A promoter or talent buyer opens a lot of email from DJs. Most of it asks for something vague, runs long, and leaves the reader to do the work. The email that gets a reply does the opposite. It is short, it asks for one thing, and it makes saying yes easy.
Start with the date
The most useful thing you can put in a booking email is a date. "I would love to play for you sometime" gives the reader nothing to answer. "I am free on the 14th and the 21st, and your Friday night looks like a fit for my sound" gives them a calendar to check.
Put the date in the first two lines. If you have more than one open night, list two or three, not ten. A short list reads like you know your schedule. A long list reads like you are free every night because nobody books you.
Say who you are in one sentence
The reader wants to know three things fast: what you play, where you have played, and why this room. Fit that into one sentence and move on. Something like: "I play deep and tech house, I have held residencies in the city for two years, and your crowd dances to what I play."
Leave out the life story. The bio belongs on your press kit, where the promoter can read it when they are ready. The email only has to earn the click.
One link, not five
Every link you add is a decision the reader has to make. A SoundCloud link, an Instagram link, a Drive folder of photos and a PDF attachment means four places to go, and some of them will not open on a phone.
Send one link that holds everything: your mixes, your photos, your bio, your past venues and your contact details. The promoter taps once and sees the whole picture on one page. If they want to forward you to a partner or a booker, they forward one link too.
Skip attachments. Large files get caught by filters, and a PDF from a stranger is the kind of thing people do not open.
Make one ask
End the email with a single, clear ask that has an easy answer. Good asks are small: "Could I send you a mix for the 14th?" or "Is the 21st still open?" A yes or a no both move things forward.
Avoid stacking questions. If you ask about the date, the pay, the set length and the sound system in the first email, the reader has homework. Those questions come later, once they are interested.
Keep it short enough to read on a phone
Most booking emails are read on a phone, often between other things. If the email needs scrolling, it is too long. A good test is to read it out loud. If it takes more than about thirty seconds, cut it.
A simple shape that works:
- A greeting with their name.
- The date or dates you want.
- One sentence on who you are and why this room.
- One link.
- One ask.
- Your name.
Write the subject line like a label
The subject line should tell the reader what is inside before they open it. Your artist name, the word booking, and the date do the job. Clever subject lines get skipped. Clear ones get opened, and they are easy to find again when the promoter is filling out the month.
Send it to the right person
Before you write, find out who actually books the night. A general venue inbox can sit for weeks. The promoter who runs the party, or the talent buyer for the room, is the person who can say yes. A short email to the right person beats a perfect email to the wrong one.
After you hit send
Give it some time. If there is no answer, one follow up with something new, like a fresh mix or a new date, is fair. Then let it rest and try again when you have another date that fits.
The email is only the door. The press kit behind the link is what gets you booked. Build yours at my-epk.com/signup and send one link with every booking email.