Get into Night Clubs for Free in New York, Los Angeles, and Elsewhere

Night life in New York and Los Angeles can get pretty expensive-if you go out regularly, you will encounter cover of about $20 per person at many high-end venues, and around $10 to $15 per person at middle-of-the-road night clubs. In addition to that, bottle service or drinks could cost as much as $100 to $300 per person. (Drinks are notoriously overpriced at night clubs; that is their bread and butter.)

The best way to get into a night club for free is to own the club. Short of that, the best way is to befriend the promoters who work on a freelance or part-time basis for the club. These are young, usually outgoing folks who get paid to spread the word about the club-and to make sure that the right crowd stops in for a few drinks.

If you see a promoter out one night, offer to buy him or her a drink. Tell him a bit about yourself, including your favorite night clubs and emphasize how many friends you could bring to a club with you. Also tell him if you have an affluent or "impressive" sounding job-for example, if you are a producer, magazine reviewer, or Web entrepreneur, these may all impress the promoter.

In general, the promoter will give you his business card or contact info when you part ways. Contact him before you plan on going out one night and ask if he can "hook you up" with anything-if he likes you, you may find yourself with your friends at a free V.I.P. table, getting drinks on the house and also breezing right past the long line at the door.

Believe me, it pays to befriend a few well-ranking promoters. You will be able to get in on busy nights and you will save potentially hundreds or thousands of dollars in drinks and cover.

I don't recommend friending your promoter on Facebook or MySpace, however, as some of these promoters are fairly ruthless and will spam every "hot" friend you have on these social networks to get more attractive people to visit the club. This will simply annoy your friends and will reflect poorly on you. Promoters will also constantly send you invites to various upcoming events; so it is your choice if you want to receive these invites or not.

Maintain your friendship by occasionally inviting the promoter out for drinks when he is not working, or make sure that he sees you are bringing a lot of people into his club on a night when he lets you in for free. All of these things will impress the promoter and keep you on friendly terms with him. And, of course, a good attitude and a smile goes a long way.