An E.P.K or electronic press kit can come in a few different forms such as a video highlight reel, a website, or even a 1-2 page PDF document listing off all your highlights and accomplishments as a DJ. You’ll want to add some high-resolution photos of yourself including links to your music and other relevant websites.
1) Get High-Resolution photos and videos of yourself
- If you can afford a photographer or videographer to take a few photos and flicks of you then great, that is exactly what you need to do. Photographers and videographers can vary in price so ask around to find the best bang for your buck.
- If you can’t afford to hire a professional photographer/videographer then I’m sure there is someone like a friend, a friend of a friend, or a family member who most likely has access to a quality DSLR camera and can snap a couple photos of you. If that’s not available to you then iPhone cameras are pretty impressive nowadays and there are a ton of photo and video editing apps you can use to make your photos and videos pop. iPhone photos don’t have the same high-resolution outcomes as a DSLR professional camera but if all else fails it’s a good place to start.
FYI: when shooting a video with your iPhone camera turn the camera sideways or horizontal when you shoot. This will give you the correct aspect ratio for widescreen viewing like in a Youtube video. At least in my opinion it looks better for all the shots to fit the widescreen correctly.
- For your photos and videos I suggest finding a couple of nice outfits that represent your DJ style.
- Next, you should set up your DJ equipment and take a few pics of you behind the decks in action, pose next to your equipment, or pose holding a DJ deck or controller. I’m sure we’ve all seen those types of DJ poses. Also, while you’re at it you should get a few nice headshots taken of yourself too. These are tight camera shots of you taken from your chest up. People always ask for these.
- Personally, I bought my own DSLR camera so that I could get quality pictures and videos of my own without always having to hire a pro. But that’s just me. I personally happen to be well versed in photography, lighting, and photo/video editing so doing this for myself is easy. If it’s easier for you to hire out or find a friend who can do it for you then do what you gotta do to get it done.
2) Make a short video highlight reel
- Now it’s time for you to edit together all the video clips and pictures you have of yourself. Add in very brief video snippets of you talking about DJ’ing and music and how it’s impacted your life. Showcase yourself at your best as a DJ. Do this even if you haven’t had many gigs yet.
- For example, I made a highlight reel when I had very few DJ gigs under my belt but I made sure to capture any little thing I did related to DJ’ing. I would set-up my camera on a tripod or ask a friend to record me practicing at home. I also was able to have a friend capture footage of me talking about DJ’ing and music stuff at a little bar gig I did for free. Next, I would compile all my content together and edit it all into short clips using the iMovie video editing app on my Mac computer. I edited in some upbeat dance tracks to play in the background of my video. I ended my video highlight reel by adding in all my contact info, websites, social media handles, and how to book me.
- After all that was complete I posted and attached the video to all of my DJ email correspondence and linked it on my social media pages. (BTW I suggest you create an email address solely dedicated to your DJ business).
- Yes, at first I felt a little embarrassed posting the video up because believe it or not I’m kinda shy but I quickly got over myself because I was on a mission to grow my DJ biz.
Check out my very first EPK video here!
3) make a website or have at least one social media page that highlights and showcases you as a DJ.
- I highly suggest you create some kind of website or social media page that can showcase everything relevant to you as a DJ.
- I suggest having a main website over just a social media page because you own the website and what goes on it whereas your social media page can be shut down, censored, and closed at anytime – you must abide by their rules because you don’t own the site.
On your website you want to have an:
1.“About” section – Let us know a bit about your background and what brought you into music and DJ’ing.
2.”Music” section – This shows off your DJ mixes, original songs, and/or remixes you’ve done and want to share with the world.
3.”Media” section – Show us past photos and videos of you DJ’ing at events. Professional photos are great, past event fliers that you’ve been on, a list of all the venues you’ve played at, special events you DJ’d, corporate clients you’ve worked with in the past, and even list any relevant events you’ve done for free. Add to the site any press you’ve done relevant to your DJ’ing.
4.”Booking/Contact” section – Tell us your contact information so that potential clients can get in touch with you. If you don’t want to leave your phone number then a simple email address will do just fine. If you happen to work with a booking agent then you’d add in their contact information.
5. “DJ packages and services” section – This section is only if you want it on your site, it’s not necessary. It can be helpful for potential clients to know your rates right up front. I personally don’t include this on my website but I know several DJs that do.
- Remember if you’re just starting out don’t be ashamed to add small venues like dive bars or little restaurants you’ve played at.
- For private events you’ve DJ’d like birthday parties and quinceaneras you can just classify them under “private events” you’ve DJ’d – we don’t need all the specifics.
- On your social media pages even if you don’t have a lot of DJ gigs and fliers to post up yet – at least post pictures and videos of you DJ’ing regularly while you practice – this shows your passion for DJ’ing and makes clients/promoters more inclined to book you. Show yourself practicing and talking about music. Eventually you’ll be featured on fliers that you’ll be able to post.
- There are simple and easy website builders such as wix.com and squarespace.com that you can build and create your own website in less than a day.
Remember when posting on your website or social medias you always want to tag and write a caption on all your pictures, videos, and posts so that Google and other search engines will recognize your content. When other people search your name these items ideally will come up. Or when someone searches a specific topic that is similar to your tagged posts Google may suggest your content. This is called SEO. SEO gets deep so you’ll have to do your own research on how to better optimize your websites for SEO purposes.
4) Make business cards
- Granted this is kinda out-dated now but it doesn’t hurt to have some on hand. I have several different business cards I’ve made for myself over the years and have handed out tons of them.
- There are several online business card making companies such as “Vista Print” that can ship your branded business cards out to you quickly.
In Conclusion:
Yes it takes a little time to set everything up but once it’s done it’s done and now your foundation is laid for you to continue to build upon.
I consistently updated my sites – not everyday or even every week but enough to keep things fresh and up to date.
In the past I personally liked to update and overhaul the look of my website and biz cards once a year or so to keep things new and exciting for not only my site visitors but for me too. It kept me inspired to keep doing more with it.
heck even doing DJ Gurl has been a slow process but I keep it going as best as I can because it continues to grow, it’s fun, and exciting to me to add new content when I can.
Check out the Youtube Video I did on this topic!
You may also find this blog post helpful: Working with Booking Agents
