How to Get Asked to Perform More Magic

The vast majority of magic performed around the world happens in informal settings rather than in proper shows. In these situations, magicians have always asked themselves the same question: What is the best way to bring up their magic in a manner that is both appropriate and effective?

The possibilities are many, but one of the best scenarios is when it’s the audience itself that wants to see more magic from you—and therefore asks for it.

This is true mainly for hobbyists, of course—but even for those who perform full shows, the worst possible situation is being forced to perform for an audience that doesn’t want to see what you do.

So, the question that lingers is: how do we make our audience want to see more magic?

The first thing that might come to mind is that to be talked about enough for people to want to see what you do; you need a strong social media strategy. You need good videos, solid promotion, a website, and so on.

That’s true, but that’s not all there is to it. To be asked to do more magic, you don’t necessarily need a big budget, nor do you need to be an expert in social media.

There are several small considerations you can apply while performing magic that significantly increase the chances that others will want to see more in the future, allowing you to introduce your magic without imposing yourself on the audience or risking being rude, but simply because you’re being asked.

This doesn’t just guarantee a more receptive audience; it also builds a stronger reputation and encourages word-of-mouth. Even those who don’t directly ask you to perform will notice that many others do—creating a kind of contagion.

The practical advice that follows can be imagined in situations where you’re doing magic for a group of acquaintances you’ll see again in a few weeks, and who might ask to see more, or during a walk-around performance, where you hope someone from the audience will later tell the event organizer to book you again.

In all these cases, there will almost always be a kind of hero spectator: the person who breaks the ice by asking you to do more magic, or by recommending you to someone else. This is often someone who’s passionate about magic, or simply enthusiastic about what you do, perhaps someone who took an active part in the performance.

The first piece of advice (and the most important one) is therefore to treat your audience well and to think about everything you do from their perspective, without experiencing the performance as a challenge or an opportunity to monopolize attention.

Once we move past this first, obvious (but far from trivial) piece of advice, the next fundamental step is choosing what material to present to your audience.

The best way to understand how to get asked for more magic in the future is to imagine what someone in the audience would want their friends to see as well.

That person might come back to you in an hour, a week, or a month—this time accompanied by friends. What makes them feel the need to say, “Guys, you have to see this!”?

This is the best possible introduction to your magic: when someone in the audience is promoting you, quite literally.

For that to happen, you need the right material. Material that is easy to understand, easy to describe in a single sentence, and easy to summarize with a single image. Simplicity is the key.

You have to imagine the spectator from your audience going to their friends and saying, “You have to see the magician bending forks,” or “My money was levitating!”

Simple images. Easy to sum up in one sentence.

No one will ever say, “You have to see the four Aces being cut to and then divided into four piles, and then three cards are placed on top, and the cards are mixed and…” and so on.

Longer, more complex routines—as well as those with lengthy presentations—tend to lose this “contagion” power among spectators. Of course, they can absolutely belong in a set of tricks. But it’s important to be aware that, most likely, they won’t be the routines that get you asked for more magic.