The right targeting can make or break your ad campaigns to grow on Spotify, so it’s always good to have options.

I am constantly tinkering with targeting options inside my own ad campaigns so we can take those winning combinations and apply them to campaigns for others with DuPree X.

I also just like to have more than one setup I know I can depend on in the event the first option I try doesn’t work.

So, after all of my testing, here are the four ad set targeting setups I lean into the most.

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Detailed targeting

Whenever I’m setting up a campaign (or even getting to work in a new ad account) for a brand new artist, I like to start with detailed targeting for our initial effort to send traffic to Spotify.

This allows me to make an educated guess about who I think we’re looking for based both on my own opinion and the opinion of the artist.

This general setup means we’ll include Spotify in our first field of targeting options, then select “Define further” and include multiple additional options there.

So, in this example, we’re looking at people who like Spotify and then also like rock music, electronic dance music, or Linkin Park.

And what makes this even better is that, when running a conversion campaign, Advantage detailed targeting is automatically applied anyway.

This means that, even if the targeting isn’t exactly right, we won’t get into too much trouble unless the song or the creative just isn’t up to par.

And if the song or creative is lacking, it’s time to pivot anyway.

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Spotify-only targeting

If detailed targeting isn’t working right out of the gate, or, depending on the age and seasoning of the ad account, we have enough data to work with, the next step I’ll often take is to remove that second set of options and just look at Spotify only.

This means essentially removing the “Define further” field of options and letting Meta’s targeting system find our audience for us.

Because music is such a broad global product (and because Spotify has just about become synonymous with music consumption these days), this is a fairly safe play.

On top of that, Meta’s default targeting is really good now, so, assuming the song and ad creative are up to snuff, looking only at Spotify is generally likely to yield positive results, especially for artists in more niche genres or for those simply struggling to identify where their music might fit.

And again, with Advantage detailed targeting automatically applied for conversion campaigns, Meta’s system is going to look outside of Spotify if the system believes it can get better results.

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Open targeting

A few years ago, open targeting for music ads was a bad move, but these days, it has the potential to work exceedingly well.

Now, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting here if you have a new ad account (or an account you haven’t already put several thousand dollars through), but if you’ve spent a bit of money and generated a bit of data inside your ad account, your campaigns may just perform beautifully without including any targeting options at all.

I’ll be honest, if you’ve never used this method before, it’s going to feel a little weird the first time you set it up, kinda like you’re just flushing money down the drain.

But if you have the courage to hit publish on a campaign like this (and have an account where you’ve generated good, consistent results in the past), this option could make your life a lot easier.

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Lookalike targeting

Creating lookalike audiences for music-centric ad campaigns has come in and out of fashion over the years.

For me though, I’ve always been a fan.

I believe lookalike audiences are a powerful way to harness artist- and account-specific information and create a custom ad experience that is uniquely tailored to you.

For every artist we help with our agency, we create a set of custom and lookalike audiences as quickly as we can.

Even if we never end up using them, it’s a good tool to have in our back pocket.

The setup for this type of targeting happens above the location section at the ad set level.

Drop in your lookalike audiences and keep the rest open, and you’ll be in business.

And just as it is with detailed targeting inside a conversion campaign, expansion is automatically applied at the lookalike level as well, meaning Meta is always going to look outside of your audience if the system feels it can generate better results on your behalf.

The beauty of these four options is that you’re never ultimately tied to one way of doing things.

Advertising is all about problem-solving, so if you’re having issues with your ads, keep these options in the back of your mind, and don’t be afraid to adjust and try something new if the occasion calls for it.

You may just find a winning option you hadn’t previously considered.

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