DJs are popularly requested and booked vendors for all celebrations, including weddings, birthday parties, corporate functions, and more. Whether you’re looking to fill your event calendar or pick up some extra gigs, we’re sharing 6 tips on how to get DJ gigs with exclusive insights from some of our top-booked DJs.
Like any profession, creating a successful DJ business doesn’t happen overnight and requires time, effort, and patience. Keep reading to find out how building a business presence online, prioritizing personalization, offering promotions, asking for referrals, networking with others in the event industry, and building on your current skills can help your DJ business secure more bookings.
Here Are 6 Tips on How to Get DJ Gigs.
1. Create a strong and active online presence
With the ability to learn about your DJ business at their fingertips, party planners need to be able to find you online! Building a professional website, social media profiles (Instagram, Facebook, etc.), and creating a profile on The Bash will help your business become easily discoverable online. Just make sure to keep your website up-to-date, actively post on your social media accounts, and complete your profile on The Bash.
2. Personalize the experience for each client
What do many party planners desire in a DJ or other event vendor? Flexibility and personalization! Work within their vision to make their dream event a reality. Whether that includes playing different music genres than usual at a wedding or allowing a ton of song requests, personalizing your service for their event (within means, of course) makes clients feel special and is instantly a green flag for booking your business.
3. Offer special promotions
An easy and quick way to stand out among other DJs while also increasing bookings is by offering special promotions. These promotions can include a limited-time offer to get one extra hour of service free, a certain number of custom-requested songs, or any other offer that makes sense for your business.
4. Ask for referrals
Word-of-mouth is extremely influential when it comes to booking a DJ. If a party planner knows someone who has had a positive experience with your services, they will be more likely to book your business. So, why not ask satisfied clients if they would refer your DJ business to family and friends? You can even create your own referral system where a past client receives a special gift for each new client they refer to you—similar to that of a special promotional offer!
5. Network with other vendors
Similarly, networking and cultivating relationships with other event vendors and DJs in the industry can lead to word-of-mouth bookings. If a vendor in your network is providing their service for an event and the party planner is seeking a DJ, the vendor might just recommend your business! Or, if a DJ is requested for an event on a date they are unavailable, they might recommend your business as another reliable option!
6. Build on your current skills
In any profession or business, improving current skills is key to staying relevant and finding continued success. Invest in your talent and business by building on current skills or learning a new skill. This can expand your business by allowing you to offer even more to potential clients. For example, you can offer add-ons such as lighting packages, which can differentiate your business from competitors and lead to more bookings.
Advice on How To Get DJ Gigs From the Top-Booked DJs on The Bash.
We surveyed some of our top-booked DJs (most of them have over 20 years of experience) to gather their advice on how to get DJ gigs. Take a look at some of the findings below, including best practices for following up, advice for getting corporate bookings, and more!
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Respond quickly: 36% said responding quickly to the request is key to securing the booking.
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Follow up immediately: 23% said whether it's a call, text, or email, following up after your initial quote is key to getting hired.
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The rest of the respondents said that price point, your response to the party planner, and having photos/videos available are all equally important.
Best Practices For Responding and Following Up
How you respond and follow up with planners is key to securing the booking. Here are some best practices for following up:
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How quickly should you follow up? Over 86% of our top booked DJs said following up within 24 hours is key.
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What follow-up technique is most effective? Over 54% agreed that giving the planner a phone call is the most effective way to follow up on your initial quote.
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How to ensure the fastest response time? 64% of DJs recommend opting into our text alerts feature.
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Do you meet with the planner before getting booked? 73% said they meet up with the potential client before getting booked.
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How many times should you communicate with the client before the event? Over 45% said they communicate with their client more than 5 times before the actual event.
Advice For Booking Corporate Gigs as a DJ
We asked our top-booked DJs to share their #1 piece of advice for securing the most corporate bookings. Here's what they said:
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Offer contracts and accept credit card payments.
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Respond quickly and make sure you're following up with phone calls.
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Make sure you're promoting your business effectively.
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Word of mouth and referrals are key for corporate gigs.
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Always be professional, responsive, and flexible. Present your best foot forward and be able to show your work.
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Always ask an easy-to-answer question at the end of your initial response
to get the conversation going.
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Maintain a rapport with past corporate execs/contacts.
Tips For New DJs on The Bash
We asked DJs what advice they'd give to those who are new members on The Bash. Here are some of their top answers:
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Create a great profile—post pictures, videos, and personalize it!
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Getting a good highlight video is priority #1. Take videos from your phone, mix them together on iMovie, and export the final cut to YouTube.
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Follow up with the client and be responsive. Call as soon as you get the lead!
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Respond quickly and clearly outline your pricing in your response. Don't price yourself too low.
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Play whenever and wherever until you've established yourself on the site.
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Start locally. Build your business. Do more than asked, like an extra 30 minutes without charge. Your referrals will be your long-term business.
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Stay with it. It takes time to build your business. Don’t sweat it if you don’t book every gig.
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While it can take time to become a successful DJ, we hope that taking the 6 tips mentioned above and the top advice from our top-booked vendors and putting it all into action will help you get more bookings. Not yet a member of The Bash? Get started today!
