Your press kit is a key to unlock doors of possibilities. With a strong one, you can book shows, invite press coverage, and build hype around a new release. Press kits, especially Electronic Press Kits (EPKs) are a versatile tool, and a one stop shop to promote your music and your brand.
However, an incomplete, or poorly executed press kit can make you look like an amateur. A good one will portray you as a professional musician, who is looking at music as a career.
With these five tips, you can turn your press kit into a landing page for your music, that provides true opportunities with money-making implications.
Write a compelling artist bio.
Your bio needs to be clean, captivating, and distinctive. Discuss your genre and any subgenres worth mentioning. Embrace where you are from. Talk about any recent achievements that would make you stand out from the crowd.
Notice how in this example, the artist bio draws connections between the artists and notorious rappers, mentions latest achievements, and writes in a way that sells the artist. You may not be comfortable writing about yourself, and that’s fine. Use websites like Upwork.com or Fiverr.com and hire a great writer who is comfortable crafting an effective bio that captures who you are.
Embed your music within your press kit.
This step is vital, especially in the digital age. Music publications, promoters, labels, and blogs are constantly sifting through thousands of submissions. You are unequivocally more likely to get consideration if your music is accessible through the click of a button. Direct links are the second-best option, but each extra step you give your audience to access your music makes it less likely for them to follow through. Put two or three of your best songs forward, and it does not hurt to include footage of a music video, or live performance either.
Use professional quality photographs.
The image is the thing. Any branding expert knows that high-quality photography is the key difference in making something marketable, or watching it flop. Do not come with webcam, iPhone, pixelated, over-filtered photography and expect the press or a promoter to take you seriously. You should include both horizontal and vertical pictures so publications have access to a variety of shots that can fit their needs without having to ask. Study some of the artists who you admire their style and presence. Joey Bada$$, for example, has a great image.
Include social media and contact information.
You want through all the effort of building a beautiful press kit. Do not make it challenging for interested parties to get in touch with you. Provide an email you check regularly, your phone number, or the appropriate contact information for your management team.
Social media is also pivotal, as often this is the first-place blogs share your article. Cross-promotion is the key to growing your audience, and social media will allow you to do so with ease.
Our favorite sites to assist building your EPK:
At Today’s Hip Hop, we provide independent artists with the tools, resources, and platform to empower themselves, and monetize their career. Follow us on Instagram, and feel free to reach out directly if you believe you or an artist you know is ready to take this next step forward.
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