Promoting Yourself as a DJ: The Right Mindset

Whether you’re a casual or a professional DJ, you no doubt know that the DJ-world can be harsh and unforgiving, especially since popularity has seemingly been taking precedence over performance and skill. If you’ve been wondering how to improve and promote yourself in order to get booked more often, then the tips and advice offered up by guest-blogger-and-DJ Brian van Bogaert aka DJ BRIVE might be useful. Read on and learn how to claim a bigger piece of the spotlight and market yourself.

Rule Number One: Mindset

I want to start off with a mistake I see a lot of DJs make: bragging that they’re the best [insert style] DJ in town. Trust me, it doesn’t matter how good your beat-matching skills are or how well you are versed in a certain genre. Event organisers and venues not only take your DJ game into consideration, but the way you conduct yourself. If you think you’re the centre of the universe and it shows, then don’t be surprised when you struggle to get booked.

The Importance of a First Impression

Believe it or not, first impressions are ever-lasting so, when you meet an organisation, contact person or fellow DJ for the first time, be as friendly as possible. At DJ contests and parties, I frequently bump into DJs who can’t even be bothered to shake their competitors’ hand and simply rush to their booth and rush out again after they’ve played their set. Seriously, take a minute to get to know each other. Have a drink and a chat. This’ll not only take the edge off, but it allows you to expand your social and professional network. Collabs are a thing, remember?

Promoting Yourself as a DJ: The Right Mindset
My business card (left) versus a fictitious example with a standard design (right). Notice how the text-only card doesn’t speak to the imagination as much. Always go for a design that’s concise and packs some punch.

About Merchandise

While I can’t stop you from releasing underwear and ball-point pens with your name on them, I’d advise against going all-out when it comes to merch because it’s a good way to lose a lot of money fast. Call cards and stickers with a catchy punchline, on the other hand, are a more effective and affordable way to grow your business as a DJ. Just as with your tracks and sets, you want to be original here. I’ve been handing out and leaving cards and stickers for a year and a half now and I’ve only received positive feedback so far.

Do Mixcloud and Soundcloud Count as Marketing?

Sure. Mixcloud and Soundcloud are great for self-promotion, but there’s one potential pitfall to look out for when you post mixtapes, snippets and other teasers online: plagiarism. It happens a lot and you can’t be too wary of it. After all, everything you upload is still legally yours. Made a banger of a remix? Then maybe save it for that upcoming DJ contest instead of putting it out where anyone can steal it and run with it. Another good way to promote yourself is using photos taken by a photographer. The old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words, still rings true and can say more about you than your latest mixtape on Soundcloud.

Promoting Yourself as a DJ: The Right Mindset

Always Be Open to Learn More

Maintaining friendly relationships with other DJs can be infinitely useful, especially because you can learn from each other. I’ve been deejaying for a decade and I still learn something new every day, so don’t hesitate to share your tips, tricks and experiences with other DJs. Also, don’t act like a know-it-all, because you really don’t. If you’re somebody who argues that trap always works no matter what when you’ve only played three gigs in total, then you might want to get some more experience under your belt before you tell anyone what’s what. My message to all the DJs out there: go out, play sets, mingle with your colleagues, get to know event organisers, and leave a positive impression wherever you go.

Have you learned any valuable things from fellow DJs? Share it with the rest of the world below!