How to build an electronic press kit (EPK) for radio
An electronic press kit is the folder of materials a programmer reaches for when your pitch works — the moment interest turns into "send me more." A good radio EPK answers every follow-up question before it gets asked. A bad one buries the music under design. This guide covers what goes in, what stays out, and the one page that matters most: the one-sheet.
What a radio programmer actually needs
Music directors and hosts process dozens of releases a week. When they open your kit, they are looking for exactly six things:
- The music — one click away, no login wall
- The facts — artist, genre, city, release title, release date
- A scannable bio — 100 and 250-word versions
- Photos — at least one high-resolution horizontal image
- Evidence — prior airplay, press, chart positions, notable shows
- Contact — a name, an email, and nothing else to decode
Everything else — videos, full press archive, tour history — is optional depth for whoever digs further.
The one-sheet: your most important single page
A one-sheet is exactly what it sounds like: one page, about one release, designed to be read in fifteen seconds. Radio promotion runs on these — professional promoters send a one-sheet with every track they work.
Yours should contain:
- Header: artist name, release title, release date, genre
- Cover art (small — it's identification, not a poster)
- Two-sentence description of the sound, written plainly
- The pitch line: the single most interesting true fact about this release
- Airplay and press to date (only if real — three accurate items beat thirty vague ones)
- Streaming or download link
- Contact block: name, email, phone if you monitor one
Export it as a PDF, keep it under one megabyte, and name the file something useful: Artist-Title-OneSheet.pdf.
Writing a bio that works on air
Hosts introduce you out loud. Give them sentences they can read straight into a microphone: genre first, city second, story third. Compare:
- Weak: "From a young age, music was always the dream…"
- Strong: "Night Pool makes dusk-lit synth-pop from Tucson, built on tape saturation and chorus-drenched guitars."
The second version tells a programmer what shelf you belong on and gives a host their intro line.
Photos and artwork
Include at least one horizontal, high-resolution photo (1200px wide or more) and your release artwork. Stations that blog, post, or build show pages will use what's in the kit — or skip you if there's nothing to publish.
Turning airplay history into momentum
Once stations play you, your one-sheet gains its most persuasive section: a short "radio" list. Three truthful lines — stations, cities, chart weeks — signal to the next programmer that other professionals already took the risk. Update the sheet every time it changes; stale evidence is worse than none.
The EPK mistakes that get you skipped
- Expiring or gated links — anything that demands an account or dies in 30 days
- Attach-everything emails — the kit lives at a link; the pitch stays skinny
- Design-first PDFs — if the music facts are hard to find, the design failed
- Superlatives instead of facts — "the next big thing" is unprintable; "opened for [artist]" is usable
- No named human — "the team at [label]" answers nothing at 11pm when a host is building tomorrow's show
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an EPK to pitch radio?
You need the core of one: a streaming link, a short bio, artwork, and contact details. A full website-style EPK matters once stations or press start asking for more. A tight one-sheet attached to a clean pitch covers most radio situations.
What's the difference between an EPK and a one-sheet?
A one-sheet is a single page about one release, built for programmers to scan in seconds. An EPK is the fuller dossier — bio, photos, videos, press, calendar. Radio pitches lean on the one-sheet; the EPK backs it up.
Where should I host my EPK?
One stable link you control — a page on your site, or a well-known EPK service. The format matters less than reliability: no expiring links, no downloads that require accounts, no password-protected PDFs.
How long should an artist bio be for radio?
Keep a 100-word version and a 250-word version. Programmers and hosts pull sentences from bios for on-air intros, so lead with genre, location, and the story — not childhood dreams.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an EPK to pitch radio?
You need the core of one: a streaming link, a short bio, artwork, and contact details. A full website-style EPK matters once stations or press start asking for more. A tight one-sheet attached to a clean pitch covers most radio situations.
What's the difference between an EPK and a one-sheet?
A one-sheet is a single page about one release, built for programmers to scan in seconds. An EPK is the fuller dossier — bio, photos, videos, press, calendar. Radio pitches lean on the one-sheet; the EPK backs it up.
Where should I host my EPK?
One stable link you control — a page on your site, or a well-known EPK service. The format matters less than reliability: no expiring links, no downloads that require accounts, no password-protected PDFs.
How long should an artist bio be for radio?
Keep a 100-word version and a 250-word version. Programmers and hosts pull sentences from bios for on-air intros, so lead with genre, location, and the story — not childhood dreams.