An EPK, short for electronic press kit, is the place where your story, visuals, music, and next move come together. It should help a booker, journalist, playlist curator, promoter, or collaborator understand who you are without asking them to piece it together from scattered posts and links. The goal is not to make a giant scrapbook. The goal is to make a clear, current case for why your work deserves attention right now.
What an EPK is supposed to do
Think of your EPK as a working introduction, not a trophy case. It gives the person on the other side a quick answer to five questions: Who is this artist? What do they sound or look like? What are they promoting now? Why should I pay attention? How do I contact them or use the assets?
A useful press kit saves people time. Bandzoogle’s current EPK guide makes the same point in practical terms: your press kit should bring the media needed by bookers, press, and playlist opportunities into one place. If a reader has to hunt through a social profile, an old flyer, and five different streaming links, the kit is creating friction instead of removing it.
Start by deciding what this version of your kit needs to accomplish. A release EPK should center the new song, project, video, or feature. A performance EPK should make the live set, stage footage, tech needs, and booking details easy to assess. A media EPK should put a strong bio, approved photos, and interview angles up front. You can keep one master kit, but each pitch should point to the most relevant version.
1. Start with one clear artist story
The opening paragraph is not the place to list every influence, every city you have lived in, or every release you have ever made. Write two short paragraphs that explain the sound, the point of view, and the moment you are in. Name your lane in language a stranger understands, then give them a detail that makes the project memorable.
For example, “R&B singer from Virginia” is a starting point. “Virginia R&B vocalist blending late-night soul with sharp, diary-style songwriting, now releasing a three-song project built around starting over” gives someone more to work with. It is specific without trying too hard. Keep the tone natural, read it out loud, and cut the lines that sound like they could belong to anybody.
Your bio should also match the materials around it. If the music is polished and intimate, use photos that carry that same energy. If the current moment is a live run, make sure the bio mentions the show, audience, or release it supports. When the story, images, and music are pulling in different directions, the person receiving the kit has to do the positioning work for you.
If you need help turning raw notes into a tighter introduction, Dyme Squad’s EPK guide gives you a focused starting point. For a broader public-facing look, the marketing and branding services page is the right next stop.
2. Curate the media instead of uploading everything
Most people will not study thirty images before deciding whether the artist fits their event, outlet, or audience. Give them a small, intentional selection. Three to six high-resolution press photos are usually enough when the set includes a close portrait, a vertical option, a horizontal option, and one image with room for a flyer or article crop.
Choose photos that still look like you. Heavily filtered images, old photos from a different era, and photos with other people half-cropped out make the kit feel improvised. Keep the original files available, but include a preview gallery and a clear download path. File names should be simple: artist-name-portrait-01.jpg is better than IMG_4482-final-final.jpg.
Use video with the same discipline. One excellent live performance clip, music video, or visualizer is more useful than a long list of half-finished uploads. Place the strongest asset first. If the recipient only clicks once, that click should make the case.
Do not forget basic permissions. Only include images, artwork, and footage you are allowed to share. If a photographer requires a credit, place the correct credit in the file name or in a short asset note. A polished EPK protects the artist’s relationships as well as their image.
3. Put the essentials where people can find them fast
A good EPK does not make the reader guess what to click. Use clear headings and keep the order predictable. Your opening section should include the short bio, current focus, and a direct contact. The next section should contain approved photos and a short caption or credit note if needed. Then add music, video, live material, highlights, and supporting links.
For the music section, include one or two priority songs first. Link to the platform where the recipient can listen without creating an account. If you are pitching a particular release, state the title, release date, and the one sentence that explains the song’s angle. Keep your streaming profiles current too. Spotify’s artist tools, YouTube’s artist resources, and SoundCloud’s profile guidance are useful places to keep the public-facing details that support an EPK in sync.
Add only proof that a recipient can understand quickly. That could be a verified feature, a meaningful performance, a strong review quote with attribution, an award, a partnership, or a performance history. A short “selected highlights” list is easier to scan than a full archive. Never pad the kit with numbers or claims you cannot back up. Clear and honest beats impressive-looking and vague every time.
When a release needs a stronger story for editors and outlets, a professionally written press release can give the EPK a sharper angle. Keep the press release as a separate, editable asset, then link to it from the kit instead of burying the whole thing in the bio.
4. Make every link and download path work on a phone
Before you send the EPK, open it on your phone using cellular service, not just your home Wi-Fi. Click every music link, video, social profile, download button, and contact address. The person receiving your pitch may be moving between meetings, checking submissions from an inbox, or looking at it after a show. If the page is slow, the files are huge, or the controls are tiny, they may not come back later.
Keep the path to the main assets short. A simple page with direct buttons, a well-organized cloud folder, or a clean portfolio page is better than a complicated password-protected maze. If you send a PDF, make it light enough to email and make sure the links inside it are clickable. If your best materials live on social media, pull the strongest version into the EPK too. Social posts change quickly, and a serious opportunity should not depend on a story that disappears in twenty-four hours.
Use one booking email and one contact name. If you have a manager, publicist, or label representative, list their role clearly. If you handle it yourself, say so. The recipient should never have to guess whether they are allowed to reach out directly.
5. Give each recipient a reason to open it
An EPK is not the pitch itself. It is the proof behind the pitch. The email, direct message, or submission form should explain why you are contacting that specific person. Mention the event, outlet, playlist, interview series, or opportunity. State the most relevant release or performance detail, then make one simple request.
For a booker, lead with the live set, market, performance footage, and availability. For a magazine, lead with the artist story, current release, and approved images. For a radio or podcast producer, lead with the song, the audience angle, and a clean listening link. The same kit can support each conversation, but the opening message should feel like it was written for the actual opportunity.
For example: “I’m submitting for the upcoming showcase because my live R&B set is built around the new project linked below. The EPK includes performance footage, music, and press photos. I would appreciate consideration for an opening slot.” That is clearer than “Check out my music,” and it gives the reader a reason to click.
Once you have the materials, a press release distribution package can help put the announcement in front of a wider set of outlets. For performance-focused opportunities, keep an eye on the current artist opportunities and send the version of the kit that centers the live show.
Run this five-minute check before you send
- Does the first screen say who you are and what you are promoting right now?
- Can someone listen to your strongest song in one click?
- Are there three to six current, approved photos they can use?
- Do the bio, visuals, music, and social profiles tell the same story?
- Are the contact details, dates, and links correct on a phone?
- Would a stranger understand the next step you want them to take?
If the answer is yes, you have a kit that is ready to support real outreach. The work does not stop there. Refresh it after a new release, a strong show, a feature, or a new photo shoot. A current EPK makes it easier to move when the right opportunity arrives.
Put the kit to work with Dyme Squad
Dyme Squad works with artists and growing brands on the materials that make outreach easier: editorial features, promotion, press releases, media placement, design support, and live opportunities. Start with the artist, brand, and media services page, then contact Dyme Squad when you are ready to discuss the next move.