Spotify Playlist Deep Links: What They Are and How to Use Them

The problem with a normal Spotify link

You share your new single. A fan taps the link, Spotify opens, and they hear your song. Then it ends, and Spotify decides what plays next. Usually that's autoplay: a stream of songs by other artists that sound a bit like you.

That fan came for you, and three minutes later they're listening to someone else.

Playlist links have the opposite problem. Share a playlist your song is on and the listener starts at track one. If you're track 27, most of them will never get to you.

A playlist deep link fixes both.

What a playlist deep link is

A deep link is a Spotify track link with a playlist attached. When someone opens it, Spotify starts playing your track inside that playlist. When your song ends, the playlist carries on from there instead of handing the listener over to autoplay.

Under the hood it's an ordinary track link with one extra piece on the end:

https://open.spotify.com/track/TRACK_ID?context=spotify:playlist:PLAYLIST_ID

The context part tells Spotify which playlist to play the track from. That's the whole trick, and it's why the same link can start on your song and keep going afterward.

Why deep links are worth using

Your song plays first, every time

The listener doesn't scroll, search, or skip ahead to find you. You're the first thing they hear, which is the whole point of the link you shared.

The listening keeps going on your terms

With a plain track link, what plays next is out of your hands. With a deep link, it's whatever comes next in the playlist you picked. Pick a playlist full of your own songs and you've turned one stream into several.

It makes a playlist placement work harder

Landing on a good playlist is worth celebrating, but "I'm on this playlist!" with a link to the top of a 100-song list doesn't send many people to your track. A deep link sends fans straight to your spot in that playlist, so the placement you earned actually gets heard.

It's a thank-you curators notice

Curators want listeners, and a deep link sends your fans into their playlist, not just your song. Some of those fans will keep listening, and some will follow the playlist. That's a real favor to the curator, and it's the kind of thing that makes them happy to work with you again.

Five ways to use them

1. Your own catalog playlist. Make a public playlist of your songs (or use your "This Is" playlist if Spotify has made one for you), then deep link your newest single inside it. Fans hear the new track first and roll straight into the rest of your music.
2. A playlist you've landed on. When a curator adds you, share a deep link to your track in their playlist rather than a plain track link. You get the stream, they get the listener.
3. A mixed playlist you curate. If you run a playlist that mixes your songs with artists in your lane, deep link your track inside it. Listeners who like your song are likely to stay for the rest.
4. Release-day messages to fans. Your email list, your fan community, and your close friends list are the people most likely to tap a link. Give them the deep link so their first listen turns into a session.
5. Curators sharing their own playlist. If you curate, you can deep link to any song in your playlist, for example to spotlight an artist you just added. (Curators can also get paid to review new music through Soundmango.)

How to make a deep link

You can build one by hand by pasting the playlist ID onto the end of your track link, but it's easy to get the format wrong. Soundmango's free Spotify playlist deep link generator does it for you:

1. Copy your track link. In Spotify, open the three-dot menu on your track, choose Share, then Copy link.
2. Copy the playlist link. Do the same from the playlist's menu. Use a public playlist that your track is actually on.
3. Paste both into the generator and copy the deep link it gives you.

Test it before you share it

Deep links behave a little differently depending on where they're opened, so a quick check saves you from sending fans a link that doesn't do what you want.

• The Spotify app is where they shine. On phones and desktop, the link opens your track inside the playlist. The web player sometimes shows the track's own page instead.
• In-app browsers can get in the way. When someone taps a link inside Instagram or Facebook on mobile, the link can open in the app's built-in browser instead of jumping to Spotify. Before you post, tap the link yourself from the exact place you'll share it (a story, a bio link, a DM) and see where it lands.
• The links are long. They're fine behind a button, a link sticker, or a bio link, but ugly in a caption. Run them through a URL shortener if you need to paste one somewhere visible.
• Your track has to be on the playlist. If it gets taken off later, the link won't play it inside that playlist anymore. Check your deep links now and then, especially ones on pages that stay up for months.
• Spotify's share button won't make them for you. Sharing a song from inside a playlist copies a plain track link without the playlist attached, so you'll need to build the deep link yourself or use the generator.

Send it where your fans already are

A deep link is only as good as the people who click it. The fans most likely to tap your release-day link and keep listening are the ones who already follow you closely, so it's worth putting your best links in front of them directly.

That's where an audience you own pays off. Every Backstaged Drop unlock adds a fan's email to a list you can export anytime, so your next release goes straight to people who asked to hear from you. And if you run a paid fan community, a deep link in a members-only post on release day is an easy way to turn your most loyal fans into your first wave of streams.

For more on getting onto playlists in the first place, see our guide to getting featured on Spotify playlists or Soundmango's guide to Spotify playlist promotion. And to see what those extra streams are worth, try our Spotify royalties calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Spotify playlist deep link?

It's a Spotify track link with a playlist attached. Opening it starts your song inside that playlist, and when your song ends, the playlist keeps playing instead of switching to autoplay.

Does my track have to be on the playlist?

Yes. The deep link plays your track from inside the playlist, so the track needs to be on it. Use a public playlist that already includes your song.

Do deep links get me more streams?

They can. Your song plays first, and the listener stays in a playlist you chose afterward. If that playlist is full of your music, one click can turn into several of your streams instead of one.

Do deep links work on Instagram and TikTok?

Sometimes. Links opened inside a social app's built-in browser don't always hand off to the Spotify app. Tap your link from the exact spot you plan to post it before you share it with fans.

How do I make a Spotify deep link for free?

Copy your track link and your playlist link from Spotify, paste both into Soundmango's free Spotify playlist deep link generator, and copy the result.