No matter how tight your set is, no matter now sweet your remixes are and no matter how many booties get to shaking on the dance floor, misrepresenting yourself on the microphone could severely hurt your chances for more gigs and more fans. Remember a few basics and everything else will stand for you and your expertise. You don’t have to go to DJ school to know that the mic is both your best friend and worst enemy.
1. Say Your Name
You want people to remember you, but if they don’t know your name they will not. Funny thing about folks and the good times they have, they’re not always trying to remember the DJ. Make them remember you. Every time you crack that mic you need to say your name.
Do not say it in the same place every time you speak though. Open up with it sometimes, close with it others and vary it up in between. You only need to say it once, though. Say it several times each time you talk and people will get annoyed. You want to self-promote, you don’t want to pester.
2. Don’t Talk Too Much
The average intro to a song is about 18 seconds. That’s all you need to say your name and get your point across. If you’re talking for longer than that you’d better be comedian too. They came for the music. Not your voice.
3. Be Brief And Be Clear When You Do Speak
Being brief as opposed to not talking so much means that what you say has a point. Don’t just get on the mic and riff whatever comes to mind. Make sure that what you say is focused and clearly explicates what you wanted to get across.
You control the microphone. You control the party. As the DJ what you say should make them want to pay attention. If you’re just running your mouth about how much fun you’re having, you may find that folks will tune you out when you have something important to say. Be brief and be clear so that your words carry weight every time you crack the mic.
4. Write Down What You Have To Say (If Need Be)
‘Um’ and ‘uh’ are your enemy. These words will extend the amount of time you talk. These words will steal power from what you’re trying to say. They will injure your presence and steal the effectiveness of your set. Do not say those two words. Ever.
You’re a DJ so you probably have a laptop nearby if not right in front of you at a gig. If not, then you probably have a smartphone. If you can’t get through talking without saying ‘um’ and ‘uh’ then type out what you need to say and read it when you have to say it. Yeah, this is a beginner move, but after a few gigs you’ll get the hang of it and won’t need to write it down so much. But don’t be afraid to do it. Almost no one will know and whoever does will forget it. But they’ll remember what you said though. That’s what’s important.
5. Announce Your Next Gig
Every time you DJ you should be telling your audience where and when you’ll be next performing. Consider your crowd first though. If you’re DJing at a club and your next gig is the county fair, you don’t necessarily need to tell everyone where you’ll be next. Also, be careful about announcing a gig at a competing venue since that may be frowned upon by management (as well it should). Aside from that, make sure people know how they can next experience a set tailored by you. If you don’t self-promote, who will?
