What to Include in an EPK for Booking Gigs (+ Venue Checklist)

An electronic press kit is an organized set of information and media about your act. For venue booking, its job is to help the person reviewing your inquiry evaluate the show, without hunting through several profiles.

The booking email makes the request: the date, the kind of opportunity, and why you are contacting that venue. The EPK supports it with information and evidence. Neither one guarantees that a date is available or that the venue is a fit.

You do not always need a formal kit. A venue might ask for a form, a short email, or one performance link. If you are not sure where to send your materials, use our guide to finding the right venue booking contact and submission process before you send anything.

Your name, home base, and show format

Make the artist name easy to find and use the same name as your inquiry. Give your city and state or region. Then say what you are offering: a solo songwriter, acoustic duo, four-piece original band, or another clear format.

A venue needs to picture the act it would book. If you perform in several lineups, identify the one available for this inquiry. Mention practical requirements that could affect fit, without turning the opening into a technical rider.

A concise artist bio

Start with a short paragraph about your sound, home base, format, and relevant experience. A few specific sentences are more useful than a long origin story. Follow a word limit if the venue provides one.

For example, an illustrative bio could read: “River Lantern is an acoustic folk duo based in southern Missouri. Our show combines original songs, close harmonies, and two guitars. We perform a seated listening set and can also offer a shorter support set.”

That example describes a show. It does not need an invented award or a claim that the act is the next big thing.

Representative music and live video

Choose a small selection that helps someone understand your sound. Put the most useful recording first and label links clearly. Do not make a booker choose between a dozen tracks before they know which one represents the act.

Include a performance clip when you can. It can show the lineup, sound, and presentation more directly than a studio recording. Check that the vocals and instruments are understandable, and say if the clip is a rehearsal rather than a show.

A current artist or band photo

Use a clear photo that represents the current act. It helps the venue recognize who is performing and may support promotion if a booking develops. If you offer downloadable promotional photos, label them and check access. A photo displayed on a page is not necessarily a print-ready press-photo file.

Relevant performance history

Share a few useful examples when you have them. Name the room or event, approximate date, and whether you headlined, opened, or appeared on a shared bill. A comparable listening-room show may tell this venue more than a long list of unrelated appearances.

If you are unsure what counts as comparable, read how to evaluate whether a venue fits your band. The room, audience, and show format matter together.

Audience information with context

Only include attendance or draw information you can explain honestly. Give the market and date, and distinguish your own ticket sales from attendance at a festival or a bill with several acts. If you do not know how many people attended specifically for you, say so.

Social followers and streaming totals can provide background, but they are not a promise of ticket buyers in the venue's city. Do not turn a national number into an unsupported local draw claim.

Useful links and a clear contact path

Include the website, music, or social pages that help someone evaluate the act. Keep them current. An inactive profile does not become useful just because you have one.

Give the venue a way to reply. Your booking email can provide that contact information, or you can intentionally publish a booking address or contact page. Check what your kit actually displays. Do not assume private account details will appear on a public page.

If you are pitching a solo acoustic set, lead with a clip of that format. A full-band music video may be excellent, but it cannot by itself show what happens when you arrive with one guitar.

You can include other formats if they are useful and clearly labeled. Explain which lineup the venue is considering. Avoid making the person reviewing your kit guess whether the drummer, backing tracks, or additional musicians will be there.

Review the clip on a phone as well as a computer. Is the sound understandable? Can someone recognize the act? Does the link open without a sign-in or access request? A simple, clear recording can be more useful than a polished clip that shows a different show.

You can make a useful EPK without press quotes, large streaming numbers, or major venue credits. Start with information you can provide accurately now.

• A short bio describing your sound and the format you can perform.
• A recording that represents your music.
• A clear rehearsal, live-room, or show clip, labeled accurately.
• A current photo and working links.
• A contact path and an honest description of any relevant experience.

If you have only played community events or shared bills, describe those appearances plainly. If you have no audience history in a city, do not borrow another act's numbers or imply that online followers will fill the room.

Leave out empty press sections instead of filling them with praise you cannot substantiate. A venue may still decide it needs an act with more experience, but accurate materials give it a fair basis for the decision.

Before sending the kit, ask a bandmate or another trusted person to open it without your help. If they cannot tell what the show is or find the performance clip, improve those basics before adding more material.

Keep reusable information in the kit and the venue-specific request in the email. That keeps the message short without making the reader search for the date.

Booking email: the request

Requested date or date range, why you chose this venue, the show format, relevant routing context, one clear next-step question, and your reply contact.

EPK: the supporting information

Short bio, music and performance links, photo, relevant experience, useful audience context, and intentionally public contact information if provided.

Later conversation: the details to agree

Payment terms, load-in and show times, production needs, promotional assets, and any documents the venue requests. Raise essential constraints earlier when they could determine whether the show is possible.

Label the kit link clearly and keep the request in the message. For the actual wording, use our music booking email template and completed venue example. You do not need to paste your whole bio into the inquiry.

Follow the venue's instructions when it specifies a format. There is no single rule that applies to every talent buyer, room, or submission form.

A web link

A web page can keep music and video close to the bio and is easier to update. The recipient opens the current version rather than an older attachment. Check that the page works on a phone and is accessible without a login.

A PDF

A PDF can be useful when requested or when someone wants a fixed document. Keep the file manageable and the text readable. Give media links clear labels, test them after export, and remember that an older downloaded copy will not update when you change your kit.

Check access, not just appearance

Open the page or file in a signed-out browser. A cloud-drive link that works for you may still ask the venue for permission. Check that videos are available, links have not expired, and nobody needs to request access to basic material.

Avoid sending large unsolicited attachments when a link will do. If a venue asks for a particular file, send that file through its stated process. Do not assume your preferred format overrides its instructions.

Before sharing your kit, check it from the recipient's point of view.

• My artist name and home base are easy to find.
• The kit identifies the lineup and show format I am offering.
• The short bio explains my music without unsupported claims.
• The first music link and performance clip represent that show.
• The photo is current and represents the act.
• Any show history, attendance figures, or quotes are accurate and have context.
• There is a clear reply or intentionally public contact path.
• The page or file reads well on a phone.
• Every link works for someone who is not signed in to my accounts.
• I have checked the venue's submission instructions.
• The booking email names the date and explains why this room makes sense.

Keep a note of which version or link you sent. If you have no reply, use the three-email method for professional booking follow-ups rather than repeatedly sending more media or a longer biography.

Map My Gig provides a shareable, profile-based Press Kit. Complete your artist profile and choose the information you want to make public so a venue can understand the show you are offering.

Save your public-profile visibility choice and use Preview Press Kit to review what recipients will see. Preview and sharing require a public profile. Check the public version in a signed-out browser before sending its link to a venue.

The kit does not automatically display your private account contact details. Put a reply contact in your booking inquiry or provide an intentionally public contact path.

Start planning free and prepare your Press Kit