EPK for musicians: what goes in an electronic press kit, and who reads it

The short answer

An electronic press kit (EPK) is a single web page or document that gives industry people everything they need to judge and represent you. Apple Music for Artists lists the people who use one: managers, booking agents, venues, promoters and journalists. PRS for Music adds press officers, pluggers, labels and publishers.

Every guide agrees on the core: a bio, press photos, your best music, video, any press or achievements, and contact details. Where they differ is on the numbers, so the checklist below reconciles them.

What goes in it: the checklist

The Musicians Institute suggests reviewing the whole kit every three months. Apple's advice is the same in five words: keep it "fresh and up to date".

Who reads it, and what each looks for first

One EPK serves several readers, and each opens it for a different reason. Put the thing your most important reader needs at the top, and send a short, tailored note with the link.

This is our guidance, built from what the sources above say each reader uses the kit for. It is not a rule: if a booker asks for something specific, give them that.

A web page, a PDF or a shared document?

• A page on your website or an EPK service is what most of the guides above point to. ReelCrafter recommends a single web page that plays on phones and can be read in about two minutes.
• A shared document (for example a public Google Doc) works, and Ari Herstand suggests it as one of two acceptable options.
• A PDF is fine as a backup. PRS for Music's panel suggested exporting one from Google Drive, but put everything behind one clear link either way.

Whichever you choose, the link has to work without a login. Lead with streaming links. The Musicians Institute and ReelCrafter also suggest offering downloadable files, and PRS for Music's panel called a separate download link a bonus, but don't assume anyone has the time to download.

Mistakes that get an EPK closed

• Password-protected music. PRS for Music's panel and Ari Herstand both warn against it. If a track isn't public yet, use a private or unlisted link.
• A list of genres. Say plainly where your music comes from instead.
• "Sounds like" comparisons. One PR agency founder on the PRS for Music panel said it can put them off listening further. Non-musical references work better.
• Hype and typos. Keep the text tight, and ask a friend to read it before you send it.
• Out-of-date dates. Old shows and past release dates tell the reader nobody is looking after the kit.
• Attachments. Large files clog inboxes. Send one link.

If your press section is empty

Most new artists have nothing to put under "press" yet, and that is normal. Leave the section out rather than padding it. Then start filling it from the ground up:

1. Local press and listings. The Musicians' Union recommends starting with local newspapers and magazines, which often welcome stories about artists from their area, and getting your shows into event listings.
2. Radio that plays new music. Local and specialist shows, and in the UK, BBC Introducing, which the Musicians' Union points to for unsigned artists.
3. Blogs and specialist sites in your genre, pitched with a short note and your EPK link.
4. A publicist, if you have the budget and a release worth pitching. Our guide to what music PR costs covers the prices.

You can also pay for coverage: a sponsored article about you on a publication. That can be useful, especially for giving people who search your name something to find, but be honest about what it is. List it as a feature, not as a review, and never suggest an editor chose you when you paid for the space. Your credibility is worth more than one extra line in a kit.

When to send it

Have the EPK finished before you pitch anyone about a release, not after. Print listings usually need your details about four weeks ahead, according to the Musicians' Union, and the UK single campaigns in our music PR cost guide run four to eight weeks, so a kit that is ready six to eight weeks before release day gives you room to pitch press, curators and promoters in order.

After release, update it: add the new track, any coverage and the next shows, then send the updated link to the people who replied.

Where Blue Leopard Media fits

We don't build EPKs. Our music marketing helps with two things an EPK points people to: a YouTube campaign that runs your video as Google Ads to people who watch similar artists, and an editorial feature about you, with your name in the headline and your own digital cover, published on a title in our publication network. Together they start at $199.

The feature is sponsored content, as our disclaimer states, so list it in your EPK as a feature. You approve every word, and it goes live within 24 hours (business days) of your approval of the final draft. We don't sell streams, playlist placements or chart positions.

If you are getting a release ready, book the free 15-minute consultation. We normally charge $99 for it, and there is no obligation to buy anything.