Campaign reporting explained
What a playlist outreach report should include
A useful report documents what a promotion service actually delivered, labels unknown outcomes honestly and gives artists evidence they can interpret without invented promises.
The short version
A delivery report proves outreach activity—not future results
- The report should identify the campaign, agreed outreach volume and reporting period.
- Delivery and curator-decision statuses must be separated and defined.
- Pending and no-reply records should never be counted as placements.
- Private curator details can be protected without hiding the campaign method.
Evidence, not theatre
What is a playlist outreach report for?
A playlist outreach report gives the artist a structured record of campaign execution. It should connect the original order to the work completed: which track was promoted, how many pitches were included, when the campaign started, when the data was exported and which statuses were known at that point.
The report is especially important when the purchased service is research and pitching rather than placement. It lets the provider demonstrate the work it controlled without pretending to control curators or listeners.
Make the evidence usable
Essential fields in a playlist campaign report
Reports can use different layouts, but the reader should be able to understand the campaign without reverse-engineering the spreadsheet. At minimum, include enough context to identify the service and enough row-level information to interpret delivery.
- Campaign reference: a unique identifier that connects approval, payment, start email and report.
- Artist and track: the correct artist name, track title and public Spotify URL.
- Agreed outreach volume: the number of targeted pitches purchased.
- Campaign timestamps: start date, export date and relevant delivery dates.
- Target label: enough information to distinguish records without exposing private personal data.
- Delivery status: whether a pitch was sent, queued, unavailable or failed.
- Decision status: whether the curator response is pending, declined, accepted or unknown.
- Notes: concise explanations for exceptions, changed routes or other facts that affect interpretation.
The report should also define its vocabulary. If “processed” means the pitch was dispatched rather than accepted, say so. Status names that sound impressive but have no definition reduce transparency.
Do not collapse the funnel
How to read common outreach report statuses
| Status | Reasonable meaning | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Queued | The pitch is prepared or scheduled but delivery is not yet confirmed. | That the target received or reviewed it. |
| Sent | The campaign recorded an outbound delivery attempt through the selected route. | A listen, reply or placement. |
| Pending | No final curator decision was known at the snapshot time. | Acceptance or rejection. |
| Declined | The available response indicates the track was not selected. | That the track is poor or unsuitable for every playlist. |
| Accepted | The curator communicated a positive decision or an add was observed. | A fixed position, duration, stream count or future availability. |
| Unavailable | The intended route could not be used or the target was no longer suitable. | That another curator was contacted unless the report says so. |
A report may contain additional operational statuses, but delivery and editorial decisions should stay in separate columns where possible. That prevents “sent” from being mistaken for “accepted” and makes changes between report versions easier to follow.
Reports are snapshots
Why report dates and refreshed versions matter
Independent curators review music on their own schedules. A report exported shortly after outreach may contain many pending decisions; a later version may record additional replies. Both can be accurate snapshots if the export time and version are clearly labelled.
Never overwrite history silently. If a refreshed report is provided, identify it as a later version and preserve the original campaign reference. Artists should be able to distinguish a status change from a correction to the underlying record.
A campaign page should state when the first report is due and whether an updated version can be requested. The current JAE Music schedule and package details appear on the playlist promotion workflow.
Transparent does not mean exposed
Balance report transparency with curator privacy
Artists deserve evidence that the campaign was executed, but that does not require a provider to publish private email addresses, personal phone numbers or a reusable curator contact database. Reports can identify targets through public playlist names, internal target references, public profile links or sanitized labels, depending on the outreach route and privacy obligations.
Sanitization should protect personal information rather than conceal the method. A useful sample report can still show column names, status logic, timestamps and the relationship between campaign volume and row records. It should say when data has been removed or altered for publication.
JAE Music publishes downloadable, sanitized dated examples in the campaign evidence section. They illustrate a reporting format and dated status snapshots; they are not testimonials, typical-result claims or predictions for another track.
Read it critically
A checklist for reviewing your delivery report
- Match it to the order. Confirm the artist, track, campaign reference and selected pitch volume.
- Find the export timestamp. Know when the status information was true.
- Count delivery records. Check whether the rows and exceptions explain the agreed outreach volume.
- Separate operational and editorial statuses. Sent, pending and accepted should not mean the same thing.
- Read the notes and definitions. Understand replacement targets, failed routes and sanitization.
- Ignore unsupported outcome claims. The sheet should not convert placements into guaranteed future streams or duration.
- Ask specific questions. Reference the campaign ID and row or status that needs clarification.
A report is strongest when it answers ordinary verification questions without exaggeration. It may show that the campaign was fully executed even when curators declined or did not reply. That is not a reporting failure; it is the honest distinction between purchased work and independent outcomes.
Platform context
Official Spotify sources
This guide’s reporting framework is JAE Music’s independent practical guidance. The following official pages support the platform context: editorial pitching does not guarantee placement, and artificial streams or guaranteed-placement services should be avoided.
- Pitching music to Spotify playlist editors — Spotify Support.
- Artificial Streaming — Spotify for Artists.
- Artificial streaming and paid third-party services that guarantee streams — Spotify Support.
Sources checked 13 July 2026. Spotify is a trademark of its respective owner. JAE Music is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Spotify.
Quick answers
Common questions about playlist outreach reports
Does a delivery report prove playlist placement?
No. It proves the campaign activity and statuses shown at its export time. Placement must be separately identified, and even an accepted status does not guarantee position, duration or streams.
Why are some curator details sanitized?
A report can protect private contact information while still documenting targets, timestamps, delivery and status logic. Public sample files should explain that sanitization.
Can a pending status change later?
Yes. Reports are dated snapshots. A curator may reply after the export, so a later, clearly versioned report can contain updated information.
Should a report list expected stream numbers?
No provider can guarantee genuine listener behaviour. A delivery report should focus on campaign execution and known curator statuses, not promise future streams, saves or followers.