CB Comedy Booker

For Comedians

How to Get Your First Paid Stand-Up Comedy Gig

· 9 min read

The first cheque is the hardest. Once you've cashed one, the rest follow a predictable pattern. This guide is about the first one — the moment you stop being someone who does comedy and start being a comic who gets paid for it.

What "first paid gig" actually means

A first paid gig isn't a $5 bar tab. It's a booked, advertised slot where money changes hands and your name is on the lineup. There are three realistic versions:

  1. A bar/restaurant guest spot — $25 to $75 to do 10 minutes opening for a paid show, often arranged by a producer who's seen you at mics.
  2. A corporate or private booking — $100 to $500 to perform 15 to 25 minutes at someone's office party, fundraiser, or private event.
  3. A booked feature at a small club — $50 to $150 to do 15 to 20 minutes opening for a touring headliner.

The third one is the goal. The first two are how most comics actually start.

The four-thing checklist before you start asking

You need all four of these before you put your hand up. Asking before you have them wastes the booker's time and burns the relationship.

  • A tight, repeatable 10 minutes. Not "ten minutes I have written." Ten minutes that has been performed at open mics enough times that you know exactly which beats land.
  • A clean tape. A single-take video, three minutes, shot from the back of a room, audio not from your phone. Bad audio kills you here — borrow a Zoom recorder or a lapel mic if you have to.
  • Two booker references. People who've seen you do well and would say so if asked. Not your friend who hosts the open mic — a producer of an actual show.
  • Some kind of online presence. A bio page, an Instagram, anything a booker can google to confirm you're real and not going to be weird at their venue.

If you don't have all four, work on the missing ones. The "why won't anyone book me" frustration that comics post online is almost always a missing item from this list.

How to ask: the three approaches that work

1. The in-person ask

After a show — not before, never before — find the producer. "Loved the show. I host an open mic every Tuesday and I'm looking for guest spots. Could I send you a tape?" Then send the tape within 24 hours. Following through on a small thing is what separates you from 90% of comics.

2. The cold email

Works once you have credits. Format:

Subject: Available May/June — Sam Reid, host of Tuesday Mic at The Comet

Hi [name],

I've been hosting Tuesday Mic at The Comet for the past 8 months and 
have done guest spots at [room A] and [room B]. I'm available for guest 
spots or feature work on Fridays through Sundays in May and June.

Recent tape (3 mins, clean): [link]
Credits: [room A], [room B], [festival if any]

Would love to be on your radar for upcoming shows.

Sam

That's the whole email. Bookers do not read more than this.

3. The "produce your own first" approach

If you can't get on, build one. Rent a room above a pub for a Sunday afternoon. Book three comics you respect. Charge $5. Pay yourself a feature spot on your own show. Now you have a credit and a tape from a real audience. Many working comics started exactly this way.

What to bring to the gig

  • Your tightest material, period. This is not the day to try the new bit.
  • A backup five minutes in case the show runs short.
  • Cash for the merch table if there is one. Tip the host.
  • Show up an hour early. Stay until the headliner is done.

What to do after

Send a thank-you to the booker within 48 hours. One paragraph. Say you'd love to be back. Don't ask "when's the next one" — that's their job to offer.

Then ask the booker if they know anyone else hiring. They almost always do, and a referral from a producer carries more weight than any cold email you could send.

The compounding part: First paid gig leads to second leads to fourth in roughly 6–12 months if you don't drop the ball on any of them. Most comics drop the ball on the follow-up email. Don't.

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