press-kit-epk

name: press-kit-epkdescription: "Build an electronic press kit that bookers and blogs actually read — the three-sentence bio that isn't 'genre-defying', a one-page layout with streaming numbers presented honestly, the photo and live-video requirements, and pitch emails tuned per target (venue, blog, radio, festival). Use when a musician says 'I need an EPK', 'venues keep ignoring my emails', 'write my band bio', or 'what do I send festivals'. Produces the EPK content, the one-page layout spec, and four pitch email templates."

Press Kit EPK Skill

The people an EPK is for — bookers, blog editors, festival programmers — give it fifteen seconds. In those seconds they're answering three questions: what does this sound like, can they draw/play live, and are they professional enough to not be a problem. Most EPKs fail all three with a 400-word bio about the artist's journey, no comparable artists (the one thing every booker wants), and links that need three clicks. This skill builds the fifteen-second version: sounds-like up front, honest numbers presented right, one live video that proves the show, and pitch emails that do the target's job for them.

What This Skill Produces

• The bio, three sizes: one sentence (the sounds-like line), one paragraph (the pitch version), one page (the print/program version) — all specific, zero "genre-defying journeys"
• The one-page EPK layout spec: what goes where and why, ordered for the fifteen-second skim (works as a PDF or a simple page — see [[portfolio-page]] for the web version)
• The numbers, presented honestly: which stats help at the artist's actual size, which to omit (silence beats small numbers presented apologetically), and the local-draw line bookers actually care about
• Four pitch emails: venue, blog/playlist, radio, festival — each two paragraphs, each leading with what the target needs
• The asset list: photo requirements (live + press, print-res), the one live video that matters, streaming links that work in one click

Required Inputs

Ask for (if not already provided):

• The music: genre as the artist says it, and — pushed for explicitly — three "for fans of" artists (two familiar, one cooler; this line does more work than the whole bio)
• The true story: where based, what's released, one genuinely interesting true thing (the odd venue, the day job, the recording story — real beats grand)
• The honest numbers: streams, followers, typical local draw, notable supports/rooms played
• What exists already: photos, live footage, past press quotes
• The current target: who is this EPK trying to convince first?

Working from a brief

Given where the act is now, write the EPK and the booking emails anyway: the three-sentence bio, the one-page layout in order, and two booking email versions (cold venue, warm referral). Use placeholders for links, numbers and quotes that were not given, and say which of them matter most.

Framework

1. Lead with sounds-like. Sentence one of everything: "[Artist] makes [plain description] — for fans of X, Y, and Z." Bookers route by comparison, not by adjectives. "Genre-defying" tells them nothing; "shoegaze with country bones — for fans of A, B" books shows.
2. Bio truth over bio myth. The paragraph version: sounds-like line → one true specific thing → the current release/tour fact → the live-show sentence. Cut every "embarking on a musical journey"; keep every checkable fact. Press quotes only if real and attributed — never invented, never "critics say."
3. Numbers strategy by honest size. Strong numbers (real draw, notable supports, a genuine playlist add): state plainly with dates. Small numbers: omit rather than apologize — "consistently draws 60+ in [city]" is a booker's language; "1,200 monthly listeners" argues against you. The local-draw line is the venue email's load-bearing sentence.
4. One live video beats six. Bookers book the live act: one well-shot, well-mixed live performance (even single-camera, great audio) linked prominently. The asset list is ruthless: 2 photos (one live, one press, print-res), the video, one-click streaming links, contact that's a person.
5. Pitch emails do the target's job. Venue: date-flexible ask + draw + the sounds-like + one link. Blog: the story angle + the sounds-like + "premiere available" if true. Radio: the single, the clean edit exists, the local angle. Festival: the live video first, the fit with their past lineups named. Two paragraphs each; the EPK link carries the rest. Subject lines included — they're half the open rate.

Output Format

## The bio, three sizes
[One sentence · one paragraph · one page — sounds-like first in all]

## One-page EPK layout (top to bottom)
[Photo strip → sounds-like + bio paragraph → the numbers that help →
live video link → releases → quotes if real → contact]

## Your numbers, deployed
[Use these: … · Omit these (and why omission beats apology): …]

## Pitch emails
[Venue · Blog · Radio · Festival — each with subject line]

## Asset punch-list
[What exists ✓ · what to produce, cheapest-first]

Quality Checks

• The for-fans-of line exists and contains real artists the user confirmed
• Every bio fact is checkable; zero journey-language survived
• Numbers section explicitly omits weak stats rather than dressing them
• Each pitch email leads with the target's need, fits two paragraphs, and has a subject line
• No invented press quotes, playlist claims, or draw figures — gaps are filled with the punch-list, not fiction

Anti-Patterns

• Do not write the mythology bio — specific and true beats grand and vague in every inbox that matters
• Do not present small numbers apologetically or pad them — omission is a strategy, inflation is a reputation risk
• Do not bury the live video below the fold of the layout
• Do not send one generic pitch to four target types — the four templates exist because the targets want different things
• Do not gate the music behind sign-ups or three clicks — one click or they're gone

Related

[[release-day-countdown]] — the EPK's busiest fortnight; [[band-agreement]] before the bookings bring money; [[media-pitch]] for the general-press cousin; [[personal-bio]] for the human behind the act.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "I need an EPK."
• "Write my band bio."
• "What do I send festivals?"