How to Build an Electronic Press Kit, Start to Finish

Quick answer: Build your EPK in this order: artist bio first, then your music and discography, then social media links, then photos, then your logo if you have one, then quotes or press coverage if you have any, then gig and tour info, then contact details - finishing with a full proofread of the whole thing. Building in sequence keeps you from realizing halfway through that your photos section references a bio you haven’t written yet, and it doubles as the complete checklist: miss one of these six-to-eight pieces and you’re sending an incomplete package to someone with no time to chase down the rest.

Every musician needs an EPK that a record label, radio station, or venue can open and immediately get a real sense of who you are. Here’s the actual build process, in the order that makes each step easier because of the one before it.

Start With the Artist Biography

Your bio comes first because most of what follows references it. The people reviewing your EPK have probably never heard of you - your bio needs to tell them where you’re based and what kind of music you make, plus your full lineup and instruments if you’re in a band. Keep it short; nobody wants to spend five minutes reading your backstory before they’ve heard a note. This is very often the first thing anyone opens an EPK to read, and a weak one colors everything that follows - see our full step-by-step guide to writing your artist biography for the actual writing process.

Add Your Music and Discography

Link to your work on Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever it lives - and include actual downloadable files too if the format allows it (radio, in particular, often needs a file, not just a stream). List every release rather than just linking to a profile, so whoever’s reading doesn’t have to go hunt for your back catalog. Include video if you have anything professionally shot. This is the section that answers “okay, but what do they actually sound like” - don’t make anyone go searching for the answer.

Link Your Social Media

Link everywhere you’re actually active - Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, whatever platforms your fans actually use this year, not whatever list was standard a decade ago (Google Plus, for the record, has been gone since 2019 - if an old checklist still tells you to include it, that checklist is the problem). Current follower counts help too; nobody expects you to be huge, but a stale number reads worse than an honest small one.

Include Professional Photos

One or two strong, current, professionally shot photos - the kind that can actually be used in someone else’s promotional material without you needing to send a better one later. Whoever’s reviewing your EPK needs something usable for a listing or an article on short notice, not a scroll through your entire photo library - a blurry phone photo from three tours ago is worse than no photo at all.

Add Your Logo, If You Have One

If you have one, include it - a recognizable mark makes you easier to remember across a crowded feed of other submissions, and it’s genuinely useful on merch, release art, and anywhere else your name shows up. If you don’t have one yet, it’s not a blocker; it’s just one more thing worth getting eventually.

Add Quotes or Reviews - If You Have Them

Real quotes from real reviews and articles add credibility fast. Never fabricate one - a made-up quote is the kind of thing that, once discovered, costs you a lot more trust than having no quotes at all. If you don’t have any yet, skip this section entirely rather than filling it with a friend’s blog post; a missing section reads as “not yet,” while a weak one reads as “this is the best I’ve got.” If you do have a handful of quotes saved, an AI assistant can help format them: hand it the raw text and ask it to pull the single strongest one-sentence line from each review into a short pull-quote list with the publication name attached - cut anything that reads generic even if it’s technically positive.

Include Gig and Tour Info

Mention recent and upcoming shows without listing all twenty of them - a couple of highlighted dates plus a link to your full schedule does the job. This section also quietly signals that you’re an active, currently-touring act, not a dormant one.

Don’t Forget Contact Information

Phone, email, website, and a way to actually reach you or your team - forgetting this is one of the most common (and most costly) EPK mistakes. An otherwise great kit with no way to respond to is a dead end.

Some artists also add testimonials or a sponsor list once the core pieces are locked down - nice-to-haves, not requirements. Get everything above in place first.

Try this prompt: Once you’ve drafted every section above, hand the full text to an AI assistant and ask: “Review this electronic press kit for gaps - is anything missing from bio, music, socials, photos, logo, reviews, gig info, or contact details? Point out anything unclear or that a stranger reading this for the first time wouldn’t understand.” Treat the output as a checklist to work through, not a rewrite - your own voice in the bio section especially shouldn’t get flattened by an AI edit.

Review Everything Before You Send It

The last step is a genuine review, not a skim - check that your bio is tight, confirm every section is actually present, and proofread the whole thing top to bottom. This is also the moment to check every link actually works; a dead SoundCloud link undoes a lot of the effort that went into everything else.

Where Your EPK Actually Goes

Once it’s built, your EPK gets sent to labels, industry insiders, promoters, and venues scouting new acts - almost always as a link now, whether to a dedicated EPK page or a cloud-hosted folder, rather than anything physical. See our guide to storing and sharing your EPK for the actual hosting options. However you send it, review it one more time before it goes out - an EPK missing even one piece from this list is a weaker EPK, no matter how good the rest of it is.

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I build my EPK in? Bio first, then your music and discography, then social links, then photos, then your logo if you have one, then quotes or reviews if you have them, then gig/tour info, then contact details - finishing with a full proofread. Building in this order keeps you from realizing halfway through that a later section depends on something you skipped.

What are the essential elements of an electronic press kit? Artist biography, your music/discography, social media links, professional photos, a logo if you have one, and music reviews or press clippings if you have any. Miss one of these and you’re sending an incomplete package to someone with no time to chase down the rest.

Do I need actual audio files or just streaming links in my EPK? Depends on the format. If your EPK lives online, links to Spotify or SoundCloud usually cover it. If you’re sending files directly (to radio, for instance), include a couple of high-quality downloadable tracks too.

How many photos should I include in my EPK? A handful of strong, current, professionally shot photos - not a full gallery. Whoever’s reviewing your EPK needs something usable for a listing or an article, not a scroll through your entire photo library.

What if I don’t have any press reviews yet? Leave the section out rather than padding it with a friend’s blog post or a fake pull-quote - a missing section reads as “not yet,” while a weak one reads as “this is the best I’ve got,” which is a worse impression to leave.

EPK built and ready? Submit Your Music and let’s get it moving your career forward.