promotion.
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Owen Davie on 06/23/2020 in D.I.Y. | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: Advertising, advice, instagram stories, Promotion
How to Add Spotify Music to Your Instagram Story
- It's easy to add Spotify music to your Instagram story, though doing so requires access to both apps.
- In the Spotify mobile app, choose to share your music and then select Instagram Stories. This will open the social media app and allow you to make adjustments to your story before posting.
- Sharing on Instagram allows your followers to see what you are listening to, and provides a direct link back to the Spotify app for others to find the song.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Even if your friends don't use Spotify, they can still see what you're listening to if you share your favorite songs on Instagram.
Spotify teamed up with the social media app in 2018, making for a seamless integration.
Thanks to this update, you no longer have to screenshot the song you like to share it. Instead, you can post a stylized preview of the song, which also provides a direct link back to Spotify for others to easily find the song.
To do so, you'll first have to share the song on the Spotify app and select Instagram from the list of sharing options. This will bring you to the social media app, where you can tweak your story before making it public to all of your followers or just to close friends.
Here's how to do it.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)
How to add Spotify music to your Instagram story1. Open the Spotify app on your phone or tablet. Once you're listening to a song you'd like to share, tap the three dots found in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
Tap the three dots.
Stephanie Lin/Business Insider 2. Tap "Share."
Share the song. Stephanie Lin/Business Insider3. Select "Instagram Stories" from the list of sharing options.
Select "Instagram Stories." Stephanie Lin/Business Insider4.
This will open the Instagram app and automatically populate the song icon and link in a new story post. You can make adjustments to your story — such as adding text or stickers — before posting. Once you finish editing your post, tap "Send to" at the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap "Share" next to "Your Story" to share the song.
Share your song on Instagram story. Stephanie Lin/Business Insider
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Marissa Perino
Marissa Perino is a former editorial intern covering executive lifestyle.
She previously worked at Cold Lips in London and Creative Nonfiction in Pittsburgh. She studied journalism and communications at the University of Pittsburgh, along with creative writing. Find her on Twitter: @mlperino.
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How to share songs with Instagram stories from Spotify, Apple Music and more • Oki Doki
We can't deny how art and music helped everyone survive in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Over the past few months, I have discovered many good songs that I have never heard before, and the same can happen to you. If you're looking for a way to easily share found songs with your friends, you should consider sharing them on Instagram Stories.
Share songs on Instagram Stories
While some consider songs and playlists to be private and not shared, others find joy in helping others find good music.
If you are ready to share songs, we will explain to you the way to quickly share songs on Instagram from your chosen music streaming platform. With all that said, let's start with the list.
Share songs to Instagram Stories from Spotify
Spotify is the music streaming service that has made posting songs on social media mainstream. If you're a Spotify user and wondering where to start, here's what you need to do. Turn on the song you want to share, click on the vertical three-dot icon in the top right corner, and select Share.
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On the "Share" page that opens, click on Instagram. The application will automatically generate a story with the album art of the song. Once it does all the hard work for you, click the "Your Story" button to share the song. Your followers can then click the "Play to Spotify" button to tune in to the song you just shared from the Spotify app on their phone.
This is a Spotify tip that everyone should know, and you can learn more Spotify tips and tricks from our linked article.
Share songs to Instagram Stories from Apple Music
Following Spotify's lead, Apple Music recently added a feature that allows users to share songs to Instagram Stories. If you're an Apple Music user, you can access sharing settings by tapping the three-dot menu next to the song title and artist name. In the pop-up window that appears, click on the "Share song" option.
Here select "Instagram Stories" from the list of available options. Now you can add the song to your Instagram story. While Apple Music is late to the party, its implementation stands out. When you view a story that contains an Apple Music song, you'll notice a beautiful ripple effect in the background that enhances the aesthetic. This is undoubtedly my favorite implementation from the entire group. So you can easily share your 25 most popular songs for your Instagram followers to enjoy listening to.
Share songs on Instagram Stories by TIDAL
TIDAL, the audiophile favorite music streaming service, has also received integration for sharing stories on Instagram. To get started, click on the three-dot vertical menu in the bottom right corner. When a pop-up window appears with a set of options, select Share.
Shortly after you select "Share", TIDAL will ask you to specify the target platform. As you can see below, the first option on the Share page is Instagram Stories. Click on it and wait for the app to redirect you to Instagram.
Share songs with Instagram Stories from SoundCloud
As for sharing songs from SoundCloud, this method is much easier thanks to the "Share" button right in the music player interface. All you have to do is click on it and select Stories with the Instagram logo on it.
The rest of the process is quite simple. SoundCloud will take you to the Instagram story add page and you can click to add the song to your story.
The final story has a neat blur with the SoundCloud logo and looks decent enough.
Share songs to Instagram stories by JioSaavn
JioSaavn's UI update has made it on par with leading music streaming services in terms of features. If JioSaavn is your music streaming platform of choice, here's what you need to know to share songs from the app on Instagram. First, click on the three-dot vertical menu to open the pop-up window. When the pop-up appears, click "Share".
When the share sheet opens, select Instagram Stories. In a few seconds, JioSaavn will take you to Instagram and you can share that song you miss with your friends and family.
Share songs on Instagram Stories from Wynk Music
If you use Wynk Music, you can share songs on Instagram Stories. When you are in the player interface, click "More". After that, you will see the "Share" button as the first option. Click on it and wait for Wynk Music to navigate to the Instagram Story Download UI.
Unlike most apps on this list, Wynk Music uses Android's share sheet. As a result, you will have to take a minute to find "Instagram Stories" from the list of available apps. Once you find it, click on it to share the story. However, I'm not happy with Wynk Music's implementation. As you can see below, the developers have not added a direct option to open Wynk Music from Instagram, and all you get is an album cover with the app's logo in it. In a way, you could say that Wynk Music lied to me. I hope Wynk Music will fix this in a future update.
Share songs to Instagram stories from Shazam
Although Shazam is not technically a music streaming service, millions of people around the world use the app to identify songs. If you're too excited after finding a catchy song using Shazam, you can share it with your Instagram followers directly from Shazam. To do this, open the Shazam page with the song, click on the three-dot vertical menu and select "Share".
On the Share page, search for "Shazam - Instagram Stories". Keep in mind that this option will have the Shazam logo, not Instagram. For reference, you can take a look at the image below. Once you find it, click on it and share the story on Instagram.
Share songs on Instagram stories by Gaana
Gaana's implementation of song sharing on Instagram is a bit complicated and unreliable. While you won't see the option to share a song to Instagram from the player interface, this option does appear when you navigate to a track from the album section. Even so, it just generates album art like Wynk Music and doesn't offer a direct option to play the song from the Gaana app.
If you're still interested, you can access the album view, click on the horizontal button with three dots, and select Share to Instagram Story. As you can see below, Gaana did not offer the ability to access the app.
Share songs to Instagram stories with Pandora
In September 2019, Pandora added the ability to share songs to its app.
To use this feature, open the app and play one of your favorite songs. In the music player interface, click on the horizontal three-dot menu next to the track name and select "Share". On the post sheet, select Instagram Stories. You can check the preview of the created story in the image below.
Image: Pandora
Share songs to Instagram stories by Deezer
Deezer is another music streaming service that has the ability to share songs to Instagram Stories. You can click on the horizontal three-dot menu next to the song and choose "Share to Instagram Stories" to get started.
Image: Deezer Community
One of the unique aspects of Deezer's approach to Instagram stories is the fact that you can share up to 5 lines of text per story. This can be useful when you want to put extra emphasis on a particular part of a song.
Image: Deezer
Streaming services without sharing stories on Instagram
There are currently only two major streaming services that do not support posting songs to Instagram Stories.
Of these two, YouTube Music will soon join the others as it has been testing the music sharing feature. However, there is no word on Amazon Music.
- Amazon Music
- YouTube Music
Share songs on Instagram
If you're in a hurry, you'll be happy to know that you can share songs using Instagram's music feature without relying on third-party apps. However, please note that your song selection is limited to the Instagram music library. To get started, choose a background for your story and click the sticker button on the top right side of the story interface. Select "Music" from the options that appear.
In the search field, find the song you want to share and select it when the results appear. You can save a track thumbnail or choose to display text.
If you are adventurous, you can combine both. For example, you can take a screenshot of the player interface (it's a bit old-fashioned, I know) and select the exact song from the Instagram library.
The result looks something like the one below. The reason I prefer this method is so that viewers can hear part of the song without having to open the streaming service.
FAQ
Why can't I add music to my Instagram story?
You can use the Instagram music feature or use one of these apps like Spotify or Apple Music to share music to your Instagram story.
How do I share my Spotify story with music on Instagram?
You can open the song in Spotify, click "Share" and choose Instagram to share the song from Spotify to Instagram.
Are all songs available on Instagram?
The Instagram music library is rather limited due to licensing agreements. Song availability may also vary depending on your region.
Can you post your music on Instagram stories?
You can record your singing and post it as an Instagram story. If you are an artist, you can share your song by following this guide on any streaming service.
How do I share my Spotify playlist with Instagram cover?
You can open your Spotify playlist, click "Share" and choose Instagram to share your Spotify playlist on Instagram.
Which is better Apple Music or Spotify?
If you are part of the Apple ecosystem, you should choose Apple Music. On the other hand, if you have a plethora of devices and gadgets, Spotify offers great integrations to make it easy to pick up where you left off.
How do I link to Spotify in my Instagram biography?
You can copy your Spotify profile link from Spotify and paste it into the Edit Profile -> Website section of the Instagram app to make it your Instagram bio.
Why can't I share an Apple Music song on Instagram?
Apple Music offers the ability to share songs on both Android and iOS. This feature was first introduced in iOS 13.4.5. If you're not receiving it, make sure your app is updated to the latest version available from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Add songs to Instagram Story from Android and iPhone
So, here's how you can share songs to Instagram Stories. Don't forget to let us know if you found it useful in the comments.
In the meantime, you can find some useful tricks in our roundup of Instagram tips and tricks, as well as a frequently updated list of new Instagram features you should be using.
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All ways to share your Spotify tracks on social media – Spotify for Artists
How fans and followers can discover your music on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and other platforms.
Our goal is to help performers connect with their listeners. We know that social networks play a very important role in this. That's why we've focused on creating tools that make it easy and convenient to connect Spotify with social networks, including Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. There are also a few more cool features that are prepared especially for the Spotify for Artists community. You can unveil a new track, celebrate an album release anniversary, or share a playlist you've put together yourself.
And all this in a few clicks! The influx of new listeners will not keep you waiting.
Of course, you can always share music via SMS, Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp or email. To do this, go to the profile, track, playlist or album, click on the three dots, select "Share" and "Copy link".
However, a link is no longer the only way to share. There are more convenient and visually appealing options: Instagram and Facebook stories, Snapchat and more. We have collected 7 effective ways for you to instantly share music from Spotify.
Instagram Stories
How to Share in Instagram Stories
The days of screenshots are over. Spotify's integration with Instagram stories allows you to link them directly to content on our service. To do this, navigate to the desired track, album, playlist, or artist profile in the Spotify app, tap on the three dots, select Share, and then select Instagram Stories. A new Instagram story will be created with your content cover.
You can add emojis, captions, and any other eye-catching elements and post your story. In its upper left corner, subscribers will see a button "Listen on Spotify". Such a link increases the response of fans and followers on both Instagram and Spotify, and gives them instant access to your music.
Facebook Stories
How to Share in Facebook Stories
Spotify's integration with Facebook Stories works the same way, with the difference that audio is added to the story. In Spotify, navigate to the desired track, click "Share", select "Facebook Story", design it and publish it. When viewing a story, users will hear a 15-second snippet of the track you shared. To listen to it in its entirety, you need to click "Listen on Spotify". If you manage to interest listeners, they will go to your profile to get to know your work better. Right now, audio snippets are only available for tracks, but you can also post direct links to albums, playlists, and Spotify profiles on your Facebook story.
Please note that currently the integration only works for Facebook profiles, not pages.
Snapchat
How to share on Snapchat
Sharing music on Snapchat is also easy and convenient. Navigate to the desired track, album or playlist, open the Share menu and select Snapchat. A new Snap with album art will appear automatically. Make any changes and submit it. While browsing, your friends and followers will be able to swipe up to open the track in Spotify.
Spotify Scannable Codes
How to share with Spotify Scannable Codes
Spotify codes allow you to share content instantly and work just like QR codes. To get the Spotify code (it looks like a sound wave located under the cover of the content), go to the desired profile, track, album or playlist in the app. Click on the three dots, tap the cover with the code, and save it to your device's memory. Now you can share the photo online or play with it creatively.
For example, the code for a new album can be printed on flyers, posters, stickers, or even t-shirts. To scan the code, fans will need to open the Spotify app, go to Search, click on the camera icon, and point the camera at the code.
Posting an Intro to Instagram Stories
How to Share an Intro to Instagram Stories
An Intro is a 3-8 second recurring clip that is attached to a track and opens up a new space for self-expression. This is a great way to draw attention to a new composition or remind you of an old one. Tracks with an intro are more shared (up to 200%) and have more plays and views overall. To post an intro to Instagram stories, open the track with it in the Spotify app and click Share. Instead of a static image, a looped video will appear in the story. As with other Instagram stories created on Spotify, there will be a "Listen on Spotify" link in the top left corner of the screen. This will allow users to share your splash screen too.
Unique links to editorial playlists
How to share personalized editorial playlists
Spotify's personalized editorial playlists give artists more exposure and listeners more of their favorite content. They include tracks selected by our editors, but the order is selected individually for each listener. This means that different users will see different versions of the same playlist. But when a listener clicks on your unique link, then your track appears in the playlist in the first place. To get a unique link, open the Spotify for Artists app, click on the music tab, go to the page of the desired track and select the playlists tab. The Recent playlist adds section will show all the playlists this track has entered in the last 7 days. For personalized playlists with your track, the Copy unique link option will be available. This link can be shared on social networks. Anyone who clicks on it will see your track in the first place in the playlist for 24 hours.
