What Is It?
An electronic press kit (EPK) is an online portfolio designed to showcase an artist/band’s key information and links all in one place. While they vary in their look, length, and format, a well-designed EPK should be eye-catching and provide an overview of who you are, your highlights, and where to find your work.
Why Should You Have One?
EPKs are vital assets for industry outreach. Whether you’re wanting to approach booking agents, venues, labels, promoters, or other professionals, it’s the often the first impression that they have of you. Standing out with a professional EPK shows someone exactly why to pay attention now.
What It Should Include
Artist Bio
A well-written, to-the-point artist biography gives a direct insight into the story behind your music. Ensuring that this is a professional, third-person narrative which shows progression in your journey is essential.
Press Shots
High quality press pictures provide a visual introduction to your artistry and what makes you different. Including a mixture of landscape and portrait images is advised since format restrictions vary depending on the opportunity/use.
Key Releases
Showcasing relevant releases, including most popular, recent, and upcoming projects is important to highlight a timeline and milestones for your music. Use links and cover images (depending on the design) if you want a more visual, eye-catching story.
Live Shows
A list of recent and upcoming live dates not only shows that there is momentum around your music but also makes it easy for people to locate where you’ve been playing and where to catch you next.
Press/Radio Highlights
Quotes from press and radio tastemakers can be a great way to add credibility and demonstrate notable co-signs. Don’t be afraid to leave this section blank if you don’t have any/many yet, but equally smaller outlets can show local/grassroots buzz.
Streaming and Social Media Links
Hyperlink your profiles to all major streaming and social platforms to make it easy for people to find and connect with you. If there are platforms that you use most/have the most traction on, make sure to link these first.
Contact Information
Providing a main contact email that is regularly checked, as well as management, and booking agent contacts (if applicable). Make it easy for people to get in touch!
Common Mistakes
Lack of Organisation
An EPK should organise your information in one place, with each section being easy to navigate and flowing into the next. Use headings, images, and links to indicate where people should look for relevant information.
Poorly written bio
Irrelevant information, bad grammar, and taking too long to get to the point can all negatively impact the tone you’re setting in your EPK. Ensuring high quality writing skills or investing in a professionally written artist bio is recommended.
Low quality press images
Screenshots, low-res, and improperly cropped files not only don’t meet industry standard, but more importantly, they make it difficult for your images to be used.
Too Much Information
While understanding an artist’s background is important, including too much and unnecessary pieces of information can waste time and cause people to lose interest, reducing the chance of being offered opportunities.
Outdated Content
Updating your EPK on a regular basis is key. Check that links are still valid, bios/live shows are up to date, press shots are relatively recent and reflect how you look now. Old information can be both inconvenient and affect credibility.
How To Make One
With so much information to collate and a variety of platforms to choose from, designing an EPK can often feel daunting so here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Collecting all of your information
This includes links, bio, press shots, highlights, contact information and more.
- Choose a platform that suits your needs
As an artist, having something that is customisable and allows you to stand out is key.
- Design a layout, colour scheme, and format
Make sure that this feels authentic to you and your brand.
- Organise content
Include information in a way that makes sense and is easy to find key assets.
- Review and Publish
Double check that everything is working as it should, then share via a public link.
- Update Regularly
Stay on top of updating your EPK whenever you have new information/changes to make.
Need Help?
Kycker offers two types of EPKs. While our One-Sheets provide an engaging overview of your artistry at a glance, our full-length EPKs/landing pages offer a more in-depth, interactive look at your work to secure a memorable first impressive. Tailored to your brand and style, we create each EPK to capture the unique vision of each artist and maximise the chance of getting that ‘Yes!’ you’re looking for.
And if you’re just looking to get some more information before making one yourself, feel free to book a consultation with one of our expert team to ask all the questions you may have.
