You’re Not Their Backup Plan: How to Market Your Band’s Shows with Pat Watters

Twenty years ago, Pat Watters looked at Texas country’s self-sustaining scene, where bands lift each other up and fans proudly claim their own, and asked a simple question: why only Texas? He’s spent every year since 2008 answering it in Wisconsin, building the Pat Watters Band on unapologetic regional pride. As a marketing agency partner, he knows exactly how bands get found. Stop pitching your gig like a fallback. “If you’re free Friday night” tells people you’re the last resort, so talk like you’re the best option and they just haven’t heard about it yet. Guard against oversaturation, because if fans can see you anytime, they’ll never actually come. Load your originals early while the room is still listening, and give every song a story worth leaning in for.

Then work all three relationships: artist to artist, artist to media, and artist to fan. You’ll hear how the Midwest Country Music Organization turned rival bands into a real community, and why one musicians’ dinner on a slow Monday could start the same thing in your town. Pat shares his show-promotion formula: title every Facebook event with your band name and the venue, drop the event link in the comments, and post one simple day-of line that gets your followers asking where. Don’t build on rented land. Own your domain and your mailing list, and spend a few smart dollars on Meta ads. Then dress like you meant to be on that stage. Become a bigger version of yourself, and Always Be Performing.

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 557 – Monday, October 26, 2026
  • October 26th: National Chicken Fried Steak Day
  • Guest co-host: Pat Watters
• 00:02:24 Texas, a collaborative musical environment
  • Pat Green from Texas, an inspiration!
• 00:06:24 Leveraging regional pride
• 00:10:56 Assume you’re the best option, they just don’t know about it yet
  • Marketing your band in 2026
  • Re-making room for music post-COVID-lockdowns
  • “If you’re free Friday night”
  • Create FOMO…ASSUME FOMO.
• 00:13:50 Manage saturation, resist the temptation to play too often
  • “If somebody can go see you anytime, they’ll never go see you.”
• 00:15:32 Beware the three-year arc
  • Make yourself less available
• 00:16:26 Playing covers as an original band
  • Play originals at the beginning of the night, covers towards the end
• 00:19:38 Give the audience a reason to pay attention
  • “Upbeat Songs About Death” – Bitter Pill AND the Pat Watters Band
• 00:21:18 That public talk is also self-talk
  • Our job is to entertain
• 00:23:16 SPONSOR: Tidal Upload. Visit https://Tidal.com/giggab to create an account and start uploading your music for free.
• 00:24:27 SPONSOR: Hims. With Wegovy® at Hims, lose up to 20% of your body weight when combined with diet and exercise. Visit https://hims.com/giggab to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.
• 00:25:54 Three relationships: artist-to-artist, artist-to-media, and artist-to-fan
  • Midwest Country Music Organization
  • Related: Building fans through theatrical live shows with Neonautica (Gig Gab 555)
• 00:31:59 Create an evening for yourself
• 00:36:11 Formula for marketing your shows
  • Learn your audience’s demographics
  • Facebook event and a Facebook post (with a link to the event in the comments)
  • Keep website up-to-date
  • “I get to play country music today.”
  • Related: Social media for musicians with Chris Cron (Gig Gab 554)
• 00:47:14 Always create your own event
  • “The Pat Watters Band at [Venue]”
• 00:48:10 Don’t Build on Rented Land
  • Joe Pulizzi – The Content Marketing Institute
  • Have a website and a mailing list
• 00:53:51 Marketing on Facebook Ads
  • Meta Business Manager
  • Keeping a band together
• 00:59:46 Intentionally Wear a Costume on Stage
  • “Performers are all figments of our own imagination” – Kris Kristoffe