How to Make an Electronic Press Kit That Will Help Your Band Stand Out
There’s a lot to consider when learning how to make an Electronic Press Kit. After all, this is designed to be the complete snapshot that sells your act to the world.
When learning to make an electronic press kit, ensure you describe yourself in one dynamic quote, highlight your unique selling points, and regularly update it.
Anyone may think they can sell themselves easily enough by posting a few quick videos and paragraphs. However, the best EPKs aren’t things that are hastily thrown together.
A well-thought-out kit isn’t built overnight and grows as your act does. It’s why you should take time to ensure everything is visible to the world. So how do you make an engaging Electronic Press Kit?
What is an Electronic Press Kit?
An Electronic Press Kit is a digital snapshot showcasing the main selling points of your act. It highlights who you are, your most significant achievements and why people should invest in your music. These days, an EPK is simply a section on your band website.
It includes all the critical information someone would want to know about your act. From record labels to media outlets and potential sponsors, everyone will see this when profiling you as an artist.
That means it should be loaded with everything you need to sell yourself to the world. This includes:
- A short bio
- Photos, Audio & Videos
- Highlights & Achievements
- Contact Details
- Upcoming Plans
How can an EPK help me?
Having this all in one place acts as the bridge between you and the rest of the industry. The advantage of having an EPK is that you can answer a series of questions with one media tool.
Of course, with everything being digital, it isn’t just a boring piece of paper. Indeed, EPK’s have left press releases and chunky sampler packs by the wayside.
Instead, everything can be compressed into one digital folder with everything bundled together and unpacked in seconds. A good EPK has a mix of press releases, audio and video files, screenshots of your act – on stage, in the studio, or even posters of headlining shows.
With everything being in one place, you have the perfect way to sell yourself to dozens of parties in one single go. That’s why you need to ensure this portfolio is as good as you can make it.
What to include in an Electronic Press Kit?
When creating your Electronic Press Kit, you need to make sure everything you include in it covers everything someone wants to know about your band. Here’s a quick roundup of those things:
- Your biography
- Music videos
- A music logo
- Contact information
- Your music (possibly with a built-in music player)
- Your best music (and recent releases)
- Upcoming tour dates
- Testimonials from other press members
- Social media links
Your EPK needs to be a comprehensive view for any booking agent, talent buyer, or press member who has questions. So it needs to be deep, but it also needs to focus on your best work.
Below, you’ll find out more about what to include in some of the more complicated sections or your EPK.
The bio
Your artist bio is the cornerstone of your EPK. It’ll be the first thing anyone will read about your act. It’s why you need to put a lot of focus on getting it right.
Think of it as your opening remark in a business pitch. It needs to say who you are and what makes you unique in a short space of time.
That means you need to do two things with it: keep it concise and highlight your main selling points. You don’t need or want a whole page to do this. Indeed, just one or two sentences will do the trick.
Once you have this nailed down, you can then go on to include a longer bio elsewhere should you need to do so.
Videos
When it comes to including videos in your EPK, only have a few examples of your band. Adding too much will make the entire thing look cluttered and difficult to navigate.
Therefore, be selective about what videos you choose to feature. The best picks are any big songs or trademark hits for your band. Check and see what videos have high viewing on YouTube and include the recordings of those on the list.
You can also include a few live videos if this adds to your selling point. If you pick any videos, make sure you choose ones with high-quality video and audio. Also, if you can show your band engaging crowds on stage, that can add to your likeability.
Images
As you look at what images to include of your band, don’t just stick to classic promo shots or headshots of your band themselves. They only tell half the story.
Find images that show what your band is all about. A great action shot of you at the moment on stage is just as good as any staged image might be.
Furthermore, if you have pictures of you headlining anything, include that too. Having an image of your name at the top of any show poster is yet another achievement you can show off to the world.
Contact Info
Include all the relevant contact information for parties to reach out to you.
This isn’t just bog standard email and phone numbers, though. Highlight and promote any forms of social media that you might be on. Includes links to YouTube, TikTok, Deezer, & Spotify to show your visibility.
Doing this shows what your following might already be like online and what potential you might have for record companies and sponsors to tap into.
How to make your electronic press kit engaging and unique
Now we have established the critical cornerstones of what should be included in an EPK (different from your digital press kit), it’s time to make this stand out from rival acts and leave them in your wake.
This is where you make that overall difference and can do it in various ways. Some of these seem obvious, but it’s incredible how many overlook some of these aspects.
So how do you make yourself reach the front of the pack?
Focus on your unique branding
The band brand is where you need to focus if you want to stand out. Unique bands tend to get the most notice, so you’ll want your EPK to represent that
Branding comes through in the photos you choose, your album art, and your music logo.Your EPK should also meet with a similar color scheme and design.
For example, Mother of Exile is a small metal band out of Denver, Colorado. Given they are small, their EPK needs to work hard to tell people what to expect. From the website, you can tell what they sound like, their story, and see some band photos. Scrolling down a bit, you can also listen to their music.
MOE’s EPK is part of a multi-stage website. However, you might choose to stick with a single-page website to keep things simple. But however you create your website EPK, think of the color scheme, the art, the font, and the overall website design to create the right environment.
Quality over quantity
Make sure that any media you upload is high quality. This goes for any image or audio file you include on your EPK.
It isn’t just a question of professionalism, though. It is also about ensuring you don’t overdo how much you include on the page.
Uploading an entire back catalog or several portfolios is pointless as no one will spend the time looking through everything you uploaded.
Therefore, only pick the best songs and images you have of your band. And when you do this, ensure that the uploads are of good quality.
For audio uploads, make sure that the audio can play at 320kbps so that anyone listening can hear all the different layers clearly and get a whole impression of your sound.
If you upload images, try using high-res pictures with at least a minimum resolution of 300ppi. This prevents the photos from looking grainy and missing out on any details.
Lastly, if you are uploading videos, try to upload content filmed in either 720p or 1080i definition. This guarantees that you get a good blend of audio and picture details without any playback issues.
By taking that time to include high-quality media in your press kit, you will be able to engage quickly with anyone seeing what you are all about. J
Showcase your achievements
Another thing to remember: don’t be scared to share your achievements. Having any showcase moment is something to brag about when going against similar acts.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to showcase this without overdoing it. In fact, the more you spread this out – the more you will sell yourself to the world.
This could even be what you lead with. For example, if a notable industry veteran has referenced you positively – make that count.
If a major publication – like a magazine or newspaper – has complimented you, put that quote front and center of your kit. It’s something like that proves that you are already making waves within the scene.
It would be the same if you shared the stage with big acts. Suppose you are a local band and opened for a mainstream act, showing that prowess proves your drive and aim to succeed over others in your area. Showcasing this via a gig poster or your band on stage with them shows that you are meant to be taken seriously.
Also – don’t be afraid to track your progress on social media. Having a song that has trended globally or having an award for a subscriber base proves to outsiders you have potential. It only takes a quick mention of a YouTube Award or Spotify badge to show how much traction your act has.
All these little badges and achievements will work in your favor, so don’t hesitate to showcase your very best awards when looking to sell yourself.
Show your goals
The thing about an EPK is that they aren’t just about the past or present. They are also about your future too. Don’t forget these kits are about attracting future partners and investments.
Therefore, post a few signposts about where you are going next. It gives people an indication of what to look out for soon.
If you have a lead single for your next album or EP, include it. It’s a great way to entice promoters and bookers looking for hot acts to bring in for their next big show.
Always keep a list of upcoming tour dates in there. If any A&R talent scouts like what they see, they won’t hesitate to show up at a gig to see if you are the next big thing.
Posting these subtle hints at where you want to go showcases that your band wants to make an impact and grow further. And that is a critical trait any prospective partner will want to engage with.
Never stop updating your EPK
Just because you have a completed EPK, don’t think that you can rest easy. Resting on your laurels is the last thing you want to do.
The music industry is one that never stands still. New acts emerge daily and may have a sound or look yet to be discovered.
With that in mind, you always need to keep your kit updated. This includes updating band images, rotating hit songs, and updating band details. Your tour manager won’t handle this for you.
And not maintaining your EPK may also look unprofessional if something is wrong. If you change band members and don’t update your press kit, it will immediately set off alarm bells for sponsors and record companies.
Furthermore, if you don’t include updated show listings, anyone viewing it may think that your band is inactive and rule you out entirely.
It’s why neglecting your EPK for months can be a potential disaster. Keeping everything fresh and updated ensures you remain relevant to potential partners.
Create multiple EPKs for different music professioanls
Your music press kit can work for everyone from media buyers to music managers. Knowing this, different types of EPKs will work on different people.
If you are reaching out to media contacts, have those different EPK types ready. Gear those EPK types to different members of the music industry.
For example, a talent buyer might want to focus more on live events and music videos. Meanwhile, members of the general media might want to see how others have covered your band in the past (so you should provide them with other notable moments).
Regardless of who is coming, it always helps to start with the music. Most music professionals and media members want to focus on a talented band. Your music should do most of your heavy lifting.
What are some different tools you can use to build an EPK?
Knowing that EPKs are simply part of your band website, the tools you can use to build your EPK are typially part of website buililding software. However, you can also supplement these tools with design programs like Adobe Spark or Canva.
Below, you’ll find some different website builders useful for bands:
All of these building tools focus on simplicity above all else. If you want something a bit more technical (but flexible), consider WordPress. That’s the site builder we use.
Music professionals will want to think before picking one of the above solutions. For example, you might want an eCommerce feature for your website. But since this isn’t the article on the best website builder for bands, we won’t get too far into that topic.
What not to include in your EPK
As much as there are things to include in your EPK, there are also things to avoid when creating it. It only takes a few wrong moves, and you will turn off many potential suitors. So what should you avoid in your EPK:
No paywalls
First and foremost, don’t think about including any paywalls in your EPK. Although you promote your band, you aren’t using this to drive sales for your music.
Therefore, don’t include promotions on CDs, shows, or anything involving sales. It’ll immediately turn off anyone viewing your EPK.
Not only does it stink of desperation, but it is the last thing anyone will want to see when they are gauging you as an artist. It ultimately shows that you are only in it for the money and not for the passion.
Furthermore, hiding music behind paywalls will close off any access you might get to prospective partners. No one will want to spend 5-10 minutes buying access to something they might only watch or listen to once.
Focus on selling your act and skillset rather than using it to drive sales.
Avoid generic clichés
Everyone has heard about “the next big thing” or “the greatest thing since…”. And there’s nothing worse than hearing someone claiming themselves to be a generational act.
Indeed, general clichés only serve to turn prospective partners away. It’s not just the case of it being something businesses hear daily in the industry.
Doing something like this puts your band on a pedestal and sets you up to fail – rather than letting it be a platform to build upon.
If someone discovers that your claims are unfounded or they don’t see the same vision as you do, it only risks alienating a potential sponsor or record company. And it’ll leave them to pass on your act in favor of a direct rival.
Therefore, keep things in your kit honest and showcase who you are rather than making big claims that don’t add anything to your act.
Knowing how to make an electronic press kit
Having seen all the components that make up an electronic press kit, you can see what you need to do to create a page that makes you stand out from the crowd.
Creating a digital profile for prospective partners to see immediately allows record companies and sponsors to see your significant highlights in one place.
Having a snappy bio with a selection of your biggest hits on hand shows more about your artist than what any paid promotion might do in the same amount of time.
Keeping things constantly updated with new hits and show listing can show how your act is continually evolving and allow higher-profile parties to notify you as your career grows.
At the same time, avoiding generic hype and unwanted sales pitches is vital if you don’t want people to write you off before they know what you are all about.
Once you know how to navigate all these areas, you will learn how to make an electronic press kit that is engaging to prospective partners and true to who you are as an artist.