A portfolio shows what you can film. A media kit shows what you can deliver and what it costs. Brands in the UAE and Saudi Arabia ask for both, usually in the same message, and the creators who reply within an hour with two working links are the ones who get booked. You do not need a single past client to build either. Spec work, honest numbers and a clear rate card are enough.
This guide covers what goes in each document, the six sample videos worth filming first, how to present audience data a brand will trust, and the templates you can copy line by line. Everything here assumes you are starting from zero.
Portfolio or media kit: which one does a brand want?
They answer different questions, so send both and label them clearly.
| Portfolio | Media kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers | "Can this person film something we would run?" | "Who is their audience, what do they charge, what do we get?" |
| Format | Videos, watchable in one tap | PDF, 3 to 5 pages, or a profile page |
| Matters most for | UGC work | Sponsored posts on your own account |
| Needs an audience | No | Yes, for the reach pages, but not for the rates page |
| Update cadence | Monthly, swap the weakest piece | Quarterly, or whenever your rates change |
If you only do UGC and never post branded content on your own account, a portfolio plus a one-page rate sheet is enough. If you have an audience, you need the full kit.
What goes in a UGC portfolio when you have no clients?
Spec videos: ads you film for products you already own, unpaid, purely as samples. They are the standard entry route and no Gulf brand penalises you for them, as long as the work looks like the ads it already runs. Film six, covering the formats brands actually order.
| # | Sample | Length | What it proves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talking-head review, straight to camera | 20 to 30s | You are watchable and your audio is clean |
| 2 | Problem and solution skit | 15 to 25s | You can act a scenario, the most-ordered ad format |
| 3 | Unboxing or first impression | 20 to 40s | Hand work, framing, product hero shots |
| 4 | Voiceover over B-roll demo | 15 to 30s | You can deliver without appearing on camera, which some categories require |
| 5 | Routine or day-in-the-life integration | 30 to 45s | Native placement inside lifestyle content |
| 6 | One body, three different hooks | 3 × 20s | You understand ad testing, the thing performance marketers care about |
Two production rules. Film vertically at 1080 × 1920 with the rear camera whenever the shot allows, and record audio with a clip-on microphone. And film at least two pieces in the language your target client sells in, whether that is English for a Dubai app, Khaleeji dialect for a Riyadh retailer, Egyptian dialect for a Cairo e-commerce brand, or Levantine for a Beirut label.
How to caption each sample
Under every video, three lines. Format and length: "Problem-solution skit, 22 seconds, vertical." Language: "Khaleeji Arabic, English subtitles." Intent: "Filmed as a paid-social test for a skincare brand. Spec work, not a client campaign." Labelling spec work as spec work costs you nothing and protects you the day a brand asks who commissioned it.
Where to host it
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Shared cloud folder | Fast, free, brands can download files directly | Set link access to anyone with the link, or your pitch dies at a permission screen |
| Notion or a one-page site | Captions, rates and contact in one place | Keep videos embedded and playable, not linked out |
| A dedicated portfolio account on TikTok or Instagram | Brands see the content in its native format | Post spec work as regular posts, and pin the best three |
| A creator roster profile | Brands find you without a pitch | Fill in every field: niche, city, languages, formats, rates |
Use at least two: one you send and one that gets found. Cold pitching alone is slow, which is why being listed where brands search does more for a beginner than a perfect PDF.
What goes in a media kit, page by page
Three to five pages, PDF, under 10MB, filename with your name and the month. Nine elements:
- Cover. Name, handle, one-line positioning ("Beauty and skincare creator, Dubai. Arabic and English."), city, contact email, and your permit or licence number if you have one.
- Who you are, in four lines. What you make, who watches, what you are known for. No life story.
- Audience snapshot. Follower counts per platform, top three countries with percentages, gender split, top two age bands. Country share matters more than total followers to a Gulf brand.
- Performance. Average views per Reel or TikTok over the last 30 days, average engagement rate, average Story views and reach, and saves or shares if they are strong. Use medians when a viral outlier distorts the average, and say so.
- Screenshots as evidence. Two or three native analytics screenshots: audience-by-country, last-30-day reach, a representative post. Numbers typed into a designed page are claims; screenshots are proof.
- Past work or spec work. Three thumbnails linking to the videos. Named brands if you have them, labelled spec work if you do not.
- What you offer. The list of deliverables: Reel, TikTok video, Story set, Snapchat sequence, UGC video, event coverage, monthly retainer.
- Rates. A price or a tight range per deliverable, plus the add-ons priced separately: usage rights by duration and channel, paid ads or whitelisting, category exclusivity, extra revision rounds, rush delivery. Quote AED to UAE brands and SAR to Saudi brands, and state whether prices exclude VAT.
- How to work with you. Turnaround time, revision rounds included, payment terms (50% upfront and 50% on delivery for new clients is standard), and your invoicing details.
The full pricing logic behind page 8, including what moves your number inside a tier, is in how to set your rates as a creator in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Which numbers should you include, and where do you find them?
Report the metrics a brand can act on, and nothing else.
| Metric | Where to pull it | Why a brand cares |
|---|---|---|
| Audience by country, top 3 with percentages | Instagram Insights → Total followers → Top locations; TikTok Analytics → Followers | The single most-checked number in the Gulf. A Dubai brand cannot use an audience that lives elsewhere. |
| Average views per post, last 30 days | Instagram Insights → Content; TikTok Analytics → Content | Reach is what they are buying, and it is more honest than follower count |
| Engagement rate | (Likes + comments + saves) ÷ reach, or ÷ followers if you say which | Comparable across creators only if you state the formula |
| Saves and shares | Post insights | Intent signals, and they support a higher rate than likes do |
| Story reach and link taps | Story insights | Proves you can drive traffic, not just views |
| Audience age and gender split | Platform insights | Match to the brand's buyer |
Two rules. Never round upward, because brands verify with third-party tools and a 10% exaggeration ends the conversation. And if a single viral video pulled your averages up, show the median alongside it. If your engagement looks weak and you are not sure why, work through what brands check before they book you before you send anything.
A copy-ready media kit outline
Replace the brackets and you have a first draft in twenty minutes.
- Page 1. [Name] · [@handle] · [Beauty and skincare] creator, [Dubai, UAE] · [Arabic (Khaleeji) and English] · [email] · [Advertiser Permit no.]
- Page 2. "I make [short-form skincare content] for [women aged 25 to 40 in the GCC]. My audience comes to me for [routine breakdowns and honest ingredient reviews]. [78%] of my followers are in the [UAE and Saudi Arabia]." Then the audience snapshot table and two analytics screenshots.
- Page 3. Three work thumbnails with captions, each labelled client work or spec work.
- Page 4. Rates table: Reel [AED X], TikTok [AED X], Story set of 3 [AED X], UGC video [AED X], monthly retainer [AED X]. Add-ons: 30-day paid usage [+30%], 90-day [+50%], 6 to 12 months or all digital [+75% to +100%], category exclusivity 30 days [+20% to +50%], extra revision round [AED X], rush under 72 hours [+25% to +50%]. Prices exclude [5%] VAT.
- Page 5. Process: first draft in [7 working days] from approved brief, [one] revision round included, [50%] upfront and [50%] on delivery, invoices payable within [15] days, bank details on the invoice.
Six mistakes that get a media kit ignored
- No rates. A kit without prices creates one more email round trip, and some brands simply move on.
- Vanity metrics only. Follower count with no country split, no reach and no engagement rate reads as hiding something.
- Stale numbers. If the kit says last updated in March, the brand assumes the reach is fiction. Refresh quarterly.
- Heavy design, no evidence. A beautiful deck with no screenshots loses to a plain one with real insights.
- Wrong currency. Send AED to UAE brands and SAR to Saudi brands. USD is for international clients.
- Broken links. Test every link from a logged-out browser before you send it. Permission-locked folders are the most common silent pitch killer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build a media kit with under 5,000 followers?
Yes. Lead with reach, engagement rate and audience country instead of follower count, and put the portfolio first. Nano and micro creators are booked constantly in the Gulf because their audiences are local and their rates fit a test budget. Our micro-influencer guide covers why brands buy that tier.
Should I put my rates in the media kit?
Yes, as a number or a tight range. Published rates filter out gifted-only offers before they reach you and cut two emails from every negotiation. Keep add-ons itemised so the base fee is never mistaken for full usage rights.
How often should I update it?
Metrics quarterly, work samples monthly, rates whenever they change. Put the update month on the cover so a brand knows the numbers are current.
PDF or a link?
Send both. A PDF gets forwarded internally and survives a procurement inbox; a link stays current and lets you swap a sample without resending. Whichever you send, make sure the videos play without a login.
Do I need a separate kit for UGC and influencer work?
One document with two clearly separated sections works: a portfolio section priced per video for content the brand runs, and an audience section priced per post for content you publish. Mixing the two prices in one table is the fastest way to be quoted the cheaper one.
Where to go from here
Film the six samples, write the five pages, then get in front of buyers. If you are starting from zero, read how to become a UGC creator in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and once the work starts coming in, how creators get paid covers invoices, VAT and late payment. Then put the profile where brands are already looking. Apply to the Hypein creator roster, free →
