Do you need to send out an electronic press kit (EPK), but don’t know what to include? Before you end up sending out an incomplete EPK, make sure that you understand the basics of what should be included. It’s not overly difficult to put together your own press kit, you just need to go through a checklist and ensure you’ve included all the necessary details.
Keep in mind, if you want to create the best EPK, you may want to enlist the help of professionals. Hiring a music promotion company or working with a music manager can help ensure that your press kit reaches the right people and contains the right information.
However, not everyone has access to a music manager or the funds to hire a company. If you fall into this category, then check out the following tips for creating your own electronic press kit.
First, review the basic elements of an electronic press kit:
- Artist biography
- Professional photographs
- Social media links and details
- Your discography
- Music reviews and press clippings
- Logo
This includes the fundamental items needed for an amazing press kit. Review each of these items to find out why they’re needed and how to obtain them.
Artist Biography
First is the artist biography. There is often a debate about the importance of the artist biography. No matter how you look at it, the artist bio is often the first thing that a person sees after opening a press kit. So, you definitely need to include an artist bio and you should not take any chances by including a poorly written biography.
The artist bio will often include a few short paragraphs. This will introduce the artist and discuss the past, current, and future projects.
Professional Photographs
A press kit should also include a few professional photographs. When you send a press kit, you want news sites, papers, magazines, and other press to have photos available for publication. These should be professionally shot photos.
You don’t need to include a large variety of photos. Select a few current photographs that you feel represent you as an artist.
Social Media Links and Details
Include links to all of your band or artist social media accounts. This includes any Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, or Google Plus accounts that you have. You should also include details and statistics related to your social media presence, such as the number of followers you currently have.
Your Discography
A discography is an essential part of an EPK. This shows what you have done so far with your career. Your discography should include all of your releases. If any of these releases are available through online streaming sites, make sure that you include a link.
It may also be a good idea to include a few tracks. This is especially true if you do not have any recent music available for streaming online. Choose two or three of your most recent songs and include them in multiple audio formats in your EPK.
Music Reviews and Press Clippings
Gather a selection of the best music reviews and press clippings discussing your music. This could include both online reviews and print reviews. Scan print reviews and compile them into a folder with any other online reviews that you find. Having a good selection of reviews and praise will help show that you have already established a solid reputation.
If you don’t currently have any press articles to use, then you should think about hiring someone to write a music review. You can find affordable music review services, including from this site.
Logo
If you have a logo it should be included in your EPK. Logos are useful, as they help people remember your music. When you see an interesting logo, you’ll recognize it when you see it again.
If you don’t have a logo yet, as with any of these items, you can hire a professional. You can use online services to get a logo made at low rates. Once your logo is created it can be used in press releases, on album art, and for merchandising purposes.
Additional Items to Add to Your Electronic Press Kit
The items listed above cover the items that you definitely need to include in your EPK. Though, there are other items that could be included, such as testimonials and a list of sponsors. If you want additional suggestions, take a moment to watch this electronic press kit tutorial:
At the top of the list, we discussed artist biographies. In many cases, this will be the first thing that a person looks at after opening an EPK. They want to immediately know who you are and whether or not they should bother looking at the rest of the information in your EPK. For this reason, you should make sure that your bio catches their attention.