TourwireTourwire Guide
How to Build a Professional EPK
Your Electronic Press Kit is the first thing a booker sees. A sloppy EPK means no response. Here's exactly what you need and how to put it together.
1. What Bookers Actually Want to See
Bookers get dozens of emails a day. They're scanning fast. If any of these are missing, you're probably getting skipped:
- •Short bio — Genre, city, one-liner about your sound
- •Photos — 2-3 high quality live shots (not selfies)
- •Music links — Spotify, Bandcamp, or YouTube. Streamable, not attachments
- •Draw numbers — How many people you can bring. Be honest
- •Social proof — Press quotes, notable venues, festival appearances
- •Social links — Instagram, TikTok, whatever's active
2. Set Up a Real Band Email
Before you send a single booking email, get a proper email address. Gmail is totally fine — just make it professional.
If you have a website, booking@yourbandname.com looks even better. But a clean Gmail works for most indie bands.
3. Writing Your Bio
Keep it to 2-3 sentences. Bookers don't want your origin story. They want to know: what do you sound like, where are you from, and why should they care?
Example bio
“The Parlor is a 4-piece indie rock band from Portland, OR. We've opened for Japanese Breakfast and Snail Mail, headlined Doug Fir Lounge, and draw 80-120 in the Pacific Northwest. Our latest LP Night Swimwas featured on KEXP.”
Include: genre, city, notable shows/press, draw numbers. Skip:how you met in college, your “musical journey,” anything over 4 sentences.
4. Photos
You need at least 2-3 high quality live photos. Not phone selfies, not practice space shots. Real photos from real shows.
- •Ask a photographer friend or hire someone for one show ($50-150)
- •Check if the venue photographer posted shots — ask to use them
- •Host them on Google Drive, Dropbox, or your website — link, don't attach
In your email
Photos: https://drive.google.com/your-press-photos
5. Music Links
Never attach MP3 files. Bookers won't download them. Link to streaming platforms where they can click and listen immediately.
Lead with your best track. If you have a live video, even better — bookers want to know what you look like on stage.
6. Social Proof
This is what separates a booking email that gets a response from one that doesn't. Any credibility you can point to matters.
Press quotes
“One of Portland's most exciting new acts” — Willamette Week
Notable venues
Doug Fir Lounge, Mississippi Studios, The Crocodile (Seattle)
Festivals
PDX Pop Now! 2025, Treefort Music Fest 2025
Numbers
12K monthly Spotify listeners • 3.2K Instagram followers • 80-120 draw in Portland
Don't have any of this yet? That's okay. Focus on draw numbers and any venues you've played. Everyone starts somewhere.
7. The Perfect Outreach Email
Here's a real template that works. It's short, has everything a booker needs, and respects their time.
Hi [Name],
I'm reaching out about booking a show at [Venue] in June or July 2026. We're a 4-piece indie rock band from Portland, OR. We draw 80-120 locally and have played Doug Fir Lounge, Mississippi Studios, and Treefort Music Fest.
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/the-parlor
Live video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=example
Photos: https://drive.google.com/press-photos
Instagram: @theparlorband (3.2K)
We're flexible on dates and happy to support or co-headline. Let me know if anything opens up — we'd love to play [Venue].
Thanks,
Mike Chen
The Parlor
theparlorband@gmail.com
Why this works
- • Subject line has band name + date range (easy to search later)
- • Bio is 2 sentences with draw numbers and social proof
- • All links are clickable, nothing is attached
- • Shows flexibility on dates and billing
- • Under 150 words total
Get your EPK together, then use Tourwire Outreach to send it to the right venues automatically.