What is an EPK? The electronic press kit, explained
An EPK is the one link you send when someone asks “who are you?” — a journalist, a promoter, a festival or a label. Here is what goes in it, how to lay it out and how to keep it from going stale.
What an EPK is
EPK stands for electronic press kit: a single page with everything someone needs to write about you, book you or work with you — your music, a short bio, press photos, videos, links, notable facts and your contact. It replaces the folder of photos and CDs that artists used to mail to newspapers and radio stations.
It is not your website and it is not your link in bio. Your website tells your story to fans; your link in bio sends fans to the latest release. An EPK is a work document for professionals: short, factual and easy to copy from.
Who reads it and what they look for
| Who | What they need from your EPK |
|---|---|
| Journalists and bloggers | A bio they can quote, high-resolution photos with the photographer’s credit, the release details and a contact for interviews |
| Promoters and bookers | Live videos, where you have played, your audience in their city, the rider and the technical sheet |
| Festivals | A live video, the line-up you would bring, past festivals and the stage plot |
| Labels and managers | Your best two or three songs, numbers you can back up, your release plan and who is already on your team |
| Playlist curators, radio and sync | The song with its genre and mood, release date, ISRC and who controls the master and the publishing |
Nobody reads an EPK top to bottom. Each person scans for their part, so put the essentials first and label every section clearly.
What to include
- Name, one-line description and genre. “Alternative pop duo from [city]” is more useful than a list of influences.
- Music. Two or three songs you want to be judged by, playable without logging in. Link the current single first.
- Bio in three lengths. One sentence, one paragraph (about 100 words) and a longer version (300 to 400 words). Journalists copy the length they need.
- Press photos. Three to five recent photos, horizontal and vertical, in high resolution, with the photographer’s name for the credit.
- Video. One live performance and the latest music video or lyric video. A live clip is what promoters and festivals look at first.
- Highlights. Shows, festivals, press quotes, playlist placements, awards — only real ones, with the source.
- Current release. Title, date, credits, a short note about the song and the press release if there is one.
- Live information. Upcoming dates, the rider, the technical sheet and the stage plot.
- Links. Streaming profiles and socials.
- Contact. Who handles press, booking and management, with an email for each. Make it impossible to miss.
- Logo and artwork for posters and articles.
Numbers help only when they are true and current. “2,000 tickets sold on our last tour” with the year is stronger than a follower count from two years ago — and a number someone can’t check is better left out.
An example layout
A layout that works on a phone, in the order most readers scan it:
- Header: a press photo, the artist name, the one-line description and the contact button.
- Listen: the current single and two more songs.
- Watch: one live video and the latest video.
- Bio: the short version, with the long one one click away.
- Highlights: five bullet points at most, each with a date or a source.
- New release: title, date, credits and the press release.
- Live: upcoming dates, rider and technical sheet to download.
- Press photos and logos: download links with credits.
- Contacts: press, booking and management.
Free EPK template
Copy this into a document or a web page and fill it in. Leave out any section you can’t fill with something real.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Artist name | As it appears on streaming services |
| One line | Genre + who you are + where you are based, in under 15 words |
| Short bio | About 100 words, third person |
| Long bio | 300 to 400 words: origin, releases, live, what is next |
| Songs | 3 links, current single first |
| Videos | 1 live performance + latest video |
| Highlights | Up to 5, each with a date or source |
| Current release | Title · date · credits · press release |
| Live | Next dates · rider · technical sheet · stage plot |
| Press photos | 3–5, high resolution, photographer credit |
| Logos and artwork | PNG with transparent background |
| Contacts | Press · booking · management (name and email) |
Web page or PDF?
A web page is easier to keep current, plays your music and video in place and works on a phone. A PDF is useful when a festival form or an agency asks for an attachment. The practical answer: keep the web page as the original and export a PDF when someone asks for one, with links that go back to the page.
Whatever the format, the files people download — photos, logos, rider — should be in folders that don’t require an account to open.
How to send it
- Write a short, personal email: who you are in one line, why you are writing to them, and the link to the EPK.
- Put the link in the email — don’t attach heavy files.
- Send it to one person, by name, not to a list of addresses.
- For a release, write to press three to six weeks before the date; your release planning checklist marks the moment.
- Follow up once, a week later. If there is no answer, move on.
Common mistakes
- A bio that lists influences and says nothing about what you have done.
- Photos without the photographer’s credit, or only small images.
- Out-of-date dates, an old single first and a dead link.
- No live video, which is the first thing promoters look for.
- A contact email that is hard to find.
- Numbers that can’t be checked.
Keeping it current
An EPK goes stale with every release, show and new photo, and most artists end up sending an old PDF. TONTRIA for Artists builds the EPK from your profile — bio, press photos with credits, logos, riders and technical sheets — on a public page that stays up to date, next to your smart link and the AI-drafted press release for each release, which you review before it goes anywhere. For the videos in your EPK, TONTRIA Clips cuts vertical clips from a live show and makes the lyric video from a Spotify link.