To build a sustainable DJ business, you need to spend at least half of your time getting new clients in the door. Mobile DJs especially have their client lists dry up as events are completed. It’s not like a bride is going to call you next week to DJ her wedding again. Try to create multiple methods to generate interest and keep your client funnel full. Here are 42 ideas on how to get DJ bookings, including some you’ve probably never thought of!
1. Get Business Cards and Carry Them With You
Business cards are so basic that I hesitate to even include them on the list. But, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked a fellow DJ for a card and they don’t have any. Guys and gals, there’s no excuse! As soon as you start performing in public, you need business cards. As soon as you are going to talk to anyone about being a DJ, you need business cards. You can get a starter pack of high-quality cards for under 20 bucks. Just get something with your name, phone number and email address for now. You can always order more cards later if your branding or logo changes.
Don’t just hand these cards out willy-nilly. Wait for people to ask you for your card, and use the card to spark a conversation. “Sure, here you go! Are you planning an event soon?” Try to book an appointment to speak with them later when you hand over a card. Very few people are just going to call you from a business card, but if you set a time to meet, you will have a much better chance of connecting.
2. Talk to Your Friends and Family
If you are brand-new, start with your friends and family. Let everyone you speak to know that you are a DJ available for hire. This is the best place to start for two reasons. First, you already know who to talk to, so no research needed. Second, you are talking to a very forgiving audience. Use these conversations to hone your pitch. You should be able to express what you do and who you are looking to help in 30 seconds or less.
It’s even better if you teach your friends and family what to say to prospective clients. Give them something better than, “Hey, my son is a DJ! You should call them!” Try something like, “My daughter has a very popular mixing style and can work with any budget. I think she’s even got some special discounts right now.” Train them to be your own little sales team, and you’ll have dozens of people out there searching for gigs for you.
3. Talk to a Bar/Restaurant Owner
Find a place you like, or that you are already hanging out in, and approach the owner or manager about DJing for them. There are very specific steps to doing this right. You want to make a business proposition that is profitable for all parties. Owners don’t care about how good your music is. They want to know how you are going to make them more money than they will pay you.
Your approach breaks down into 4 steps: Do some recon, approach the owner, make an offer and close the deal. All the details would take up more space than this post allows. I break down all of the steps to getting a deal, plus give you everything else you need to know in How To DJ A Bar – A Complete Guide.
4. Get a Booth at a Wedding Expo
A wedding expo is a dream location to showcase your talents and equipment to hundreds of brides and grooms at once. It’s also the perfect place to network with other vendors and start forming referral groups.
Look for local expos on the smaller side, especially if you are just starting out. You will want to have your branding and appearance on point so your booth looks good. Look at photos of past expos and be sure that you will be able to match your competition.
When I worked for a small DJ company, we did two things to easily attract attention. First, we showcased our gear not buy playing music, but by playing a movie. Connect a flat-screen TV or large computer monitor to your setup and play a classic wedding movie: Father of the Bride, Four Weddings and a Funeral, My Best Friend’s Wedding, etc. The visuals and the nostalgia will stop couples in their tracks.
To collect contact information, just hold a raffle for a free wedding DJ. We would set this as a free 3-hour reception, which was our minimum. Most brides would book 4 or 5 hours and just pay the difference.
Do the drawing the week after the expo, and let the couples know that you need good contact information so you can find them if they are the winner. Also, make sure that your drawing form has them put in their wedding date so you can block the day. Now you have a huge list of potential clients to call and how close their wedding is. Call the winner first, then call every one of them to let them know that they didn’t win but you’ve still got a great offer for them just for entering.
One last idea to attract attention: blow up your business card to poster size and place it in your booth. Encourage your booth visitors to take a picture instead of taking a card. It will save you money on business cards, but most importantly you will be in your potential clients’ phones. They will see your card again when they swipe through all the photos they took at the expo.
5. Host a Wedding Seminar
If there isn’t a wedding expo coming up, or you can’t afford the booth fee, host your own mini-expo. Put together a wedding seminar to inform couples about their vendor options. Recruit some of your vendor contacts to speak about how they work with couples. Your goal is to provide really good information about how weddings work, and what couples need to know when working with a vendor. You can pretty much just do a generic version of your initial meeting with a couple.
The formula should be 90% information and 10% sales. You can encourage other vendors to bring samples of their work, but their presentation should be focused on education first. They can recruit leads after they speak. Basically, create a list of the questions you hear from brides and grooms all the time, and answer them. If you can’t think of anything, just search online.
Provide free drinks and light appetizers, and it will be easy to get attendees. Do the same drawing that you would for a wedding expo and you will easily collect attendee’s information. You can share the drawing cards with the other vendors in exchange for adding their services to your drawing and/or chipping in for some of the cost.
Keep your costs low by finding a free or low cost meeting space and buying the food and drink yourself. Some cheaper sparkling wine and a few party trays shouldn’t cost very much. You can even recruit a catering vendor and have them provide the food as their contribution. Advertise through social media and have your guests RSVP so you know how much to buy. If you can’t get a good amount of RSVPs, reschedule for another date and do more marketing.
6. Go Hang Out at a Club
Similar to a bar, you can’t simply show up at a club and expect to get hired. The club scene is all about who you know. Spend some time in your music scene and get to know the major players. Who are the promoters? Who are the owners? Which managers hire DJ? Which DJs have residencies? This isn’t stuff you can find out online. You need to be out there meeting people and making friends.
Introduce yourself to some managers and some promoters at your local clubs. Learn about their music and their operations. Don’t lead with asking for the booking. Figure out what they have and what they need. Find ways to be helpful. Make note of ways your DJ set could improve their operation. Once you have a relationship, ask for a meeting just like you would for a bar. Demonstrate your value, and then ask for a job.
7. Make Some Music
If you are looking to break into the festival or club scene, you can get there by being noticed. Producing music that builds a following or breaks into the Beatport Top 100 is the fastest way to get noticed. There are a number of services that can help distribute your music to Beatport, Amazon, iTunes and more, all from the same platform.
If you get some traction with your music through social media or Beatport, you can reference that when you approach club owners for time slots. They are much happier to book a known commodity than someone with no following. Don’t forget that you are being hired to get people in the door and make the club money. Use your music to get fans, and motivate your fans to show up at your gigs.
You won’t break the Beatport Top 100 with the first track you produce, or even the tenth. But keep making music and share the best songs with the world. The second worst mistake you can make when producing is not finishing your songs. The worst mistake you can make is giving up. Laidback Luke said that he has finished thousands of songs that he will never publish, because he doesn’t think they are good enough. But, he finished every one of them and each completed song taught him something new. Spend some time producing to improve your long-term chances of landing a club or festival gig.
8. Google Ads
I have had great success with Google Ads for multiple businesses. Google Ads drive search traffic directly to your website, and you only pay when the ads get clicked. They are so much more powerful than traditional advertising. I had a guy from the phone book call me once to sell me a display ad. I melted his brain when I said, “Well, I’m getting 500,000 impressions a month for about $100. Unless you can beat that, I’m not really interested.” That phone call ended pretty quickly.
Google Ads will work best for mobile DJs or any DJ where clients seek you out directly. There are two keys to using Google Ads. First, you want to find a group of keywords that gets good traffic but doesn’t have major competition. Google has tools to help you find the sweet spot in your area. I just checked and I was surprised to find that “Orlando DJ” wasn’t too competitive, and I could get the first ad spot for about $35 per month. If the monthly cost was too expensive, I would look at “Orlando party DJ,” or use a nearby neighborhood like Hunter’s Creek or Dr. Phillips. Get creative with your keywords, and Google can help you estimate your costs and you traffic.
Second, don’t be intimidated by competition. Google allows you to fight for the top spot and set a limit on your monthly costs. Just now, I was able to see that I could get 20 clicks per month on “Orlando DJ” for my $35 per month. If I can get just one booking every other month from that traffic, I’m making a minimum of $375 from $70 in ads. That’s a really healthy return that only needs a 2.5% conversion rate. Play with Google’s tools and figure out where your money will be most effective.
9. Throw a House Party
Hosting a party is an easy way to remind your friends and family that you are a DJ. Plus, you can show of your skills at the same time. Find a free weekend and have a party. If you don’t have space, offer your services to a friend if you can use their house. It can be a daytime event, like a barbeque or pool party, or a full-on late-night rager. Find someone you know who’s having a birthday and host it for them. If you live in an apartment complex or subdivision, you probably have a community space that you can rent for cheap. Pick an event that will showcase your style best and also appeal to the people you are inviting.
10. Share a Mix Online
You can build your following online by recording and sharing DJ mixes. The more you share, the better! DJ software makes it very easy to record a mix directly. I am using Mixcloud to post and share my mixes online, because they are 100% legal. You simply upload the mix and tag the tracks you used and Mixcloud does the rest. You can share the mix on social media without worrying about copyright takedowns.
There are a few secrets to recording mixes quickly and consistently. I learned a method that fixes my mistakes on the fly and gets the mixes done. Check out 5 Steps to Record Your Mix Fast for all my tricks.
Make sure all of your mixes have your contact details, and use them as true marketing tools. Don’t just post “Here’s my latest mix!” Add a little bit of sales. “Hope you enjoy my latest mix. I have openings in May if you are looking for a DJ. Check my website for pricing or to schedule a meeting.”
11. Target Businesses that Hire DJs
Outside of bars and clubs, there are businesses in your area that hire DJs. Think back on places you’ve seen DJs before. If they have hired a DJ before, they’re likely to do it again. A business that’s sticking out in my brain is the Sephora on Las Vegas Boulevard, next to the Venetian. Not a place I would expect a DJ, but there was one every day. People walking past were enjoying the vibe and I’m sure it was attracting attention.
Go visit your local retail center during a busy time and look for DJs. Try to remember all of the random places you’ve seen DJs recently. You can either approach those businesses, or you can approach their competitors in the same area. Use the same approach as you would for a bar or club: do your research, demonstrate value to the manager, make an offer and close the deal. For example, you visit the MAC store in a mall and say, “I talked to Sephora, and they see a 20% boost in traffic every time their DJ plays. Would you be interested in getting extra traffic?” How easy would this pitch be?
12. Get on a Hotel’s Recommended Vendor List
This is a longer project, but one that will pay off immensely. Talk to the convention sales team of any local hotels that have convention space. They are constantly meeting with guests who want recommendations for DJs. Figure out what you would need to do to get on their recommended vendors list. They will be looking for consistent, reliable DJs who can meet their performance and insurance guidelines.
Start with the hotels you have already worked with. Hopefully, you’ve been collecting contact information for any vendors you’ve worked with before. If not, just call the hotel and reintroduce yourself. If the event coordinator has already seen you perform, your odds are better that they will want to work with you again. If you have no contact information at all, call your former client and ask them for a name. You can even ask for a testimonial while you have your client on the phone.
13. Start a Wedding Vendor Network
Speaking of collecting other vendors contact information, you can use that info to build your own referral network. Pick out the wedding vendors you’ve worked with before and start your own recommendation list. Contact those vendors and ask them to do the same. It’s really just as simple as adding two sentences to your client meetings. “By the way, I’ve worked with some really great vendors in the past. Do you need any recommendations?” You are helping your fellow vendors and positioning yourself as an advisor to your clients.
You can make this as formal or as casual as you want. Host monthly meetings and swap clients, or just add a couple links to your website. You will quickly find that the more you help others, the faster your own business will grow. Zig Ziglar once said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want.”
14. Go Work for Another DJ
If you want work fast, find someone who’s got too much work. Go work for another DJ who has more bookings than they can handle. Find the busiest DJ companies in town and ask if they need more help. This could be a mobile DJ company who wants to book more events, or a club DJ who’s trying to launch a new night. You want someone who’s overwhelmed with business.
This is how I started as a DJ, and it was the best training I’ve ever had. You are not going to make the same amount of money you would working for yourself. Think about it: if your boss paid you all of the money they got from a gig, they wouldn’t make any money themselves. But, you will probably get consistent bookings and some great connections.
15. Become Someone’s Backup
If you are already more established and just need the occasional booking, volunteer to be another DJ’s backup. Again, find someone who’s got a lot of work already. Meet with them and ask if they have a backup DJ already. They are going to want to take a vacation eventually, and everyone has emergencies. You can fill in for their regular events as needed. And, if you are reliable and do an excellent job, you may take over that event if the primary DJ moves on.
Negotiate in advance what your rates will be for last-minute bookings, so you don’t have to struggle to figure it out in the heat of the moment. I have a deal with my backup DJ where I’ll pay him 75% of what I make if I need him. That way, he gets paid a fair amount and I don’t lose money on a low-paying gig.
16. Dig Through Craigslist
I’ve found the most interesting events on Craigslist. I got hired to play a hotel party that was a decent hourly rate, and it was a 9-hour party! I’ve got quite a few last minute convention and corporate jobs there. I even applied for a DJ job at a local strip club, but I didn’t get hired for that one. I’m still a little bummed about that one.
Like all of the internet and Craigslist especially, be cautious. Anonymous strangers tend to do crazy stuff. And don’t be offended by low offers. Many people posting jobs have no idea what a DJ costs. If you are new, win some of the cheaper jobs by informing clients what they would pay for a more experienced DJ. If you want higher pay, just hold out for the better jobs. You will also see postings for smaller bars and clubs. These attract a lot of other DJs, so be ready for some competition and bring your A game. Have your electronic press kit, mix samples and video ready to go so you can stand out of the crowd.
17. Sign Up for Thumbtack Pro
I’ve personally had great success with Thumbtack. It’s an online matchmaking service for vendors and clients. You can quickly create a DJ profile and start bidding on jobs. Thumbtack is frequently changing their algorithms and pay structure, but the basic premise is that you get details on a job and pay to send a quote. They also have a lot of resources on how to improve your odds.
I signed up and spent some time looking at the jobs coming in before I spend any money on quotes. All together, I spent about $55 on quotes to get hired for 2 different jobs making me around $800 total. Not a bad return at all. Spend some time figuring out how to leverage the platform and it could be very profitable for you too.
18. Find Places that Don’t Normally Hire DJs and Create a Value Proposition
Similar to approaching bars and retail stores that already hire DJs, find somewhere that could benefit from a DJ but hasn’t hired one yet. Maybe a local bowling alley that doesn’t have a “Rock ‘n’ Bowl” night, or any random business that could use extra foot traffic.
Drive around your town and look for opportunities. Make note of a few places that could use your services and follow the formula: research, approach, make an offer, book the gig. Anywhere that has a power outlet and people is a potential DJ booking.
19. Talk to Your Local Schools
Schools are the gift that keeps on giving. Schools are hosting multiple events every year: dances, pep rallies, fundraisers, sporting events and more. Students plan many of these events with the help of faculty advisor. The students change every year but the faculty will remember you. Once you get on their list of approved vendors, you can get booked over and over again.
You will need to work your connections to get into a school, because they are highly coveted by mobile DJs. Start early in the school calendar, well before planning committees get started. Reach out to the school and try to find the faculty advisor. You can go right after the big dances, or you can work your way in through smaller events. You can even start with the lower school dances and work your way up to the high schools in your area. My local school district requires extensive background checks for any new vendors. Once you qualify for one school, you can immediately start soliciting the others.
20. Create an EPK
If you want to get booked in clubs or festivals, you have to make it easy for promoters. Your electronic press kit, or EPK, is a critical step to booking those gigs. An EPK contains the vital information promoters need to understand your skills and market your event.
Your EPK should have a bio, photos, videos, logos, demo mixes, links, past performances and anything else that would be useful to someone trying to market you. Don’t be intimated by writing your bio. The easiest thing to do is just stick to the facts. Describe your sound and you DJ style upfront, and list out any major accomplishments. Include your career highlights, major performances and releases, artists you’ve worked with, residencies and download stats. Skip your childhood. Nobody cares that you started DJing at 13. They want to know what you are doing now. Most importantly, keep it short! One or two paragraphs will suffice.
Take nice, professional headshots that look decent. Don’t do anything cheesy, like posing with your gear. Include your logo on both a white and black background so they are easy to paste onto flyers. It’s even better if you can include the scalable versions with transparent background that can be added to posters and banners. Photos and videos of live shows are helpful, and target your mixes to club owners and promoters. A demo mix for your EPK should just be your transitions spliced together in a five to ten minute mix. They don’t need to hear the whole song, so just give them a taste of your mixing style.
Post this all on your website, and you will have a link you can send out to anyone. Do some digging for smaller clubs and festivals to see who might accept EPK submissions. Don’t just blast your EPK out to every email address you can find. If the venue is not actively soliciting EPKs, you are much better off trying to make a connection in person first. But, having your EPK ready to go will give you confidence during that initial meeting, and save you stress afterwards.
21. Help Some Promoters
To break into your local club scene, you have to network. You could just turn up at the clubs you want to DJ at and ask for work directly. But if you want to increase your chances and potentially open up other bookings, you need to connect with promoters.
My golden rule of networking is help first, then ask for help. Humans don’t like unbalanced relationships. People are much more inclined to help you once you’ve already done them a favor.
So get out in the clubs and identify the promoters. They will be the guys and gals who get there early and are constantly on the phone trying to get people in the building. They will be checking in on their VIP tables. Introduce yourself and work on making a friend first. Learn about what they are doing, and offer to help. Once you’ve given them something of value and developed a relationship, mention you are a DJ. Build a demo specific to the slot you are trying to get and have it on you at all times. Your best shot will be when the promoter is causally chatting with you about your DJing. Give them your demo and ask them to let you know what they think. If you get on their good side, your name will be top of mind the next time they are trying to fill an opening.
22. Find Your Friends Getting Married and Make an Offer
If you are new to DJing weddings, start out with someone you know well. Dig through social media and find a friend who is getting married. Reach out and offer to be their DJ at a reduced rate. Be honest with your skills and experience. There are many brides and grooms out there looking for an inexpensive DJ, or even considering doing it themselves. Be sure to share some of the 17 reasons why DJing your own wedding is a huge mistake with them.
You want to target a small, low-key wedding for your first booking. Negotiate a fair price given your experience and their budget. If you are really green, you might even consider doing it for free. Even with all of my experience, I give a pretty hefty “friends and family” discount. Let them know that you are going to do everything you can to make their wedding amazing. I always tell my brides, “Something will probably go wrong, but don’t worry because I will fix it. The most important thing is for you to enjoy your big day.”
Get a few low-pressure weddings under your belt and pretty soon you can be charging some big bucks. The secret is to be prepared and stay calm. To keep yourself out of trouble, read my 9 embarrassing mistakes wedding DJs make.
23. Ask Your Mom
If you want to know all of the upcoming events and inside information on your family, talk to your mom. If she’s anything like my mom, she hears about everything that’s happening in your family. She might know about your cousin who’s getting engaged, or your uncle’s retirement party, or your grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Moms are a great source for upcoming social events.
You can even expand your informant network by talking to your friends’ moms. Now you’ve got access to upcoming events across multiple families. Talk to them directly if you feel comfortable, or go through your friends. You can also ask your friends to introduce you to the relatives hosting the events if you haven’t met them before.
24. Hit Up Outdoor Festivals
Does your local community have outdoor events and festivals? There are great bookings, because you can get lots of exposure to potential clients while you play. Check out your community calendar and contact the organizers of upcoming events. With a little digging, you will find a treasure trove of gigs: wine walks, beer fests, food truck gatherings, block parties, senior dances and more.
Be aware that some of these festivals will have a limited budget, so you may get asked to donate your services. Use your best judgment to decide if playing for free is worth it. Is the festival making money? Then you should probably get paid. If not, how many potential clients will be there? I always lean towards getting paid, even if it is a smaller amount than I normally charge.
Use the same pitch you would to any other business owner, but customize it for the festival. What exactly is your music going to do for them? How can your song choices enhance their event? DJs energize the crowd, attract attention and encourage them to stay longer. If you have played similar events before, be sure to mention any positive feedback you received.
25. Give Away a Free Event on Facebook
If you need to quickly gather a list of potential clients, why not give away a free event on to your Facebook followers? But don’t just have them like your page or comment to enter. Create an online form that collects their contact information and a few details about their event, including the event date. This is similar to the drawing you would do for a wedding expo. Give away a free three-hour DJ package and collect a list of potential clients in exchange. Now you have a list of people you can call to offer your services.
For each drawing you host, make sure to create official rules that you publish online with the entry form. There are several great sites online than can help you create sweepstakes rules by filling out a simple template. Be sure to also check the Facebook policies and anywhere else you post a link to the drawing.
26. Try Busking
If you live near a major city center with lots of foot traffic, then you could create your own gig by busking. Find a place downtown where people are passing by, set up your gear and play! Make yourself a nice sign or banner and have your business cards ready, and you can market to the masses.
Depending on your local laws, you may be able to put out a tip jar as well and make money right there. In my city, you can play music outdoors as long as you don’t solicit for money. Also, don’t block traffic flow with your gear. Do some research on your city’s ordinances and you will keep yourself out of trouble.
If you are able to play for tips, your set will be different than just playing a party. People are walking past you, so your goal is to get them to stop and pay attention. Use your mic and your DJ skills to stop them in their tracks and open their wallets. You can even recruit a dancer or hype person to engage people as you spin tunes. Search on YouTube and you’ll see a bunch of ideas you can use.
27. Live Stream a DJ Set
If physical busking isn’t allowed in your city, do it online instead. Almost all social media sites will let you stream live. Set up your DJ software to livestream to the site where you get the most traffic. You might be surprised how much attention this will get you. I was on Facebook just testing my audio setup, and I had four of my friends watching me in ten minutes.
It is surprisingly easy to livestream via your DJ software. My version of Virtual DJ has built-in streaming to Facebook, YouTube, Periscope, Twitch, Vimeo and Musically. You can even set up a streaming key for any other app that will accept a generic key. Virtual DJ even provides video effects, so you can add text, visualizers and more.
Put a way for people to tip you in your stream each time you broadcast. I like using a trick that I learned collecting money online for charity. I asked each person to just contribute $1 to reach my goal. It’s seems so small that most people will agree, but then almost no one gave just $1. The lowest contribution I got was $5. Try adding a comment like, “If everyone watching tipped just $1, I could pay my rent this month.” Asking for small favors could lead to big rewards.
28. Dig Through Social Media
Use all of that oversharing to your advantage. Take a look at your social media feeds and figure out which of your friends, and friends of friends needs a DJ. Do a little research about their event and make them a good offer. You can also look for connections to clubs, bars and festivals.
You want to be cautious with your approach so you don’t seem like an online stalker. If you want to talk to someone you don’t know personally, try to get an introduction through someone you know. This is especially important for approaching businesses. Do your research first, and then use your connections to start a conversation.
29. Work Networking Events Properly
Look for any career or alumni networking events that you can attend. Networking events will not produce bookings directly, and if that is your only goal, you will be sorely disappointed. Your goal should be to make some new connections that could help you later on.
Be different from everyone else there to draw in the most new connections. Instead of talking about what you do, get people talking about what they do. I am exceptionally awkward at these events, so I’ve learned a three-question routine to break through small talk and into in-depth conversations. After you learn what someone does, ask them, “What got you in that business?” Then shut up and let them tell you their origin story. Next, ask “What keeps you in that business?” and you will learn why they love what they do, or why they hate it. Finally, ask, “What’s next after this job?” and you’ll learn about their future goals. Also, hold back on talking about yourself and people will be dying to learn more.
Once you’ve made a connection, be the first person to be helpful. Find your new connections some business, and you will have made a friend for life. Put yourself in their shoes. If you met someone who was genuinely interested in what you do, and went out of their way to help your business, how would you feel? Wouldn’t you want to go the extra mile for them, too? You will get much, much more out of helping others than if you just ask for something first.
30. Talk To The Sales Team at Your Local Convention Center
Conventions are a great source of corporate gigs. Companies need DJs at their booths to attract attention, and entertainment for after parties and cocktail hours. Most of this business comes in from out of town. Convention attendees don’t have local contacts for entertainment, so they rely on the convention halls meeting planners.
You want to get on a convention center’s recommended vendor list just like you would for a hotel. Get an appointment with their sales team and find out what their requirements are. The meeting planners will be recommending you to their clients who are paying huge sums to the convention center, so they will want you to be ultra-dependable and professional. Put together a physical or digital brochure that shows off your skills and expertise. Be sure to include testimonials from happy clients. You can also create another brochure they can hand out to their clients. You want to make it extremely easy for the sales team to recommend you.
31. Find a Wedding Officiant and Get on Their List
This is one that fell into my lap before. I had a wedding officiant contact me through my website and offer to send me leads if I would pay a referral fee for any one who booked. Of course I said yes, and got several weddings from her customers.
Officiants are contacted early in the planning process, but unlike wedding coordinators, other vendors don’t constantly bombard them. Reach out to some of the officiants you’ve worked with before and offer a referral fee for any future clients that book with you. You will get to talk to couples who are early in the planning process and hopefully the officiant has already said good things about you.
32. Call People Who Just Got Married and Ask For Their (Good) Vendors
If you haven’t worked a lot of weddings already, reach out to people who recently got married or are planning a wedding. They will have a list of solid vendors you can work with to find future clients. Use the networking approach for anyone you haven’t worked with before. See if they’d be open to having a conversation over coffee. Learn about them and their business. Offer to help them before you ask for help in return. Once you have a relationship with a new vendor, propose a referral fee exchange where you each send each other business. But remember that you won’t get many referrals if they don’t already like and trust you. Cement the connection first before you ask for business.
33. Find Out Who Books Your Local Festivals
There are two main ways to get booked into local music festivals: network through your local clubs, or produce music that gets attention. Either way, you are going to need to know who’s in charge of booking DJs for your local festivals.
Ask your club contacts and do some online research. It may take you a season or two to find the right contacts, so get started now. Once you know your target audience, you can focus on either networking or producing music. Pick the method that will get you the fastest results.
34. Rock Your Block
Even closer to home, figure out what kind of events your neighborhood association is hosting. My subdivision holds events every month. Your apartment complex or condo association probably does too. Check out the calendar and see which events could use a DJ. Talk to your association and offer your services.
Don’t have a homeowner’s association? Host a block party! It’s a great excuse to meet your neighbors. And, if you invite everybody, the neighbors won’t complain about the loud music because they’ll be too busy partying.
35. Downtown Apartment Open House
If you live in a city and you’ve got a real estate agent friend listing cool apartments, see if they want a DJ at their next open house. A cool loft space will feel even cooler with a DJ spinning hot tunes.
You can be even bolder and reach out to agents you don’t know. Find someone who is hosting open houses in cool spaces. You can even attend an open house to get a feel for the vibe and meet the agent in advance. Your DJ set will work best at an evening event where the agent invites lots of people at the same time. It’s basically a cocktail party, but with real estate.
36. Charity Events
Bowl-a-thons, walk-a-thons, marathons, gala dinners, auctions, they all need music. Check out your local charity’s event calendar and reach out to the organizers. Chances are pretty good that they need a DJ for something.
You will probably be asked to donate your services, so know what you will be willing to give in advance. You can also offer a reduced rate from your normal pricing as a donation. Make your decision based on how important the cause is to you and how much you feel like giving. Also know that if you can get even a smaller payment, it could lead to many more events in the future. That’s another reason to avoid playing for free: you will probably be asked to do it again.
37. Sporting Events
Take a look at the local sports teams in your area. Now, don’t expect to jump right to the pro level. Instead, search for smaller teams or youth leagues that don’t already have announcers or entertainment at their games. Seek out the coach or the arena manager to pitch your services. You can either just play music during game breaks, or try your hand at announcing. Pick out the sports you know well if you are going to announce. At the very least, watch some games and make note of the right times to play music and get the crowd hyped up, and when to not interrupt the action.
38. Get Ahead of the Corporate Holiday Season
Start making contacts for the holiday party season well in advance. Ask around at your day job, and ask your friends and family to introduce you to the person planning their office parties. You’ll want to do this in early fall for the winter parties. The earlier you make contact, the more time you’ll have to develop a working relationship. You can make a very casual inquiry in August or September for a December party without your potential clients feeling pressured.
If it’s even earlier in the season, you can ask more basic questions, like: Does your business have a holiday party? Where do you host it? What entertainment do you have? Do you have a budget? The more information you have, the better you can tailor your pitch. After that, you just need to come up with a proposal that provides great value within the client’s budget. If you do a great job, you could get booked for the same event well in advance every year.
39. Book a Private Party at a Club
If you are really struggling to get a meeting at a specific club, find an excuse to throw a party there. Rent out the venue on an off night, on the condition that you get to be the DJ. Host a friend’s birthday and get as many people to turn up as you can. Use your paid event to show the club owner that you have solid DJ skills and can get a crowd to show up. It’s also a very easy way to start a conversation with owners or managers who might not talk to you otherwise. After your party is a huge success, casually mention that you are available weekly.
40. Get a Following on Social Media
Spend some time building your followers on social media. There are many ways to do this specific to your social media app. For me, I spend most of my time on Pinterest creating my own content, pinning other people’s content and following interesting pinners. Do some research on the quickest way to build followers on your favorite site.
Some general rules: First, you want a good mix of content that you post. I try to do 30% informational content that I created, 30% interesting content from other people that’s focused on DJing, and 30% marketing my business. In all of it, I’m trying to be as helpful as possible and target it to the people I want to attract. The more helpful and interesting you are, the more your posts will be shared. Just like with networking: the more you give, the more you get.
Second, watch out for social media that limits your reach, or tries to charge you to reach more people. That’s my current problem with Facebook. Facebook’s algorithms won’t even let all of your followers see your posts. Again, do you research and figure out where you can have the most impact.
Need something to share? Record a mix and post the link. Make it look good by giving it a catchy name and creating cover art with your logo. What could be a better way to get people interested in your DJ sound than to let them hear it for free?
Once you have a following, leverage them! Host a party and see who shows up. Contact your favorite club and ask for a deal if you get a bunch of people to show up. Use a group event as proof that you can draw a crowd and try to get booked at the club.
41. (Semi-)Cold Calling
Cold calling can be tough, for sure. Most people are screening out calls from people they don’t know. If you are lucky to get someone on the phone, they’ll likely hang up on you quickly. You need guts to cold call.
That’s why I don’t recommend cold calling. I recommend semi-cold calling. Only call people you already have some connection with. They will be more likely to help you and less likely to just hang up. Call people in your small town or subdivision, people that went to your college or high school, friends of friends, random people in your contacts, 2nd and 3rd links on LinkedIn, etc.
Most importantly, don’t ask these people for business. Ask them for a favor. Do they know anyone who needs a DJ? People are much more willing to help than they are willing to spend money.
I also like to acknowledge their potential resistance by adding, “I know you may not want to,” or “You might not know anyone,” right before I make a request for a referral. Studies have shown this will increase your chances of people helping you by up to 30%.
Your semi-cold calling script should go something like this:
“Hi, [name]! My name is [your name], and I also [the way you are connected, for example: live in [your area], went to [university], whatever]. I know you may not want to, but I could really use your help. I’m trying to start/grow my DJ business. Do you know anyone who needs a DJ?”
If you have to leave a message, leave out the request to get them call you back:
“Hi, [name]! My name is [your name], and I also [the way you are connected, for example: live in [your area], went to [university], whatever]. I know you may not want to, but I could really use your help. Can you give me a call when you have a chance?”
Someone may hesitate, or say that they don’t know anyone. That’s fine. You’re putting them on the spot. You can always ask permission to follow up again later. “Do you mind if I call you in a week to see if anyone came to mind?” And, don’t forget that you are asking for a favor. Be polite and don’t abuse people. Be judicious in who you call as well, especially anyone connected to your social circles. Word will get around if you are blasting out voicemails or pressuring people.
If you want some solid tips to close new business over the phone, check out 6 Tips to Book More Gigs.
42. Call Former Clients for Referrals and Reviews
Another phone-based method is to use a similar script on clients you’ve worked for in the past. Call up the people you did a great job for, and ask if they know anyone else who needs your DJ services. Frame it the same way as above. You understand they might be hesitant to give you a friend’s name, but you really need their help. Do they know anyone else who’s looking for a DJ?
If they liked you, chances are very high they will give you a referral. When they do, ask they for an introduction. The referral will be trust you more if their friend makes the connection, as opposed to you just showing up out of the blue and saying, “Hi, that person you know said you need a DJ!”
While you are talking to former clients, don’t forget to ask for a testimonial while you have them. You could even start there. Say, “Hi [client], I’m updating my webpage with feedback, and I was wondering if you could provide me your thoughts?” Have some questions prepared to get the ball rolling, and take notes. Once you have some good stuff, offer to type it up and send it for their approval before you post it on your website.
Remember that a good testimonial review is a before-and-after story. “Before I met DJ Rob, I was […], but then he did […] and our event was […]” When it doubt, picture one of those weight-loss ads with the before and after pictures. A testimonial should be transformative.
Whew… that was a giant list. Hopefully this sparked some new ideas to dig out some new business. Are there any surefire tricks you have to find DJ work that I missed? Let me know in the comments.
