How to write an artist biography and an Electronic Press kit EPK?

How to write an artist biography and an Electronic Press kit EPK?

Here we outline how an artist can write their biography & the latest technological way the electronic press kit.

An artist bio is a summarized, narrative version of your resume, but shorter and with more personality. Bios are used
in your professional package, as part of a catalogue, in publicity and printed programs, and other promotional materials. Your artist biography should integrate portions of your resume and artist statement.
In general, bios are more factual about you as an artist, whereas statements are more about the ideas, concepts and
techniques behind your work.

How to put it together

Quality over quantity keep your bio to one or two paragraphs (especially for a young artist)
Write about yourself in third person
Include place of birth, education, and where you currently reside
You may want to include information on your spouse and children (if any)
Consider creating a shortened version that can be easily sent to reporters, collectors, and audiences

Experiencing writers block?

Invite some friends over for a studio visit, while having a conversation about your work record what you are saying.
Listen to your conversation later and choose the best excerpts to put in writing.
Listen carefully to questions and comments about your work during critiques. Are some questions asked more than
others? This is what people want to know about, and where you should focus your effort

The electronic press kit or EPK

This is more internet based and the newest way to communicate your biography to a web site linked with press / journalism.

(or just called a “press kit”, because they’re all “electronic” in 2016) is an essential tool for not just artists, but for brands of all kinds.

In the simplest of terms, an EPK is a way to give writers, journalists or any business contact more info about your brand. Most of the time it’s the details that would be a bit “too much” if sent in an email the long form bio, the company overview, the photo library, stats and numbers.

However, more commonly, it’s a way for writers to have a one stop shop for images, links and any other materials when writing a story. This is a major aspect of the EPK.

So, therefore, the EPK serves two purposes, let’s say you’re sending out a pitch and include your link to an EPK, what do you want to happen?

While you can use an EPK when pitching a venue, a label, a music supervisor and just about any business contact, for the sake of clarity, let’s say you’re pitching a magazine to cover your work.

First: You want the writer to read your email and go to your EPK to learn more. If your pitch did the trick, great! But sometimes writers want more background info first. That’s where the EPK comes in.

Second: When they agree to write a story on you, they have a quick place to grab press photos and bio info. This is a god-send for writers. It’s always a huge hassle having a writer go back and forth with an artist over images or details. Having them all in one spot makes the writer’s job easier, which makes them more willing to work with you in the future.

Your EPK, on the other hand, is business facing. It’s not meant for fans but rather for writers, talent buyers, labels and more. For instance, a fan doesn’t need to know about your streaming stats, and while they may enjoy a long form bio or press photos they’ll likely be consuming those on social media, rather than your website.

Press Quality Images.

Keyword here is “press quality” ensure you do a photo-shoot for an album, or get a photographer out to your shows. Remember a good EPK will be used for all business needs including booking. Therefore, throw in a few live show photos, too.

Social Media Links.

Very important press, labels and venues all want to see how people are vibing with your work. Be sure that your social links are visible, whether that’s on it’s own page, at the bottom of your bio, or in your footer.

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