This is the first instalment of our two part blog on “How to craft the perfect EPK.”
What is an EPK?
EPK is an acronym for “electronic press kit”. It is effectively a CV/resume for you as an artist. It’s a resource that contains all the information needed to fully understand what you represent. Presented in one convenient place and in a logical, eye catching manner.
When evaluating what to include in your EPK, ask yourself “who will be reading this?” Examples could include promoters, labels, label scouts, journalists, music supervisors, publishers, managers or bloggers. With this in mind, create a list of all the things that they would want/need to know about you, and ensure that this information features in your EPK.
How do you create an EPK?
There are tonnes of great online resources with smart, professional looking templates to get you started. Some good sites include: Sonicbids, Reverbnation and Adobe Spark. An EPK can be presented as it’s own website or as an additional page on your artist website. Recommended website builders include: Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, musicglue.com and bandzoogle.com.
Below, we have provided a detailed description of what we believe a perfect EPK should look like and feature.
Long and short form biographies
Your bio section is the same as your elevator pitch. It is important to feature both a long form and short form bio. A short form bio should be short enough to tweet, giving just the essential information about you as an artist. It should include the name of the artist, what music you play and something that makes you stand out- your biggest selling point or key statistic. For example “the video for our debut single reached 250,000 views on Youtube”.
A long form bio should cover who you are, what you’ve done and what makes you unique. However, you have the opportunity to go into a little more detail, without featuring a life story. Explain briefly how the band formed or how you got into music, your experiences as a musician, your musical influences, what makes you better than the rest and what you hope the future holds.
Have a look at other bands bio sections for some inspiration. Even look at “about” sections on company websites. Think about what made the bands or business’ memorable and try to implement these elements into your bio.