How Influencers Use Engagement Numbers in a Media Kit

What is an influencer media kit?

An influencer media kit is a one or two page document that a creator sends to a brand before a paid deal. It answers three questions: who follows you, how they respond to your posts, and what you charge. Think of it as a CV for your account.

The numbers are the part brands read most closely. They want to know how many people see a typical post and how many act on it. That is why the kit has to be built from your own Insights, and why getting it right matters more than making it look big.

This guide walks through which numbers to pull, two simple engagement-rate sums, a page layout and the rule that keeps bought numbers out. For background on every service Rizula sells and how the rules work, see the main guide to buying Instagram engagement.

Which numbers go into a media kit?

Instagram's Insights give you all of them. Here is what each one means, in Instagram's own terms.

A few limits shape what you can show. Insights cover up to the past 90 days. Follower insights need at least 100 followers. Reel insights cover reels posted since 2021-05-14, for up to two years.

Instagram's Creators FAQ says what matters is "how much engagement per viewer the content has received". That is a good guide for the kit: lead with how people respond, not just how many saw.

How do you build the kit, step by step?

1. Pick a 90-day window. Open Insights and set the time range to the past 90 days.
2. Write down the account totals. Views, Interactions and New followers for the window.
3. List your last 10 to 15 posts. For each one, note Views, Viewers, Interactions and Accounts engaged.
4. Remove posts with ordered numbers. Any post where you bought likes, views, saves, shares or reposts comes off the list. See the rules section below for why.
5. Work out averages. Add each column and divide by the number of posts left.
6. Work out an engagement rate. Use one of the two sums in the next section, and say which one you used.
7. Pick three example posts. Choose posts that look like the work the brand wants to buy.
8. Add rates and contact details. Price per post, per Reel and per Story, plus how to reach you.

Keep every number traceable. If a brand asks for a screenshot of Insights, you need to be able to show the same figures.

How do you work out an engagement rate?

Instagram does not publish an official formula. Hootsuite gives two common methods that suit a media kit.

By reach. Total engagements on a post, divided by the reach of that post, times 100.

By followers. Total engagements on a post, divided by total followers, times 100.

Here is the plain maths for a creator with 20,000 followers, using ten posts:

Both answers are correct. They measure different things. The reach figure says how many viewers acted. The follower figure says how many of your followers acted. Put the method next to the number so a brand compares like with like.

Instagram's help pages now use the word "Viewers" for unique accounts. Use the Viewers number from each post as the reach figure in the first sum.

What does a media kit page look like?

A clear kit fits on one page. Here is a simple layout to copy.

Keep the design simple. A brand reading twenty kits in an afternoon wants to find the numbers in seconds.

Why do bought numbers stay out of a media kit?

This is the most important part of the guide.

A media kit exists to win a paid deal. That makes it a commercial use of your numbers. The US FTC rule 16 CFR Part 465, in force since October 21, 2024, makes it unlawful to buy fake indicators of social media influence when the buyer knew or had reason to know they were fake, and the indicators can be used to misrepresent influence for a commercial purpose. The rule's list of indicators includes followers, views, plays, likes, saves, shares, reposts and comments. Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations.

Meta's spam policy also bans buying or selling engagement, naming likes, shares, views and follows.

So the honest way to handle any ordered post is simple: leave it out of your averages and your engagement rate. If you have ordered numbers on a post in the past, the 90-day window helps, because older posts drop out of the data. Get legal advice if you are not sure whether a past order affects your kit, and read the rules section of our likes guide for the full rules in plain words.

Where does a paid order fit for a creator?

There are cases where a creator uses an order for something other than a pitch. A creator launching their own product, such as a preset pack or a print, is selling to their audience, not pitching a brand. The same rules on commercial use apply there too, so the same advice holds: get legal advice first.

If you do place an order, keep a simple log. Write the date, the post link, the services and the amounts. That log lets you take those posts out of your kit later.

On Rizula, orders are placed through the order form, one post per order, and you see the total before you send the order on WhatsApp, Telegram or by email.

How do different creators shape their kit?

The layout stays the same, but the lead number changes by field:

• A musician leads with Reel views and average watch time. See Instagram views for musicians.
• A small business owner who also creates content leads with saves on how-to posts. See Instagram engagement for small business.
• A creator planning a product of their own needs launch numbers kept separate. See Instagram product launch.

What mistakes weaken a media kit?

• Old numbers. A kit from last year shows an account that no longer exists. Refresh it every 90 days.
• No method. An engagement rate with no method tells a brand nothing. Say "by reach" or "by followers".
• Only the best post. Averages matter more than one hit. Show both.
• Mixed-in ordered posts. They make the averages wrong and raise the legal issues above.
• No contact line. A brand that cannot reach you in one tap moves on.