Rules and ethics
Part of What UK brands expect in a TikTok media kit: rates, disclosure and checks
What UK brands expect in a TikTok media kit: rates, disclosure and checks
What UK brands expect from a TikTok media kit: dated audience figures, a disclosure label, rates in pounds with a VAT line, and a checklist before sending.
What to take away
- A TikTok media kit for UK brand deals needs three things a generic template skips: audience geography, a disclosure plan and rates in pounds.
- Brands ask for the same figures, so date every numberfollowers, average views, watch time and UK share.
- Paid posts aimed at UK viewers fall under the ASA's advertising codes, so the kit should name the disclosure you will use.
- Rate lines work better when they say whether VAT is included and exactly what the fee covers.
What UK brands expect from a TikTok media kit
There is no single published list of TikTok media kit requirements. They come from buyers, from the ASA's codes and from your own analytics.
Four items UK briefs expect
- Follower count with the date
- Average views per video, sample size
- Share of audience in the UK
- Previous brand work
A media kit lifted from Instagram habits rarely answers a UK buyer's first question, which is where the audience actually sits. TikTok's business guidance frames campaigns around audience targeting and creative formats, so mirror that language rather than describing yourself in general terms.
Four items turn up in most briefs: follower count with the date, average views per video with the sample size, the share of the audience in the UK, and previous brand work. Where a figure cannot be sourced, write that it is missing. A blank space is easier to defend than a rounded guess.
Disclosure rules that change what the kit says
The ASA's advertising codes cover paid content seen by UK audiences, and an ad has to be obviously identifiable as an ad. The kit can carry that forward by naming the label you will use in the caption and the on-screen text, then repeating it in the contract.
Where the disclosure label goes
Is the label obvious on a phone screen?
keep it, repeat in contract
move it out of the hashtag block
Wording matters more on TikTok than on some platforms, because the caption is easy to crop and the video often runs without sound. If a brand asks for a specific label, the TikTok brand collaboration media kit should record that request in writing before filming.
Where the label sits matters too. Buried among other hashtags, it is easy to miss on a phone screen.
Audience metrics that survive a UK brand's checks
A percentage is only useful with a method. A line such as 'largely UK' tells a buyer nothing, while 'UK is the top territory in TikTok analytics on 3 March' can be checked. On small channels the split is thin, so state the sample size.
If you are rebuilding the whole document, the sections to include are set out in our guide to media kit contents for UK influencers. Keep the TikTok figures in the same place on every version, so a buyer comparing two pitches sees the same layout.
Rates in pounds and the VAT line
UK buyers expect a figure in pounds, and they expect to know whether VAT sits on top. A rate sheet that says 'from £500' invites a negotiation about scope before the brief exists. Name the unit of work instead.
Illustrative wording, not market rates:
| Line in the kit | Illustrative wording | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsored video | £850, filming and one edit included | Sets a unit of work |
| Three-video bundle | £2,200, delivered within a month | Shows the discount has a reason |
| Paid usage, 30 days | 25% of the fee, stated separately | Usage sits outside the base fee |
| VAT | Excludes VAT, or includes VAT at the standard rate | Removes the ambiguity that stalls paperwork |
Expenses are often left out. Travel, props, paid sound and a second edit round come out of the fee unless the sheet says otherwise.
GOV.UK's VAT registration guidance sets out when a creator must register and charge VAT, which is worth reading before a busy year of brand deals rather than after.
The structure we use for a rate card is in our influencer rate card template for UK creators; it separates the fee, the usage window and the expenses line.
A short checklist before you send
- Pull the TikTok analytics on the day you send and write that date beside every figure.
- Name the disclosure label you will use in the caption and on screen.
- Quote every rate in pounds and say whether VAT is included.
- State what the fee coversfilming, edits, revisions and the usage window.
- List only the paid partnerships you can verify, and leave the rest out.
Common questions
Does a TikTok media kit have to include a rate card?
Not by law, but UK buyers usually ask for one early. A separate one-page rate sheet keeps the main kit stable while prices change.
Should one media kit cover TikTok and Instagram?
Usually not. Audience figures, disclosure habits and rates differ by platform, and a combined kit invites a buyer to apply the cheaper rate to both.
Which disclosure wording belongs in the kit?
Name the label, such as #ad, and say where it appears: caption, on-screen text, or both.
How often should the figures be refreshed?
Before every pitch, with the pull date printed beside each figure. An older number is still usable if a buyer can see when it was taken.
