If you are building an electronic press kit for the first time, the hardest part is not the technology. It is knowing what belongs on the page.
An EPK should help someone make a decision quickly. A booking agent wants to know whether you fit the room. A journalist wants usable context and images. A festival buyer wants proof that you can hold an audience. A label or manager wants to understand your positioning.
Use this guide to fill each section with a clear purpose. You can apply the structure in EncoreSpot, your own website, or another tool. If you are still choosing a format, compare the interactive templates and use the free planning worksheet first.
1. Hero Section
The hero section is the first screen of your EPK. It should answer the basics before anyone scrolls.
Include:
- Artist or band name
- Genre or sound
- Location
- One-line tagline
- Strong hero image
- Primary social or music links, if they are part of the design
Your tagline should be specific enough to be useful. Avoid vague lines like "music from the heart" or "a new sound for a new generation."
Better:
"Soulful indie pop from Chicago, built around intimate vocals and big-room choruses."
That gives the reader genre, place, mood, and scale.
2. Artist Bio
Your EPK should include both a short bio and a full bio.
Short Bio
Use this for quick scanning. Aim for 1-2 sentences.
Fictional example:
"Amara Osei is a British-Ghanaian vocalist blending neo-soul, Afrobeats, and jazz into songs that move between London intimacy and Accra rhythm."
Full Bio
Use this for press, booking, and deeper context. Aim for 3-5 paragraphs.
A reliable structure:
- Positioning: What you sound like and where you fit.
- Story: The background that makes the project distinct.
- Proof: Releases, shows, press, playlist placements, audience growth, or collaborations.
- Momentum: What is coming next.
Write in third person. It makes your bio easier for journalists, venues, and festivals to reuse.
3. Music
This section should make it effortless to listen.
Include 2-4 tracks:
- Latest release
- Most representative song
- Most popular track
- Live standout or fan favorite
Put your strongest track first. Do not make the reader click through your entire catalog before hearing the song that defines you.
Embedded players let the reader listen without leaving the EPK. Outbound Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, or YouTube links can still work as a backup, but keep the section curated.
4. Video
Video gives decision-makers confidence.
For booking, live video matters because it shows stage presence, crowd response, and performance quality. For press, music videos can communicate visual identity. For labels, sessions and live clips can show musicianship.
Include one or two of the following:
- Official music video
- High-quality live performance
- Studio session
- Acoustic or stripped-down performance
- Short documentary clip, only if it adds useful context
Avoid dumping every video you have. One great video with a clear title is more persuasive than a long playlist of mixed-quality clips.
5. Press Photos
Your press photos should be useful in different layouts.
Include:
- Horizontal image for banners and article headers
- Vertical portrait for profiles and posters
- Clean close-up or artist portrait
- Optional live image if it captures the show
Use high-resolution files and current visuals. If your EPK says one thing but your images look like a different era of the project, the page feels stale.
Captions are optional, but helpful when there is context: photographer credit, live venue, album campaign, or specific era.
6. Press Quotes
Press quotes give the reader language they can trust.
A strong quote is specific and links back to a real source:
"[A specific observation about the sound, songwriting, or live show.]" — [Publication or reviewer], [date]
A weak quote is generic:
"Great music." — [Unverified source]
If you do not have traditional press yet, use credible substitutes:
- Venue testimonials
- Playlist curator notes
- Festival blurbs
- Radio host comments
- Support slots with known artists
Use only quotes you have permission to reproduce and can attribute accurately. Never invent an outlet, reviewer, or endorsement to fill the section.
7. Highlights
Highlights are where you summarize momentum.
Good highlights include:
- Notable shows or festivals
- Support slots
- Streaming milestones
- Playlist placements
- Awards or nominations
- Radio play
- Sync placements
- Recent releases
Do not list everything. Choose the achievements that would matter to your target reader.
If you are pitching venues, live history matters. If you are pitching press, story and releases matter. If you are pitching labels or managers, growth signals matter.
8. Contact
This section should be impossible to miss.
Include:
- Booking email
- Management contact, if applicable
- Public social links
- Website or primary artist link
Use a professional email address if possible. A clear contact section can be the difference between an opportunity and a missed message.
What Not to Include
Skip anything that makes the page harder to use:
- Your entire discography
- Every show you have ever played
- Old press quotes from a different era
- Low-resolution photos
- Long first-person diary-style bios
- Broken social links
- Auto-playing audio
- A PDF as the only format
Recommended EPK Order
Use this order when you are not sure what to do:
- Hero
- Short bio
- Music
- Video
- Press photos
- Press quotes
- Highlights
- Full bio
- Contact
That order lets the reader understand you quickly, hear the music, see the visuals, then go deeper.
Ready to Choose a Layout?
Compare EncoreSpot's interactive templates and use the free planning worksheet. Then add your content, compare layouts in the private preview, and decide whether a published public URL is useful for your current pitch. Public publishing requires Pro.