With a paid GigSalad membership, you are more likely to receive leads and bookings. Some of these benefits occur automatically behind the scenes, but there are also numerous tools that you can take advantage of to increase your success. Discover the perks at your fingertips to ensure you’re getting the most out of your GigSalad profile.
In this article:
Understand how leads work on GigSalad
How does GigSalad work? Understanding the event planner’s process is the foundation of GigSalad. Additionally, gaining this insight can help you refine your approach to responding to leads and building your profile.
🧑💻 The quote requests process
First, event planners begin by searching on GigSalad for the service they want, such as “Cover Band.” Their location is detected automatically, and they are provided with the list of GigSalad members nearest to that location who have the Cover Band category.
Then they can view profiles and submit a quote request to a specific band, or fill out the general quote request form at the top of the page. Most users choose the latter and submit a general quote request, so GigSalad finds relevant profiles for them.
💜 Leads sent by GigSalad
When event planners submit a general quote request form, we take the event information they provided and send it to up to 10 members. In most cases, this is automated, but a small percentage of requests are handled manually by our Customer Happiness team. The majority of leads you receive will be indirect leads sent to you by GigSalad. It’s important to consider that these clients have likely not viewed your profile, so your initial response should be informative.
🎯 Direct leads
If an event planner views a profile and submits a quote request by clicking on the “Get a free quick quote” button, they have specifically chosen that member. We consider these direct leads. Usually, event planners choose to have their request submitted to additional members as well, but a direct lead still signifies that a potential client is especially interested in your talent or service.
🤔 Curious about the client side? Read this: Everything You Need to Know about Booking on GigSalad
Perfect your profile
With a paid membership, your profile will be seen by even more potential clients, so it’s worth taking a moment to make every detail shine. A polished profile helps you stand out and make a strong first impression from the very first click.
📸 Ensure your media is top-notch
Use high-quality photos, videos, and audio (when relevant) to highlight your best work. Choose content that clearly represents your talent or service and gives clients a real feel for what you offer. Using examples from GigSalad members, check out our advice for creating a great media kit that will help you land more gigs.
⭐ Request reviews
Having a solid number of five-star reviews, especially recent ones, is the best way to build trust with event planners. Take some time to solicit feedback from recent clients, whether or not they booked you through GigSalad. You can send review requests directly from your account, or simply share your review link through your own personal outreach.
Have a few reviews that are particularly impressive or glowing? Featured members can spotlight up to 3 favorite reviews at the top of their profiles so potential clients see them first.
✍️ Polish your written profile information
When potential clients view your profile, your overview text is your chance to introduce yourself and your services concisely. The overview text can be up to 700 characters and should describe why an event planner should book you. Additionally, complete the remaining detail sections of your profile, such as the Biography, What to Expect, Insurance, and more, to give event planners a complete picture.
Manage your lead preferences
The leads sent to you by GigSalad are affected by the lead preferences you select on your profile. Take time to review these options to get the most out of your membership.
🎭 Select your categories
A major benefit of a paid membership on GigSalad is the ability to list your profile in more categories. Each category is a unique search results page where your profile appears. Pro members can have up to 15, and Featured members may have up to 20 total categories. Your goal should be to add as many additional categories as are appropriate for your service.
✈️ Edit your travel radius
Your travel preferences directly affect both the leads you receive and how your profile appears in search results, so it’s worth setting them thoughtfully. You can calculate your travel distance three ways: by drive time, by mileage along actual driving routes, or by aerial radius from your location.
Pro and Featured members can set a nationwide travel distance, but only do so if you’re truly open to it. Consistently declining leads that are too far away isn’t good for you or the event planners who are counting on a response.
📅 Modify additional details
You can further personalize the leads that you receive with a few quick adjustments.
- You can tailor your event preferences to exclude certain types of requests, such as funerals, so you only receive leads that fit your offerings.
- Set your preferred minimum and maximum performance length to ensure you’re only matched with gigs that fit your schedule.
- Adjust your advance notice settings to filter out last-minute requests or events booked too far in advance.
- Block unwanted leads by updating your working hours and marking availability directly in your GigSalad calendar.
👉 Read advice from successful members: 10 Proven Booking Tips from Entertainers on GigSalad
Utilize your inbox perks
Upgrading to a paid GigSalad membership unlocks helpful inbox tools designed to make communication smoother, improve visibility into leads, and give you more flexibility when booking clients.
📞 See client phone numbers
If a client chooses to provide their phone number when submitting a request, you can now view this number and call potential clients. To access client phone numbers, you must first respond with a message or a quote. Once you do, the phone number will be displayed below the client’s name.
💡 View lead insights
As a Pro or Featured member, you now have the added benefit of seeing lead insights. This tool lets you see valuable details about your competition and how your potential client engages with other members. See how many other members responded and sent quotes, how many quotes are active, and whether the lead was indirectly or directly sent to you.
💲 Request higher deposits
No membership level is limited in the total amount you can collect, but the amount you receive before the event is capped. Free profiles are limited to a $500 deposit. With an upgraded membership, this amount is increased. Pro members may accept a $1000 deposit, while Featured members may request a $2000 deposit.
Respond with ease
With more leads comes more time spent responding. However, there are tools you can use to make your life easier and respond efficiently.
💬 Create saved messages
Responding promptly to new leads on GigSalad is essential for making a strong impression. To streamline your workflow and save time, you can set up saved messages ahead of time, so you’re ready to reply quickly and consistently.
📃 Create saved quotes
Quotes you send through GigSalad serve as the official booking agreement and include key details such as your cancellation policy, service terms, deliverables, and pricing. To save time when responding to new leads, you can create and reuse saved quote templates tailored to different services and event types, so you’re not starting from scratch each time.
🤳 Sign up for text alerts
Ensure you do not miss a single lead or message by enabling text notifications. Each text alert will include a link to our mobile-friendly site so you can respond to your clients from anywhere as soon as you get the notification. You’ll receive a text for new leads, new messages, updates to the quote status, and when a potential client adds additional information to their request.
👋 Find more about leads and response tips here: How to Respond to a Lead from a Potential Client
Become a Top Performer
You can boost your presence on GigSalad by earning Top Performer status. We assess members at the beginning of each month, determine who meets the criteria, and then assign Top Performer status.
💫 Maintain an average review rating of 4.8 stars or greater
Strong client feedback plays an important role in distinguishing you as a top-tier performer, and maintaining a rating of at least 4.8 stars at the time of assessment will satisfy this requirement. Booking through GigSalad can further help improve your rating, as verified reviews carry greater weight in your overall score.
💨 Respond to at least 80% of your gig leads within 24 hours
Clear and timely communication is essential to being considered a Top Performer, including responding to every lead you receive, whether you send a quote or message, or decline the event. At the time of assessment, we review your last three months of leads to ensure an 80% response rate. Enabling text notifications can help you stay on top of new opportunities with immediate alerts.
🎉 Book at least 1 gig through GigSalad every 3 months
To qualify as a Top Performer, it’s important to demonstrate that you are actively completing booked gigs. At the time of assessment, you must have booked at least one gig through the platform within the past three months to meet this requirement, and in certain situations where a client is unable to pay through GigSalad, you may collect payment directly and mark the lead as booked to ensure it is counted as a verified booking.
Use GigSalad resources
To get the most out of your membership, use the resources available to you for tips, guidance, and support.
🆘 Search our Help Center
GigSalad has a robust Help Center with articles and resources for members and event planners, covering general questions, booking information, troubleshooting tips, and more. Explore the most popular articles or search for the topic you need help with.
💻 Read the GigSalad blog
There are entire sections of the GigSalad blog aimed at supporting members in Using GigSalad, as well as general Gig Business tips and insights. With new articles published each month, this is a great way to stay on top of new features and learn best practices.
😊 Contact the GigSalad Customer Happiness team
When you can’t find the answer on our Help Center or the blog, there’s a friendly group of people ready to help! The GigSalad Customer Happiness team is aptly named and always willing to address your concerns, offer guidance, or point you in the right direction so you can keep booking with confidence. Just head to the contact page to get in touch.
Your paid membership comes loaded with tools designed to help you get found, connect with clients, and book more gigs, but only if you put them to work. Take it one step at a time, revisit this list of tips whenever you need a refresh, and don’t hesitate to lean on GigSalad’s resources along the way. 💙🌟
Ready for even more visibility and perks? Upgrade to a Featured membership and put yourself at the very top.
Matt Holland is a Customer Happiness Agent at GigSalad. With 10+ years of experience performing as a jazz drummer, he has gained insights into the life of a gigging musician as well as what makes an event go off without a hitch. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, cooking, and watching the newest TV shows with his wife.