When a creator responds to your outreach with interest, they will often send a media kit: a short document with their audience numbers, past partnerships and rates. Media kits are useful, but they are also marketing documents. Creators naturally present their best numbers, and kits can be months out of date. Knowing how to read one, and what to ask for alongside it, protects you from booking a creator based on a flattering snapshot.
This guide explains what a good TikTok media kit contains, which figures matter most, how to spot gaps and outdated data, how to verify analytics and the questions to ask before you commit.
What a Media Kit Usually Includes
Most TikTok creator media kits contain some or all of the following:
- A short bio, content themes and photos.
- Follower count and sometimes followers on other platforms.
- Average views, likes and engagement rate.
- Audience demographics: location, age, gender.
- Logos of past brand partners and example campaigns.
- Rates or packages, sometimes with usage rights and exclusivity options.
- Contact details and management information.
Some creators have polished designed kits; others send a few screenshots. The format matters far less than the accuracy and recency of the data.
The Numbers That Matter Most
Median or typical views
Average views can be distorted by one viral video. Ask for median views, or views on each of the last 15 to 20 posts, so you can calculate it yourself. This is the best predictor of what your video will achieve.
Engagement rate and how it was calculated
Engagement rates can be calculated by views or by followers, and with different interactions included. Ask which method was used. Our guide to engagement rate explains the methods and benchmarks.
Audience location and age
These determine whether the creator's audience can buy from you. A kit that omits location data is missing one of the most important figures. Our guide to audience analysis covers what to look for.
Sponsored content performance
How do the creator's sponsored videos perform compared with their organic content? This is rarely in a media kit, so ask for it directly.
Numbers to Treat With Caution
- Total views or total likes across the account: large, impressive and mostly irrelevant to your campaign.
- Peak or best-month figures: useful context but not what a typical video achieves.
- Combined reach across platforms: only relevant if you are buying content on all of them.
- Engagement rate with no method stated: could be calculated in a way that inflates it.
- Brand logos without detail: a logo might represent a single gifted product, not a successful paid partnership.
Checking Recency
A media kit created a year ago may describe a very different account. Creators' audiences change after viral moments, shifts in content focus or periods of inactivity. Look for a date on the kit. If there is none, ask when the figures were taken.
Compare the kit with the creator's current profile. If the kit says 150,000 followers and the profile shows 110,000, or the kit claims 80,000 average views and recent videos show 15,000, ask about the difference. There may be a good explanation, such as a period of reduced posting, but you should plan around current numbers.
Verifying Analytics
For any meaningful paid partnership, ask for screenshots from the creator's TikTok analytics, taken within the last week or two. Useful screenshots include:
- Follower overview with location, age and gender.
- Content overview showing views over the last 28 or 60 days.
- Analytics for two or three recent videos, including one sponsored post if possible, showing views, watch time and traffic sources.
Check that the account name and dates are visible. Some creators prefer to share their screen on a short video call, which is a good way to see live data. If you work through TikTok's creator tools, some verified data may be available in-platform; our TikTok Shop guide to the Creator Marketplace explains what is shown.
Most creators are honest, and asking for analytics is standard practice. A creator who refuses to share any recent data for a paid partnership is a reason for caution. Our guide to spotting fake followers lists other warning signs.
Reading the Rate Card
If the kit includes rates, check exactly what each price covers:
- Number of videos and approximate length.
- Whether a draft review and revisions are included.
- Whether the price includes any usage rights, and for how long.
- Exclusivity, if any.
- Additional deliverables such as Stories, LIVE mentions or link in bio.
- Whether product cost is expected on top.
Rate cards are often a starting point for negotiation rather than a fixed price. Compare the rate with the creator's median views and engagement to estimate cost per thousand views and cost per engagement. Our TikTok Shop guide to creator contracts and rates covers fair pricing, and our guide to usage rights explains how licensing affects cost.
Questions to Ask Every Creator
- Can you share follower and video analytics from the last two weeks?
- What are your median views over your last 20 posts?
- How do your sponsored posts usually perform compared with your other content?
- Can you share results from a past partnership in a similar category, such as views, clicks or sales?
- Have you worked with any competitors in the last six months, or are you currently exclusive with anyone?
- What is included in your rate, and what costs extra?
- How do you prefer to receive briefs and feedback?
- When could you realistically post?
The answers tell you as much about the creator's professionalism as about their numbers.
When There Is No Media Kit
Many nano and micro creators do not have a media kit, and that is fine. Ask for the analytics screenshots and a few example videos instead. You can calculate median views and engagement yourself from their profile. A missing kit is not a red flag for small creators; missing data for a paid partnership is.
A Worked Example
A homeware brand received a polished media kit from a creator claiming 220,000 followers, 95,000 average views and a 9.8 percent engagement rate. The brand asked for current analytics. The screenshots showed 205,000 followers, a 28-day view total suggesting median views around 30,000, and engagement by views of about 6 percent, calculated across likes, comments, shares and saves. The kit's figures came from a viral period eight months earlier.
The creator was still a good fit, with 75 percent of followers in the UK and strong comments about home decor. But the brand negotiated a fee based on the current median views rather than the kit's average, and agreed a performance bonus if the video exceeded 80,000 views. Both sides were happy, and the brand avoided overpaying by more than half.
Red Flags in Media Kits
- No date, and figures that differ significantly from the current profile.
- Engagement rates far above what the visible videos suggest, with no method stated.
- Audience location missing, especially when the creator is pitching a market-specific campaign.
- Reluctance to share any recent analytics for a paid partnership.
- Past partner logos for brands the creator has never posted about on TikTok.
One of these on its own may have an innocent explanation. Several together are a reason to move on.
Media Kit Checklist
- Check the date and compare the kit with the current profile.
- Focus on median views, engagement method and audience location.
- Ask for recent analytics screenshots with visible dates.
- Ask how sponsored content performs.
- Clarify what the rate includes.
- Ask about competitors and exclusivity.
- Base your offer on current, verified numbers.
Reading media kits carefully helps you pay fairly and choose creators who will deliver. If you would like help vetting creators for your TikTok Shop campaigns, explore Desnora's TikTok Shop services or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a TikTok media kit?
A document from a creator summarising their audience, performance, past partnerships and sometimes rates, used to pitch to brands.
What is the most important number in a media kit?
Median views per video is usually the best predictor of what your sponsored video will achieve, along with audience location.
Should I trust the numbers in a media kit?
Treat them as a starting point. Ask for recent analytics screenshots and compare the kit with the creator's current profile.
Is it rude to ask creators for analytics?
No. It is standard practice for paid partnerships, and professional creators expect it.
What if a creator does not have a media kit?
That is common for smaller creators. Ask for analytics screenshots and calculate views and engagement from their profile.
Are rates in media kits negotiable?
Often, yes. Rates are usually a starting point, and you can discuss deliverables, usage rights, timing and performance bonuses.
What does a brand logo in a media kit prove?
Only that the creator worked with that brand in some way. Ask about results from relevant past partnerships.
How recent should creator analytics be?
Ideally within the last one or two weeks, because audiences and performance can change quickly.