It’s hard work running a live music venue let alone promoting it! Hiring staff, cranking out a full roster of musicians, keeping punters happy, and the cycle continues.

Once everybody's here, the good times get rolling, but getting them in the door- especially in these mad times, can be a bit of a task. But hey, we've got a few tricks in 2022, and since you have the gigs covered, we're throwing our hat in the ring with five creative ideas to promote your venue - all with a little help from your friends!

1. Team up with your neighbourhood influencer gang

Putting ads on community radio and handing out fliers aren't your only viable options anymore. Tap into the infinite pool of influence by hitting up your local music bloggers, photographers, bands, and infamous TikTokkers for some free press/mad content in exchange for tickets, dinner on the house, or a collab arrangement. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and link up with influencers who share the same hobbies as some of your patrons. Hell, maybe you could even host a photo shoot around your gorgeous decor! The broader your scope, the more new people will hear about your venue. The best way to get new friends to visit your venue is to make friends with people who have friends, and then they get their friends, and they become your friends, and now we're all friends. Cool? Cool.

2. Host an event to raise money for a good cause

People love rallying for a meaningful cause, and having a mission evokes camaraderie, which the community needs now more than ever.  Lead the way by supporting something that you and your locals are passionate about, then consider how to spread the word about your event. (Cough cough - your new mates that we discussed earlier)You could raise awareness for struggling venues and musicians in the area or give back to an initiative that is giving back to artists during the Covid years. Organise two or three bands to play or team up with other venues in your local area and have bands and singers performing across these locations during the day. Unite the community and increase foot traffic to your venue. Win-win!

3. Band together with your resident artists

The artists who play at your venue are some of your best resources, and we hope your best mates! Quiet trade for you means they don't get to play as much, so why not get them on board for your shared mission - play more gigs! Do an after-hours jam sesh and share it on your online socials, or have a friends-of-friends night so they can bring in their wider artist community. Maybe you've got a rooftop that's not being used? I think that it's time for an Abbey Road Studios recreation? Thoughts? If you don’t have regular artists playing at your venue or you want to discover more, try downloading Surreal. It’s an excellent platform for events to find musicians and musicians to find gigs. It’s easy to sign up to Surreal and great for venues that are short on time to look for artists.

4. Show people how much you love music

The best way to get people excited about a band is by listening to them, right? Why not create a Spotify playlist of top hits from the artists that play at your venue? Link the playlist to your social media channels, and it allows people to engage with their content and gives your events free promotion.You could also upload some YouTube videos from previous events at your venue. Showing people having fun makes it easier for others to imagine enjoying themselves at your gigs and might create a sense of FOMO for future ones. You don’t need expensive equipment, ask someone competent at recording to film footage at your gigs and compile a decent promo clip, to invoke the people's FOMO. Bands may have someone taking footage for them, so ask them if you could use theirs if it’s satisfactory quality.

5. Create merch for your venue

I once had to wait a year to get a t-shirt from my favourite Brisbane venue, because they were too chill about printing more! The world is obsessed with merch, and where there's foot traffic, there are merch sales. AtVenu recorded that from 2019 to 2021, merch sales went from £232M to £2.2M as the world went into lockdown, then jumped back to  £59M as concerts and festivals saw their way back. The obvious correlation shows us that if people are present, they will buy your items, and when they do, you'll have the best free publicity/merch gang you can get. Locals donning your gear! You don't have to print t-shirts, run a collab with local businesses and designers, get gimmicky with corkscrews and totes with 50 pockets(IDK?). Think up some socially appropriate gimmicks like personalised hand sanitisers and sunscreens in your music events are outdoors, go large with a toweled bucket hat or start your in-house record fair. Let's get into it!!

Joining the next generation of venues taking local music to the forefront of Australia's entertainment scene? Check out our Complete Live Music Rundown for Venues to help you get started.

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