Good question!!!
A Static EPK Page Is . . .
A press page all its own which is attached directly to your website, but not exactly there in support of the website as a whole. It is there to represent and showcase your most recent release, project or endeavor.
It allows you to cut straight to the chase when explaining who you are for anyone interested in featuring your material. It takes just a tad of elbow grease from the artist up-front, but permits efficiency to go through the roof when it really counts; The post-post-production process of seeking playlist placement, radio play, or maybe label consideration, to name a few.
Anyone with genuine access to a playlist, broadcast or legitimate label is swamped with hundreds of people contacting them daily for the same reason you’re reaching out. If it takes too much time to access all your material, or what they wish to know about you, they’re likely to dump you and move on. To counter this fickle recipient, you draw in their attention with the appeal of simplicity.
BOOM! Press this button >> To learn >> Anything you need to know >>> About >> My latest release, then, add a link, and hit send. That’s way easier, right? For both you and the person you’re submitting to. What’s most crucial for us artists is you can now do away with the idea of slapping this entire block of information sloppily into every email you send –
Chuck W.
Please feel free to reach back out by replying to this email address; ChuckW@ChuckW.com
If you would like to review a press release for this project, I’ve attached one to this note.
Here’s my social media information as well!
Instagram – Chuck_W_ny
Facebook – @Chuck.w.ny.1
Twitter – @Chuckw_ny
Website – ChuckW.com
Bla
Bla
Bla
Doesn’t –
‘Press this link to learn anything you need to know about my latest release?’ sound way, WAY more appealing?
Cool! So, we have significantly reduced the excess text from… Well, any time we want to deliver a press release for this project. This brings us to the next point of this particular write-up and actual point of this whole thing – The Press Release.
Easy enough to find a template for on Google, press releases can be completed all on your lonesome. However, if you are not a strong writer be sure to outsource this one. This press release is something you will hold onto and re-purpose for your general press page down the line.
There’s a number of ways to write a press release, with originality always being the factor to crush the rest. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to stick to the format of a very traditional press release. Please feel free to go wild from there!
Begin with the date
Where you are announcing this press-worthy event occurred at and be sure to add a catchy title
Paragraph one will serve as an intro for the new participant in your experience. You’ll ease them into this place you are creating only to – – –
WHAM – Hit them with all the cool details there may be regarding this project in the next paragraph. The who, what, where, when, and why of the material.
Round out the third paragraph (maybe fourth, fifth) with a succinct little back story about you, or the band.
Finally, be sure to include all relevant contact info at the bottom
This is just the minimum of points to be hit, just to remind. Do be careful not to push too many things like videos, or photos onto the static EPK page. We definitely want some to spice it up, but the more information we add the more the clock ticks against us. That’s because since that curator is actively deciding to list us or not, we want to show flair without eating up their time to curry favor towards consideration. It’s a fine line to tow!
Actual Press
Next, since this is a press release, please discuss any press this release has yet to receive. Obviously, it might be a short list to pick from. Especially since you’re yet to release this thing!
What to do?
First, don’t lie. It’s easy to source this stuff. Why get caught with your pants down over this? Obviously if you’ve been around the block a bit, please list past and present press for any releases of note, including link!
Instead of lying when we don’t have other press to fill this section, we’re going to let some colorful language make us look much more impressive then we know ourselves to be.
One thing to consider is obtaining written reviews / testimonials from musician friends. They can speak in-depth about the music, obviously, in a way no one else can go about describing it for you. Any time a friend is kind enough to forward me nice words about something I’d sent them, I ask if they mind if I use that on my press page. After obtaining their approval, I’ll place that text onto the static EPK page with a header declaring, “See what peers are already saying about Chuck W.’s XXXXX.” There’s no lying and it sounds great!
Just be sure that as the submission train keeps on chugging, that list stays up to date with all your recent cool news. Anything with a hyperlink that puts you on display is something you want linked to on that page in the press section.
Be sure to leave your contact information! If they are interested, that Curator is going to be mightily pissed once they reach the bottom and realize they don’t know how to get hold of you. They’re not about to go looking for you, so consider your email now trashed and your submission passed over.
It may be worth considering adding a video for the single if it is of high production value. If a friend did it on a handycam using iMovie to cut it, tell them they’re awesome and thank them for it. Place it on your YouTube, but don’t put it into that press release. There may be some cool photos or behind the scenes video you could use for the purpose of spicing up the static EPK page, but again use your discretion as to not make this read too long for the recipient.
And for the biggest d’uh of them all!
The single! Sending them the actual dang music! Yes, there’s particulars to be covered there too. Of course there is!
Since this material is yet unreleased, it’s best to not provide this person a hard copy of the song. Also, they don’t want that file sitting on their computer. Instead, please upload the song onto your soundcloud to permit you to create a private link to it. This way it’s readily available for you to send off in a manner which won’t make the distributor angry. This is in addition to, again, making that Curator’s decision easier and easier by the moment by putting the song up for review only one click away.
There is just so much relevant information to place on the static EPK page that I really cannot see a reason why one wouldn’t do it. Upon reviewing that more traditional press release format above did I say to myself, “Man, this way is stale.” So long as you can conceive an interesting way to present this press release, you’ll be that much further ahead of the curve. And now you own a unique page dedicated to that purpose. Say goodbye to the days of attaching, copying, pasting, asking people to be sure to check the footer, and hoping they open your PDF. Say hello to, “Hey, all my info? Yep, it’s right HERE.