An electronic press kit, or EPK, is a means of showing off your work to promoters. Think of it as an audiovisual resumé that markets you to your target audience. Whether you want to get your music on a streaming platform or score a spot on the bill at a music festival, an EPK can help you reach your goals as a musician.
EPK VS. ARTIST WEBSITE
Not to be confused with a website, which is geared toward fans who recreationally enjoy your work, an EPK is a straight-to-the-point method of letting industry connections get to know you from a business perspective.
Interested in learning how to make or improve your EPK? Below are five tips to help you:
1) COVER THE BASICS
One of the primary purposes of an EPK is to help your target audience reach you. Make sure you simplify the process by making your email, phone number, social media, website, and other relevant contact information easily accessible. Also, ensure to include a bio that gives insight into what you’re all about while also taking the opportunity to pitch your uniqueness to your audience. Many artists include two biographies in their EPKs: one short and one long. Quick facts that the press can use should be included in the short bio, while the long bio can go deeper into your story as an artist, which also can be used as promotional material.
2) SHOW YOUR WORK
It’s time to show off what you’ve got. Displaying tracks, album art, and music videos is key for your EPK, so make sure they take centre stage. It is important to stand out so make sure your tracks are professionally mixed & mastered, this can make your track stand out among the rest. List your most popular releases first, as music promoters likely won’t have the time to stream your entire discography when deciding whether they want to take you on or not.
Don’t forget to include projects featuring your music as well. This way, you can give promoters a sense of how your songs have been used in the past and how they can display them in the future.
3) INCLUDE REVIEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
While your work should speak for itself, featuring external opinions makes it so it’s not just your word convincing promoters you’re worth their time – other people agree. Professional endorsements hold immense value when marketing your work in an EPK, especially if they’re well-known names giving their input.
4) SELECT HIGH-QUALITY VISUALS
Just because an EPK is an industry document doesn’t mean you’re limited to a text-laden PDF document, rather the opposite. Use images and videos to capture your audience’s attention and give a better idea of your artistic aesthetic. Including a video introduction, pictures of your stage setup or tech rider, promotional shoots, or even performance clips can help promoters get a sense of how to portray you in the media. Pro tip: ensure promotors can download the images from your EPK so they can use them.
5) HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT DATES
Including a calendar or list of important upcoming dates lets promotors know when they can contact you for an interview or book you in for gigs in the future. Showing your performance calendar gives the reader a sense of your demand as an artist. You can also include release dates, interview appearances, and meet-and-greets, among other future resumé events.
CONCLUSION
An EPK can help you immensely as an artist when building connections in the music industry. From helping you get your band on a ticket when starting to helping you reach out to more prominent names to get featured in the press, an EPK is essential for public relations and marketing. Hopefully, these five tips will help you in crafting the best EPK you can
Written by Midhat Mujaddid
Do you have an EPK? Will you be adding any elements to yours? Let us know in the comments!
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