DJ Marketing Tips

One of the most important things a DJ can do for him or herself is to self-promote. Professional DJ's have PR (public relations) staff and managers to do this. But the average DJ has to teach themselves how to do what those people do, for themselves. The goal of promotions is to advertise yourself to as many people as possible, in the best possible way. It's all a numbers game. The more people that know who you are and what you do, the more gigs you'll get.

The Importance of Promotion & Marketing

It's time to get your name out there to the public. Not just your name, but your demo mixes and your image as well. You want people to know what you sound like, look like, and act like. The art of DJ promotion requires you to do these things with style, class, and professionalism, not like an arrogant moron. All DJs try and promote themselves, but few do it the correct way.

Hand Out a DJ Press Kit

You should have your own professional press kit made up, to give away to promoters, club owners, and to actual press and media people. It contains things like your demo, a biography, press photos, contact info, etc. Check out my section on How to Make a Press Kit for a step by step guide.

Once you have your DJ Press Kit put together, you need to start giving it to everyone with any power to hire you or help promote you to a large audience. At every nightclub you go to, hand one out to either the club owner, booking manager, promoter, or all of them. Introduce yourself, make some small talk, give them your kit, then leave them alone. These people are usually super busy, and you don't want to waste too much of their time. Let them know you're a DJ, what kind of music you play, and that you are always interested in playing new venues. Don't be arrogant or stubborn. Don't say things like "I'm the best DJ in this city." That's just stupid, and you'll never get a call from anyone you tell that to. But you'd be surprised how many times I've heard things like that. Try and talk with the person for 5 minutes max, then make your excuses to go dance, drink, or whatever. They will appreciate your professionalism.

Create a Media List

You should start creating a list of contact information for all sorts of local media outlets. Newspaper writers, nightlife magazines, entertainment or nightlife blogs, radio stations, etc. Get phone numbers and email addresses for these people. When every you have a party, or have made a new mix CD, make sure to send out a press release to your media list. Include all the important information and images. If you do this constantly, you'll start to see articles written with your press release info. This can help expose you to hundreds or thousands of people, that may have never heard of you before.

Don't just send out these press releases though, try and get to know your media contacts. Take them out for a drink, call them every once in a while just to say hello. If you can make these people your friends, they'll reward you with good press.

DJ Website, MySpace & Facebook Pages

Next step would be to get a MySpace & Facebook pages. Use these to help promote yourself online. You can post links to mixes, photos from parties, upcoming events you are playing at and all sorts of good stuff. Eventually you should also get a regular website for yourself. MySpace & Facebook pages are easy to set up and everyone has one, so they really aren't that special.

A regular website will show that you are more professional than the other 500,000 DJs out there, helping you stand out. Try and get a .com website if you can. Some people consider .com sites more professional than .net or .info ones. There really is no difference, it's just an unconscious thing. You can get a simple site created for a few hundred dollars, or you can set the site up yourself using a website builder. If you want to go that route, I highly recommend 1&1's Website Builder. Just sign up for a domain name and hosting account, and the website builder is included. You can start building a DJ website for under $50.