Why Every Artist Needs an Electronic Press Kit (EPK)

TL;DR

An EPK is your one-stop professional profile: bio, high-quality photos, music links, press quotes, social stats, and contact info. Keep it on one page, update it quarterly, and make it easily accessible via a link in your social media bios.

What an EPK Is and Why It Matters

An Electronic Press Kit is a curated document that presents everything a journalist, promoter, booker, label, or playlist curator needs to know about you in one place. Think of it as your professional CV for the music industry.

Why does it matter? Because the people who can help your career — booking agents, festival programmers, blog editors, radio producers — review hundreds of submissions. They don't have time to hunt through your Instagram for photos, your Spotify for streams, and your website for a bio. An EPK puts everything in one place, formatted for easy consumption.

A well-crafted EPK signals professionalism. It says: 'I take my career seriously, I respect your time, and I've done the work to present myself properly.' In a sea of submissions that arrive as rambling emails or DMs, a professional EPK stands out immediately.

What to Include (And What to Leave Out)

Essential elements:

Bio — Two versions: a one-paragraph summary (50-100 words) and a longer version (200-300 words). Write in third person. Lead with your most impressive achievement. Be specific rather than generic — 'supported Stormzy at Brixton Academy' is better than 'performed at various prestigious venues.'

Photos — Minimum three high-quality, high-resolution photos (300dpi, landscape and portrait orientations). Professional doesn't mean expensive — a friend with a decent camera and natural light can produce press-quality images. Avoid selfies, group shots where you can't tell who's who, and heavily filtered images.

Music — Links to your best 3-5 tracks. Spotify, Apple Music, or SoundCloud — whichever has the best quality. Consider including a private SoundCloud link to unreleased material for industry contacts.

Social Stats — Current follower counts, monthly listeners, total streams. Only include stats that are impressive for your level. 500 monthly listeners might sound small, but if you've grown from 50 in three months, that growth rate is notable.

Press Quotes — Any blog features, reviews, or radio mentions. Even a single positive quote from a small blog adds credibility.

Contact — A dedicated email for bookings/press. Not your personal Gmail with your childhood nickname.

Building Your EPK: Free Tools and Templates

You don't need a web developer or design skills to create a professional EPK. Several approaches work well.

A dedicated page on your website is the most professional option. If you use Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress, create a /press page with all the elements listed above plus downloadable photos and a one-sheet PDF.

Linktree or similar bio link tools can host a simplified EPK — links to music, photos, bio, and contact info. Not ideal for formal submissions but perfectly functional.

Canva offers free EPK templates that you can customise and export as PDFs. These are useful for email submissions where you want to attach a polished document.

Google Drive or Dropbox folders work for a no-frills approach: a folder containing your bio (as a text document), press photos (high-res downloads), music (private streaming links), and a one-sheet summary. Share with a clean link.

Whichever format you choose, make sure it's accessible via a single link that's easy to find — ideally in your social media bios and email signature.

Common Mistakes That Get You Ignored

Overselling. If your bio claims you're 'the most exciting new artist in the UK' and you have 200 monthly listeners, you've lost credibility immediately. Be honest about where you are while highlighting genuine achievements.

Poor photos. Blurry, low-resolution, or amateurish photos are the fastest way to get your EPK closed. Invest in one good photo session — it'll serve you for a year.

Broken links. Nothing kills a submission faster than a Spotify link that doesn't work or a SoundCloud track that's been deleted. Check every link before sending.

Too much information. Your EPK is an introduction, not an autobiography. One page is ideal. Two pages maximum. The recipient should be able to assess your viability in under 60 seconds.

No call to action. What do you want from the person receiving your EPK? A gig booking? A blog feature? A playlist add? State it clearly. 'I'd love to be considered for a support slot at your venue' is infinitely better than just sending an EPK with no context.

Update regularly. An EPK with stats from six months ago or photos from two years ago looks neglected. Review and update quarterly — or whenever you have a significant new achievement to add.