Ever posted a musician ad and got zero replies - or worse, replies that are not relevant? Learning how to create attention-grabbing ads is crucial. This guide will help you get more replies from the right musicians.
Writing a good musician ad isn't just about getting more replies — it's about getting the right replies. Most bands don't fall apart because of bad music, they fall apart because of poor commitment, personality clashes, or simply choosing the wrong people in the first place. We recently looked at why bands split up, and the results showed that finding reliable bandmates matters far more than most musicians realise.
Title
First impressions are important, and this will be the first thing people read.
Example of a poor ad title: "Guitarist after band".
This tells us almost nothing. On the other hand, a title such as "Experienced rhythm guitarist looking to create new indie band" is far more engaging and makes people want to read more.
You don't need to add your location to the title. Bandonkers will add this automatically based on your postcode.
Genres and influences
Listing a few bands you love is one of the most important steps in writing great ads. If you listen to different music than you play, focus on what you actually want to play. People will instantly know whether they'll connect with your sound.
Standard and experience
Bandonkers gives you an optional 'Standard' dropdown you can select when creating your ad. Once the ad is posted, this shows under the description, allowing users to see this key information at a glance, without having to read all the details. Adding details such as how long you've been playing, whether you've been in bands before or whether you have gigging experience is extremely helpful in letting others gauge whether you'd be a good fit.
If you've got gig experience, shout about it — it carries real weight with potential bandmates. If you're still working towards that first performance, take a look at our guide on how to perform well on stage.
Commitment
This is one of the most common sources of friction in bands. Do you only have time for one rehearsal a month, or are you available most days? Either is fine — just be honest and state it clearly in your ad. There's no point getting together with people that have vastly different amounts of time they can commit to a project. State your availability up front and save everyone time and awkward conversations down the line.
A bit about the band or yourself
People want to know who they'd be joining. A couple of sentences about how long you've been playing, what you've done so far (open mics, studio recordings, local gigs) and what the vibe is like goes a long way. It makes you sound like real people rather than a job listing.
Ad Length
Stay on topic and keep it as brief as possible. People generally don't read long ads. Unless extra information is essential to your project, try and keep it to four or five short, friendly paragraphs detailing the key points laid out in this post. The goal is to give someone enough to know whether they're compatible.
Language
A lot of ads use slang, contain many spelling mistakes and use letters like "u" instead of the word "you". Low-effort writing can give the impression you're not very serious, making users question whether you'd be a reliable and motivated musician.
Add your image
Bandonkers allows you to add an image of yourself or your band which will show on any ad you post. People instantly notice ads with images among text-only listings. It also makes your ad feel more personal as users can see who they're speaking to. As a general rule of thumb, adding your image gets you more replies.
Age
In the same way you can select your 'Standard' as noted above, you can also optionally select your age group. Again, this gives users the ability to see this without having to read the entire ad. Some musicians or bands will only want to collaborate with people similar to their own age. This goes back to the point of getting relevant replies. There's no point getting replies that are non-starters.
Featured ads
After you write your ad following the points laid out in this blog, you can pay a very small fee to give your ad an extra boost. This highlights your ad and bumps it to the top of ad listings wherever possible. It also shows you're committed. People who aren't serious are unlikely to invest in featuring their ad.
Things to avoid
On Bandonkers you can reply directly to any ad through the site, so there's no need to include your phone number or email address in the body of your ad. It's worth avoiding this - ads are public, and personal contact details sitting on a web page can be picked up by bots and spam scrapers. You'll get enough cold calls and junk mail without giving them a helping hand. If someone is genuinely interested, the on-site messaging is right there.
Example of a Great Musician Ad (What Good Looks Like)
Let's assume you've added your image, selected your Standard and Age Group.
Title:
Experienced Guitarist Looking to Start Indie/Alt
Band
Description:
Hi, I'm Sam, a rhythm/lead guitarist (10+ years playing) looking to start or join an indie/alternative band. Influences include Arctic Monkeys,
The Strokes, Foals and Sam Fender.
I've played in a couple of bands before, done local gigs and some basic recording, and I'm looking to build something with a similar level of commitment. Ideally aiming to write original music and play live shows.
Available to rehearse once or twice a week in the evenings. Based locally but happy to travel a bit for the right setup.
Easygoing, reliable and keen to work with people who are serious but also want to enjoy the process.
Drop me a message if this sounds like a good fit.
Ready to post? Create your free ad today and start connecting with musicians who actually match your style, availability and goals.