How to make an EPK, step by step
Most guides to making an EPK start with design. That’s backwards. A promoter decides in about thirty seconds, on a phone, and what they decide on is your music, your dates and how easy you are to book. The design only has to stay out of the way.
I’m a DJ and I run a label and a party series, so I read press kits every week. Here is the order I’d make one in, from an empty folder to a link you can send tonight. Each step links to a longer guide if you want the detail.
Step 1: Decide who it’s for
An EPK has one main reader, and for most DJs and bands that’s a promoter or a booker. A label owner or a journalist reads it too, but they want the same things in a different order. Write for the promoter and you’ll cover everyone else.
That reader wants three answers: what you sound like, whether you’re working, and how to book you. Every step below serves one of those. If something doesn’t, it can go. Our guide on what an EPK actually is explains who opens it and why.
Step 2: Pick your music
Choose one to three things, and put your best first. For a DJ, that’s a recent mix that sounds like the nights you want to play. For a producer, it’s your strongest recent release. For a band, it’s a live recording, because a promoter is booking the show, not the record.
Use links that play without a login: SoundCloud, Spotify, Mixcloud, YouTube or Apple Music. A download link or a private folder is the most common reason a press kit gets closed unheard.
Step 3: Write your bio at three lengths
Write one line of about 15 words for listings, a short paragraph of about 60 words for programs, and a longer version of 200 to 300 words for press. Promoters paste bios rather than rewriting them, so give them the length they need.
Lead with facts: where you’re based, what you play, where you’ve played and what you’ve released. Our EPK template has fill-in-the-blanks wording for all three.
Step 4: Choose your photos
Pick two to six press photos, at least one horizontal and one vertical, at full resolution (2,000 pixels or more on the long side). Credit the photographer. A flyer designer needs a clean image they can crop, not a screenshot of your Instagram.
If you only have phone photos, that’s fine to start. Choose ones with good light and a plain background, and replace them when you can.
Step 5: Add dates, highlights and a rider
Upcoming dates go first, because they prove you’re working. Add a few strong past ones under them. If you have nothing coming up, hide the section rather than showing last year.
Then add three to five highlights, such as releases, residencies or support from artists a promoter will recognize. Finish with a short tech rider: two lines for a DJ, a few more for a live act. Our guide on what to put in a DJ press kit covers each one.
Step 6: Choose a format
You have four realistic options. They differ mostly in how they open on a phone and whether you can update them after you send them.
| Format | Good at | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Submission forms that ask for a file | Out of date once sent, slow on cellular data, music doesn’t play | |
| Link-in-bio page | Fast to set up, fine as a doorway | Usually no bio, photos to download or booking address |
| Website builder | Full control, a whole site | Hours of setup, and you design the press kit yourself |
| EPK builder | Built for this job, ready in minutes | Less freedom than a full site |
Step 7: Put it together and test it
Whatever format you choose, test it the way a promoter will see it. Open it on your phone, on cellular data, and check the music plays, the booking email is easy to find and the link shows a preview when you paste it into WhatsApp.
The EPK checklist has the ten things a promoter checks, each with a thirty-second test. The free EPK checker runs them on any link for you.
Step 8: Send it, then keep it current
Send it to one promoter at a time, by name, with two or three sentences and the link. Our guide on sending a press kit to a promoter covers timing and follow-ups.
Then keep it alive. Add new dates and releases as they happen. A link updates everywhere you’ve ever sent it, which is the biggest reason to use one instead of a file.
See what finished ones look like
The Test Press roster has more than 30 live EPKs from DJs, producers, live acts and bands. Open a few in your style before you start. Our guide to a real DJ press kit, taken apart walks through one section by section.
The short version
- Write for the promoter: sound, proof you’re working, how to book you
- One to three tracks or mixes that play without a login
- A bio at 15, 60 and 250 words
- Two to six full-size photos, credited
- Upcoming dates first, then highlights and a short rider
- One booking email, written out
- A link, not a file, tested on your phone
- Updated whenever something changes
Common questions
- How do I make an EPK for free?
- Gather your music links, write a bio at three lengths, choose two to six photos and list your dates and booking email. You can put that on a free link page or a free website plan, or try an EPK builder during its free trial.
- How long does it take to make an EPK?
- Writing the content takes an evening, mostly the bio. Building the page takes from about ten minutes with an EPK builder to a few days with a website builder.
- What should a DJ put in an EPK?
- A recent mix that plays on the page, a bio at three lengths, full-size press photos, upcoming and past dates, a few highlights, a short tech rider and one booking email.
- Should an EPK be a PDF or a website?
- A web page, in almost every case. It opens fast on a phone, plays your music and stays current after you send it. Keep a small PDF only for forms that require a file.
- Do I need a website if I have an EPK?
- Not to get booked. An EPK covers what promoters need. A full website makes sense later, when you have a catalog, merch or a label to show.