Everything you need to know about EPK’s
To all my bands out there, to all the bands that I, unfortunately, could not take up on due to lack of time, and to all the bands who might be interested:
This is everything you need to know about EPK’s
What’s an EPK:
EPK stands for ‘Electronic Press Kit’.
It’s a digital file that introduces you, and your work to the world, a.k.a potential collabs that will play a crucial role in your career.
It should be a one-stop place that provides all the info and facts about your band.
It should make it really easy for a label, a promoter and the press to source all the content they need to get to know you.
Think of it as a long-lasting first impression and a tool kit at the same time.
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
The overall vibe:
It should be engaging, enthusiastic yet sophisticated and very, very interesting. It should leave the readers with a wow impression carved to their faces. ”Wow, I need to know more about this band” kind of thing. Easy to navigate, packed with high-quality images and graphics to make it truly attention-grabbing. Take your aesthetics into consideration. Think of who you are but also who you want to be and move towards that direction. You want to project the impression of a dedicated professional even if you are a heavy metal band and you have more patches on your battle vest than you can count.
What to include:
1. Start with an ABOUT SECTION.
Memorably introduce your band. This is not the BIO section so try to differentiate that piece of information. The ‘about’ section should provide information about who you are and your current status. Meet the band kind of portrait pics. The kind of music that you play, how long you’ve been playing, what defines you and introduce the band members. Stay true to your style: If you are the soul of the party in real life, reflect that in our EPK. Make a joke, or two. It will help them remember you.
2. The BIO SECTION should be kept short and sweet.
This is where you can elaborate a bit about your history, how you got started and any highlight moments up until now. Eliminate unnecessary details if you can.
3. DISCOGRAPHY.
Followed by high-quality images and maybe a few words about each album/single etc.
4. LINKS to audio and videos.
Links to your page or website.
Include only the crème de la crème of your content. Showcase the work that you are proud of,
no half-finished projects.
5. List of PAST SHOWS.
Add impactful images of your band stealing the spotlight. Show your enthusiasm for those past experiences. The agents and promoters that are looking to book you in the future will highly appreciate that. Say a few words about each show, but keep it caption-size short.
6. PRESS.
Add a small section about what the press has said about you. Think of this page as a scrapbook where you add clippings of magazines. Exciting isn’t it? Take a moment to congratulate yourself and let’s carry on.
7. NOTE-WORTHY TRIVIA.
This is where we get creative! Add fun facts, use bullet points and make it super interesting and witty.
8. GOALS AND PURPOSE.
Why are you sending out this EPK, what are your goals and what are you looking for? Be direct and strong-willed.
9. MERCH.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt if you added a few nice shots of your merch and links to where can one get them. Consider investing in a professional photoshoot and/or a merch campaign. Ask around, local photographers will usually give you a good deal for your budget. It makes you look professional AF.
10. SOCIAL MEDIA.
Links to all your social media as long as they are looking good and they are updated. If they are not, take a step back and fix those before creating your press kit.
11. CONTACT INFO.
If you are working with a manager I suggest that you add their email and contact info here.
A band domain email address and then your own emails and phone numbers etc.
Photo by Yasamine June on Unsplash
Bits & Free Resources to keep in mind:
This will represent your band and your work so make sure to :
Double-check for spelling or grammar mistakes. Grammarly is a brilliant free tool to help you with that.
Adjust different versions for different clients/partners/press/collabs. Be aware of your target group each time and adjust accordingly. Google Analytics Audience report is quite useful, and Facebook Insights provides free social media analysis. If you have a business account on Instagram, you automatically have access to their free analytics tool, Instagram Insights. By collecting and understanding all that data you know exactly how to modify your EPK for any given situation.
Keep it up to date. Expired links are unacceptable. Remember to always update it with your latest work.
If your EPK is a PDF and can’t figure out a way to add interactive links make sure to include those in your emails.
Make the most of your EPK by adding it to your website in a downloadable format.
A simple and easy free solution is to create your EPK on Artistecard, which helps you produce a contemporary, clean and informative Electronic Press Kit, complete with music, bio, photos, videos, tour dates, reviews and contact info
NEED MY HELP?
I create bespoke content for the bands that I work with to ensure a tailormade experience that meets the needs, budget, and expectations of each artist. Please check my availability and get a quote by filling in the form below, or email me at chelf@chelfdom.com
Until the next one,
Chelf
