If you’ve ever wondered how to create Spotify ads, you can learn the key steps in this article. Discover how Spotify's ad options work.

How to create Spotify ads

Spotify is mostly known as a paid music subscription service; however, the platform also has a free tier used by about 236 million people. This tier is important because it’s ad-supported, making it a good advertising platform for your business.

It gives you an opportunity to insert your audio ads into somebody’s playlist or podcast. And if you do it well, your message will reach your target audience. Let’s dig into how Spotify advertising works and how you can get your brand into the ears of streaming platform users.

How Spotify works

In the “Wild West” days of the internet, savvy internet users used peer-to-peer services to share music over the web. Eventually, businesses co-opted this technology to sell music via the internet, leading to the rise of services like iTunes.

From there, streaming became possible, which is where Spotify comes in. The platform allows Spotify users to legally stream millions of songs, listen to podcasts, and stream audiobooks.

Many use Spotify’s subscription tiers, paying a monthly fee to access music without ads. However, the music streaming platform also has a free tier, which is ad-supported and hosts several sponsored playlists.

It’s via this tier that you can create ad experiences designed to reach millions of ears. With over 230 million people using the free tier, you have the opportunity for a tactical ad placement that could boost your brand and help you make more sales.

Creating effective Spotify ads

Creating a Spotify audio ad requires business owners to understand how the Spotify app works. These steps will help you create a new campaign that could make Spotify ads effective in your digital marketing efforts.

Step 1 - Sign up for Spotify Ad Studio

Spotify Ad Studio is where you’ll create your ad campaign. The platform requires you to create a basic account, for which you’ll provide basic details about yourself and your business.

Once you’ve created your Ad Studio account, signing in takes you to a dashboard you can use to create, release, and monitor your audio ads.

Step 2 - Decide on the type of ad you want

Spotify offers four options for the types of ads you can create:

• Audio Ads — These basic ads are up to 30 seconds long and are placed in between the songs that free-tier users play. It costs about $250 to place a basic audio ad.
• Video Ads — Combining a voice over with video, these ads show listeners your brand, much like a TV ad. Though arguably more effective than audio as an ad delivery method, video ads on Spotify are somewhat limited as many users aren’t looking at their devices while playing music.
• Custom Experience Ads — There are many types of custom ads, including homepage takeovers, sponsored playlists, sponsored sessions, overlay ads, and leaderboard ads. These ads allow you to create customized brand awareness, though you must work with a Spotify ads manager.
• Podcast Ads — Now that Spotify hosts podcasts, you can run audio and video ads in podcasts. Better yet, these ads play to everyone, including those with Premium Spotify accounts.

Choose the best ad format for your business, budget, and target demographic.

Step 3 - Determine your target audience

Ask yourself what type of music your target audience will likely listen to before creating your ad. For example, podcast listeners are more likely to respond to (and see) video ads than music listeners.

Run ads only in the places where your audience hangs out. Otherwise, you end up with a Spotify ad campaign that reaches millions of people who will never buy your product or service.

Step 4 - Create your script and get a voice over

Regardless of which of the different ad options you choose, you need to come up with a script for your promo. That script needs a compelling call to action (CTA), encouraging the listener to click through to a landing page or call your company.

As for voice overs, you can choose between hiring voice actors or using an AI-driven service, such as Speechify Voice over. With Speechify, you get consistent and low-cost delivery, in addition to access to hundreds of human-sounding AI voices.

Step 5 - Create your campaign

Your Spotify Ad Studio dashboard should walk you through the basics of creating your ad campaign. But here are the key steps in the process:

• Choose the ad type you’ll use.
• Select which platform the ad displays on. You can choose between iOS, Android, Desktop, or all three.

• Set start and end dates for your ad set.
• Select a budget for the ad.
• Set your targeting options based on your potential fan bases’ interests and preferred music genres. You can set real-time contexts here, which prompt Spotify to target specific types of people based on the music they’re playing.

• Create and launch your ad.

The Spotify ad platform does a lot of the hard work for you. Once you’ve launched your ad, it’ll ensure it plays at appropriate times to your target audience. Anybody who has used social media for ad campaigns, such as Facebook ads, will recognize this format.

Step 6 - Monitor ad performance

Your Spotify Ad Studio dashboard delivers various metrics, such as click-through rates and listening rates, related to your ad.

Track these metrics to determine how well your ad does with your desired audience. You’ll see what works, what doesn’t, and how to make your next (or current) ad more effective.

Speechify Voice Over Studio can help you make quality ads

With a potential audience of over 230 million people, Spotify ads offer you a great chance to build brand awareness and get people interested in your company.

But an audio ad is only as good as its voice over, and you may not have the budget to afford a professional voice actor. With Speechify Voice Over Studio, you don’t have to worry about voice talent.

Based on Speechify’s text to speech technology, Speechify Voice Over Studio gives you access to hundreds of natural-sounding AI voices in dozens of accent options. You can even edit your voice overs on a granular level through the easy-to-use interface. Control the pitch and speed of each voice, add background music, and so much more. See how Speechify Voice Over Studio can help you create quality audio ads in minutes by trying it for free today.

FAQ

How much does one Spotify ad cost?

Costs vary depending on how long you run the ad campaign. A basic audio ad, before you start the campaign, costs $250.

How long does it take for an ad to load?

Though your ad should upload to Spotify quickly, it usually takes about 24 hours for the platform to start populating your dashboard with metrics.

What is the minimum equipment you need for Spotify ads?

The minimum equipment required is a suitable way to create voice overs and a Spotify Ad Studio account.