1. Use a theme rather than just a random collection of songs
A theme might be one particular musical style, songs from a certain year, or soundtracks to a special moment (or TV series) in your life. A playlist that simply contains “some random songs” shows little thought or imagination and is less likely to be played by others.

2. Think about the order of your tracks, especially the first and last songs
Your playlist is a work of art (no really!) so how it begins and how it ends is especially important. Imagine your playlist as a good book or a movie, with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

3. Don’t have too many tracks, and don’t include whole albums
It’s fine to have one or two tracks from the same artist, but too many can become boring or annoying, especially if the listener doesn’t like that particular band but likes the playlist’s theme. Ideally try to aim your playlist to be the same length as a CD or movie: 60 – 90 minutes playtime.

4. Add your playlist to a playlist sharing site
There are many to choose from, and none currently specializes in any particular style so just pick one you like the look of. As well as thinking up a playlist title, this is your chance to add some liner notes or thanks to your muse so try to add a short description of what the playlist is about or where you got the idea from.

5. Design some cover art
Most playlist tracking sites let you upload a cover pic for your playlist, and playlists with art are much more likely to be played than ones without. Check the prefered dimensions (e.g. 150 x 150 pixels) and if you add text, be sure it’s visible at that size. If you’re stuck, just use google image search to google your theme. Check for any copyright restrictions on the image than modify as necessary.

Alternatively, ignore these rules and just make a playlist you’d enjoy listening to yourself: chances are, someone else will like it too!