EPK checklist: the ten things a promoter checks
A promoter gives an EPK about thirty seconds, usually on a phone, usually between two other things. In that time they want to know three things: what you sound like, whether you are working, and how to book you. Everything else is supporting evidence.
Here is the checklist in the order a promoter actually reads, with a test for each point you can run yourself. Open your own EPK on your phone before you start, the way they will.
1. Can they hear you in one tap?
Music first, because it is the only thing that gets you booked. A player on the page is heard; a link that opens another app mostly is not, because every app switch is a chance to get distracted and not come back.
Test: open your link and count the taps between the page appearing and music playing. One is the goal. If the answer involves leaving your page, add a SoundCloud or Spotify player with your best recent mix near the top.
2. Can they find the booking email in five seconds?
One address, clearly labelled, that can be copied. A contact form, an Instagram handle or "DM for bookings" all lose enquiries, because a promoter booking six acts at once will not open six conversations.
Test: hand your phone to a friend, say "book this DJ" and time them. If you have an agent, their address is the one that should be there, and yours should not appear next to it.
3. Is there a bio they can paste without editing?
A promoter does not rewrite your bio; they paste it. Give them a one-line version for listings and a short paragraph for programmes, and make both specific: where you are based, what you play, where you have played or released.
Test: could your short bio go into a club listing exactly as it is? If it needs cutting, cut it yourself. Our guide on what to put in a DJ press kit has the lengths that work.
4. Would the photos work on a poster?
At least two, one of them horizontal, downloadable at full size, with the photographer credited. A flyer designer cannot do anything with a compressed web image or a screenshot of your Instagram.
Test: download one photo. Is it at least 2,000 pixels on its long side, and do you know who took it?
5. Are your dates in the future?
Upcoming shows are proof you are working. A dates section whose newest entry was last summer says the opposite, and it is worse than having no section at all.
Test: is the newest date on the page still ahead of you? If not, add what is coming up, or hide the section until you have something.
6. Does the link look right in WhatsApp?
Most EPKs are sent in a chat. A link with a preview image and your name looks like a professional page; a bare blue address looks like spam and gets treated like it.
Test: send the link to yourself in WhatsApp or Instagram. You should see a picture and your name. If you see only the address, the page is missing its preview tags.
7. Is there a tech rider?
Two lines are enough for a DJ: which decks, which mixer, booth monitors. It saves an email, and it tells the promoter you have done this before.
Test: could a sound engineer set up for you from what is on the page?
8. Does it work on a phone without pinching?
A desktop page shrunk to fit a phone gets closed. Text should be readable as it is, and buttons big enough for a thumb.
Test: scroll your whole page on your phone without zooming once.
9. Is the address secure?
Browsers mark pages without https as "not secure". It is a small thing, and the last thing you want a stranger to see before your name.
Test: look for the padlock next to the address, with no warning.
10. Does it open fast on mobile data?
Promoters open links on trains, in clubs and in queues. A page that takes five seconds to show anything has usually lost them by second three.
Test: turn Wi-Fi off and open your link. The first screen should appear in about two seconds.
Run all ten at once
The free EPK checker runs these ten checks on any link, a Linktree, a website or an EPK, and scores it out of 100 with what to fix. It takes a few seconds and needs no sign-up.
Common questions
- What is the most common thing missing from an EPK?
- A booking email that is easy to find, followed by music that plays on the page. Both are fixed in minutes, and both cost bookings when they are missing.
- How long should an EPK be?
- One page a promoter can take in within thirty seconds on a phone: music, a short bio, two or more photos, upcoming dates, a rider and one booking address. Longer material, such as a full biography or press quotes, can sit further down.
- Is a Linktree enough as an EPK?
- Usually not on its own. A link page sends promoters somewhere else for each thing they need, and it rarely has a bio, photos to download or a booking address. It works well as a doorway to a proper EPK.