Navigating the Tarot Renaissance: A Guide for Local Gigs

Over the last few years, more people are looking for tarot readers and becoming readers themselves. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, with searches for "tarot" spiking during lockdowns as in-home tarot practice proliferated.

In 2020, tarot enthusiasts took to social media platforms in droves. With events going digital, readers started honing their skills with live readings on Instagram, TikTok tarot tips, and Zoom workshops—and many launched online tarot businesses. And then as the physical world began to open up, those same tarot enthusiasts began transferring those talents to physical spaces to expand their clientele.

Three years later, the tarot community has firmly embedded itself in brick-and-mortar venues of all kinds in cities, suburbs, and even rural areas. Dedicated platforms like Moonlight emerged too - making it even easier for readers to run sustainable virtual practices while simultaneously establishing themselves in local venues.

If you're a tarot reader who's curious about sharing your talents in physical spaces—whether through readings or workshops—here's a guide with tips!

Searching locally.

Look for businesses and venues that already host tarot events (like bars, cafes, and salons), places owned by members in your community, places you frequent, and markets that host readers or would otherwise be a good fit for you. Make a list of your findings along with their contact information: names, social media channels, and emails.

If you're out and about, going to pop-up food, craft, or clothing markets is a great way to build clients and establish relationships with other entrepreneurs in your area. It’s a BoGo deal of networking and making money. Ask other vendors where they go. Or follow them online and send them a DM.

Cold emailing into the void.

Cold emails are a necessary evil with any kind of event whether it’s one you’re planning or hoping to join. Are they fun? No. Are they worth it? Yes.

It’s an elevator pitch: Who you are, how would your services help them, a quick summary of what you’re offering, and a call to action to discuss further details. Aim for around 6 sentences total. Business owners are busy, we want to keep it short and fun.

The hardest part of cold emails is starting the process, but once you’ve written your first few, it almost becomes a copy/paste game. Create a document with templates for the different kinds of places you email. You don’t have to make them all at once, but when you make a new version, add it to the document for the next time you need it. 

After hitting send, if the business is on social media, raise your visibility with them. Like, comment, share, and by all means make sure you’re following them. Let them put a face to the email.

Figuring out fees.

Finances are personal, and your decisions around them will fluctuate. Several markets and fairs have vendor’s fees, and that can be the deciding factor on whether we participate. Boiled down, the question is “Will I make a profit, and can I afford it if I don’t?” Sometimes, you can get lower vendor fees based on identity, need, or bartering. And if not, we can always put that event on a list to try later when we have the funds.

As mystical practitioners, we also ask “How will the company I’ll be around feed me spiritually?” Some markets, you won’t make any money but the people you meet make up for that. You might meet someone who becomes a longterm client down the road. Other times, you may be booked the whole time, but people’s energy you encounter can drain you. So it’s important for us to find the balance between our monetary and our spiritual needs without forsaking one for the other.

Promoting yourself.

We’ve booked the gig (Congrats!) and now it’s time to get people there. Post on your socials, websites, newsletters, Discord servers, Facebook groups, staple fliers to streetlights, make sure your local barista knows.

This is where we get to have fun. Aim for no less than 5-7 posts leading up to the event. The closer you get to 20, the better. You can create these for one event and then create a copy and update it for any future gigs you book.

1. Make the announcement. Let people know where you’re gonna be, when you’re gonna be there, and what you’re going to be doing. Be sure to tag the host and any other vendors to build that network.

2. Suggest prompts or spreads. Get people thinking about what they’ll do there rather and if they go. By suggesting prompts or questions, our clients can get some ideas about what reading they’d want and get people excited to see you and get those questions answered.

3. Mention specific decks you’re bringing. We love a cute little teaser trailer! A lot of us feel drawn to specific artwork or feel “called” to a deck. You can also tell them about your deck’s personality or specialty to give clients an idea on what kind of insight they’d receive.

4. Send thanks. My grandma taught me to never underestimate the power of a Thank You card. Tag the host and vendors to say thank you to them and everyone who showed up that day. Extra Credit: Use this post to preview your next events.

Seeing everyone and their black cat book back-to-back events can make us feel like we’re being left behind. The best way to take care of that is by moving forward. Hopefully, these tips will give you a solid skeleton to fill out and make your own. See you out there!