Press Kits That Actually Get Read: What Journalists and Bookers Want
By Written by Peter McVeigh
Most press kits end up in the bin within thirty seconds. Here is what journalists and bookers actually want to see, and why most artists get it completely wrong.
I have been on both sides of the press kit conversation. I have sent them and I have received them. And I can tell you with complete certainty that the vast majority of press kits sent to journalists, bookers, and promoters every week never get properly read.
That is not because the people receiving them are lazy or dismissive. It is because most press kits are built to look impressive rather than to be useful, and the people receiving them know the difference immediately.
This article is about building something that actually serves its purpose.every time it lands in an inbox.
What a Press Kit Actually Is
A press kit, sometimes called an EPK or electronic press kit, is a document or package that gives the person receiving it everything they need to make a decision about you quickly.
That is the only purpose it has. Not to show off. Not to demonstrate how hard you have worked. Not to prove you have been around for a while. Its job is to make it easy for a journalist to write about you or a booker to decide whether to put you on their stage.
Everything in your press kit should serve that purpose. If it does not, cut it.
The Bio: Short, Specific, and Actually Interesting
The artist bio is where most press kits fall apart.
The typical mistakes are well known to anyone who reads a lot of them. The bio that starts with so-and-so has been making music since they could walk. The bio that lists every influence from David Bowie to Kendrick Lamar without explaining what the music actually sounds like. The bio that is written in the third person and reads like it was composed by a committee.
A good bio does three things. It tells the reader what kind of music you make in language they can immediately understand. It tells them something genuinely interesting about you or your music that they could not find on Wikipedia. And it gives them a hook, a line or two that they might actually use in their own writing.
Keep it to two paragraphs for the short version. Three hundred words maximum. If you cannot explain who you are and why someone should care in that space, keep editing until you can.
The Photographs: Professional Quality, No Excuses
Photographs are where press kits either open doors or close them. A grainy, poorly lit photograph taken at a show, or worse, a selfie, tells a journalist or booker that you do not take yourself seriously enough to invest in looking professional.
You do not need to spend a fortune on a photographer. You need one good session with someone who knows what they are doing, in a location that reflects the tone of your music. Natural light and a simple background beat a dark venue shot almost every time.
Provide your photographs as high-resolution files, at least three hundred DPI for print use. Provide both landscape and portrait formats. Name the files clearly with your artist name and the photographer's credit.
When a journalist is laying out a piece and they have a choice between an act with clean, professional images and one with blurry phone photos, the decision is made before they have even listened to the music.
The Music Links: Make It Effortless
Do not attach audio files to press kit emails. They are large, they clog inboxes, and they often end up in spam. Link to your music instead.
The links should take the reader directly to what you want them to hear. Not to your homepage, not to a service they need to create an account on, not to a private SoundCloud that requires a password. Straight to the music.
Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud all provide direct track links. Use them. If you have a priority track you want someone to hear first, say so. People listen to what you tell them to listen to if you make it easy enough.
Include a short note about what you are sending them and why. If you are pitching a new single, say when it is coming out and what it sounds like. Give the listener a frame of reference before they press play.
What Bookers Specifically Want to See
A booker is not a journalist. They are not looking for a compelling narrative or a great quote. They are trying to answer one question: can this act deliver an audience to my venue on the night?
For a booker, the most important things in your press kit are: evidence of live performance, your draw in specific markets, and any associations with acts or events that establish your credibility.
Evidence of live performance means a live video. Not a music video shot in a warehouse. A video of you performing in front of a real audience. If it is a small audience, that is fine. What the booker wants to see is how you move, how you engage people, how you fill a stage.
Your draw means anything that quantifies your audience. Social media numbers with genuine engagement. Ticket sales from previous shows. A mailing list size. Any data that suggests people will actually show up.
What Journalists Specifically Want to See
A journalist is trying to answer a different question: is there a story here that my readers will find interesting?
The story is rarely just the music. It is the angle, the context, the thing that makes you different from the forty other acts pitching that week. Your press kit needs to surface that angle clearly.
Think about what is genuinely new or unusual about what you are doing. Not unusual in the sense of trying to be eccentric for its own sake, but genuinely new in terms of your approach, your background, your sound, or the story behind the project.
Include any previous coverage you have received. A quote from a respected publication or a listing on a significant site establishes credibility quickly. Include it as a testimonial rather than linking to the full piece.
Tell the journalist what the timing hook is. New single, upcoming album, first UK tour, anniversary, collaboration. Give them a reason why now is the right moment to write about you.
Format and Delivery
Your press kit should exist in two forms.
A single PDF document that can be downloaded and read offline. This should contain your bio, a selection of photographs, your links, your previous coverage, and your contact details. Keep it clean, keep it on brand, and keep it under five pages.
A short, direct email that summarises the same information. This is what you send when you are pitching. The email should be no longer than four short paragraphs: who you are, what you are sharing, why now, and where to find out more.
Nobody who receives a lot of press enquiries has time to unpack a complicated pitch. Make their job as easy as possible and you have already separated yourself from most of the competition.
Disclaimer
This article reflects personal experience and professional opinion. What works in a press kit varies by genre, context, and the individual receiving it. There is no universal formula, but the principles of clarity and usefulness apply broadly.