Booking gigs isn’t always easy, but with the right strategies, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to showcase your talent. From gaining experience to improving marketing to learning business skills, we have expert advice on how to book more gigs and build your brand.
Get experience
Becoming an experienced performer is the best way to book more gigs. Playing live in front of real audiences will help you hone your craft, perfect your act, and gain valuable feedback.
1. Find local opportunities
Booking smaller shows can feel like a grind, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Reach out to local venue owners and businesses that feature live performances to see if they have any openings in their calendars for new talent.
🎵 Approach music venues. Concert halls, clubs, and performing arts centers often feature touring musicians and might be looking for artists from the local music scene who can serve as support acts.
🍺 Call bars and restaurants. Live music is a great way for bars and restaurants to attract patrons. This makes these small venues a great opportunity to get gigs as a musician and gain exposure.
🏨 Ask hotels and casinos. Many high-end hotels and casinos feature lobby performers and host special events for their guests. Contact management to see if you can be considered for their lineup.
🎓 Find campus events. If you have any colleges or universities nearby, contact their Student Activities Committee to see if they have any events planned that need new musicians or performers.
2. Get creative with your gigs
Performers are often tempted to stick with traditional venues or open mic nights for gigging experience. But there are many opportunities to share your talent and get paid to play gigs. You just need to think outside the box!
💼 Book corporate events. Look for trade shows and expos coming to town or contact local convention centers. You could even play at a large company’s holiday party or other special event.
💒 Line up wedding gigs. Playing wedding ceremonies and performing at receptions can be a lucrative gigging option and a great way to gain experience with audiences of all sizes.
🚢 Try cruise ships. Book a gig and take a vacation simultaneously! Many cruises feature live entertainment, so contact the Entertainment Directors for popular cruise lines to see how to apply.
🧓 Contact retirement communities: There’s no age limit on who enjoys live shows! Many event coordinators are always looking for new entertainment ideas for their residents.
3. Improve your act or setlist
No show or song list is perfect. Every gig is an opportunity to make changes and tweak your performance. In fact, you should try to prepare variations of your act in advance so you’re able to customize the experience depending on the details of the event.
For musicians specifically, here are a few tips for building a setlist that will rock any party.
✔️ Get familiar with the gig. Work with your client to understand the event’s vibe, what kind of audience will be present, and if there are any special considerations to be made.
✔️ Choose the perfect songs. Provide a good mix of upbeat and mellow tracks for a natural flow. Blend the old with the new, and sprinkle in some originals if you have them.
✔️ Stay flexible. Pay attention to the crowd and adjust your setlist as needed. If the event allows for it, be open to requests from the audience.
These same ideas can also apply to non-musicians. Familiarize yourself with the event, adjust your show accordingly, and be flexible when possible. This could include expanding your costume options, customizing your jokes, or developing unique acts for different audiences or event types.
4. Request reviews from clients
Every gig is an opportunity to receive feedback. Having reviews on your website or online profiles is extremely important for building your brand and booking more gigs. Potential clients are more likely to contact you if they can read about positive experiences from your past performances.
Create an intentional process for collecting reviews from your clients. They expect to be asked, so don’t shy away. In fact, plan to bring it up several times.
1️⃣ Before the gig. As you communicate in the days leading up to the gig, let the client know you’ll appreciate receiving their feedback after the event.
2️⃣ At the gig. While the client will be too busy to leave a review immediately, it’s still good to remind them as you leave the event that you’ll be in touch and hope they’ll give you a positive review.
3️⃣ After the gig. The day after the event, email the client with links to where you want reviews. You can even send a few follow-up messages until you get the review.
Nail your marketing
Having a marketing strategy is a necessary part of any business. You can’t book more gigs if people don’t know who you are, where to find you, or how to connect with you. Use a combination of social media, online profiles, and a website to showcase your skills and increase your exposure.
5. Create a robust media kit
High-quality media is essential for successfully advertising your act or service. Only a fraction of your fans will discover you through a live performance. Therefore, you need material on your website or in your electronic press kit that will give them the full experience of what you have to offer online.
📸 Take photos. You want to have a nice selection of images for your services, including staged promotional photos and live-action shots from your gigs. With today’s smartphones, there’s no reason to have low-quality, blurry, or outdated pictures.
📽️ Shoot videos. You should have at least one video that showcases your talent, though more is always better. Have someone record you at a gig, stage a private performance, film a music video, or make a highlight reel of your skills.
🎧 Record audio. If you’re a musician, having recorded music is very valuable. In addition to recording songs to put on Spotify and other streaming services, you should create some samples to post on your website or online profiles.
🎨 Create visuals. Produce marketing materials like business cards, gig announcements, and stylized social media posts to help spread the word about your act. You can use free sites like Canva to make unique designs and maintain brand consistency.
6. Boost your social media presence
Like it or not, social media is a necessary evil for getting gigs as a performer. Building an online presence gives you the opportunity to connect with your fan base and allows new fans to discover you.
Most social platform algorithms value engagement and consistency when delivering content, so develop a strategy and stick to it. We have some social media tips to get you started.
💯 Choose quality over quantity. While having a profile on every social media platform is okay, choose just one or two to get the most of your attention.
🔎 Do your research. Spend time getting to know your audience and demographics to determine which platforms to use and the best times to make posts.
📈 Set realistic goals. Don’t shoot for the stars when you’re just getting started. Manage your expectations with small, attainable goals, then watch your statistics to see if you hit them.
🔗 Share those links! Cross-promote your various social media profiles so your fans can access you on all platforms. You should also share your website or newsletter sign-up links often if you have them.
▶️ Show off your talent. TikToks and Reels are becoming the primary way people consume social media, so record some visual content. Post performances, host lives, or give fans a glimpse of your everyday life.
7. Set up your website
Creating a professional website gives you a place to host your media, advertise shows, sell merch, and provide a contact or quote form to book gigs. Websites are also absolutely necessary to boost your SEO and be found on search engines.
Luckily, there are many easy-to-use website builders out there, so you don’t need any coding skills to build your website. Just be sure all your basics are covered, and you’re all set!
✔️ Start with a homepage. Give visitors a quick snapshot of your act on your homepage. Use high-quality photos, feature client reviews, and add a contact option or mailing list sign-up.
✔️ Write about you. Include a page with a bio that covers your background, interests, and how you got started in performing.
✔️ Advertise your gigs. Let new fans know about upcoming shows and opportunities to see you perform. This is often labeled as a “Tour” or “Shows” page.
✔️ Share your skills. Show off all that great media you’ve created! Include an image gallery, videos, and audio samples. Musicians can also include a setlist so visitors know what songs they cover.
✔️ Give them contact info. Add a contact page with a form or email address potential clients can use to contact you. Include links to your social media and artist pages on streaming apps.
📢 Calling all bands and musicians! Visit our friends at Bandzoogle to create a stunning website in minutes and get more music gigs.
8. Sign up for GigSalad
Online marketplaces like GigSalad have an established brand that comes up at the top of most Google searches. Having a GigSalad membership will help you gain exposure to clients who might not find you otherwise. You can also get leads, send quotes, and collect payments all in one place!
There are plenty of lead-generating tools available online, but GigSalad has the best features and benefits for connecting with event planners and booking gigs.
💵 Collect easy payments. Clients pay the full amount upfront through our secure booking platform. And your payouts are always fast and guaranteed. No chasing final balances.
⭐ Get verified reviews. The review request process is automated, saving you extra work. Reviews connected to on-site bookings carry more weight and look great to potential clients.
👍 Prove yourself. An online profile displaying media, reviews, and booking numbers shows potential clients that you have experience and are a professional entertainer.
🛡️ Be protected. Using a safe and secure site when handling sensitive information and dealing with payments is essential. We also have systems in place to block scammers.
📅 Stay organized. Improve your workflow with saved message and quote templates, custom lead preferences, and calendar tools with availability and syncing features.
💁 Receive support. Help is just a quick email or phone call away, whether you have questions about improving your profile, responding to leads, or dealing with bookings.
Learn the business
Until you’ve gained a lot of experience, you probably won’t have a booking agent or manager to help you book gigs. It’s on you to learn the necessary skills for growing your business. Determining pricing, developing communication tactics, and building contracts are just as important as nailing your performance.
9. Get the price right
Finding the right amount to charge clients for your shows or services can be tricky. You don’t want to lose a great gig because you went too high, but you also don’t want to sell yourself short. Luckily, we have a few tips that will help you get your pricing right.
✔️ Do your research. Look at the supply in your area, and see what others are charging for similar services. If you’re gigging in a crowded market, you may need to be more competitive with pricing.
✔️ Determine your costs. Identify every cost you incur from performing gigs, including equipment, gas, insurance, and business expenses. Be sure you’re making a profit!
✔️ Name your price. Once you know the market and costs, you can settle on a price. Choose a range to stay within, and consider offering packages with different price points for variations of your services.
✔️ Be open to negotiations. Some clients have never booked before, so be patient and kind in educating them on the process. See if you can work within their budget to close the gig without losing profits.
10. Sharpen your communication skills
Gigging, similar to any successful business, is all about communication. In order to turn leads into booked gigs, you must learn how to talk to your clients. Be clear, concise, and effective from the first message all the way through to your follow-up.
🤝 Make a great introduction. Your initial message is your chance for an awesome first impression, which can make a huge difference. Keep it short, be friendly, and ask a follow-up question to begin a dialogue.
📱 Respond quickly. If you take too long to reply, clients may move on to another option. Be prepared to respond to leads and messages from anywhere at any time.
👍 Take cues from the client. Figure out how your client prefers to communicate and stick to that. If they ask you to call them, do it. If they prefer texting, don’t force a phone call.
☑️ Follow up. Remember, clients are often busy and may be talking to other providers, so following up is important. After a day or two with no response, send a message letting them know you’re still available.
11. Build a detailed contract
Anytime you’re closing a deal, especially when money is involved, you should have a detailed contract in place. It serves as a definitive definition of the services you intend to provide, helps manage client expectations, and protects you from potential issues.
Every contract or booking agreement should have a few key details to ensure a smooth gigging experience.
✔️ Cover the essentials. Your official agreement should include both parties’ names and contact information, the event’s date and time, and the venue’s exact address.
✔️ Ask for a reasonable deposit. Deposits show a commitment from both parties and protect you from last-minute cancellations. A standard deposit amount is 50% of the total price.
✔️ Describe your services clearly. The contract should outline the specifics of what you’ll be doing at the gig. Cover things like the number of performers or band members, necessary breaks, special requests, etc.
✔️ Add a fair cancellation policy. Clarify what will happen with payments in the event of a cancellation. Offering a non-refundable deposit but a refundable final balance is a common and fair practice.
✔️ Include additional terms. Outline any other gig requirements you might have. This could include bad weather stipulations, equipment needs, setup requirements, or venue considerations.
12. Keep learning and growing
Even after you’ve played a hundred gigs and developed a strong online presence, there’s still more to learn about yourself, your performance, and the gig business. Never assume you already know everything. Continue to grow, and you’ll continue booking more gigs.
🚩 Learn from your mistakes. Every negative comment, ignored message, and lost gig is a chance to learn what you’re doing wrong. Review your messages, profile, and pricing to figure out how to improve the experience for your next client.
⭐ Learn from your clients. Both good and bad reviews are educational for performers. A low-star review gives you explicit feedback for improvement, and a high-star rating tells you what you do well and should do more of.
👉 Learn from your competitors. Use social media, websites, and online profiles to research your competition and see how they market their act, price their services, and interact with clients. Avoid the things you don’t like and borrow the things you do.
By gaining more experience, improving your marketing efforts, and honing your business skills, you’ll improve your service and ultimately book more gigs. Talent isn’t enough — you also need hard work to succeed in the gigging world. These strategies should help you get there! 🙌
Looking for more gig opportunities? Create a free GigSalad profile and start getting leads today.
Heather is the Content Manager and a GigSalad veteran of 15+ years. She loves helping event planners create unforgettable celebrations and talent make a living doing what they love. When not at work, she enjoys reading romance and fantasy books, bingeing TV shows, playing board games, and spending time with friends.