Before any promotional work happens, your Spotify account has to be in order. Whether you’re an emerging artist just getting verified or someone with established streams, there’s always room to improve your artist presence. Let’s run through the steps — from getting access to implementing advanced features like Canvas.
Table of Contents
1. Get Verified & Secure Spotify Access
Nothing moves forward until you have official access to your Spotify for Artists account.
- If you haven’t yet claimed or verified your profile, that’s priority #1.
- Without access, you can’t adjust images, bio, Canvas, playlists, or even see stats.
Read our guide to gaining access to your Spotify profile
2. Clean Up Duplicate Profiles
Having multiple Spotify artist profiles (or unauthorized ones) fragments your streams and confuses fans.
- Identify and merge duplicates.
- Make sure all of your music is under one canonical artist profile.
We also cover how to fix duplicates in our Spotify access guide
3. Optimize Visual Assets
Once you have control, polish how your page looks:
- Banner / Header Image: Use high-resolution artwork, ideally matching branding across platforms.
- Avatar / Profile Picture: A clear, recognizable image — logo or artist photo — works best.
- Photo Gallery: Upload multiple gallery images — behind the scenes, tour shots, press photos.
Check out our tips on updating your visuals
4. Bio & Social Links
- Write a compelling artist bio. Mention your story, highlights, and tone of voice.
- Link to social media accounts (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.)
- Use an “Artist Pick” to feature your newest song, playlist, or merch.
- Include an external link (e.g., Linktree or your official site) in your bio section.
5. Create & Curate Playlists
Make your Spotify page more than a catalog — turn it into a discovery hub:
- Create personal playlists (deep cuts, tour picks, collaborators)
- Include both your music and other artists you want to spotlight
- Encourage fans to follow your playlists for new music
Read our playlist building strategy guide
6. Use Spotify Canvas on Tracks
Spotify Canvas is a looping visual clip (3–8 seconds) that plays while users stream your track.
- Add Canvas to all key releases, especially singles and top-performing tracks.
- Keep it simple, stylish, and relevant to the song.
- Canvas has been shown to increase shares, saves, and profile visits.
- Just cut 7 seconds of any piece of vertical video relevant to the track and there’s your Canvas.
7. Add Your Lyrics to Spotify
Lyrics are now a core part of the listener experience on Spotify — and they also display on Instagram Stories when you share music there.
The way to get your lyrics properly displayed on Spotify is through Musixmatch:
- Sign up for a free Musixmatch artist account
- Claim your profile and verify ownership
- Upload your lyrics and sync them manually line by line
- Once approved, they’ll appear on Spotify and in Instagram music stickers
Read our full guide to getting your lyrics on Spotify and Instagram
If you’re ready to upgrade your Spotify presence, check out our Spotify campaign services:
https://360promo.net/#Spotify-Campaign
360 Promo is a full-service music marketing, promotion, distribution and admin company. Learn more about us and what we do at 360 Promo, follow us on Instagram and contact us to tailor a plan that works for you.