A good booking email to a venue or promoter is short, specific and easy to say yes to. Put your name, genre and city in the first line, name the date or night you want, give one strong reason to book you, and link to a single EPK page. Keep the whole email under 150 words, and follow up once after a week if nobody replies.
Why most booking emails get ignored
Bookers get dozens of pitches a week. Most of the deleted ones fail in familiar ways:
- Five paragraphs, with the ask at the bottom.
- The same message sent to 40 venues in BCC.
- A genre the venue never books.
- No music link, or six of them.
- Attachments: a 20 MB press kit PDF, a WAV file, a rider.
Avoid those and you're already ahead of most of the inbox.
What to include in every booking email
Glasshouse, the band in this table and the templates below, is invented.
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject line | Name, genre, the ask | "Leeds indie band for a Friday support slot in March" |
| First line | Who you are | "We're Glasshouse, a four-piece indie band from Leeds." |
| The ask | A date, a night or a slot | "We'd love the support slot on 14 March." |
| Proof | One or two facts | "We sold out the Brudenell Social Club's 120 room in January." |
| Fit | Why this venue | "Your Friday indie nights match our sound." |
| Link | One EPK link | artistkit.co/glasshouse |
| Sign-off | Name, phone, email | Plain text, no image signature |
How to find the right person
The right inbox matters more than the wording. Check, in this order:
- The venue website's contact or booking page. Many list a separate booking address.
- Recent event listings and posters, which name the promoter.
- The club night's Instagram or Facebook bio, which often carries a booking email.
- Local artists who've played there. Ask who booked them.
Use a name. "Hi Sam" gets read. "Dear Sir or Madam" gets skipped.
Booking email templates
Change every bracketed part, and rewrite the proof line for each venue so the email reads as if you wrote it for them alone.
Template 1: First contact with a venue (bands and live acts)
Subject: [Band name], [genre] from [city], for [month] at [venue]
Hi [first name],
We're [band name], a [genre] band from [city]. We'd love to play [venue] in [month], either as a support slot or a local headline on a weeknight.
We recently [best recent fact: sold out a 100-capacity show, played a named festival, got radio play on a named station]. Our last three shows each drew [number] people.
Our EPK has live video, tracks, photos and our tech rider: [EPK link]
Happy to send dates we're free. Thanks for reading.
[Your name] [Band name], [phone number]
Template 2: DJ pitch to a club night promoter
Subject: [DJ name], [genre] DJ, warm-up for [night name]
Hi [first name],
I'm [DJ name], a [genre] DJ based in [city]. I've been coming to [night name] since [month or year], and the [named guest DJ] set in [month] is one of the best I've heard in [city].
I'd love to play a warm-up slot. I play [residency or recent gigs], and I bring a crowd: [number] people came through my guestlist at [venue] last month.
Recent mix and booking info: [EPK link]
Thanks, [Your name] [Phone number]
Template 3: Follow-up after no reply
Subject: Re: [your original subject line]
Hi [first name],
Following up on my note from last week about [the date, slot or night]. Since then, [one new fact: a new release, a confirmed gig, a new live video].
EPK here if you want a listen: [EPK link]
If [month] doesn't work, I'm happy to be kept in mind for later dates.
[Your name]
Send the follow-up 7 to 10 days after the first email, in the same thread, and only once. Still nothing? Wait two or three months and pitch again with news.
Tips for writing each part
Subject lines
A booker on a phone should get your subject in two seconds: name, genre, the ask. Leave out "opportunity", "collaboration", all caps and emojis. Our guide to subject lines and follow-ups for sending your EPK has more examples.
Proof
Pick facts bookers value: ticket sales, past venues of a similar size, support slots for named acts, radio plays, press. "120 tickets sold" says more than "a growing fanbase".
No shows yet? Lead with a strong live video or a release and offer to play a weeknight or open the bill. Bookers try out new acts on quiet nights first.
The ask
Ask for what the venue hands out often: a support slot, a weeknight, a warm-up. Asking a 500-capacity room for a Saturday headline in your first email tells the booker you don't know how the place works.
The link
Send one EPK link and no attachments. The page holds your music, photos, video, gigs and rider, and opens in one tap on a phone. Test every link in a private browser window before you send.
When to send
- Pitch three to four months ahead for clubs and small venues. Festivals book six to nine months out.
- Send Tuesday to Thursday, in the morning. Monday inboxes overflow and Friday is show day.
- Keep a spreadsheet with the venue, the contact, the date you emailed and the date to follow up.
Mistakes to avoid
- "Dear Sir or Madam", or the wrong venue name.
- Your full bio pasted into the email.
- "Check out our stuff" with no specific request.
- One email sent to every venue in your city at once.
- Three follow-ups in a week.
Make the link do the work
The email earns the click. The EPK page earns the gig. Artist Kit builds a free one-page EPK at artistkit.co/yourname with your bio, music, gigs, photos and contact, plus a press kit download for bookers who want the files. Bands should start with the EPK for bands page, DJs with the booking page for DJs. Run through the EPK checklist before you hit send.