The Process for Writing Playlists | Beyond the Hype

How do I write playlists on my site? It’s all about a five-step process my friends. 

Fewer posts give me more satisfaction than completed playlists.  Why? Generally, playlists are evergreen meaning that in most cases, they have no expiration.  Think of how great it would be if milk would last longer than, say, a week, particularly if you don’t drink that much of it.  It’s the same with a writer’s work – we all want our writing to last forever and maintain relevancy.  This is one of the reasons I love and dedicate time to playlists. But, keeping it 100, playlists take lots of time.  So, how do I go about writing those beloved playlists? Here’s my process.

Brainstorm

First, I brainstorm.  My playlists are usually based on an idea that pops in my head, keyword(s), or key phrases.  I decide on the one that I’m most passionate about writing about.  Sometimes that passion is replaced with trends, but most of the time, if I’m uninterested, I’m not going to devote the time.

Parameters

Next, I set some parameters (rules) based on the chosen topic.  If I decided to use church as the topic, do I require that church is in the song title? Or, does church simply have to be implied or referenced? Having these rules can really focus in the playlist.  If focus isn’t the M.O., then I simply make the parameters broader.

Research

The research is key.  This is where I compile songs that fit the aforementioned parameters.  This requires analyzing the lyrics in many cases as well as listening to the music. Additionally, this may include background on the song or the artist.  Why did the artist write the song? What does the song mean? What have others said about this song? What’s the significance?

Writing

Writing is the next step. Often for me, research and writing are done hand in hand.  I might do a basic outline of the playlist, but often, there’s the need for more research and additional info.

After writing, it’s incredibly important to proofread.  It’s a pain, but it’s a necessary one.  Even as I proofread, when I’m linking new content to older content, I often find typographical and grammatical errors. They happen, but they are embarrassing! It’s important to try to make the final draft flawless.

Format

The biggest pain of the process in a playlist is formatting.  The Musical Hype is powered by WordPress, which I highly recommend.  But – it’s still a tedious process to give readers the aesthetic appeal they deserve.  Considerations include left, right, center, and justified alignments.  Appropriate balance of various header levels, particularly H1 and H2.  Embedding media such as Spotify tracks, tweets, and YouTube videos.  Embedding links but ensuring they open in a new tab as opposed to annoying opening the same tab.

So, ladies and gents, that’s the process I, the Brent Faulkner, uses here are The Musical Hype to write playlists.