Creator media kits: what brands actually read, and what to cut.

Most creator media kits are designed to impress. Big numbers, glossy photos, a long story about the journey so far. Brands skim past all of it, looking for four things, and if they can’t find them in a few seconds they move on to the next creator.

Here’s what brands actually read in a media kit, what to cut, and how to keep it current.

What is a creator media kit for?

To help a brand decide, quickly, whether you fit. That’s it. It isn’t a portfolio of everything you’ve made or a pitch for a specific campaign. It’s the one page a brand manager forwards to their boss with “What do you think?”

What do brands actually read?

1. Who your audience is. Top cities and countries, age range, gender split and languages, straight from your insights. This is the first thing a brand checks.
2. How you perform now. Typical views and reach per format over the last 30 to 90 days. Not your best-ever post.
3. What your work looks like. Three strong examples, ideally including one sponsored post that still sounds like you.
4. How to reach you. A name, an email address, and who handles your deals if someone else does.

What else is worth including?

• A one-line introduction: what you make, and who it’s for.
• Brands you’ve worked with, if they’re happy to be named.
• Formats you offer: Reels, Stories, long videos, lives, series, UGC content.
• A short quote from a brand you’ve worked with, if you have one.
• The date your numbers were taken. Undated numbers look stale, even when they aren’t.

What should you cut?

• Lifetime totals, such as total likes or total views. They describe your past, not what a brand will get.
• Follower counts on their own. Show them, but next to reach and audience data, or they mean little.
• Your best-ever post as your average. Brands check, and it costs you trust.
• Long biographies. One line beats one page.
• A fixed rate card, in most cases. See below.

Should you put rates in your media kit?

Usually not. What a partnership is worth depends on the deliverables, where and for how long the brand can use the content, any exclusivity, and the timing, so one price list will be wrong for most enquiries. Offer clear packages, or say rates are shared on request, and quote once you know the scope. Our guide to usage rights explains why usage often matters more than the post itself.

Which format is best: PDF or web page?

Either works, as long as it’s one page or one screen. A PDF is easy to forward. A simple web page is easy to keep current and to link from your bio. Whichever you choose, make the audience data visible without scrolling, and make sure it looks good on a phone, because that’s where most brand managers will first open it.

How do you keep a media kit current?

• Refresh the numbers once a month, and date them.
• Swap in new work as soon as you make something better.
• Keep screenshots of your insights ready. Brands will often ask for them, and a short screen recording builds trust. Here’s why, in how brands spot fake followers.

Ready to use it? Our guide to getting brand deals as a small creator covers the pitch. And if your inbox is getting busy, here’s how we work with creators.