12 EPK Mistakes That Quietly Cost You Bookings

Nobody replies to say your press kit lost them. They just don't reply. Here are the failures I see most often, roughly in order of how much they cost.

1. The best credit isn't in the first two sentences

Whatever your strongest verifiable fact is, it belongs at the top. Most readers never reach paragraph three, so a great credit placed there is functionally invisible. Fix: move it up, even if the writing gets less elegant.

2. Too much media

Eight mixes is not eight times as convincing as one. It's a decision the reader doesn't want to make. Fix: one item that sounds like the gig you want next, one video if you have live footage, everything else on a linked profile.

3. No location

Bookers work locally and by tour routing. If your city isn't on the page, you're harder to place and you'll never appear in searches for your area. Fix: put the city in the first line and in your page title.

4. Stale "currently"

A residency that ended two years ago, an "upcoming" EP from last spring, tour dates in the past. Nothing signals "not being booked" faster. Fix: a quarterly reminder to update one sentence and one credit.

5. Adjectives instead of evidence

"Renowned", "internationally acclaimed", "one of the city's most in-demand". Unverifiable praise reads as a substitute for facts. Fix: replace each adjective with the fact that would have earned it, or delete it.

6. No booking action

A page that ends with your Instagram handle asks the reader to do the work. Fix: a form with fields for date, venue, and budget, visible without hunting.

7. It's not built for a phone

Most first opens happen on a phone. Tiny text, a hero that crops your face off, a table that scrolls sideways — all fatal. Fix: open your own page on your phone and try to book yourself.

8. Weak photos dragging down strong ones

The average quality of your images is what people register, not the best one. Six mediocre shots hurt more than three good ones help. Fix: cut anything you wouldn't put on a flyer.

9. Anonymous testimonials

"Best DJ we've had!" from nobody is worse than no quote, because it looks like you wrote it. Fix: full name, role, and venue or event. Ask permission and quote them exactly.

10. Genre soup

Listing every genre you can technically play makes you the answer to no specific question. Fix: lead with two or three, then note your range in one sentence.

11. Private details on a public page

Personal phone numbers, home addresses, and negotiated rates end up indexed by search engines and scraped by spammers. Fix: route inquiries through a form, keep a business email for anything public, and keep negotiated numbers out of the page entirely.

12. Gating the page

Passwords, "request access" folders, download-required PDFs, links that expire. Every barrier converts an interested reader into a lost one. Fix: one public link that opens instantly for everyone.

A ten-minute audit

Open your page on your phone in a browser you're not signed into.
Start a timer. Can a stranger tell what you do and where you're based in five seconds?
Can they hear or see your work without leaving the page?
Is there one name-attached piece of social proof?
Can they submit an inquiry in under thirty seconds?
Is every date and "currently" on the page accurate today?

Anything that fails is worth more than any amount of new content.

FAQ

Why is my EPK not getting replies?

The most common causes are a buried or missing credit in the first two sentences, too much media to choose from, no clear booking action, and no location. Bookers decide fast and need those four things immediately.

Should an EPK have a password?

No. Every barrier between a promoter and your material costs you replies. Keep private material — rates you negotiate, personal contact details — off the page instead.

How often should I update an EPK?

Every quarter at minimum: swap the newest credit in, drop the oldest, refresh the top media item, and update anything phrased as 'currently'.