Why You’re Not Booking Wedding DJ Jobs

by Chris Brower
Last Updated: April 29, 2021

It’s frustrating when you’ve done all you can to make your wedding DJ business awesome, but the bookings just aren’t coming.

There are endless reasons why you might not be booking jobs, why potential clients might pass. The more you can learn the reasons, the better, as you can make changes or adjust your approach.

In fact, in my last follow-up email to potential clients who have stopped responding, I flat out ask:

“If you did decide to go with another DJ, do you mind me asking why? Don’t worry, I’m not going to hassle you! I just always want to improve my business, so any feedback is helpful.”

Often they don’t respond. But sometimes I do get valuable feedback, so I can learn possible things to improve.

Let’s look at the most common reasons why you’re not booking wedding DJ jobs.

Clients Couldn’t Even Find You

If you’re having trouble not only booking jobs but also just getting inquiries in the first place, then you might simply be too hard to find.

Make sure you have a nice-looking website that clearly shares your services, what cities/areas you serve, and why you would make a good DJ for their event. Look at other DJs’ websites in your city and study how they sell their services.

Photos of people dancing and having a blast.
Clear explanation of what services you offer. If you feel comfortable including prices, list those.
DJ bio, including a photo, so people can get a sense of your personality and experience.
Reviews from happy past clients.
Clear contact information, such as a contact form.

In addition to a dedicated website, make sure you create a profile on social media sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, where you can post photos and videos from your events, announce your participation in upcoming bridal fairs and other events, and just overall promote who you are as a wedding DJ.

For additional advice on how to promote your wedding DJ business, read the aptly titled How to Promote a Wedding DJ Business.

Your Website/Promo Materials/Emails Are a Mess

You may turn off some potential clients if your website and promo materials are full of typos or pages don’t load right or they’re poorly arranged.

Are the photos blurry? Do you seem like more of a club DJ than someone who does weddings?

Are there multiple auto-play videos or other graphics that make the website a nightmare to look at, plus load slowly? GTmetrix is a good (and free!) way to test page speed.

I know some DJs whose websites look like they were first made in 2002 and haven’t been updated since. Your website does not have to be super fancy or have crazy graphics – but it should be clean, current looking, and instill confidence.

When you send emails, are there multiple, unintentional font sizes/typefaces? Does the spacing get all weird or look like a weird hodge-podge of copy and paste jobs?

For example, I use Gmail for my DJ email. I have pre-written emails ready to go that I can copy and paste and then adjust for each particular client so I don’t have to type out all my info every time.

I noticed that my emails looked good in Gmail, but when I sent them to my personal, non-Gmail account, the spacing and font looked messed up. This wasn’t necessarily a Gmail flaw or my other email provider’s fault. But I must’ve done something weird and messed up the coding/spacing at some time. So I made adjustments and sent repeated emails to my non-Gmail account until they looked right. Now I feel more confident that potential clients aren’t receiving messy looking emails anymore.

Maybe it’s superficial, but potential clients will often judge your DJ abilities based on your website, social media, email skills – you name it. All things before they’ve (likely) ever seen you actually DJ.

You wouldn’t purposely show up to a first meeting with a client with dirty clothes or food on your face. Make sure your website/promo materials/emails don’t do that either.

Your Prices Are Too High or Too Low

DJs charge a wide range of prices for their services. This price may be totally random or may be based on the going rate in your town, years of experience, range of services (e.g., also offering a photo booth, second setup, etc.), what the DJ thinks they’re valued, etc.

Naturally, DJs who charge higher amounts may miss out on some jobs due to being considered too expensive. The couple may have a strict budget, and if you fall outside of that, they may pass on your services.

Super cheap DJs may book more jobs, but a $500/night DJ will have to DJ twice as many events to make as much money as a $1000/night DJ.

And certainly, a DJ priced too low may be a deterrent to some couples who worry that the DJ may be inexperienced or not particularly great. A $3000 car just naturally seems worse than a $50,000 car. But if all you can afford is $3000, then that’s the car you might buy.

Your fee will change over the years. It should! As you get more experience and get better at DJing, it’s natural to raise your prices.

But it’s also natural that you may go through times where your prices seem too high and thus you’re losing out on bookings. I’ve certainly lowered my prices from time to time.

You can also consider haggling with couples if you really want the job and are willing to charge less on a case-by-case basis.

For most couples, price is an important factor. They may eliminate certain DJs just because of price. If you’re getting inquiries but ultimately not booking, it’s very possible this is the main reason.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to lower your prices. But it may mean you need to do a better job convincing them you’re worth that price.

Ready for the complete guide to becoming a wedding DJ? Here you go.

You Didn’t Sell Your Services Well

It’s not enough to say “Hey, I’m a DJ, hire me.” You have to convince people you’re exactly what they want.

That’s why it’s essential you have an amazing sales pitch.

An amazing sales pitch:

Solves the client’s problems or frustrations with wedding DJs. Wedding DJs can be annoying or difficult or you name it – your sales pitch can show you’re not that. Rather, you’re exactly what they want.
Demonstrates your value as a wedding DJ rather than just your equipment and hour availability. You have loads of experience, you’ll be the easiest vendor to work with, and you’re great at what you do. You would be an amazing vendor for their wedding. They would be lucky to have you.
Answers the client’s needs as quickly and effectively as possible. You don’t play annoying salesy games or leave them guessing. You give the client exactly what they want as soon as possible.

An amazing sales pitch will get you more business. It may also convince potential clients, that otherwise would consider you out of their budget, that they’re willing to pay the additional money because they have to have you. You’ve sold your value, and they want in!

If you’re not getting bookings, perhaps you didn’t sell your services well.

Not Enough Reviews/Too Many Bad Reviews

Wedding DJ businesses survive and thrive on reviews. You simply must try to get as many reviews as you can from people who have used your services. And of course, you want those reviews to be glowing.

Common places couples may leave you reviews:

Google
The Knot
WeddingWire
Facebook
Yelp

Not surprisingly, wedding DJ businesses who have lots of positive reviews are going to seem more desirable than businesses with just a few or none at all.

If you’re low on reviews, and you’ve already asked all your past clients for one (and sent a reminder), then it may be worth keeping your prices very low for a bit, so you can DJ a lot of gigs and get a lot of potential reviews. You may not make as much money for a while, but you’ll really fill up your calendar, which will hopefully mean more reviews.

Potential clients will likely read over your reviews. Good ones will nudge them to contact you, while bad ones may scare them off.

If you have bad reviews, learn from them. Many review websites will allow you to respond publicly. Show humility and apologize. It’s okay to explain your side of things without being defensive or rude.

You can also offer refunds as a way to fix the situation and look like a nice person. “I’m sorry the services weren’t as good as you wanted. I’ll happily refund 50% as apology.”

A friendly, humble, and accommodating response has multiple benefits:

The disappointed client may feel better about the situation and amend their review to share that they were disappointed in the service but were very appreciative of how you rectified the situation. They may even delete their bad review!
Potential clients may see the bad review but then see the friendly response from you and determine you’re still worth considering. They may think, “Ah, must’ve just been an off night – no big deal!”

When potential clients see bad reviews, they want to get a sense that this bad incident was just a one-time occurrence, not a general problem with your wedding DJ business.

There were technical problems that caused issues at the wedding, but your response says you upgraded your equipment and haven’t had any problems since.
The couple was mad you appeared to be on your phone a lot of the night, but your response says that you’re sorry for this lapse in judgment and that you’re now keeping your phone put away at all future events.
You played the wrong song for one of the specific dances, but your response says you’re now going to be sure to double-check with future clients as to what songs should be played.

If you’re getting lots of bad reviews, well, obviously you have some serious issues with your business that you need to fix!

If you think you’ve now solved the issues, but the previous bad reviews still seem like too many, you could essentially start your business over with a new company name and new website/profiles. You’ll now have zero reviews, but at least you won’t have any bad ones! And you could always reach out to previous clients who gave you good reviews and ask if they’d kindly leave you a review again for this new company.

You Don’t Offer a Service They Want

You might’ve lost out on a job simply because you don’t offer a service the potential client wants.

For example, I lose out on some jobs because I don’t offer a photo booth. I don’t know when it was decided that wedding DJs should also offer photo booths (why not photographers?), but a lot of clients want this. And some DJ companies do offer this, so they’ll look more desirable to clients who want an all-in-one DJ/photo booth company.

Of course, if you want to add services like a photo booth, great! But if you don’t, then, yes, you might miss out on some jobs.

Similarly, some DJ companies also have photographers, officiants, wedding planners, live musicians, you name it, so these companies may seem more desirable to some clients.

But don’t bite off more than you can chew. A couple years ago I did try to add a photo booth to my services, but I got so stressed trying to acquire and learn the equipment, plus figure out the logistics of having to hire and train someone and the financials, that I decided, no! I’m a wedding DJ/emcee and just that. And that’s okay. But, yes, I do occasionally lose some jobs because of that. Fine with me.

Booking You Feels “Risky”

Clients are spending a lot of money on their weddings. Like, a whole lot. So they want assurance they’re getting their money’s worth and that their money won’t be wasted.

Tons of positive reviews can help assure them that you’re reliable, genuine, and will do a great job. People have verified you’re great.

But many clients are also curious about a backup DJ if you would get sick or need to cancel for any reason. This is where I lose some business as a solo DJ. I try to assure them that I’ve never cancelled once and that I would give them a full refund and help them find another DJ if I had to cancel for some crazy reason.

For some potential clients, this appeases them just fine.

For others, however, they’re disappointed and tell me this is the specific reason they didn’t hire me. 🙁

For some couples, it’s a deal-breaker that I don’t have another DJ essentially on call, who could easily step in and take over if I had to cancel at the last minute. I have other DJs in the area I could call, yes, but I don’t have a person who is literally standing by ready to go at a moment’s notice. Some companies offer this, and yeah, they are going to seem more desirable to some couples.

It may not be just the availability of a backup DJ either. There are other things that may make booking you seem risky.

During the consultation, they ask a question(s) that stumps you. You struggle to come up with an answer. Or what you say just sounds like you have no idea what you’re talking about – aka, that you’re inexperienced. And to them, this was a question they thought every DJ should have an answer to.
You show up late to the initial meeting or have to reschedule multiple times, so they assume you’re unreliable.
You tell them how you’ve had to cancel a few times or mention a time your equipment just stopped working, etc. Essentially, you tell them you’ve been unreliable in the past or that you don’t even have professional equipment in good shape.
They mention things they’ve told you before and you look puzzled. “Wait, what day is your wedding again?” Anything that implies you’re not on top of things or that you’re forgetful.

You Take Too Long to Respond

DJs who respond quickly to inquiries and any other contact are simply going to seem better. It shows you’re on top of things, that you take this seriously.

Think about it: You put a message out into the world, “Hey, I’m looking for tickets to Saturday’s baseball game. Anyone got any to sell?” You’re a lot more likely to buy from one of the first responses than the tenth person, even if that first person’s offer isn’t the best deal.

Of course, it’s not just about who responds first, but that can be a major advantage.

Some couples are eager to book a DJ as fast as possible. Wedding planning is stressful and never-ending. Some people just really want to get it done now.

DJs who take a long time to respond to inquiries (10+ hours, 24 hours later, etc.) will likely lose some jobs simply because of that.

Their Friend/Family Member Will Do It for Free/Cheap

It happens all the time. Like, it’s comical how often it happens.

You’re been talking to a potential client, and they’re showing some interest. And then, boom, they tell you they actually have a cousin who will DJ for free or some other similar arrangement.

Little you can do.

You can certainly try to reason with them, inquiring about the family member or friend’s equipment and experience and if that’s for sure what they want. But it’s kind of too late at this point. Oh well!

Seemingly every potential client has a family member or friend waiting in the wings who’s eager to get into DJing, so make sure your sales pitch stands out, so you can seem even better.

Other Common Reasons

There are so many reasons why someone might not book you, but here are some other common reasons:

Your personality. Something about your personality didn't jibe with them. Maybe you came off unfriendly, too in-your-face, too "salesy," too shy, etc.
Age. It can be unfair, but it's certainly possible some couples won't book you because of age. They may think you're too young (aka, perhaps inexperienced) or too old (aka, perhaps too old-fashioned or not up on current trends), even if these assumptions are false. If you detect this is the case, try to address it and frame it as a positive:
- Young: "I'm up on the latest hits, sure, but I love the classics too - you don't have to have lived in the '70s or '80s to love that music and happily play it. And yeah, it's true I don't have years and years of experience, but it also means I'm not potentially stuck in my ways like someone who's done this for decades. I try to bring a fresh approach that still values the great music and DJing from the past and present."
- Older: "I have 1000+ events of experience and am always up on the latest songs and styles. My business has continually evolved. I'm not a DJ who thinks music stopped being good after 1990 and refuses to play it."
Other biases. Unfortunately, other biases - gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, etc. - could certainly lose you some jobs. Little you can do, and, really, you don't want to work for people who would discriminate against you for being who you are anyway. Next!

Of course, it could also be that they're just not that into you. Sigh. It happens. You will not book every job. But keep improving your business, getting your name out there, and you should see some bookings.

If Bookings Still Aren't Happening

If you've done everything you can and you're still not getting bookings, you could always join another DJ company, where they will play a part in getting the bookings for you. Perhaps their reputation helps you get more jobs.

Of course, you'll now be sharing your DJ income with them - maybe they'll even take a big cut. And any positive reviews will go on their pages, not your personal DJ page. But it can be a way to at least get started in the business and get more experience or even build a nice career.