An artist's EPK is the key to communication with the rest of the music industry. The EPK acts as an artist's portfolio, bridging the gap between your songs and music journalists, online media, talent bookers, new fans, and potentially record labels.

There are a lot of key components that go into a professional EPK. Fortunately, we'll break down everything you need to know in this comprehensive guide so that you can make your own EPK page from scratch. We'll also answer some commonly asked questions and share some amazing EPK examples to spark inspiration for your creations. Let's dive into it!

What Is An Electronic Press Kit (EPK)?

An artist's EPK, otherwise known as an electronic press kit, is a resource that includes everything you need to get background on the artist, find their work, and get into contact with them. This resource is often used to secure press coverage, appearance bookings, tour dates and more, making it an invaluable resource for any musician.

EPK Vs. Artist Website: What's The Difference?

The concept of the EPK has evolved with the music industry over time. While EPKs historically might have operated as a physical one-pager that gives you all the background information you would use to book or cover an artist, today, they are much more akin to an artist's website. An artist's website might serve as an EPK or an artist might have a specialized "press" tab on their website to host information all in one place.

What Should Be In My EPK?

Here is the lowdown on everything you should be including in your electronic press kit:

Artist Bio

Your EPK should include an artist biography highlighting your story, background, as well as any notable achievements over the course of your career. It might be helpful to reference other household names to help others quickly get a sense of your sound, even before hitting play.

Music Links

One of the most important components of your EPK should be access to your social media links. Be sure to prioritize the platforms you create with on the most frequent basis so that you can direct your fans to your creations.

Visuals

Include links to your music videos, professional photos, and any other visuals that help immerse the listener in the world of your sound. The creative presentation should be cohesive across your EPK to give off a polished feel.

Tour Dates

Include current and past tour dates so that bookers and talent buyers can get a sense of when you might be free, as well as what types of shows you've played in the past. Include ticket links so that fans can easily access your shows.

Press Kit and Gallery

Consider including a press kit complete with select pull quotes from press pieces or other media about your art. You can also include additional photo galleries showing behind-the-scenes of your process or additional content.

Booking Information

Make sure you have the contact info for your you and your entire team (if applicable) readily available. If you're playing shows often, you might also want to include a link detailing your technical requirements on stage.

Fan-Focused Extras

Don't forget that your EPK serves as a space for your fans, too! Include a newsletter sign-up option along with any other fan-focused experiences to further engage your audience. While a newsletter may seem somewhat old-fashioned, it's one of the few ways to connect with your audience, independent of algorithms.

7 EPK Examples To Spark Inspiration

Putting together equally informative and entertaining press kits can understandably feel a bit overwhelming. Use these amazing artist examples to help you get inspired to create your own unique artist EPK:

Yeule

Yeule is a master of visual communication, and her EPK is unsurprisingly no exception to the rule. While all of Yeule's social links can be found on the platform, Discord is notably elevated - which speaks to understanding your fanbase as it relates to your main channels of communication. They also share links to Yeule's music on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp, which might appeal to a more niche-indie crowd.

Oma Cassé

Oma Cassé's EPK showcases his artist logo, links, and effortlessly organizes his project. This EPK serves as both an artist and audio engineering portfolio, making it a great example for artists who also provide additional sonic services.

Sarah Kinsley

Sarah Kinsley's simple yet chic EPK hosts links to her music, videos, social links, tour dates, as well as a sign up button for her newsletter. The home page showcases a nod to her latest album artwork, helping prospective visitors quickly identify her latest project.

Hemlocke Springs

Hemlocke Springs' EPK is uniquely hers. Complete with a handwritten bio, personal anecdotes, and drawn icons, you really feel like you get a sense of who she is as an artist - which is the goal of any EPK. This press kit is complete with a gallery showcasing fan art.

Edwin Raphael

Edwin Raphael's EPK communicates pure bliss and greener pastures, which perfectly encapsulates his music. His site includes more than the typical fare, here fans can enjoy an entire 3D world where they can discover new songs in an immersive environment. Not every artist will have the resources to create these sorts of fan experiences, of course, but it just goes to show that providing a cutting-age musical experience can genuinely build a stronger connection with listeners.

Kate Bollinger

Kate Bolinger's EPK shares the color scheme of her latest album artwork, doubling as an amazing promotion tool. The graphically pleasing site contains all the links you would need to go further into Kate's music or contact her team for booking. It's a simple yet effective EPK that fits perfectly within the world of her music.

Swedish House Mafia

Swedish House Mafia has a distinct minimalistic EPK with bold colors and sleek design that speak to the world of the electronic dance trio's music. You can find all of the expected information for the group, along with tour dates for the individual trio members on their site, alongside glossy music videos, social links, and a front-and-center newsletter sign-up portal to help stay connected with fans.

8 EPK Templates and Resources to Consider

Ready to build your EPK? Check out these resources to propel your music career:

Adobe Portfolio

If you're already an Adobe subscriber, you can use their included portfolio builder to create up to five different websites. You might not have as much flexibility with certain aspects of the EPK template, but it's a stunning and fairly easy to use option for those who might already use Adobe software.

Sonic Bids

Build a simple yet effective EPK through Sonic Bids press kit templates . These templates range from free to $20 per month. Note that these templates may have less visual customization options than those catered to making an entire website.

BandZoogle

BandZoogle offers several press kit templates to help you build out press kits within a couple of minutes. Pricing ranges from $9-$16 per month.

Website Builders

You can use traditional website builders like Squarespace and Wix to create an EPK from a template. Squarespace, for instance, has created an entire tutorial on using their site to build your artist press kit:

Reverb Nation

For about $10/month, Reverb Nation offers a seamless EPK builder that provides a custom domain address and hosting that looks great on desktop, mobile, and tablets.

Canva

While far less common, some artists still swear by having a physical one-pager traditional EPK that they can hand out for press releases at in-person events, shows, and conventions. If you're looking to design an EPK flyer for physical use, Canva provides plenty of free templates to showcase your work.

Gigwell

Music booking site, Gigwell, provides a free EPK template to help you secure your next performance. This is a great option for indie touring artists seeking out a free booking resource.

Link in Bio Services

A link in bio tool might not be the end-all be-all for a professional artist, but it's better than nothing while you're putting together a more professional site. Consider using services like LinkTree to capture all of your links in one place for social media. Once you've created your EPK, put your portfolio within the top of your favorite link in bio tool.

Where Should I Share My EPK?

An EPK can't be put to good use unless it's in the right set of hands. Here are a couple of places where you might consider sharing a link to your EPK:

Social Media

Your EPK or artist website serves as a one-stop shop where everyone can track down your links all-in-one place. By default, your EPK should be in one of the top spots in your bio. Each social platform should have a link to your EPK so that you can funnel fans and other music industry professionals to the same place.

PR Pitches

When pitching your music to blogs or other music journalists, your EPK should be highly visible and accessible. Make sure to include this in every email, DM, or website inquiry to others in the music business.

Email Signature

One way to ensure your visibility is to incorporate a link to your EPK within your email signature. This way, every person you come into contact with will have the opportunity to check out your extended portfolio.

Fan Resource

There is nothing more powerful than an enthusiastic fan! Make sure your top listeners have easy access to your EPK to keep them up to date on your latest happenings.

Talent Buyers

EPKs are essential tools for booking and scheduling press interviews. Share your EPK with promoters, talent buyers, along with anyone else on your team who may need your portfolio as a resource.

How To Make An EPK: FAQs

Creating an EPK is an essential first step into entering the music industry. Here are some commonly asked questions and answers to help expand your understanding:

How do I make my own EPK?

We cover exactly how to make an EPK for securing music business press above. Essentially, you'll have to gather key elements like your artist bio, social media links, album artwork, favorite music video selections, press release information, and booking contacts. These essential elements can then be packaged into a website or press kit complete with contact details so that you can book more shows and secure more press.

Where can I get an EPK for free?

You can get an EPK for free through services like Google Docs, Wix, or Gigwell covered in this comprehensive guide. However, free resources might not always be able to accommodate all of the EPK functionalities you may be searching for as an artist.

Can I make an EPK from Google Docs?

You can definitely create an EPK using a free resource like Google Docs. However, your EPK may come across as slightly more professional if it's sourced from a page on your personalized music website.

Where is the best place to create an EPK?

The best place to create an EPK page depends on your needs as an artist. You can use a paid website builder to build your EPK, but we also share several templates and free resources that may be helpful in this comprehensive guide.

What should an EPK include?

An electronic press kit should include album art and links to your own music, photos, an artist biography, examples of past press coverage, and potential resources for music industry professionals like a tech rider and any other sources of booking information. You should also include your social media links and any information on where your fans can find more.

Don't forget that once you've finished your initial EPK, it's important to keep it up to date. Your EPK serves as your online portfolio, so make a point to frequently evaluate and curate relevant information on your platform accordingly.

Hopefully, this guide made it easier for you to build a successful EPK for your artist project. Now it's time to put your best foot forward - enjoy the process of putting your EPK to good use sending it to media outlets, music blogs, talent buyers, and more!