Send your EPK as a single link in a short email, never as a heavy attachment. Use a subject line with your name, genre, city and the specific ask, keep the body to three or four sentences, and follow up once after 7 to 10 days in the same thread. Plenty of replies only arrive after the follow-up, so plan for two emails from the start.
Link or attachment
Send the link. Bookers read email on their phones between shows, and a 25 MB PDF bounces, lands in spam or never gets opened.
| EPK link | PDF attachment | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens on a phone | In one tap | Needs a download |
| Music | Listen links and video in one place | Links buried in a document |
| Updates | Live, for every past email | Frozen when you send |
| Spam risk | Low | Higher with large files |
| Best for | Booking pitches, follow-ups | Requests for a file to print or archive |
Keep a downloadable press kit on your page for the people who want files, usually a journalist or festival programmer pulling photos and a bio for print. Everyone else clicks the link.
The PDF EPK vs web EPK guide goes through the trade-offs.
Subject lines bookers open
A booker scanning a full inbox decides in a second or two. Say who you are and what you want, ideally in under 60 characters.
The formula: name + genre + city + the ask.
Some that work (all four acts are invented):
- "Glasshouse, Leeds indie band, support slot in March"
- "DJ Fen, Bristol house, warm-up for your Friday night"
- "Mara Okoye, Lagos Afrobeats singer, UK tour dates in June"
- "Booking request: Glasshouse at The Lantern, 14 March"
Ones to avoid:
- "Check out my music!!" has no name and no ask.
- "Opportunity" or "Collaboration" looks like spam.
- "EPK" on its own tells the booker nothing.
- "FWD: FWD: booking" reads as a mass email.
- All caps and emojis.
If someone referred you, put their name in the subject. "Sam Reid suggested I get in touch" gets opened far more often than a cold pitch.
What to write in the body
Four short paragraphs, under 150 words total:
- Who you are. Name, genre, city.
- The ask. A date, a slot, a night or a review.
- The proof. One or two facts: tickets sold, a recent support slot, radio play, a release.
- The link. Your EPK, on a line by itself.
Sign off with your name and phone number. Leave out the image signature, the full bio and the 12 social links. The EPK carries all of those.
For full templates, see how to email a venue or promoter.
How to follow up
Silence is normal. Bookers answer the pitches they need right now, and a polite follow-up puts you back at the top of the inbox.
The schedule
| When | What to send | |
|---|---|---|
| First email | Day 0 | Your pitch and EPK link |
| Follow-up | Day 7 to 10 | Same thread, one new fact |
| Second follow-up (optional) | Day 30 or later | Only with real news, like a release or a big gig |
| Stop | After the second follow-up | Wait two or three months before a fresh pitch |
What to say
Reply in the same thread so your first email sits underneath. Two or three sentences, plus one new thing: a single, a confirmed gig nearby, a press quote, a fresh live video.
For example:
Hi Sam, following up on my email about the 14 March support slot. We confirmed a show at The Wardrobe on 2 March since then, and our new single is out Friday. EPK here: [link]. Happy to be kept in mind for later dates if March is full.
Skip "checking you got my email" and "bumping this up". They add nothing and read as pressure.
When to send
- Day: Tuesday to Thursday, in the morning. Bookers clear their inbox early in the week and spend weekends at shows.
- Lead time: three to four months ahead for clubs and small venues, six to nine months for festivals.
- Volume: five to ten venues a week, each email written for that venue. Mass BCC emails get ignored and sometimes flagged as spam.
Log every send in a spreadsheet: venue, contact, date sent, follow-up date, reply. A month in, you'll know which subject lines and venues respond.
Check before you hit send
- Open your EPK link in a private browser window on your phone.
- Press play on every track and video.
- Check the gig dates. A stale calendar makes you look inactive.
- Make sure the booking email on the page is one you check daily.
- Spell the booker's name and the venue right.
The EPK checklist covers the page itself, section by section.
What to do when you get a reply
Answer within 24 hours, since promoters often book whoever gets back first. If they offer a date, confirm date, set time, fee, load-in and backline in writing. If they say no, thank them and ask whether you're welcome to pitch for a later date. Most say yes, and now you have a warm contact.
One link for every pitch
Artist Kit gives you a free EPK at artistkit.co/yourname with your bio, music, gigs, photos and contact on one page, plus an auto-generated press kit zip for bookers who want the files. Paste the same link into every email, and any booker who opens an old email still sees your latest page. See how the EPK page works, or check Pro pricing for analytics on visits to your page.