If you’re ready to play live, either as a solo artist or with a band, you might be wondering how to get the word out when you perform.
There’s a lot of noise on the internet these days, and it can be hard for the little guy to get noticed.Luckily, you found this handy guide to promoting your next event, so read on for the top ten ways to spread the word!
1. Make it Viral
Get your social media ducks in a row and post your show details everywhere.
You need all the fans you can get, and you need them to show up.
Ticket sales will determine whether or not you are invited back to a venue.
Bad ticket sales mean that everyone loses money.
Good ticket sales mean profits for everyone and the start of a great business relationship.
You need to post, repost, and post again.
Keep these three things in mind:
- All of your event details should be easy to read
- The link to your ticket broker should be easy to find and click
- Everything should show up on your followers’ feeds 1-3 times per day
Use good content to spread your message.
Interesting posts will get share. Boring ones won’t.
Advertise in a way that reflects your music and the preferences of your audience.
If you’re a country band, then airy colors and a backdrop of the great outdoors will probably grab the most attention.
If you’re a punk rock or death metal band, then darker colors and a theme of thorns or spikes is more appropriate.
This also helps people who don’t already know you get a sense of your music that your band name alone might not tell them.
Because of this, it’s important to accurately represent your style in your posts.
If you’re a blues band, don’t use hard rock imagery, and vice versa.
Fan confusion is never a good thing!
2. Schedule It!
Give yourself plenty of time to promote the event.
It takes time to organize promotions and give your audience the chance to make plans and buy tickets.
This fits nicely with the previous section.
Your social media advertising should start well in advance of your event.
A fan might need to see your show promoted five or six times before they decide to go for it and buy tickets.
That’s why you have to post every day–but not every hour.
Morning, midday, and afternoon/evening should allow you to hit the peaks times that different people tend to browse their social media feeds.
Some people do it in the morning, some on their lunch break, and some when they get home and relax.
3. Don’t Overdo It
Also, keep in mind that you shouldn’t spam the social media feeds of your followers with constant reminders.
Definitely once per day, up to and no more than three times a day is the sweet spot.
Balance your efforts between the major social media platforms.
That means Twitter, Facebook, AND Instagram.
While you’re at it, you can check out TikTok, and see if you can get a show promo to go viral.
But because TikTok video suggestions aren’t based on who you follow or like, it can be really difficult to get your work in front of a specific audience.
Not only that, but 60% of users on TikTok are under the age of 24.
Teens might love your music, but may not have the money or means to get to your show.
Cover all of your bases to get the most social media reach.
4. Have Great Profile Photos
Don’t use album art for your profile photos.
Get a professional photo taken of your entire band.
Make sure to use a plain background so that it remains recognizable even on a tiny phone screen.
Use that for the profile photo on all of your social media accounts.
You need to stay recognizable at a glance, so don’t change the picture unless someone joins or leaves the band or radically changes their look.
Looking professional is a key step toward being a professional.
Don’t hurt your chances of being taken seriously with lame profile photos.
If a teenager can do better with a smartphone selfie, you need to re-do your profile pics ASAP.
5. Act Like (Or Hire) a Publicist
People won’t just stumble onto your website and make you famous.
You’ve got to promote yourself.
If you can’t think like a publicist, and you’re starting to book shows on a regular basis, you may need to hire someone to help.
A publicist will notify media outlets of your upcoming performances with press releases and show info.
Knowing what news sources are local to your area is a great first step.
Get your press kit together (see the section below) and send it out!
Someone with advertising experience can also help you decide when it’s cost-effective to buy ads, and where you should place them.
National TV ads are out of the question, and radio ads are not very effective.
Your best bet is probably posters around town and announcements on websites that cater to your audience.
Think about how the bands you love get the word out.
How do you find out when and where they’re playing?
Use this to tailor your ad campaign to places your fans are likely to see it.
Once you have your great band photo, print up a bunch of promo photos.
If you leave a blank space for the venue address and date, you can use the posters for events in the future.
It’s usually cheaper to print a larger run of posters at once.
6. Keep It Personal
Invite people personally, not as a distant celebrity.
When someone shows up to your event, thank them for coming.
If someone helps you out, anywhere along the process, recognize and thank them as a person.
Don’t get caught up in a persona.
You’re a person just like any of your fans.
Acting high and mighty won’t gain you any followers.
Your audience wants to relate to you and feel like they know you and your band as people.
7. Keep It Professional
Remember that you’re here to do a job.
Your show is a business arrangement between you and the venue.
State everything clearly and precisely.
Communicate your needs to everyone involved in the process, and fulfill your end of the commitment.
Bring all your equipment to the event.
Set up in a timely manner.
Do your soundcheck in plenty of time.
Be organized and don’t be late beginning your show.
Have spares for any piece of equipment likely to break down or malfunction, like audio cords or microphones.
Break down quickly after the show and clean up after yourself.
Pick up your trash.
Don’t leave broken equipment lying around.
Being professional at an event is a huge part of being invited back.
Once you have a reputation for being great to work with, everyone will want to work with you instead of someone else who is a giant hassle.
8. Have an Epic Press Kit
A press kit is absolutely necessary for you to promote your band.
You need both a physical and digital copy.
Your press kit needs to have:
- Your band bio (long and short form)
- Band photo(s)
- Copy of any news coverage of your band. (Use article links for your digital copy.)
- Demo CD (Private hosting site links for your digital copy.)
- Contact info for the lead band member. (Whoever handles promotion or scheduling for the band should be listed as primary contact.)
- Links to the social media account for the band.
- Business cards
9. Consider a Manager
If your events are large or frequent enough, you may need to hire a manager.
Event management can be a lot of work.
A manager can handle scheduling, event promotion, and pitching to venues.
If your show-related work is getting out of control, a manager can free you up for working on your music.
A manager will cost you money.
You’ll need to pay them either a set amount, or a percentage of your event profits.
But, if your workload warrants it, a manager can be a very good investment.
10. Put on a Great Performance
The best way to make your band stand out and get invited back is to put on the best show of your life, every time.
Play to the audience.
Give it your all.
Make your fans feel like they’re part of the show.
Be dynamic, put your soul into music.
All of your hard work is about to pay off.
Your long hours of practice were all for this moment.
A great show is your best form of advertising.
Everyone who talks about what a great time they had at your show will recruit more fans for your next event.
GigFaster is Here for You!
Thanks for reading!
Event promotion can be a lot of work.
That’s why GigFaster is here to help!
We have a database of venues so that you know where to start when setting up your gigs.
We help you compose and organize your pitches and track them all from one dashboard.
Sign up today for your one-week free trial!
