Why are my bookings empty some months and packed to the brim others?

Because tattooing has its seasons, and many tattoo artists notice this from one year to the next. The start of the year is often quieter, following the expense of the festive season. Spring and the approach of summer bring demand back, driven by a desire for something new and designs people want to show off on bare skin. Paradoxically, the height of summer can also slow down certain projects, as healing doesn’t mix well with the beach, the swimming pool and the sun. Your own schedule also depends on your town, your clientele and your style, so the most reliable approach is to look at your own figures over one or two years. Once you’ve identified your cycle, you can stop simply enduring it: use the quiet periods to prepare what you’ll offer when demand picks up again, plan your activities for the quieter months, and schedule your holidays for when they’ll cost you the least. A planned lull is no longer a stressful one; it’s simply a different kind of work period.

Should you lower your prices during the off-peak season?

No. Undercutting your usual rates sends a simple message: your work is worth less than you claim. It also attracts a clientele who come for the price rather than your style, and who are unlikely to return when you charge the standard rate. And it creates a habit that’s hard to break: once people know you lower your prices in January, many will wait until January. There are better options. Offer a different format, such as a flash day with pre-designed motifs at a fixed price that’s clear from the outset. Highlight smaller projects that some clients might have put off due to a lack of availability during the peak season. Reach out to former clients who’d mentioned a second project. Or make the most of the quieter period to sketch, build up your portfolio and prepare for the next season. Your rate reflects your art, your time, your materials and your skills. It isn’t something to be sold off like a jumper at the end of the season.

Is Instagram essential for keeping your bookings full?

It’s now one of the main places where clients discover tattoo artists, so it’s difficult to do without it entirely. But relying solely on Instagram is risky. A change to the algorithm, a drop in reach or a suspended account can cause your enquiries to plummet overnight, without you having done anything differently. And an account that’s rarely updated or poorly organised often brings in less business than you might think. Ideally, you should have several avenues of business: a regularly updated Instagram account, a showcase profile on a dedicated platform where clients specifically search for a tattoo artist, word-of-mouth from your previous clients, and possibly events such as conventions or guest spots. Also remember that clients are becoming increasingly wary of accounts with large followings but which can’t be verified. Showing your certification, your healed tattoos and your real name is far more reassuring than a few thousand extra followers.

How far in advance should a flash day be announced?

There’s no one-size-fits-all rule, but posting an advert too late often ruins a good idea. Your potential clients need time to see the advert, choose a design, make arrangements and take the day off. Many tattoo artists post several weeks in advance, then follow up regularly as the date approaches, revealing the designs one by one. Each post thus becomes an opportunity to talk about the event without repeating the same announcement. A few tips to make it work: truly appealing flash designs, created especially for the occasion; a clear and transparent price set from the outset; simple rules on booking and the deposit required; and a date that doesn’t fall in the middle of a long weekend or the start of the holiday season. Also bear capacity in mind: it’s better to have a full day with a reasonable number of slots than an overbooked day where you’re rushing through designs one after the other without a break. The quality of the last tattoo of the day matters just as much as that of the first.

How can you reach out to former customers without coming across as pushy?

Start with a genuine reason to get back in touch, rather than a sales pitch. Checking in on how the tattoo is healing is the most natural approach: asking how they’re getting on a few weeks after the session shows you’re committed, and naturally opens up the conversation about a touch-up or a future project. A client who mentioned a second piece during their consultation will often be pleased that you remember this when a slot becomes available. A new series of flash designs, a special event or a change of address are also good opportunities to get in touch. Personalise each message: include their first name, the design you discussed together, and the area where the tattoo was done. A generic copy-and-paste message sent to fifty people is immediately obvious. And respect their privacy: if someone doesn’t reply, don’t press the issue. Good client follow-up relies on a well-maintained record: what was tattooed, when, and what was discussed for the future. Without that, you’re starting from scratch every time.

Is word of mouth still enough?

It remains one of the most powerful tools in the trade, especially once you’ve been established for a few years. A satisfied customer showing off their tattoo to friends and family is the best, and most credible, form of advertising there is. But these days, it rarely works on its own. Even if recommended by a friend, a prospective client will almost always check out your online portfolio before getting in touch. If your work is hard to find or your last post was two years ago, the recommendation is likely to end there. The right combination: work that makes people want to talk about it, an up-to-date online presence that backs up what the friend has said, and a simple way to contact you and book an appointment. You can also encourage word-of-mouth without being pushy: a lovely photo of the healed tattoo sent to the client, which they’ll be happy to share, or giving special attention to people referred by a previous client.

How to fill your tattoo artist’s bookings

Q: How can I tell if my bookings are really full?

By looking at appointments actually kept, not just those booked. Bookings that appear full may conceal last-minute cancellations, no-shows, unevenly distributed gaps throughout the week, or overloaded days followed by empty ones. A few simple indicators are all you need to get a clear picture: the number of sessions actually carried out each month, the rate of missed or late-cancelled appointments, the average time between a booking request and the session, and the proportion of returning customers. Check these once a month, that’s all you need. After a few months, you’ll know which periods are quiet, which channels bring you the best clients, and which strategies have really worked. You’ll then be able to plan ahead rather than react. This monitoring requires a minimum of organisation: a single, up-to-date booking system, rather than a mix of notebooks, messages and your memory. It’s often the first step towards bookings that fill up more regularly.

To keep your tattoo bookings full all year round, you need to stop being at the mercy of the seasons and focus on four key areas: an appealing portfolio, multiple sources of visibility rather than just one, a loyal client base that keeps coming back, and formats suited to quieter periods, such as flash days. And above all, don’t slash your prices when business slows down.

A tattoo artist’s bookings are a bit like the weather in the mountains: glorious sunshine in April, a storm of bookings in June, and in January, dead calm. You can’t control the weather, but you can be prepared. (Advice from three co-founders who are neither tattoo artists nor meteorologists. We did at least do some research into the former profession.)

Understanding your seasons rather than simply enduring them

The ups and downs

Many tattoo artists have noticed that the start of the year is often quieter, following the expense of the festive season, whilst spring brings a surge in demand, driven by a desire for something new and designs to show off. The height of summer can also put certain projects on hold, as the healing process, which, according to the French National Health Service, takes three to four weeks, doesn’t sit well with the beach and the sun.

Your own schedule depends on your town, your style and your clientele. The most reliable approach is to look at your figures over one or two years to identify your own pattern.

Turning quiet periods into productive ones

A planned lull is no longer a cause for anxiety. Now’s the time to sketch your next designs and photograph your healed tattoos for your portfolio. Or to go on holiday without feeling guilty: requests are fewer and further between anyway. What you prepare in January is what will fill your bookings in April.

Why you shouldn’t undercut your prices

It’s the number one temptation when your bookings are looking a bit thin, and it’s a bad idea. Lowering your usual rate tells everyone that your work is worth less than you’ve been advertising. It attracts customers who come for the price, not for your style. And it creates a habit: those who know you lower your rates in January will wait until January.

If you want to offer something special during a quiet period, change the format, not your prices: a fixed-price flash day, small projects in the spotlight, or a slot reserved for touch-ups.

Building visibility that makes people want to book an appointment

A portfolio that showcases your style

An effective portfolio isn’t just a collection of everything you’ve ever tattooed. It’s a coherent selection, focused on the style you really want to specialise in. Showcase your best pieces, well-lit, with framing that shows both the overall design and the finer details. And above all, show healed tattoos: more and more clients are realising that a photo taken straight after the session doesn’t tell the whole story.

Here’s a piece of advice that might seem counter-intuitive: don’t show designs you no longer want to do. Your portfolio attracts requests that are similar to it. If you’ve had enough of infinity symbols, stop posting them: eventually, the requests will stop coming in.

Several entry points

Relying on a single channel is risky. A change to the algorithm or a suspended account, and the enquiries dry up. Combine several sources:

an Instagram account updated regularly rather than frequently;
a showcase profile on a platform where customers specifically search for a tattoo artist near them;
word of mouth from your previous clients;
Conventions and guest spots, to reach a different clientele.

Your certification: an underestimated selling point

More and more clients are aware that a tattoo artist must be trained in hygiene and registered with the ARS. Showing your certification, your workplace and how you work puts people at ease, especially those getting their first tattoo. In this respect, an amateur tattoo artist can’t compete with you: they have nothing to show for themselves. Our guide to ARS registration explains in detail what makes you a fully compliant tattoo artist.

What a customer looks at before contacting you

Putting yourself in the shoes of someone looking for a tattoo artist helps a lot. We’ve got some experience in this area, and not the best kind: our first three tattoos all ended up needing touch-ups, because none of us had looked at the right criteria. Before getting in touch with you, she usually checks five things, often in a matter of seconds:

Your style: does your portfolio match what she has in mind?
Your healed tattoos: do they last?
Your professionalism: certification, workplace, and how you talk about hygiene.
Your availability: can she expect to get an appointment within a reasonable timeframe, and how does she book?
Your responsiveness: a request left unanswered for ten days often ends up going to someone else.

Just one weak point on this list is often enough to make someone move on to the next candidate, without ever having contacted you. A quick reply, even just to say that you’re fully booked until March, is always better than silence: many clients are happy to wait for a tattoo artist who has replied to them.

Preparing for the peak season before it arrives

When requests start flooding in, you won’t have time to get organised. So you need to do it in advance: open bookings for the spring at the end of winter, prepare your standard confirmation and reminder messages, clarify your booking terms, and block out slots in your booking calendar for drawing and rest. A tattoo artist who’s exhausted by June won’t do as good a job in July. Protecting your energy is also part of managing your bookings.

Retaining customers rather than starting from scratch

Monitoring the healing process

Checking in with a client a few weeks after their session is both a sign of professionalism and a natural way to stay in touch. This is often when the next project is born, or when a touch-up is arranged.

Touch-ups

A well-managed touch-up builds trust with a client who has already experienced your work. It’s also a short appointment, perfect for filling a gap in your bookings.

A relationship spanning several years

A satisfied customer rarely returns the following month. They come back in a year, or three years’ time, for a new design, and often bring a friend who has seen their tattoo and wants the same tattoo artist. Keeping a record of each customer, what was tattooed, when, and what they mentioned about future designs, allows you to get back in touch at the right time with a message that’s relevant to them.

Flash days for quiet periods

A ‘flash day’, featuring designs created especially for the occasion at a fixed price, is the classic way to fill a slot. It often attracts a more spontaneous clientele, different from those seeking bespoke designs, and helps broaden your reach.

For it to work:

announces it several weeks in advance, with follow-up messages showing the designs one by one;
It sets out clear rules regarding bookings and the deposit to be paid, just as with any other appointment;
It limits the number of slots: the last tattoo of the day deserves the same quality as the first.

Guest spots and collaborations

Spending a few days at another studio, in another town, allows you to be discovered by a clientele who would never have found you otherwise. A quiet week at home turns into a busy week elsewhere, and you come back with contacts your Instagram account would never have reached. Announce your guest spot well in advance, across all your channels, with the dates, the city and a few flash designs created for the occasion: local clients need time to discover you and book an appointment. Collaborations between tattoo artists, such as a series of designs created jointly or a shared day’s work, work on the same principle: each artist introduces the other to their own community. Remember to check the registration requirements with the ARS for your temporary practice location.

Keep track of your figures, even if only a little

You don’t need a spreadsheet with thirty columns. Once a month, check the number of sessions actually carried out, cancellations and no-shows, the time between a booking and the session, and the proportion of returning customers. Within a few months, you’ll know what works. As for missed appointments, our article on no-shows sets out ways to reduce them.

What if your bookings are already full?

Well, that’s great, and well done to them. If you’ve got a loyal client base, bookings full months in advance and a system that works for you, you don’t necessarily need yet another tool. Tat’s It Pro is designed for tattoo artists who need greater visibility or better organisation. If you don’t need either of those things, you don’t need us, and that’s perfectly fine. Just keep this article to hand for the day when your bookings aren’t quite so full.

Find out more

If you want greater visibility amongst clients looking for a genuine tattoo artist near them, Tat’s It Pro gives you a showcase profile featuring your portfolio, a clear booking system to spot gaps in advance, and a messaging service to communicate with your clients, all with no commission on your bookings.

An idea, a tattoo, Tat’s It.