If you have at least $100 in your marketing budget, you can run a Spotify Showcase campaign….but should you? Let’s talk about what Showcase is, some real-world results, and how you can set up a campaign.
What Is Spotify Showcase?
Spotify Showcase is a promoted banner for your new release. It appears at the top of the Spotify app’s homepage for some listeners. Spotify feeds the promoted release to listeners the algorithm thinks will listen to and enjoy it.
So basically, it’s a targeted ad you can run directly on Spotify.
You can let Spotify use the default audience, which is “listeners who are most likely to stream your release after seeing your campaign,” or you can choose your specified audience. We’ll talk more about the campaign targeting options in the “How To Set Up a Spotify Showcase” section below.
Spotify Showcase Real-World Results
According to Spotify, people who see a Showcase are, on average, six times more likely to stream the release you’re promoting. But that stat feels a little too esoteric. So let’s look at some real-world examples and results.
Indie artist Andrew Southworth ran three $100 Showcase campaigns, one for an album and the other two for two different singles. The album and one of the singles were targeted at United States listeners and the second single was targeted at Brazil listeners.
I want to look at the results from his album campaign, for which he used Spotify’s default targeting (he goes into more detail in the video below)…
Album (U.S. listeners)
People reached: 9,862
Clicks: 289
Converted listeners (people who listened from the Showcase): 173
Active streams per listener: 5.51
Playlist adds: 1
Saves: 249
In addition to these numbers, his Showcase got 10 listeners from his active audience to stream the album for the first time, 5 listeners to rejoin his active audience, and 122 listeners to join his active audience for the first time.
Now let’s look at a $100 Showcase campaign from two indie artists, Thomas Austin and Jon Henry. They ran a Showcase for their single with Spotify’s default U.S. targeting. Here are their results…
Single (U.S. listeners)
People reached: 5,820
Clicks: 262
Converted listeners (people who listened from the Showcase): 180
Active streams per listener: 1.87
Playlist adds: 17
Saves: 35
In addition to these numbers, their Showcase got 9 listeners from their active audience to stream the song for the first time, 14 listeners to rejoin their active audience, and 157 listeners to join their active audience for the first time.
Lastly, let’s look at the $100 Showcase campaign I did for my album. I also targeted only U.S. listeners and used Spotify’s default audience targeting.
Here are my results…
Album (U.S. listeners)
People reached: 8,146
Clicks: 334
Converted listeners (people who listened from the Showcase): 201
Active streams per listener: 6.15
Playlist adds: 53
Saves: 177
In addition to these numbers, my Showcase got 9 listeners from my active audience to stream the album for the first time, 5 listeners to rejoin my active audience, and 187 listeners to join my active audience for the first time.
Spotify also tells me what else my converted listeners did after interacting with my Showcase. It looks like 10 of my converted listeners also streamed my other releases with an average 2.1 streams per listener. It also led to 2 saves of my other releases.
Is Spotify Showcase Worth It?
In my opinion, the most important metrics to focus on are playlist adds and saves. This tells you that the song resonated with the listener so much that they added it to their Liked Songs and/or their personal playlist(s).
And I don’t know about you, but I’m very picky about my personal playlists. They each have a different vibe so I can play a playlist based on how I feel or want to feel. So if you get added to my playlist, I’m going to hear your song a bunch of times and I’m more likely to become your lifelong fan.
Plus, according to Spotify, playlist adds and saves correlate with a 2.5x streaming increase for an artist 6 months later. And who wouldn’t want that?
So for $100, I got…
- 201 people to listen to my album who may not have listened otherwise
- 53 playlist adds
- 177 song saves
I definitely don’t regret running a Showcase campaign. It may not be a regular part of my marketing plan, but it’s a good way to reactivate listeners and get back into people’s algorithms. You can’t expect to make a profit from a Showcase, but you can count on growing your audience.
How To Set Up a Spotify Showcase
From your Spotify for Artists dashboard, go to the Campaigns tab. If you have any music eligible, you’ll see a “Create Campaign” button.
Next, choose what release you want to promote.
Then you get to the campaign details. Choose your target country and campaign start date.
Then choose the headline that will appear above the banner on Spotify – you can’t write your own headline but you can choose from one of Spotify’s pre-determined headlines. They offer different headlines based on the target audience you choose to hopefully engage more listeners.
Before you choose your audience, I suggest checking out Spotify’s tips on how to choose based on your goals.
Keep in mind, the minimum amount you must spend on a Showcase is $100. The campaign will run for 14 days or when your budget is used up, and it starts at $0.40 per click but can vary based on your targeting choices.
The eligibility requirements for running a Showcase campaign are:
- Must be an album, EP, or single (no podcasts, karaoke versions, or soundalikes)
- You must be the main artist
- Can’t promote music with more than 3 main artists
- Only available in Australia, Canada, France, the UK, and the US
- Release artwork needs to comply with Spotify’s advertising Terms and Conditions
Spotify Showcase FAQs
How do I access my Spotify Showcase?
You can access your Spotify Showcase by visiting the Campaigns tab from your Spotify for Artists dashboard. If you have eligible music, you’ll be able to click the “Create Campaign” button to get started.
Is Spotify Showcase free?
No, Spotify Showcase is a targeted ad that is fed to listeners who are likely to stream your music. The minimum you need to spend on a Showcase is $100.
How do you create a Showcase campaign on Spotify?
From your Spotify for Artists dashboard, go to the Campaigns tab. Click the “Create Campaign” button to get started. From there, you’ll choose what release you want to promote, your targeting preferences, the campaign start date, and your budget (minimum $100).
