Do You Still Need a Press Kit in 2025? (Spoiler: Yes, and Here’s Why)

In an age of Instagram feeds, YouTube channels, and TikTok videos, it is natural to wonder if ensembles still need a press kit. The short answer is yes. A well-constructed press kit remains the foundation of your professional image, opening doors to bookings, media coverage, and donor support. What has changed in 2025 is how you build and share that kit, with new technologies that make it more powerful, accessible, and easy to use than ever.

Press kits also help tell your ensemble’s story in a way that social media cannot. While a video clip can capture energy and excitement in the moment, a press kit pulls everything together into a polished package that shows presenters, journalists, and funders the full picture. It communicates who you are, what you sound like, and what you have achieved. This kind of clarity is timeless, even as the tools evolve.

Myth #1: “Our Social Media Is Enough”

A polished social feed can showcase your personality, but it is not a substitute for a press kit. Presenters, festival organizers, and donors still need a centralized package with bios, repertoire, media-ready photos, and recordings. Social media is a great complement, and highlight reels or clips can be embedded into your press kit for a dynamic touch, but it does not replace the credibility and clarity of a professional kit.

Myth #2: “Nobody Uses PDFs Anymore”

It is true that static PDFs are less flexible than a webpage, but they are far from obsolete. Many presenters still prefer the convenience of downloading and sharing a single file. The smart approach is to offer both: a clean PDF version for easy attachments and offline use, and a digital press kit page on your ensemble’s website for SEO value, accessibility, and multimedia integration.

Myth #3: “Press Kits Are Only for Professionals”

From high school choirs to community bands, every ensemble benefits from looking polished and credible. A press kit shows that you take your work seriously, no matter your size or status. For youth groups, it can even help attract new members and parents. For community or semi-professional groups, it is invaluable when applying for grants or building partnerships.

What’s New in 2025

Here is where the real evolution has taken place. Today’s press kits are stronger when they incorporate the tools and technologies ensembles are already using every day.

• Video-first presentation: Highlight reels on YouTube or Vimeo, livestream snippets, or TikTok clips embedded directly into your kit
• AI-powered polish: Tools that generate captions for videos, help refine bios, or transcribe interviews into press-ready material
• DIY design platforms: Canva and Adobe Express make it simple to keep your branding consistent without needing a graphic designer
• File-sharing and collaboration tools: Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive allow you to share large video files securely with presenters or media
• Accessibility and reach: Adding alt text, captions, and metadata makes your kit usable by all audiences and easier to discover via search engines
• SEO-friendly webpages: Hosting your press kit as a page on your ensemble’s website improves visibility and ensures you can be found by presenters, journalists, and fans

How to Leverage New Technologies

At its heart, a press kit is still about clarity, professionalism, and storytelling. The new tools simply give you more ways to amplify those essentials. Think of social clips, AI, and design platforms as add-ons that enhance your press kit, not shortcuts that replace it.

What matters most is keeping the fundamentals in place. Your bios should still introduce your ensemble in a clear and engaging way. Your photos should still look professional and be easy to use in print and online. Your recordings should still reflect your best work. New technologies can elevate these core pieces, but they do not replace them. The ensembles that stand out in 2025 will be the ones that combine timeless essentials with modern tools in a way that feels seamless and authentic.

Conclusion

In 2025, the press kit is alive and well, but smarter, more flexible, and more digital than ever. Whether you are a high school choir, a community orchestra, or a professional ensemble, having a polished press kit ensures presenters, donors, and media can understand who you are and why you matter.

Ready to take the next step? Visit our Press Kit Resource Hub for step-by-step guides, FAQs, and downloadable resources to create a press kit that truly represents your ensemble.