DJ EPK: Can You Even Hit Your Goals Without One?

If you already know the benefits of having an EPK… you’d probably already have one! This 8-minute read tells everything you need to know.

In a Rush? Here's the Bottom Line: A professional EPK saves promoters time, makes you look like a pro, and gets you on the short-list. Sending a mess of random links gets you ignored. This article breaks down the two realities.

Like the binary switch, every DJ exists in a state of either With or Without an Electronic Press Kit (EPK). Here are some of the benefits and disadvantages presented side-by-side to highlight the striking contrasts between EPK “withs” and “withouts”.

Though it might not rank up there with industry tech-milestones like the arrival of digital storage and social media, the EPK is still one of the most important career-advancing tools a DJ can have. And it’s made entirely of pixels!

DIGITAL “BENTO BOX” OF EVERYTHING YOU

A Pro-EPK is a package of digital media and key information that defines you as a DJ. Usually hosted on a website, a DJ EPK is like your CV, business card, booking agent and much more, all rolled into one convenient virtual storefront.

This is where you answer the question of what to include in a DJ EPK: your bio, your music, your photos, your achievements, and your unique style.

It gives you the power to effectively showcase your music, signature style, and professional achievements.

In our previous EPK blog, we described the important functions and how they benefit your DJ career.

In this edition, we’ll take it a step further by creating two parallel “dimensions”: One where you do have an EPK and one where you don’t have an EPK.

Here’s the part – we’ll describe the likely results of both the With and Without EPK realities, and let you choose which one you think will best help you reach your goals.

PROMOTING YOURSELF WITH NO EPK

What Happens When You Look Unprofessional?

Here’s how it might (or might not) play out in a pitch meeting with your potential client: You hand them a thumb drive containing files of your performance clips, a Google Drive folder link to your photo portfolio, and an actual business card with your contact info printed on it.

You’ve also included some paper-clipped sheets with off-center photocopies of some reviews. Then it all goes bad: you drop the flash drive under the desk, and when the PC leans over to look for it they bump their head on the desk, scattering the stack of papers onto the floor like leaves from a tree.

Though it wasn’t your fault, using papers and thumb drives doesn’t exactly project the best professional image.

Frustrated, the PC decides you’re too much of a hassle to deal with, and your chances of getting the gig drop like the price of a rug-pulled meme coin.

A little extreme? Ok, yes. But possible? Also yes.

Here’s how the same meeting might go in the With EPK universe…

SUPREME CONVENIENCE OF THE EPK

How Do You Make a Promoter's Job Easy?

You send your lead an email or chat text containing a single, easy-to-follow link to your personal online promotional suite, otherwise known as your EPK.

What is it, exactly?

This advanced version of the EPK is the current and future standard for this pro-level digital showcase. It’s where your complete promotional life-force lives, including a professionally curated photo portfolio, performance showcase and vital info… all accessible on a single, integrated and easy-to-use website.

And besides the convenience of having everything promoters need to know about your DJ style and persona in one convenient online site, it sends the message that you are a reliable DJ who’s serious about your work.

With an EPK, your chances of getting the gig are vastly improved because your digital presentation is convenient and professional.

EPK-LESS TIME WASTER

It’s not uncommon for big event organizers and talent managers to go through dozens, or even hundreds of candidate profiles just to fill a single DJ gig, and most of these profiles are presented as an EPK. So when you email-in a list of 63 YouTube and Soundcloud links to promoters, those decision-makers have to waste time slogging through the click-salad of sources you’ve so confidently provided. This will drop your chances of getting the gig to just about zero.. and yes this also counts when you are using Linktree as your main hub.

or…

IT’S FAST AND THEY’RE CURIOUS WITH EPK

The hopefully future clients looking over your digital profile have taken just a few minutes to see and hear various bits of your diverse body of work, and now they want to hear more. They’re looking for a spinner who can mix genres like you, and your fast-access EPK lets them get a wide view of your style spectrum in a conveniently short time.

Then they tell you about the without EPK guy described above, and everyone has a big laugh, before they start asking about your fees and availability.

Does this outcome sound better than the one where you try to impress them with a handful of paper and plastic? It should, because this is how an EPK can turbocharge your career.

LOST IN THE CROWD WITHOUT EPK

Even if your music is a truly unique blend of genres, if your online presence is pretty much like everyone else’s, it’s more difficult to distinguish you from the teeming DJ crowd.

Let’s say you send some digital or old-school photos of yourself in action to a client lead. If they haven’t heard your music first and your look doesn’t stand out, you might just get tossed into the “maybe” file. But if those same leads could see all of your stage looks on your EPK and website, they’d have a clear view of all your stage looks, and one of them might be just what they’re looking for. EPK does it again.

But in reality, since you don’t have one, disaster strikes: someone accidentally spills a caramel-mocha frappe on your stack of paper-based show-photos, and straight into the trash they go. Aw man, – it doesn’t look good for ya’.

or…

STANDING OUT BRIGHTLY WITH EPK

Your single-click, all-in-one digital presentation lets the client see and hear all the video or track recordings they need to get a complete and time-efficient view of who you are and your diverse talent. They see you’ve respected their time with your EPK’s comprehensive and convenient layout:

The quick-cut highlight segment of sample performance footage saves them the distraction of having to search for the coolest parts you want them to see. They’re free to concentrate on the content, not the hassles of dealing with a no EPK pitch – and they like what they see.

Congrats, you’re on the short-list!

BUT WHAT MORE CAN AN EPK POSSIBLY DO?

As we discussed in our previous blog, your EPK is like a Swiss Army Knife of promotional tools that delivers tons of additional benefits and advantages:

• Makes pitching tracks using show footage and ‘best-of’ clips easier than chewing gum.

• Serves as a powerful networking tool for staying connected with other DJs, event organizers, and industry contacts.

• Ensures branding and messaging is consistent across all your S-M platforms.

• Opens doors to career-transforming collaborations, creative partnerships and lucrative $ponsorship deal$.

• Boosts your online and IRL visibility, which helps get more gigs on your calendar.

THE HONEST-TO-DIGITAL TRUTH

In today’s tech-driven DJ scene, submitting paper CVs and sample reels on thumb-drives and printed photos for an audition or a pitch will make you look like an old-timey 1950’s car on an F-1 racetrack.

The truth is, without an EPK, the people you need to impress and who have the power to hire you will be more likely to just give you a pass. It is what it is.

IS THERE A DJ EPK IN YOUR FUTURE?

Since you’ve read this far into a blog about the importance, benefits and advantages of having an EPK, chances are you don’t have one. Yet. But that can change real quick. You can spend up to a couple hundred $s to hire a designer, or…

You can get one FREE!

CHECK OUT DJ FUNNELS AND GET AN EPIC EPK

What would you say to a “test-drive”? Just sign up for a 2-week NO COST DJ Funnels trial, and together we’ll craft your first-ever EPK powered by your unique talent and style. We’ll even help update your existing EPK to comply with the latest industry standards.

THIS ISN’T OVER YET — THERE’S EVEN MORE DJ PROMO MOJO!

Here’s another FREE promotional firepower, courtesy of DJ Funnels:

Along with this attention-grabbing EPK offer, we’re including a “ghost-twin” DJ profile template that lets you (almost) exactly duplicate the profile of your favorite major-name DJ and put their winning formula to work for your career.

By the time we’re done you’ll have a professional-grade DJ landing page and a latest-version EPK in your workbox of promotion tools.

That means you’re getting TWO must-have digital resources without spending a single dollar.

Now that you understand the many benefits of having an EPK (and the own-goal disadvantages of not having one), isn’t it time to level-up with the competition?

This isn't just about a document; it's about a mindset. The DJ 'Without' is an artist hoping to get lucky. The DJ 'With' is a DJ-era entrepreneur who has built a professional system. They don't leave their career to chance. They've built a machine designed to get results.

We'll help you build your own professional DJ EPK template for free when you start a trial of DJ Funnels.

The choice is clear. You can either keep getting lost in the crowd or you can arm yourself with the professional tool designed to make you stand out. This is your chance to stop guessing and start getting booked.

Hit the EPK ME! link to score yourself this career-boosting goodie bag of free digital promo power!

Drop me a message inside the community and I'll hook you up.