Plan by cost per save, not “how much can I spend.” Starter tests from ~$150–$300/month; growth budgets $500–$1,500+; scale when your cost per save, skips, and repeats trend the right way.
The honest answer to “how much does Spotify promotion cost” is: as little as a focused test, as much as a scaled system. What matters is not the sticker price, but your cost per save (CPS), early skips, and repeat listens. Those are the levers that compound streams over time.
What actually drives cost
Creative quality – strong hooks lower CPS and skips.
Audience fit – warm fans cost less than cold strangers.
Geo – major English-speaking markets usually cost more than emerging ones.
Goal and pace – bursts cost more than steady cadence.
Always-on system across multiple geos and creatives
Rule of thumb: if your CPS settles between ~$0.30–$0.90 on the audiences you actually care about, you’re in a workable zone. Above that, fix creative/targeting before you scale.
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If CPS rises week over week or early skips spike, pause, fix the opening seconds and targeting, then resume.
On-platform tools (how to budget them in)
Release pitch (unreleased) – free; submit at least 7 days before release so followers get the correct song in Release Radar.
Marquee / Showcase – budget in the low hundreds per push (exact minimums vary by market). Use after week-one signals are strong to re-engage likely listeners.
Discovery Mode – no upfront spend; a commission applies only to streams in specific recommendation contexts. Treat it as an optimization layer after the track proves strong saves/low skips.
Free and low-cost levers that move CPS
Multiple hook cuts – test 5–10 intros; keep only the top 1–2.
Artist playlists – seed contextual lists where your track fits the first rows.
Collabs and features – Release Radar overlap expands first-week touch.
Cost pitfalls (and how to dodge them)
Guaranteed placements/streams – risky, policy-violating, and they wreck your data.
Single-channel spend – broad cold traffic with weak creative spikes skips and CPS.
Scaling too early – if CPS and skips aren’t stable by week one, you’re buying the wrong audience.
Set your budget in 5 steps (quick worksheet)
Define 1 KPI: saves (primary), repeats and early skips (secondary).
Pick a CPS target range: start with $0.30–$0.90; adjust by geo/genre.
Choose a weekly cap: e.g., $150/week while you learn.
Run 3–6 creatives: same audience, different first 5–10 seconds.
Keep only winners: scale 20–30% at a time; new creative each week to avoid fatigue.
FAQ
Is $150/month enough to see impact?
Yes—if you treat it as learning capital. Find a stable CPS and a low-skip creative. Scale once those hold for a full week.
How much should a single release cost?
For many indies, $300–$1,000 over 4–6 weeks is a realistic window. Front-load testing, then maintain momentum instead of sprinting.
What’s a good CPS?
It depends on audience and geo. Many healthy campaigns land ~$0.30–$0.90. If you’re higher, fix creative/targeting before spending more.
Can promotion “pay for itself” from streams?
Streams alone rarely recoup. Think of spend as buying future intent—saves, followers, email—so the next release performs better for less.
Bottom line: Budget to learn first, scale second. The right spend is the one that earns saves cheaply, keeps skips down, and turns curiosity into repeat listeners.
