Let’s start with something that often surprises people (even if it's public):
The average approval rate on SubmitHub, across all genres and all submissions, sits around 30%.
This number is even lower (sometimes much lower) on most competitor platforms we know (might be our strong focus on targeting and genre matching, but who knows for sure 😉). In any case, 30% average, site-wise approval rate = even strong, well-produced songs often get declined more often than they get approved.
So if your track isn’t getting many approvals, it DOES NOT automatically mean that:
It usually just means something needs a little adjustment. Music is subjective, and playlisting is very competitive. Think of SubmitHub less like a test you pass or fail, and more like a feedback loop. You submit, observe what happens, tweak, learn, and try again, usually with a better result. That’s where the real progress comes from.
Having said all this… Below, we tried to put together the most effective ways to improve your success rate when approvals feel low.
If curators repeatedly say things like: “It didn’t fit my playlist”, “Not the right style for us”, “Doesn’t match the vibe”... Then your genres, similar artists or mood are probably (slightly, or more than slightly) off.
This is the most common reason for low approval rates.
Small differences matter. “Indie pop” can mean ten different things depending on who you ask, but in general, it does not mean (commercial) pop made independently. It’s similar with solo piano (= no other elements than piano), alt rock (not classic rock made by someone considering themselves an alt soul), cinematic music, experimental electronic… Understanding the genre you/your song is in, and giving at least some kind of right references and similar artists, makes a huge difference. If your song tags point curators in the wrong direction, they’ll open your track expecting something else before even pressing play.
Here’s a guide on how to pinpoint your similar artists, and similar things (apart from our What’s my genre feature) can be done with your genres.
Apart from your own tagging, checking the curators’ About and previewing a couple of songs in their playlist to check the vibe and compare it to yours are… priceless.
Compare how curators describe their playlists to how you describe your song. Compare the vibe. Is it at least kinda close? If not… don’t send. You’ll save yourself some disappointment and also some money. Think alignment, not ambition.
When you choose Honest Feedback (and yes, it’s better to choose that one, as if the curator has to be honest, they more often than not listen more closely), use the tools it gives you.
Use your Quick pitch (politely, pinpointing why you think you fit), and also your optional requested topic to ask for particularities, and if unsure, about the genre(s) and/or similar artists and/or mood.
Instead of nothing or something general (“This is my new upbeat song, enjoy”), try asking for something that actually helps you:
Curators' answers can be much more helpful (and much less vague) when you give them a direction that would be beneficial to you.
PRO TIP: You can also do this in Hot or Not, and that one can be used for free if you also rate others’ songs. It’s a great place to stress-test and ask about:
… before you spend credits on submissions.
Sometimes the issue isn’t targeting. Sometimes it’s just… the track.
That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It just means it may not be competitive in that niche, or too experimental/in between genres. There’s nothing wrong with your approach, but the song, to be playlisted, must be… solid, and also, bloggable/playlistable.
We often see that songs rejected more can “suffer” from:
No matter the reason, really… but, after hearing multiple curators say that the song wasn’t quite “there”, “memorable”, “standing out”, “convincing” etc., trying a different song from your catalog can be smarter than forcing the same one harder.
Some songs are great for building an audience, live shows, and fulfilling your personal goals and preferences... and others are better suited for playlist and blog pitching. It is *not* bad to have a song that is not the best “playlisting” material. It has its purpose, but it just may not be the one to bring in the numbers.
Not every track has to be a playlist weapon.
Especially when a song feels fragile, experimental, niche, “strange”, or just very hard to place (even for you), one thing you definitely should start with is avoiding ultra-picky outlets, at least at first.
First, look at approval rates:
Starting with curators who approve more often can:
💡 Apart from this approach, one of your first submission batches could also be those that approved you in the past, ideally with a song that is kind of close to this one. You can use that in the pitch (“you liked X, so I thought you might like this one as well, as it’s in the same vein”), and also, the chance they’d like this is definitely higher if they liked your music before.
Another tip would be to go in small batches. Submit your song to just a couple of outlets you think you have a chance with. 2-8, no more. Read the reactions and decide on the next step. If ok or good, go more. If terrible, adjust and try another small batch. If again bad… might be time to stop and try with another song, or another approach (like Ads).
There is no magic number that means your campaign is successful.
Some great campaigns:
Focus on:
SubmitHub is a long game, and it gets better with time and tries. It rewards consistency and refinement more than a one-off high-approval campaign. And the same goes for releasing music in general.
P.S. Some time after your campaign(s) are over, take a look at what you actually gained. You can check the “Approvals” section under each song, save curators you liked, add notes, evaluate what worked, and use that to plan your next move. You can even download all the data as a CSV.
A decline ≠ “This song is bad.”
It usually means: “This song wasn’t right for me.”
Collect patterns:
When the same comment appears multiple times, that’s not opinion anymore. That’s information you can use. And yes, choosing to do the same thing despite that data, even if it’s not “popular,” is a completely valid artistic choice. Just don’t expect others to change – do your thing, and only what works and feels right to you. Even if it’s not playlisting/blogging-friendly.
When something isn’t working, you can tweak and change:
BUT! DON’T change all that at the same time.
Change one variable, max. two. Observe. Then adjust again if you feel that’s what it needs. That’s how you actually learn what’s helping.
Two curators can hear the same song and have opposite reactions. That proves they’re human, even if their feedback doesn’t make sense when put together. One (focusing on very energetic tracks) can find a song slow, and another one, with a super mellow playlist, can tell you it’s too fast or too energetic for them. That’s the keyword. FOR THEM, their outlet.
That’s not a flaw in the system. That is the system.
SubmitHub doesn’t exist to guarantee success. You are not paying for a placement. It exists to give you:
Your role is to experiment, observe, and adapt. Even if it hurts (that not everyone, or barely anyone, liked your song enough), don’t let it get to you. It’s only so in the context of their outlet and their (perceived) audience’s expectations.
When you can make peace with that, and either adjust or persist… that’s where real growth happens.
If approvals are low:
You’re not failing. You’re refining. You’re evolving. And you’re doing you. And that’s exactly how artists who succeed on SubmitHub usually start.