What Makes a Good Club Promoter?

On By pancakemouseIn Uncategorized

I’ve been thinking about what makes a good promoter lately.

First, let’s start with the top three tangible complaints I hear about other promoters:

  1. Unwanted sexual advances: “He wouldn’t stop touching me even though I just wanted to have fun with my girls” (by far the top complaint in terms of impact/frequency)
  2. Boring/not sociable/no attempt to connect with the girls at the table: “He ignored us all night”
  3. Not professional/not delivering on promises: “We’re waiting on our promoter, he’s not here yet” / “He never answered my DM to come get us so we walked in alone”

There are a lot of intangibles as well that might make a girl unconsciously have a bad experience. For example, girls might not outwardly complain about the table constantly being out of mixers, but over time she might get annoyed and leave, or hop to another promoter that runs the table better.

After a lot of brainstorming, I’ve narrowed down the skills required to be a good promoter into five categories:

Professionalism

  • organization and business sense
  • punctuality (responding to messages quickly, showing up at venues before the girls do, quickly going outside the club to walk girls in)
  • table management (ordering new bottles at the right time, flagging down busboys to replenish cups/mixers)
  • setting realistic expectations and delivering on promises made

Hustle

  • drive to cold approach girls during the day and in the club to continue building leads
  • constant sales and networking to sell tables and bring in new clients
  • time spent messaging and inviting girls to come out

Charisma and Care

  • being able to build rapport with every type of girl
  • making girls feel welcomed and taken care of when they’re at the table (instead of treating them like a dollar sign to meet a nightly quota)
  • personal branding (style, Instagram account)

Fun

  • the energy and vivaciousness to play an entertaining host
  • being seen as an interesting and cool guy for girls to spend their night partying with

Gregariousness, Selflessness and Non-Neediness (Game)

  • being selective with the types of girls invited to the table, both in terms of attractiveness and personality
  • seeing other promoters as cooperative partners, not competition
  • NOT BEING PUSHY AND AGGRESSIVE WITH GIRLS AT THE TABLE (most important point on this whole list)
  • putting the nightly experience of the girls before one’s own enjoyment

Where do I stack up?

Here are actual quotations of compliments I’ve received both other promoters:

“I love the way you run your table”
“You’re really good at talking to people”
“I fuck with the way you do things man, most promoters are fuckboys”

and from girls:

“You answer my DMs instantly”
“Girls trust you because you make us feel comfortable”
“Wow, you’re the most genuine promoter I’ve ever talked to”
“I love how real and direct you are”

Compared to other New York City promoters, I would rate myself a 10 on Professionalism, an 8 on Hustle, a 10 on Charisma and Care, a 7 on Fun and a 10 on Gregariousness, Selflessness and Non-Neediness.

I have personally met 20-30 promoters so far, and observed 70+ promoters run their tables. Though there are some that outmatch me on individual categories, I have not yet seen someone that brings the complete package like I do.

I am now two and a half months into this adventure, and assuming I stay the course and continue gaining experience, I see nothing in my way to becoming the best promoter in New York City.

6 thoughts on “What Makes a Good Club Promoter?”

  2. Interesting post.

    And it sounds like “club promoter” isn’t just a promoter, but a “table host.”

    We have hostess girls here in Japan, that sit with guys, talk to them, create a good experience in the club… they are mostly there to sell drinks.

    You’re not quite that… but you are a “table host.” You’re there to “fill the club with a certain look,” is that right? And keep that look there.

    Do the girls ever pay anything? Or are they just atmosphere?

    You remain a very interesting case in the “world of Game.” And in this case, you a good example of being a “comfort guy” (vs what have been called “comfort girls” historically) – “servicing girls,” but paid by the club. It has male geisha qualities as well. it’s an unusual space.

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  3. ImChuckBass

    I have always felt that club promoting was a brilliant way to bring girls ‘to you’ rather than ‘pursuing’ them. Of course, it still comes with a time investment (the hustle) but it seems like a fantastic way to bring girls into your circle. By default, you’ll be able to ‘play the numbers game’ naturally. Do you think you’ll be dealing with a lot of girls in the 21-23 age bracket? I feel like it would be a brilliant way for a man in his thirties to pick up younger women, something I plan to do in 5 years when I hit my thirties. Thanks for your awesome blog posts.

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  4. Anonymous

    How long do you see yourself in the Promoter Game for Pancake? Next 5-10 years? We could use more people like you here in the Software Sales game, ever thought of making the jump to more professional sales roles in the future?

    Make a hell of a lot more money too.

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