A newsletter on its own won’t get you booked, but I strongly believe it does give you more power to bookers.
Before I get into it, here’s why I’m sharing this in the first place…
A couple of weeks ago, I attended Jazzahead for the first time.
It was a great chance to meet jazz artists and musicians, to understand the state of the industry more closely, and to have conversations, getting new input from other professionals.
Speaking of that, I had the chance to attend a booking workshop called “Anyone Can Book A Gig”, led by Katherine McVicker.
While Katherine was talking about the importance of showing bookers valuable data as much as possible, like tour history, tickets sold, etc., my mind started thinking about other relevant data you could show…
And I kept coming back to the idea of newsletters.
Because if used intentionally, a newsletter isn’t just a communication tool – it can really become a powerful way to show demand.
Now let me tell you why…
Here are 3 ways you can use a newsletter to prove demand to bookers & venues:
Turn your newsletter into proof of an engaged audience
If you look at what kind of data a newsletter can give you, there’s already great value in it – click-through rates (the percentage of people who click on your links) and open rates (the people who decide to open and read your emails), for example.
They show bokkers a valuable source of information when wanting to know whether your audience exists and if it engages.
But let me give you another perspective: it’s easy to think only in terms of numbers. Bookers also ask themselves:
Are people actually paying attention to what you do?
And that’s what a newsletter does for you: it gives you a direct line to your audience.
Over time, it becomes proof that people are consistently engaging with your work: reading, clicking, staying connected. That’s something you can show them, becoming a booking asset. So instead of just saying:
“I have a newsletter with X subscribers”
You start to show the people who regularly open what you share, the people who interact with it, and that there’s ongoing attention around your project.
And that already puts you in a different position.
Show where your audience is
As soon as I started thinking about the power of a newsletter, I also thought about location.
When taking the time to dive into your analytics, and really paying attention to it, you can start to see where your audience is based – I’m talking about where people are opening, clicking, responding to your emails.
That becomes useful data. Because instead of saying, for example: “I’d love to play in Lisbon…” you can start to say something like:
“I already have people following my work there…” or maybe: “If you look at my newsletter analytics, there is already interest in Lisbon…”
Let’s say you don’t have a lot to share in terms of data, just a few clicks.
Even if it’s small, it’s a signal. And for venue bookers, it’s a signal that can matter to them to start talking to you.
Show that you can activate your audience
This is (of course) the most important part, but also where you can really see the leverage.
It’s one thing to have people reading your emails, and it’s another to show that those people are actually doing something.
And I’ll tell you more…
The beauty of analysing this is that email service providers allow you to actually know who they are, so you can connect with them and start conversations.
These are a series of actions subscribers can take:
clicking on a show announcement, checking a ticket link, or simply responding to what you share.
Of course, these are small actions, but they give bookers more context around their main question:
Will this artist help sell tickets for my show?
So they essentially show that you’re not just building an audience: you’re potentially able to move it.
Now, before leaving…one important thing: a newsletter alone won’t get someone booked.
But it definitely does three things: it strengthens your pitch, gives you leverage in conversations, and makes you more powerful.
Got questions about launching or building your email newsletter for your project/next release?
Just hit reply!
In addition to this article, read: Booking Emails: How to Get More Replies as a Musician
🎯 Need more help with your outreach
If you’re currently reaching out to bookers, festivals, or media and feel stuck:
Book a FREE 30 min discovery call with me.
Let’s look at your emails together and refine your approach!
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