Study UK is launching a new social media profile on TikTok. The new channel joins our ever-growing social media presence, with over 700,000 prospective international students following our channels worldwide.

The bulk of the content on the channel will be contributed by real international students at UK universities. This is an invitation for institutions interested in featuring on the new TikTok channel, with their students contributing content regularly.

The benefit to your institution

• Reach prospective international students where they spend more and more of their time daily. TikTok is the fastest growing social media channel, with over 1 billion active users worldwide.
• Increase visibility and engagement with your institution through fun, exciting formats favoured by young audiences.
• Showcase your institution’s USP, with content generated by your own students.
• Receive additional reach through Study UK monthly paid media investment, ensuring content is strategically boosted to followers worldwide.

How to take part

We would like you to identify contributors among your staff and international student community. These can either be your existing digital ambassadors, or others who are keen to create and share content on TikTok.

Our team and social media agency will be in direct contact with contributors to discuss themes for their videos, agree on a content plan and support with content creation. We would expect that a contributor would be able to create multiple posts that can then be shared throughout the year as part of our overarching content plan.

We will be supporting these organic posts with paid media in order to extend their reach. We will also be reporting back to you on the performance of your students’ video(s).

Content themes

TikTok videos should focus on themes that serve to highlight the benefit of studying in the UK and inspire prospective students to choose the UK as their study destination.

Areas we would like to focus on include:

• subjects/courses: highlights of studying a specific subject/course
• student life: from life on campus to societies or exploring their city - we would like students to showcase the best that UK student life (and life in your particular town and campus) has to offer
• university/regional events – sports, festivals, performances, community engagement etc.
• career development – work experience, industry placements, volunteering etc.
• international student perspective – applying, arriving, studying, and living in the UK
• study tips and featuring study facilities (e.g. libraries) under #StudyTok.

We are happy to review other themes, so long as they serve to position the UK as an attractive study destination.

Posting guidelines

The below guidelines will apply, but an in-depth discussion will take place with participating universities and contributors when planning their content:

• keep your video under 30 seconds in length
• film in portrait
• make use of the current and trending features of the platform, such as in-app editing tools, including the ‘green screen’ feature
• add subtitles to your videos where necessary
• ensure people featured in videos have given their consent to be filmed and shown on TikTok.

Music & Voiceover

• Use non-copyrighted audio only. More details here.

Measuring success

We will measure success in the short-term using the following indicators:

• total impressions and views
• engagement and interaction
• new followers.

We will provide a report to the participating institution to give an overview of impact, results and any learnings from the activity.

Background

The Study UK campaign, which is delivered by the British Council in partnership with the UK government’s GREAT Britain campaign, is an international campaign aiming to raise awareness of the UK as a study destination among international students. The campaign focuses on the following key messages:

• a great student experience – the UK provides a unique and exciting student experience
• employability – studying in the UK opens door to great career opportunities
• academic excellence – the UK’s world-class institutions inspire excellence
• safe and welcoming – the UK is a multi-cultural, friendly, and safe place.

Through our social media content, we aim to:

• bring the UK student experience to our international audience in an exciting way
• inform international students of what is happening in UK higher education in real time
• encourage international students to engage with UK higher education institutions
• share practical advice.

Covid-19

Our audience will be keen to see that student safety remains a top priority. When showcasing your campus, the region and anything else, please bear in mind your local Covid-19 restrictions. Feel free to highlight any ways your campus has been adapted in response to Covid-19 and what safety measures have been put in place to provide an excellent study experience.

Contact

Please contact Kate Griffiths (Kate.Griffiths@britishcouncil.org) to register your interest or to find out more about this opportunity.