What is an EPK, how to create one, examples and template

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What is an EPK, how to create one, examples and template - Introduction

The music industry is saturated with competition. If you don't go about it the right way, getting the interest of record companies, agencies, promoters, venues, and various media outlets may be next to impossible.

Having an EPK on your website is a guaranteed way to ensure that your target audience—whether they are a music supervisor, talent buyer, or blogger—finds what they are searching for.

This article provides insider guidance on putting together an effective electronic press kit for musicians. Let’s dig into it!

What is an EPK in music

An Electronic Press Kit (EPK) in music is a musician's, artist's, band's, or DJ's professional music resume.

An EPK is your online media and marketing resume, made to make it simple to get the information your audience needs.

Your abilities are also displayed to the music industry through an EPK. It helps in the greater understanding of you and your music by promoters, booking agents, talent buyers, music supervisors, music journalists, record labels, fans, and other business experts.

The public may be the primary audience for your website or any social media pages, but industry professionals are the main audience for your EPK.

You may make the best first impression possible on the music industry with the use of this major tool. Therefore, in order to succeed as an artist in this harsh market, you must write the ideal EPK!

How to create a musician's EPK

Your artist bio, songs, tour dates, high-quality videos, pertinent media, accomplishments, links to your social media accounts, and contact information should all be included in your EPK.

An effective EPK expresses your musical identity, your brand, and you as an artist.

Press kit templates and tools are available on websites like Bandzoogle, ReverbNation, and Sonicbids that also provide hosted landing pages.

They are fantastic choices if you want to create an EPK that appears high-quality and expert.

However, you are free to choose the format and hosting the style that you like.

Best practices to create an EPK

Every day, hundreds of potential acts are evaluated by promoters and talent scouts. You must “sell” yourself professionally and with clarity.

Think about the following best practices when you prepare your press kit:

- Give all of your pertinent information in a searchable and understandable manner. Keep your EPK brief and pertinent.

- Be as professional as possible and create a positive first impression.

- Make it distinctive and eye-catching without going crazy.

- Large digital files may be rejected by the recipient, marked as spam, or sent to the spam bin. Do not send zip or compressed files, those won’t be opened. Instead, link to your work on websites like SoundCloud and YouTube.

- Don't oversell, exaggerate, tell lies, or offer unrelated details.

- It shouldn't take long to update and arrange your press kit.

What to include in an EPK

Artist biography

The press kit must include your artist biography where you can highlight your musical career.

Include succinct descriptions of any noteworthy endorsements, milestone accomplishments, collaborations, recent performances at prestigious venues, and prior or planned releases.

The writing in an artist bio should be precise and simple. Give just enough information to make sense and sell your fantastic story without making it boring to read.

For various media uses, think about creating varying lengths of your bio. Keep both a condensed version and a longer version.

Album and professional photos

Include a range of high-resolution photos, both vertically and horizontally, and make sure they are downloadable.

Give media outlets, publicists, and promoters a choice of layouts for the pictures they can use in a press release, flyer, blog, website, etc.

Press images with high resolution have enormous file sizes. Instead of emailing huge files, upload them to Dropbox or another cloud service with shareable links.

Link to your best music videos

You'll probably benefit from videos that showcase your artistic style or your live performances.

Additionally, writers can share media content with their readers by using music and advertising videos.

Media outlets are more inclined to highlight a musician if their music is accompanied with visually stunning videos.

If you have a superb live video showcasing your stage presence, promoters are more willing to book you for an event.

Links to your music online

One of the most important aspects of your EPK is the music. Instead of music files, include links to your best songs on the streaming services.

People can listen to your music this way without first downloading it.

Make sure your three best songs are at the top of the list because listeners could only play the first few songs that are featured.

It also helps to include some writing that defines your music, whether it's a description of a future album or a well-known song.

In this manner, a journalist will have a place to start if they wish to describe your music.

Links to press releases and reviews about you

Have any music websites or publications highlighted you or conducted an interview with you? Include succinct quotations, pertinent references, and links to press releases.

Include gratifying comments or endorsements from well-known business people. Your profile, trustworthiness, and presentation will all improve if you can highlight a few important topics.

Links to your social media

Make sure to include your social media links on your EPK as a component.

Your website and EPK serve as the central location for all information about your music, but you'll also want to encourage people to check out and connect with you on social media.

It's crucial to just include the platforms where you're the most active and have a significant following on your EPK.

Achievements and highlights

Your success on streaming services or YouTube, as well as any awards you've received or radio plays you've collected, are a few instances of musical accomplishments. Include in your EPK any notable festival appearances or support of well-known artists on tour.

Tour Information and next release

If you're creating an EPK, it's probably because you have a noteworthy event coming up. You might be set to start a tour, release a new single or album, or both. You must be sure to include all pertinent information about your voyage if this is the case.

Dates, locations, times, other musicians performing, and links to purchase tickets are essential! That way, if someone wants to advertise the business in any way, they already have all they need.

Contact information

Don't forget to provide your contact information at the end. Make it simple for individuals to contact you.

Indicate your email address, phone number, etc. Include the contact information for your management staff as well, if applicable.

EPK examples and template

If you find it difficult to process all of the information presented above and you prefer visual aids, Pinterest is a fantastic online resource where you can find countless examples of how to create your own EPK from different musicians who specialize in a wide range of musical genres.

Here is a template to help you get a sense of how your finished EPK should look like:

What is an EPK - Conclusion

It's difficult to create an EPK that is comprehensive and of truly professional quality because many of these elements will cost a lot of money (such as high-quality music videos or images), while others may take months or years to obtain (like mentions in major music press).

But keep in mind that your EPK is frequently your sole chance to create a good first impression on influential people in the industry, independent authors, and possible stakeholders.

Please feel free to browse our blog area for more articles that will help you advance your musical career.

Since you are obviously here because you enjoy music, please take advantage of the opportunity to listen to it while chatting with other members in CalypsoRoom through webcam, and if you are a music artist, apply to see your music featured on the platform for free!

Thanks for reading,
CalypsoRoom Team

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is an EPK?

An electronic press kit, or EPK, is a collection of marketing materials that highlights a particular artist, musician, director, or other creative professional. A biography, images, audio or video clips, and any press quotes or honors are usually included.

Why is an EPK important?

For self-promotion and marketing in the entertainment sector, an EPK is a crucial instrument. Professionals may quickly and simply share their work and accomplishments with prospective partners, agencies, managers, and media sources.

What should be included in an EPK?

A professional biography, top-notch images, music or video samples, press mentions or reviews, and any honors or accolades should all be included in an EPK. Additionally, it could provide contact details, tour dates, and social media connections.

How do I create an EPK?

Start with gathering all of the required resources, such as top-notch pictures, audio or video samples, and a professional biography, in order to build an EPK. Then, you can use a website builder or an EPK template to make a digital bundle that is both aesthetically pleasing and simple to use.

Are there any EPK templates available?

Yes, you may utilize one of the various online EPK templates as a starting point for developing your own EPK. Sonicbids, ReverbNation, and Canva are a few of the well-liked sites for creating EPKs.

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Written by CalypsoRoom Editorial Team
The CalypsoRoom Editorial Team is a skilled and diverse group of writers, researchers, and industry specialists who have access to Calypso's data and information in order to give you broad knowledge about the music industry as well as helpful advice to help you manage your music and dancing career.

Updated April 2023