Your 5 Proven Steps To DJing Like a Pro, Part 5: Success [Summer School Podcast]

So you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it’s hard to know where to start, it’s hard to know what to practise, and it’s hard to know if you’re getting better.

This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.

Here we’re going to look at step five, which is success. We covered the previous four steps – gear, music, mixing, and performing – in earlier articles

You’ll find a YouTube video where I give you extra thoughts, and a podcast version as well, which you can subscribe to – do this now, so you don’t miss any of them.

You’ll learn plenty from the articles and accompanying video/audio to make solid improvements in your DJing, but if you want to learn more, we’ll direct you to a free online version of the book, and I’ll also explain what extra material is available in our course based on the book, The Complete DJ Course.

Step 5: Success

Success is all about where you go with your DJing skills. Once you’ve mastered the other four steps – you understand how DJ gear works and you’re comfortable on different types of gear, you have a functional music collection that you’re highly familiar with and happy to DJ with, you’ve got a well-chosen and practised selection of skills that you can use in front of any crowd, and you have enough experience of playing DJ sets like a pro – I promise you, you’re going to want more and more!

But while this is an enviable position to find yourself in, it pays to make the most of it once you get there.

You know you need to work on this step when:

• You’ve achieved some goals but have a feeling you may be stagnating
• You feel others are succeeding where you think you deserve to
• You’re a bit bored and want to find something new in DJing to excite you again

Our biggest tip

DJing is now much bigger than the club. If you present yourself properly to the world with some simple, learnable steps, you can successfully find or create opportunities to DJ in all kinds of circumstances.

Read this next: Where To Get DJ Gigs (Beyond Clubs & Festivals)

Yes, of course this includes the obvious ones like playing clubs, bars, lounges and events, but you can also DJ online, you can share DJ mixes, and nowadays you can easily remix, re-edit and create your own music, both for your DJ sets and to share with others.

And so it’s easy to see that DJing as a hobby is now broad and mature enough to give you a genuine pursuit for life, if you master this step. The trick here is to understand the options that are available to you, and to pick ones that suit where you are now and your long-term DJing career.

Audio version

Here’s what’s covered…

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:14 Episode overview
• 2:12 Tip #1 – Make the time
• 3:42 Tip #2 – Find your community
• 5:05 Tip #3 – Celebrate your wins
• 6:04 Tip #4 – Know your next steps
• 8:33 Tip #5 – Don’t wait to help others

Find Out More

The fifth and final section of our book, Rock The Dancefloor!, deals with this step, with chapters on getting regular DJ gigs, building your DJ profile, breaking into your local scene, landing regular DJ slots, throwing your own events, setting up a mobile DJ business, becoming a DJ/producer, creating DJ mixes, and DJ livestreaming. Go here to access the book for free.

Ready to take the next step? With 10 video lessons dedicated to this step, you can join me as I teach you all of this and more inside our all-new Complete DJ Course.