Electronic Press Kit Tips: Create an EPK for Your Music

What is an EPK & why do I need one?

EPK stands for Electronic Press Kit. You may also come across the terms 'press pack' or 'press kit'. Put simply, it's one central place where you can gather together all material that someone interested in your music would need – tracks, biog, upcoming gig dates, images, videos and so on.

One click can conveniently direct a manager, label rep, blogger, radio DJ or festival booker to a page containing all they need to know, hear and see about your music.

It's a sure fire way of looking professional when it comes to dealing with the music industry, and once you've gone to the effort of setting your press kit up, it will no doubt save you plenty of time in the long term.

Getting started

There are a variety of platforms that bands and artists can use to make a press kit, tailored to your needs, which are straightforward and easy to use. Try Bandzoogle or ReverbNation as starting points.

Alternatively, you can create an additional page on your own website to act as a one-stop home for your bespoke press pack. Cloud storage services such as Dropbox and OneDrive can also be a good place to host your press kit files such as hi-res images, track downloads etc.

What should I include in my band press pack?

A well put together press pack should ideally mean that no blogger, radio DJ, or similar will need to dig around elsewhere to find what they need in order to give you the best coverage. So, with that in mind, you probably want to consider including all of the following essential elements that apply as part of your press pack:

• Biog

Give some background on your band, how you came about and what you've achieved to date, with an up to date biog. If you want some tips on writing a brilliant biog, we recommend checking out this blog we wrote all about it.

• Track/album downloads

Of course your music is top priority! You want visitors to your press pack to be able to easily listen to your latest material. It can also be handy to include a discography of previous releases.

• Images

You'll need some good quality, hi-res photographs available to download, and it can also be good to include any cover art imagery as well, plus a band logo if you have one.

• Videos

Video content for your most recent singles is also worth including in your press kit.

• Upcoming gig dates

If you have some shows or a tour coming up, then list all forthcoming gig dates with city and venue details.

• Press releases

Any official press releases you may have, perhaps about a current EP release or upcoming tour, should also be featured in the press pack.

• Quotes

You can make an eye catching feature of any good press quotes or feedback you've received in the past. If you have any links to previous blog or press coverage, then make sure you add these in too.

• Contact info & links

Last, but certainly not least, it's imperative you include all your contact details. Also make sure you have up to date links for your website, social media profiles, SoundCloud, Bandcamp and so on. Rather than listing several emails for each member of the band, your manager and the like, just choose one contact email address as a central point for any enquiries you get from your press pack.

A note on file management & accessibility

While it is important to include everything mentioned above, avoid cluttering your page with too many heavy files that are difficult to load. Ensure your audio tracks are easily streamable via a tidy player (like SoundCloud or Spotify embeds) rather than forcing visitors to download every single file just to preview your music. Furthermore, make sure all downloadable assets, specifically hi-res photos and press releases, are clearly labelled and organised. A busy radio plugger or label scout appreciates a "one-click" workflow; if they have to sift through a disorganised folder or wait for a large zip file to download, they are far more likely to move on to the next artist.

And finally…

Once you've created your press kit, do make sure you do keep it up to date! It shouldn't require too much effort but it can start to become time-consuming if you don't keep on top of it. Why not set a 3 monthly reminder to give your press kit a quick check over so you can add any new content you need to and remove anything that's no longer relevant.