EPKs for Bands: Build a Press Kit for Gigs, Festivals and Media

By Joseph Cheek · Published 11 October 2026 · Updated 11 October 2026

What is an EPK for a band?

A band EPK, or electronic press kit, is a digital introduction to your act for media and music industry contacts. It brings together your band bio, music, promotional images, relevant video and contact details, with supporting release or performance information where useful.

Think of it as the material behind your pitch. Your email explains why you’re getting in touch; your EPK gives the recipient a way to explore the band and assess the opportunity.

That might mean hearing your new single, seeing how you perform on stage or finding a photo and bio for an event announcement. The kit should make those next steps straightforward.

For more background, read our guide to what an EPK is.

Decide what you want your EPK to achieve

Before you gather files, finish this sentence: “We’re sending this EPK because we want…”

A support slot? A festival appearance? Coverage of a new release? An introduction to a booking agent?

The answer helps you decide which material deserves attention. A journalist considering your single needs its story and release details. A venue booker needs to hear the act and understand what you can deliver on stage.

You can prepare one general band EPK and create more focused versions when needed. Keep your identity consistent, then choose the material that supports each pitch.

Here’s a useful test: if the recipient spends only a short time with the kit, will they find what matters to this particular enquiry?

What should a band EPK include?

Start with the essentials, then add material that earns its place.

You don’t need a long press history or a huge media folder to begin. You need a useful introduction and material that represents the band well.

Our copy-and-fill EPK template can help you collect the content before building.

How to write a band bio

Lead with the band people will hear

A band bio should help someone picture your act before they press play. Give them your location, a specific description of your music and something that distinguishes your project.

Details such as interlocking guitars, close vocal harmonies, driving rhythms or intimate storytelling tell a reader more than calling yourselves “unique” or “the next big thing.”

A possible starting structure is:

[Band name] is a [type of band] from [location], combining [recognisable musical elements]. [A detail about the songwriting, live approach or creative identity]. [The release or activity you are currently promoting].

Use this as a prompt, then write it in your own voice. Your bio should sound like your band, rather than a form you’ve filled in.

Tell the shared story

Give the reader a reason to care about how the band came together. Perhaps the members bring contrasting musical backgrounds, write around a shared experience or built the project around a particular live approach.

Choose the details that explain the music. A complete account of every lineup change or rehearsal space can distract from the project you’re presenting now.

Include current members and roles when useful, especially if the lineup is relevant to the pitch. Make it clear whether you’re offering the full band or a smaller configuration. You don’t need a separate life story for every member.

Prepare a short and a longer version

Your short bio should work as a complete introduction. Your longer bio can develop the background, creative approach and story behind your current work.

Writing in the third person makes it easier for a promoter or media contact to adapt the text. Keep names, credits and achievements accurate, and make sure everyone in the band is comfortable with the story you’re presenting.

Before you finish, read the short version aloud. Would it make a useful introduction to your set or your latest release?

Choose music, photos and video that represent the band

Pick a track that supports the pitch

Which song would you play someone who wanted to understand the band?

Start there for a general introduction. For a release campaign, give the new single, EP or album a clear focus. For a booking enquiry, choose music that represents the act you can deliver live.

Make the title and listening option easy to find. Add context where it helps someone understand the song, rather than making them read a long explanation before hearing it.

Test the link from outside your own account. For unreleased music, provide clear access instructions. If a radio station or submission brief requests audio files, check the required format rather than assuming a streaming link is enough.

Choose photos with a purpose

A clear band portrait can help a publication introduce the people behind the music. A strong live image can communicate atmosphere and stage presence. Release artwork identifies the record you’re promoting.

Look for images that belong to the same creative world as your music. You can vary the setting or composition while keeping the overall identity coherent.

Think about the person using the image, too. Prepare suitable high-resolution files and required photographer credits. Landscape and portrait options can give a publication flexibility, and images with room around the subjects can be easier to crop.

Keep your photos current when the lineup changes. A beautiful image of a previous lineup may create confusion if it represents the act being booked today.

Show what the live band offers

For gig and festival pitches, choose footage that helps someone assess the actual performance: the playing, vocals, energy and how the band works together.

A polished music video can introduce your creative identity, but representative live footage answers a different question: what would this act bring to our stage?

Choose the strongest useful clip you have. A clear recording of a well-performed song can be more informative than a fast montage that gives little sense of the sound.

You can see how music, imagery and video work together in our EPK examples walkthrough. Slow Gin is an artist example rather than a band booking kit, but the principles of clear presentation apply.

Adapt your EPK for gigs, festivals or a release

Pitching venues and support slots

Help the booker understand the band you’re offering. Include representative music, live footage, your current lineup and a clear booking contact.

Choose relevant performance highlights. Be specific about your role at an event, and use accurate audience or ticket figures if you include them. Playing a support set and headlining the same venue are different experiences.

Put the proposed date, location and reason you suit the show in your pitch email. Your EPK supplies the supporting material; it doesn’t replace a thoughtful enquiry.

Applying to festivals

Read the application requirements before submitting. A festival may ask for particular videos, information or file formats, even if those materials are already in your EPK.

Use the kit to present a coherent act and give the programmer useful context. Relevant live experience can help, but an emerging band should focus on its strongest available performance material rather than trying to appear more established than it is.

When technical information is appropriate, prepare a current stage plot and input list. A stage plot shows where performers and equipment sit; an input list identifies the audio sources the sound team needs to accommodate. Follow the festival’s instructions about when and how to provide them.

Promoting a single, EP or album

A Release EPK should make the music and its story the focus. Include the title, release date, artwork, listening access and relevant credits.

Where possible, include a full press release. It gives a journalist material to work with: the story behind the release, important details and an artist quote where useful. Keep the essential information easy to find, then use the press release to develop the story.

Your band bio introduces who you are. The press release explains why this particular release deserves attention now. Give each a clear job rather than repeating the same text in both.

Label any embargo or advance access instructions, and check the recipient can open the music and supporting files.

Check your EPK before sharing

Open the finished kit on a phone and a computer, ideally while signed out. Then check:

• Can someone quickly understand the band and find the priority music?
• Do the bio, images and lineup represent the act you’re pitching?
• Does every music and video link work for the intended recipient?
• Can you supply publication-ready images and correct credits if requested?
• Are release dates, performance highlights and technical details accurate?
• Is the right contact easy to find?
• Does the kit satisfy the specific submission requirements?

Choose one band member or representative to keep the shared material current. That gives you a clear person responsible when a release date changes, a contact moves or new photos arrive.

For the full building process, follow our step-by-step guide to making an EPK.

Can a new band create an EPK?

Yes. A new band can create a useful EPK with a clear bio, representative music, good imagery and working contact details. You don’t need a record deal or press coverage first.

If you haven’t released music, a suitable demo or live recording may help introduce the act, provided it represents you well and is labelled accurately.

Build around what you have now. Keep the kit focused, then add stronger recordings, live footage and genuine highlights as the band develops.

Does your band need a website as well?

You can create and share an EPK without having a separate band website. A website can serve fans through news, tickets, merchandise and other content; an EPK gives media and industry contacts a focused introduction.

Where appropriate, link to your EPK from your band website, particularly if it introduces the band using material you’re happy to share publicly. A pre-release EPK may instead be intended for selected media contacts: share it directly and use appropriate access controls for unreleased audio, rather than making it available to every website visitor.

When you’re starting out, a polished, professional EPK that’s ready to send to media is generally much more useful than an unfinished website. Artist EPK lets you bring your prepared content together and have your press kit up and running in minutes, giving your band a strong introduction from the start.

Build your band’s EPK with Artist EPK

Artist EPK helps bands bring their bio, music, photos, video and supporting material together in a professional press kit in minutes. Choose a curated layout, prepare your content and share one link when an opportunity comes up.

Use an Artist EPK to introduce the band as a whole. For a specific campaign or booking pitch, Release and Live Performance EPKs are available on eligible paid plans.

Start with the material that best represents your band today, then keep it current as your music and live show develop.