How to Announce Your First Local Show

Get the details straight before you post

Start with whoever booked you: the venue, promoter or person organizing the night. Ask them to confirm the public details in one message. A promoter is the person or team putting the show on. Agree on when you can announce it and who will publish the main event page.

Keep a single note you can use for the caption, poster and event listing. If a detail is still undecided, flag it instead of filling the gap with a guess. In particular, don’t treat the time the doors open as the time your set starts.

Keep a show tied to a release in your wider plan →

Write an invitation someone can act on

Lead with the show, not a long build-up. Follow the details with one thing you’re looking forward to: playing your new songs with a band, sharing the bill with another local act, or trying a stripped-back set. Use something true about this night.

Here’s a made-up example. Mara Vale, June Static, The Birch Room, Northbridge and all the show details below are fictional. The example assumes the organizer has approved the details and tickets are already on sale.

“Northbridge, I’m playing my first hometown show on November 28 at The Birch Room, with June Static. I’ll be playing the new songs as a solo set.”

“Doors 7 pm. Music starts 7:30 pm. Ages 18+. Tickets are $12 total, including fees. The event page has the address and visitor information.”

“Come along if you’d like to hear the songs in the room. Tickets and full details: [replace with the approved event link].”

Change every detail to fit your show. Don’t copy the example price, age limit or times. If you don’t know the final ticket total, link to the current ticket page instead of calling a base price the total. Avoid “selling fast” or “last few tickets” unless the organizer has confirmed that it’s true.

Write a short artist introduction if the organizer needs one →

Make the image and link easy to use

Ask whether there’s already an approved show poster. Use the agreed artist order and venue name. If you’re making your own image, have the organizer check it before you share it. A support slot shouldn’t look like you’re the headliner.

Put the essential details in the caption too, so someone doesn’t have to enlarge the poster to find the date. Open the image at normal phone size. If the small print disappears, simplify it and point people to the event page for the rest.

Open the exact ticket link you plan to share on your phone. Check the event name, venue, date, age information and ticket status. You don’t need to buy a ticket for this check. If sales haven’t opened, say when they will, using the organizer’s confirmed time and time zone.

Use a next step that matches the destination. “Buy tickets” needs a working way to buy them. For a free show or a door-only event, “See the show details” may be clearer. Don’t call an interest button or RSVP a reserved ticket unless the organizer says it is.

Use a fuller link check before you share →

Coordinate event pages with the announcement

Ask the organizer which event and ticket pages already exist. Work from those details, and agree who is responsible for any artist listings. Check before creating another version of the same show.

If you use Bandsintown for Artists, its event form lets you save a draft, schedule publication or publish. Its help page says adding another artist to the lineup doesn’t add the event to that artist’s page; each artist’s page needs its own event entry. Coordinate with the other act instead of assuming they’re covered.

Bandsintown’s scheduling guidance also says followers are notified when the event publishes if Notify My Followers is on. Review that setting and the scheduled date, time and time zone before saving. A listing can be part of your announcement, so don’t publish it early just to check the form.

For Spotify, concerts are imported from its ticketing partners, which include Bandsintown. Spotify says new concerts typically appear within 24 hours and requires an artist name, start time, venue name and event name. Check the current partner list, then inspect your artist listing after the import. Treat the stated timing as typical, not a deadline or a promise that every listener will see the show.

Sources: Bandsintown for Artists: Adding an event and its lineup · Bandsintown for Artists: Scheduling publication and follower notifications · Spotify for Artists: How concerts are added to Spotify

Give each reminder a useful job

You don’t need a new account on every platform to announce one gig. Start with the places you already use and the venue’s own channels. Agree on the caption, artwork and link with the organizer and other acts so people get consistent details.

Here’s a small plan you can adapt to the time you have. These are suggested moments, not a proven posting schedule. If the show is soon, combine them instead of squeezing out several nearly identical posts.

Plan a small filming session without interrupting the music →

Check the live post and keep the details current

After posting, open the public version. Check the image crop, caption, tagged names and event link. Ask a bandmate to read it as if they’re deciding whether to come: can they find the city, date, entry rules and next step without messaging you?

Keep a note of where the announcement lives and who owns the event page. You can store the confirmed details and post links in AirTrax Notes alongside your other music work. Update event listings in the service where they were created.

If something changes, get the new detail confirmed with the organizer. Correct the event page and the posts you control, and make the change clear in your next update. If the same question keeps coming up, add the answer where people are looking.

A clear announcement helps people plan. It doesn’t guarantee a full room. After the show, note which questions people asked and what you’d make easier to find next time.

Keep the approved poster and other show files together →