Guide · Updated November 8, 2026 · 8 min read
Electronic press kit (EPK): what musicians put in one
What an EPK holds, how a journalist or a booker reads it in the minute they give it, and a template you can fill in tonight.
An electronic press kit, or EPK, is the page you send when someone asks "who are you and what do you sound like?" A music writer, a festival booker, a venue, a playlist curator or a radio host opens it, listens for a moment, reads a few lines and decides whether to keep going. A good EPK answers every question they have before they have to email you back.
It's one of the pieces a release needs alongside the audio, the cover and the bio. This guide covers what goes in, what each reader looks for, two example layouts and how to keep it current from one release to the next.
Key takeaways
- An EPK is one link holding your music, a bio, photos, a logo, links, contacts and anything a booker needs to put you on a stage.
- Lead with the music. Most readers press play before they read a word.
- Keep a bio in more than one length: a line for a listing, a paragraph for a blog, a full page for a feature.
- Give press a private way to hear an unreleased record, and full-resolution photos they can download without asking.
- Update it with every release. An EPK showing last year's single reads as last year's artist.
What an EPK is for
Before EPKs, a press kit was a folder: a printed bio, a glossy photo, a CD and a cover letter. The electronic version does the same job as a web page or a downloadable file, and it does it faster. The person reading it gets dozens of messages a week, so the EPK has one task: let them decide quickly, and make saying yes easy.
Different readers want different things from the same page:
- Music writers and bloggers want the story (who you are, what the record is about, why now), quotable lines, photos they can publish and a way to hear the record before it's out.
- Bookers and venues want to know you can draw and deliver: live video, past shows, where your listeners are, the lineup and the technical needs.
- Curators and radio want the song itself, the genre and mood in a few words, the release date and the links.
One page can serve all three if it's in the right order: the music first, the short version of the story next, then the detail for whoever needs it.
What to include in an electronic press kit
These are the pieces almost every EPK holds. Leave out what you don't have yet; a short kit with strong pieces beats a long one with weak ones.
- Your music, playable on the page. The newest release at the top, then two or three songs that show your range. Add your streaming links beneath them.
- A private listen link for the next release. Writers plan coverage before release day, so they need to hear the record while it's still unreleased. A private link keeps it off the open web.
- A bio in several lengths. One or two sentences, a short paragraph and a longer press bio. Our artist bio guide covers what each length holds.
- Press photos. A few recent, high-resolution images in landscape and portrait, credited to the photographer. More on that in press photos for musicians.
- Logo and cover art. Your logo on a transparent background and in color, plus the cover of the current release, both at full resolution.
- Highlights. Press quotes, notable shows, playlists the song is on, radio plays, collaborations. Only what's true and checkable.
- Video. A music video, a live clip or a session. For bookers, a live clip often matters most.
- Upcoming dates. Release dates and shows.
- Links. Your website or artist page, streaming profiles and social accounts.
- Contact. Who to email for press, booking and management, even if all three are you.
- For bookers: a stage plot and tech rider. The lineup, the instruments and what you need from the venue.
An EPK template you can copy
Fill these in from top to bottom. The order follows how people read: they listen, they skim, then they look for the detail they came for.
EPK examples: two layouts
Two examples of how the same template fills in for different stages of a career.
A first single. The song at the top with a pre-save, a two-sentence bio that names the sound and where you're from, three photos from one shoot, the logo and the cover, and a single contact address. No highlights section yet: writers covering new artists expect a new artist's kit to be short.
A band that tours. The new record at the top with a private listen link for press, the medium bio with a press quote, a live video first in the video row, a stage plot and rider, past venues and festivals, where most of the listeners are, and separate contacts for press and booking.
In both, a reader can hear the music within seconds of opening the page and download a photo without writing to ask for one.
How to send your EPK
An EPK travels as a link inside a short, personal message. Name the person, say in one line why this record fits what they cover or book, give the release date and put the link in. Attachments get stripped or ignored, so keep the files behind the link.
Timing matters for press. A writer working on a feature or a premiere needs the record weeks before release day, which is why the private listen link matters. For bookers, send it when they're filling the season you want to play. Our guide on pre-release promotion covers how outreach fits around the rest of a release, and the release hub lays out the phases.
Your press kit in Audora
Most of an EPK is material a release already needs, so Audora makes it as part of the release and keeps it in one place.
- Your artist page online plays your songs in the look that fits you, with a press page and a press kit to download.
- A bio in three lengths (short, medium and press-ready), written from your genre, references and voice, and copied in one press.
- A wordmark logo in transparent and color versions at full resolution, and cover art made to the stores' spec.
- One Library for everything: what Audora makes and the photos, logo and artwork you upload, each tagged to its release.
- A private listen link on every release, so press and radio can hear the record before it's out, with a card on the release's calendar when it's time to send it.
Everything made is yours with full commercial rights, to use in a press kit, on merch or anywhere else. The press kit is one part of what a release gets on Audora; what every track gets walks through the rest, from the editorial pitch to the playlists shown back to you afterward. The exact steps for your release, each dated to your release day, are in your account, and Audora keeps refining them as it learns what works best for its artists.
Common EPK mistakes
- Music buried at the bottom. If the first thing on the page is a long bio, many readers never reach the song.
- A download link that asks for permission. A shared folder that needs access approval loses the reader. Make photos and logos open to anyone with the link.
- Old material. Photos from three releases ago, a bio that ends with a previous record, a tour section full of past dates.
- Claims nobody can check. "Critically acclaimed" with no source reads as filler. Quote the outlet, or leave it out.
- No contact. It happens more than you'd think. Put an email address on the page.
Questions
What is an EPK in music?
An electronic press kit: one link, usually a web page, that holds an artist's music, bio, press photos, logo, highlights, links and contacts. Music writers, bookers, venues, curators and radio use it to decide whether to cover, book or play the artist.
What should a musician's EPK include?
Playable music (newest release first), a private listen link for anything unreleased, a bio in several lengths, recent press photos, a logo and the current cover, true highlights, a video, upcoming dates, links and contacts. Add a stage plot and tech rider when you send it to bookers.
Should my EPK be a web page or a PDF?
A web page is easier for the reader: the music plays where they are, and they can download what they need. A PDF works as a downloadable copy alongside it, which some bookers and agencies like to file.
How long should an EPK bio be?
Have more than one. A one or two sentence version for listings, a short paragraph for blog posts and a longer press bio for features. Put the short one on the page and the long one a click away.
Do I need an EPK for my first release?
A short one, yes. A song, a two-sentence bio, a few photos, a logo and a contact address is enough to send to a blog or a local venue, and it grows with each release.