An EPK is a promotional package that tells the story of who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and why people should pay attention to you.

You’ll want to make an EPK if you’re releasing new music or about to go on tour. It helps you get gigs, press for your gigs, and write-ups about your new release.

You would send your EPK to any music industry people who can help further your career, like:

• Record labels (if you’re trying to get signed)
• Potential music managers and agents
• Venues/venue managers
• Show promoters
• Music bloggers and press people
• Radio stations

Jon Anderson, founder of the music blog Two Story Melody, says his inbox gets “buried under EPKs.” And he suggests making your EPK easily digestible yet accurate and authentic.

“Think of it as an elevator pitch,” he says. “It’s not the behind-the-scenes, tell-all documentary on your project. It’s the heart of what you’re doing – enough to grab people’s interest and wanting to hear more.”

Now, creating an EPK may sound a little overwhelming, but it’s actually a very simple process.

Ari Herstand – songwriter/artist, manager, and “The poster child of DIY Music” – points out how easy it is to make an EPK.

In his book, How To Make It In The New Music Business, he says “anyone can create a beautiful-looking website with no coding or graphic design experience on website building platforms.”

So go to your website builder and create a new page that’s not listed in your site’s menu – the top website builders probably have an EPK template page you can start with. Then include the below assets on your EPK page.

According to Herstand, these are the things that need to be in your EPK…

“Your bio is your story,” Herstand writes. “It is the single most important piece of your release – next to the music, of course. It should reveal why people should care about you.”

Here’s a template you can use when writing your EPK bio:

1. Quote: open your bio with a quote about you or your music from someone notable, like a press outlet, a well-known musician, or even one of your best lyrics
2. Hook: one to two paragraphs that tell your story and show why the reader should care about you
3. Accolades: once you’ve got the reader hooked, tell them what you’ve accomplished, what awards you’ve won, and any other highlights from your career
4. Newest project: now that the reader is invested, tell them about your newest project (song, EP, album) or your upcoming tour

While your bio is about you as an artist, your press release is about your current/upcoming project.

“This is the heart of the EPK,” Anderson says. “If outlets do cover you, there’s a very good chance that they’ll pull content from your press release, and some of the lazier ones might even copy and paste your content. No pressure, but what you write matters.”

Here are some notes on how to write a press release:

• Make it short (2-3 paragraphs)
• Start with your accomplishments (ex. award-winning songwriter, artist with 1 million streams, or a press quote describing your music)
• Mention your new release or upcoming tour and the release/show dates uptop
• Briefly tell the story behind the project
• Describe your music so it sounds good

It’s all about the music, so carefully choose the tracks that best represent what you’re promoting. Usually, this will be your most recent music, especially if you’re trying to get press write-ups. But if you’re trying to get press for an upcoming tour, you can make a playlist of your best songs and embed it onto your EPK page.

Humans are visual creatures. We like to put a face to the music and the story. So make sure you have high-quality, professional-looking photos of yourself prominently displayed on your EPK page.

A good-looking music video can give life to your EPK, offering a visual representation of your vibe and aesthetic. If you don’t have a music video, include high-quality live performance videos. Get one or two videos that are directly related to your current project and embed them on your EPK page.

This is where you can talk more about your career achievements. This could include awards you’ve won or been nominated for, streaming milestones, chart positions, placements on TV, or anything else that has been a highlight for you. Also, include any positive press quotes you’ve gotten to show that other outlets think your music is good.

Put your social media links/icons on your EPK page somewhere that’s easy to find. Industry people want to see that you’re active with your community of fans. Their decision to promote your music or host your gig may be influenced by the size and level of engagement of your audience.

If you have an upcoming tour, list all the dates and venues. If you don’t, mention notable venues you’ve played on during previous tours. If you’ve never toured, then list the most notable venues where you’ve performed. And always mention which shows were sold out, or if there was a large number of people in attendance.

Also, make sure you include your stage plot, which shows where on stage your band members and equipment need to be and any mixing preferences for the sound technician.

Embed a contact form onto your EPK page and also list your email address. It looks a lot better if you have an official email – like [[email protected]] – instead of a Gmail or Hotmail account. If you have a team, list their names, their titles (manager, agent, publicist, etc.), and their email addresses.

Now let’s put it all together and look at some good EPK examples…

• Big Little Lions – folk/pop duo
• March Angel – pop/cinematic soul
• Rachel Beck – electronic pop
• Duane Eubanks – jazz
• Haviah Mighty – hip-hop/rap
• Caleb J. Murphy – folk/acoustic

Now that you have an EPK, you need to know how to share it with the right people. Here’s how you can use it to book gigs and get press…

When emailing your EPK to venue bookers, remember to “keep your email short and to the point,” Herstand says.

“Your email should not be more than eight sentences,” he says. “…Just hit the booker with the important points: How many people you expect, a few promo tactics you’re going to utilize, and your previous turnouts in that area.”

Below is an email template inspired by Herstand that you can use to book shows:

To: [the venue’s booker]
Subject: [your artist name] + [dates you could play at the venue]
Body:
Hey, [name]. I’m putting together a show with [other artist/band you’re playing with] and we would love to play at [booker’s venue].

I recently brought 70 people to my show at [venue] on [date], and [other artist/band you’re playing with] brought 200 to their show at [venue] on [date].

We’ll be promoting the show with posters, handbills, a street team, and social media ads. We’re looking at [dates you could play at the venue]. Let me know if we can lock in a date!

[Your artist name] EPK: [link to your EPK]
[Name of other artist/band you’re playing with] EPK: [link to their EPK]

Thanks,
[Your name]

Press probably won’t skyrocket your career into stardom. Usually, you get high-profile press after you’ve garnered a lot of attention. It all depends on the type of press you pursue.

“If you have never received press, there is a very slim chance that you will get a review in a popular blog or nationally distributed magazine,” Herstand says. “Your best chance for media coverage is your hometown papers, magazines, smaller, more specialized blogs, and local publications in cities you’re touring to.”

Below is an email template inspired by Herstand that you can use to pitch your music for a press write-up for your new song (music writers don’t usually review/write about albums, especially for unknown indie artists):

To: [music writer]
Subject: Your article on [recent artist they wrote about]
Body:
Hey, [name]. I really loved your article on [recent artist they wrote about]. I really liked the way you [something specific you liked about the music writer’s article].

I want to pass along my new song [song name] set for release on [release date]. It’s in the same vein as [recent artist they wrote about], and I think you’d really like it.

[Write a 2-3 sentence description of the song, both sonically and thematically].

Listen to [song name] here. (private DISCO link)

[Include a quote + link to another press write-up]

Check out my EPK here. (link to EPK)

Thanks for listening!

– [Your name]

Below is an email template you can use to get local press promotion for your show in the area:

To: [music writer]
Subject: Your article on [recent artist they wrote about]
Body:
Hey, [name]. I really loved your article on [recent artist they wrote about]. I really liked the way you [something specific you liked about the music writer’s article].

My [song/album] is in the same vein as [recent artist they wrote about], so I think you’d really like it. And I wanted to let you know I’m playing at [venue] on [date]. Here are the show details. (Link to concert page or digital flyer)

[Include a quote + link to another press write-up]

Check out my EPK here. (link to EPK)

Thanks for listening!

– [Your name]