How to Pitch Your Track to SoundCloud Playlisters the Right Way
Published on 09.11.2025 by TF
For new artists, breaking through on SoundCloud can seem like a monumental task. The site is filled to the brim with talent, and breaking through is more than just good music uploaded.
One of the most reliable ways to expand your audience is by securing placements on established playlists. These handpicked lists can provide your song the visibility it needs, opening you up to new listeners who may never hear your music through other means. The problem? Simple: competition runs high, and playlist curators get thousands of pitches each day.
That’s why pitching your track the correct way does count. A rushed message or blanket request can be skipped in a matter of seconds, whereas a proper, professional pitch gets doors open and good relations created.
The process isn’t simply sending your music—it’s positioning yourself as the right artist to support, the one who appreciates the worth of the curator, and the one who brings new and interesting music to the table.
In this handbook, we’ll walk you through the methods of pitching your track properly, from the right lists and curators to hand-crafted messages and presenting your music at its absolute best. When you approach playlist pitching intentionally and deliberately, you’re much more likely to land placements that get your career underway.
Researching The Correct Playlisting for Your Genre
Even before you think about pitching a song, you should know what playlists you should be targeting. Not all your songs will be suitable for all your playlists, and pitching the wrong ones will be a time-waster for you and the curator.
Begin by finding the playlists that are concerned about your genre or the genre you are comparable to. If you are creating the lo-fi beat kind of songs, do not even think about pitching to a high-energy IDM curator. Accuracy comes first.
Do listen to the very playlists you aspire to submit to. Note the mood at large, the tempo, and the kind of songs in the rotation.
Ask yourself: Does my song sit well in this rotation, or seems like a forced add-on? The kind of consistency that the curators covet for the listener's experience makes them less inclined to add your song if it doesn’t seem natural and organic.
Researching playlists also means understanding their reach. Smaller, niche playlists may not have massive follower counts, but they often have highly engaged listeners.
These listeners are more likely to become genuine fans of your music compared to those on larger, impersonal playlists. A mix of targeting both smaller and bigger playlists can help you maximize both exposure and connection.
Learning Who the Curators Are
There is a human—or sometimes a brand—behind each playlist who has personal taste, preference, and objectives. It’s vital to know who the curators are for your pitch to become effective.
Some are solo music enthusiasts doing it for love, while there are those who represent labels, blogs, or collectives and adhere to professional branding techniques. It’s good to know the difference to craft your approach accordingly.
Research a bit to get a feel for the background of the curator. Listen to their SoundCloud account, social platforms, and whatever they share.
If you can find them on Instagram or Twitter, pay attention to the kind of music they share and the tone they employ in their messages. This gives you a better feeling about how you should contact them and what kind seems right in the message.
Acknowledging what they do helps, too. When you get in touch with them, referencing a playlist you heard or complementing a specific tune they included demonstrates you’ve done your homework.
Curators are not merely gatekeepers—although sometimes they’ve deserved that status—they want to be appreciated for the effort they’ve put into creating communities for music.
Finalizing Your Track Before You Pitch
Regardless of how good your pitch sounds, if your track is not finished, it will not get selected. Ensure your track is mastered and mixed at a professional standard right before you send anything.
Curators are not looking for songs that only sound good through headphones; they want songs that will be good through the car speakers, laptop speakers, and playlist speakers at social events. A bad mixture can harm your credit and cost you the opportunity.
Presentation is as important as the quality of the sound. Post your song with a clean, professional cover artwork that symbolizes your style and brand. A good graphic design project at one that you mean business.
Just as much, keep your SoundCloud account current with a bio, links, and other songs that represent your artistry. The people who put together the mixes judge the whole picture and not just the audio when considering whether to feature you.
Timing is also key. Don’t be eager to pitch the moment your track’s ready. Give yourself time to set up the proper release schedule. Timing your pitch and promotion activities—such as social teasers or collabs—allows curators more opportunity to perceive momentum on your music and be more inclined to promote it.
Creating a Personalized Pitch
Once you’ve found the correct playlists and verified your song sounds right, you can create your pitch. Artists’ biggest blunder is to mass-email a generic message that may be sent to anyone.
The curators spot them in seconds and hardly ever leave a mark. A custom message, however, displays effort, professionalism, and deference.
You can simply start off by greeting the curator by name, if you can, and briefly presenting yourself. Explain why you’re contacting them and why your song would be a good addition to their playlist.
You can use a reference to a particular playlist or even a single you heard through them, which gives your message the ring of sincerity. It demonstrates you’re not mass-mailing the same message to several individuals.
Briefer is better. Curators do not read essays, but they do respond to clarity. Add a direct link to your track (no attachments), a description of its best attributes, and let the music do the talking.
Close by thanking them for the time they’ve taken (whether or not they license your track). This mere professionalism will allow you to develop long-term relationships even if that initial pitch doesn’t result in a license.
Following Up Without Coming On Strong
Once you’ve made your pitch, you’ll want to sit, wait anxiously, and hit the reload button on your inbox at frequent intervals. A subtle, nice reminder a week or two later can demonstrate persistence without becoming pushy.
Do not guilt-trip when following up using phrases such as “Why haven’t you gotten back to me?” or “You don’t seem to care about new music.” Try to phrase the message positively: “Just following up to see if you had a listen—I’d really appreciate your feedback.”
This maintains the letter’s professionalism and cordiality. Even if they do not include your track, you are opening the channel for prospects.
Knowing when to release also comes in handy. When a curator fails to respond after a follow-up, leave them be. Pushing through beyond that may hurt your reputation.
Keep in mind that playlisting aims at long-term relationships and not burning bridges. A proper no-response today may become an open door tomorrow if you do it right.
Creating Permanent Connections with Curators
Pitching isn’t about securing one individual spot—it’s about creating relations that can last you a lifetime. Curators you get on well with and who trust you are far more likely to support future releases, broadcast your music in their networks, and possibly do other collaborations with you. Treat them as fellow travelers on your journey and not just gatekeepers.
One method to establish a greater rapport is to interact with curators beyond your submitted work. Promote their playlists on your socials, thank them publicly if you’re included in theirs, and offer feedback on them in the form of kind words.
These little acts demonstrate that you’re appreciative of what they do beyond the promotion they provide you. As time goes by, this can be fostered into reciprocal support.
Relationships also flourish when you routinely produce high-quality music. When curators understand that each piece you put out conforms to a minimum standard, they will start considering you a trusted source of content for their listeners. Gaining that goodwill takes time, but having it in place makes you one of your best assets as an independent musician.
Learning and Adjusting Based on Each Pitch
Each submission is a learning experience, whether your piece gets accepted or not. Don’t think about rejection as failure; rather, think about it as feedback.
When you don’t get a response from a curator, you should be asking yourself how you can improve. Was the piece the right one? Was the message professional and concise? Did you get the right person at the right time? By asking these questions, you perfect the process.
Do not hesitate to request feedback graciously from curators, although not all will do so. Even the kind of feedback, such as “not the right fit for this playlist,” helps—you learn what their curating style is and how you can better target the next time.
You’ll become more discerning in the long run about how and when to engage different playlists. By adapting, you’re moving with the platform, as well. Trends on SoundCloud change, and the kind of playlists that become popular may change later.
Remaining cognizant of the change and adjusting your pitching process as such puts you one step ahead of the rest. The artists who continue to learn, adapt, and hold on are the ones who ultimately watch their songs ascend to more playlists.
Conclusion – Grow With SoundCloud Playlists
So, what did we learn? Pitching your song to SoundCloud Playlisters isn’t just about sending off a link and crossing your fingers and toes, hoping it’ll strike a tune in their hearts—it’s about technique, professionalism, and tenacity.
The reality is that not all your pitches will hit, and not all your curators will get back to you. But doing it the right way more than makes up for it in the long term.
Each exchange hones your reputation, each playlist gets you more listeners, and each relationship broadens your foundation as a musician. At its very core, playlist pitching isn’t just exposure—it’s community.
By considering the curators as extensions of you, by not wasting people’s time, and by delivering music that’s a fit again and again, you don’t just increase the likelihood that you’re going to get playlisted—although that comes more regularly—you’re creating long-term relationships in the music ecosystem.
Done right, pitching isn’t about pounding dead doors anymore—opening new doors comes more easily!