Spotify Competition Ideas to Grow Your Fanbase

Spotify is one of the most powerful platforms for building a music career, but standing out from millions of artists isn't easy.

One proven way to boost your visibility, drive engagement, and build hype around a release is by running a Spotify competition.

This blog post shows you how to set up a campaign that grows your audience, increases streams, and encourages fans to share your music across platforms.

A Spotify competition is a giveaway where fans enter by completing actions that support your music. This could mean following your artist profile, pre-saving a release, adding your song to a playlist, or simply sharing it with others.

Competitions work because they create a moment, a reason for fans to act now.

They're interactive, community-driven, and designed around value exchange rather than passive listening.

You’re not just boosting streams, you’re building connection:

Spotify doesn’t allow forced follows or streams, but you can still encourage meaningful engagement by offering opt-in rewards.

Here are some typical (and valuable) entry actions artists use:

• Follow your Spotify artist profile
• Pre-save an upcoming release
• Add a song to a playlist
• Share your track on Instagram or TikTok
• Submit fan-made videos or covers
• Join your Discord or subscribe on YouTube

These actions build momentum across your whole brand, not just Spotify, and give fans a reason to be part of your launch.

If you're just starting out, you can run a competition manually: ask fans to DM a screenshot, tag you in Stories, or comment with proof of entry.

But as your fanbase grows, this becomes harder to manage fairly. You'll soon be swamped with DM's, and you don't want to waste your valuable time sifting through all of the those.

Many artists use competition platforms that let you:

• Track entries automatically
• Verify social actions like follows or shares
• Limit entries per user (daily, bonus entries, etc.)
• Draw winners transparently
• Filter entries by platform or source

Look for a tool that supports Spotify links and lets you customise your competition flow to fit your release plan.

You don’t need expensive rewards.

What matters most is offering something fans genuinely want, especially things they can’t get elsewhere.

Here are some prize ideas that work well for music giveaways:

• Exclusive demo or unreleased track
• Early access to a new EP or video
• Signed merch, vinyl, or CD
• Guest list spot or meet & greet
• Spotify Premium or music gift cards
• Custom playlist shoutout or video message

The right prize is one that actually gets your fans excited, not one that just drives clicks.

Even the best giveaway needs visibility to work.

Once you’re live, drive traffic to your entry page with consistent promo across your main channels:

• Instagram: Update your bio link, post a teaser, and use Stories to count down
• TikTok: Pin a short clip with a clear CTA
• Email list: Send a simple, direct announcement
• Discord: Post in announcement channels and update pinned messages
• Link-in-bio tools: Feature the giveaway in Linktree, Beacons, etc.

Run it for 5–10 days to maintain energy without dragging it out. Remind followers regularly, not everyone will enter the first time they see it.

While Spotify may be your main focus, your competition can support growth across all major music streaming platforms. Fans don’t just use one streaming service, and your competition doesn’t have to either.

You can reward actions like:

• Play music on YouTube Premium or Apple Music
• Explore Amazon Music offers or stream via free ad supported playlists
• Share your music videos or radio stations
• Save your release on Amazon Music Unlimited or YouTube Music
• Follow you on platforms with millions of users and personalised playlists

Whether you’re focused on audio only, video content, or playlist growth, your competition can reflect that.

This one is playlist focused and on Apple Music:

Running a Spotify competition is one of the most effective ways to grow your fanbase, drive engagement, and encourage fans to share your music.

While Spotify is often the starting point, your reach doesn’t have to stop there.

Music streaming platforms like Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music Unlimited also give artists powerful ways to connect with listeners.

These platforms offer access to massive music catalogs, personalized playlists, radio stations, and even video content like music videos.

Whether fans prefer audio only experiences, high sound quality, or video-heavy platforms like YouTube Premium, there are millions of users and over a hundred million subscribers ready to discover your next release.

You can also tap into things like Amazon Music offers, free ad supported streaming, or promote your tracks with free access campaigns. These approaches help more listeners play music, listen to music, and stay connected to your sound.