If you get overwhelmed at the thought of booking a tour, especially when it comes to reaching out to venues, I get it. I was SO green when I started.
And yeah, you're probably gonna flub a few conversations. I sure did! But I learned, got better, and eventually became a booking maven.
Here's the framework I used:
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Anchor Date
Your anchor date should be one of the biggest and best gigs of your tour. Look for:
- A festival or major event in your genre (many summer festivals are still booking!)
- A well-established venue in a major city that regularly draws crowds
- A hometown show with strong ticket sales potential (if you're starting from home base)
- An opening slot for a bigger act (this can be a great way to boost visibility)
Once you have an idea of your ideal anchor date, aim to book it first. This will give you a concrete timeline and location to build around.
Step 2: Research & Reach Out to Venues
Cold emailing and calling venues can feel intimidating, but it’s much easier when you have direct, up-to-date contact information for venue bookers. That’s where Booking-Agent.io comes in handy.
Boy do I wish I had this tool back when I first started booking!
This tool gives you direct access to venue booking contacts, capacity details, and submission guidelines, making your outreach far more effective.
How to Find the Right Venue:
- Search by city or region – If your anchor date is in Chicago, look for venues in nearby cities (Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis) to plan your route.
- Filter by genre and capacity – Ensure you’re targeting venues that fit your fanbase size and music style.
- Gather direct booking contacts – Skip the generic “info@” emails and reach out to the right person immediately.
Pro Tip: Personalize Your Outreach
Once you find the right venue and contact, send a short, personalized email introducing yourself.
Make your approach friendly, professional, and to the point to give you the best chance of getting responses!
Step 3: Lock in the Anchor Date & Build Around It
Once you secure your anchor gig, use it as leverage to book surrounding dates.
You can now reach out to venues within a 3-5 hour drive and mention your confirmed show. This increases your credibility with bookers, as they see you’re already touring in the area.
Step 4: Make The Most Of Each Day
Once your dates are set, look for other opportunities to perform on weeknights, weekend afternoons and even weekday lunch meetings.
What worked really well for me was to email my fan list once I secured an anchor date to ask them for suggestions. Local fans are a treasure trove of information. Ask if they know of any:
- Community clubs or associations that meet on weekdays for lunch or dinner that might be interested in entertainment.
- Coffee shops, bookstores or record shops that might like to host a touring artist
- Local house concert series
- Ongoing music opportunities at malls, libraries, farmer's markets, wineries or breweries
- People on your list who live in the area and would like to host a house concert
Step 5: Follow Up & Confirm Details
About one month before the tour, reach out to venues to confirm set times, load-in details, and promotion efforts.
A simple check-in email ensures everything runs smoothly.
The Most Important Thing
The most important thing? Start now!
The best summer dates are getting booked as we speak, and the sooner you begin, the better your chances of locking in a great tour route or series of mini tours.
So go for it—reach out, book that anchor date, and start building your best tour yet!
Always in your corner,
<3 Bree