Did you know that people in the UK spend more time on TikTok than anywhere else worldwide? That’s just one of many reasons why your brand should consider tapping into the UK’s social media scene.
If you want to connect with British audiences, you need to get the tone just right. Brits love a bit of playful language, so phrases like “fancy a cuppa?” or “feeling peckish?” can instantly resonate. UK consumers appreciate content that feels familiar and genuine, reflecting everyday moments with a dash of humor.
Learn everything you need to know about social media marketing in the UK. From which social networks to advertise on to important legal regulations and even some current social trends that will get UK audiences interested in your brand.
An introduction to social media marketing in the UK

We know the UK is one of the world’s most important markets, but why is that, exactly?
For starters, the UK is a very populated country, with a current population of over 67 million people as of July 2024. This puts it as the 21st most populated country in the world. It’s also densely populated, ranking 4th in Europe (not counting city-states). As of 2024, 85.5% of its population lives in urban areas.
The UK has the sixth-largest GDP globally, with high incomes and growing consumer spending, especially on transport, recreation, and dining. An their spending is increasing yearly!
UK citizens spend a lot of time online
Among the UK population, 97.8% have access to the internet and spent eight more minutes a day online in 2023 than in 2022. That’s an extra two days online each year in 2023. Young people aged 18-24 spend the most time online: four hours and 36 minutes daily as of May 2023.
When online, UK citizens are often on social media. There are 56.2 million social media users in the UK (82.8% of the population) who spend an average of one hour and 49 minutes a day across 6.4 different platforms. While the number of social media users has fallen slightly, at about a 1.6% decrease between 2023 and 2024, 63% of the UK still uses social media every day.
Platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Pinterest grew their advertising reach year over year, with Pinterest increasing its potential ad audience by 77.9% since 2023. Ad spending also increased year over year. Social ad spending, in general, increased by 7.8% year over year, and influencer marketing spending increased by 15.7% in the same period.
So, how do people in the UK use social media?
Here’s what people aged 16-64 in the UK listed as their main reason for using in January 2024:
- Staying connected: 55.4% of people aged 16-64 use social media primarily to stay in touch with friends and family.
- Finding inspiration: 23% use it to find ideas for things to do and buy.
- Brand content: 17.8% follow their favorite brands.
- Influencers and celebrities: 15.4% follow influencers or celebrities. Younger users (16-24) are more likely to follow influencers, while older users tend to follow companies or brands.
On Instagram, many people (83% of people ages 13-64 surveyed in 2019) of all ages and demographics actively use the app to discover new products, brands and services. 53% will follow a brand if they like the content, even if they don’t care or like the brand itself that much. And 87% take some sort of action, like researching or clicking through a link, after seeing information about a product.
While the UK is made up of three countries (England, Scotland and Wales) and the province of Northern Ireland, the country is culturally homogenous. In other words, an ad that works in Scotland will work in Northern Ireland. It’s important to note, however, that English and Welsh are co-official languages of Wales, and the government has guidelines related to the use of Welsh in advertising, which you should check and adhere to.

The most used social media platforms in the UK
Though not a top platform, people in the UK spend more time on TikTok than anyone else worldwide. As of January 2024, people spend an average of 49 hours and 29 minutes on its Android app each month. It’s also the top mobile app when ranked on consumer spending.
However, the most used social media platforms (not including YouTube) in the UK include:
- WhatsApp (used by 79% of the population)
- Facebook (73%), Facebook Messenger (60.1%)
- Instagram (59.7%)
Surveying 16-64-year-olds as to which platform is their favorite, 23.6% said WhatsApp, 19% said Facebook, 15% said Instagram and 11.5% said TikTok.
There is a strong divide among younger and older users concerning which platforms they prefer and actively use. YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook are the sites that can most attract audiences from all age groups and are the most popular sites among older adults. Most people describe Facebook as their “main” social media site, but this is more so due to its popularity among older age groups.
Facebook has the lowest average use among 16-24-year-olds than any other age group, but the variation is pretty small. Instagram, on the other hand, is used by 86% of 16-24-year-olds but only 21% of people aged 65 or older. While Facebook dominates in older age groups, Reddit and Discord have become extremely important to younger people, and TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram are all still popular among Gen Z and Millennial users.

How to attract and engage UK audiences on social media
Here are some strategies that can help you attract new audiences and increase engagement on your social media marketing in the UK.
Engage with UK-based influencers
In a 2023 survey, it was found that 84% of UK Generation Z and 68% of UK millennials followed influencers. Not only that, but 25% of the UK population (and over half of Gen Z-ers) say that influencers have informed their buying decisions.
Influencer ad spending has increased dramatically—15.7% between 2023 and 2024. The field is crowded, and the most popular influencers can charge very high rates.
Our advice when starting? Get to know your audience and work with micro- or nano-influencers.
Micro-influencers have between 10k and 100k followers, while Nano-influencers have between 1k and 10k. Using these types of influencers can help your brand come across as more authentic to your target audience, and may even be more effective and targeted than a more “generic” macro-influencer.
See also: How local influencers can help you grow your brand globally
Implement humor
Culturally, the British are famous for their sense of humor. It’s very dry and incorporates wordplay, satire, irony, double entendres and dark jokes. It’s culturally significant, and this extends to advertising. In a 2022 Oracle study, 90% of people in the UK were more likely to remember a brand if their ads were funny, and 48% said if a brand didn’t make them smile or laugh, they didn’t feel like they had a relationship with them.
While using humor in your marketing can feel like walking a fine line sometimes, the tone of social media makes it a more appropriate avenue for these kinds of ads. You can implement it in both planned campaigns and unplanned interactions with customers.
British people like one-liners, puns, wordplay, nostalgia, cultural references, and “honest” humor or banter in their ads, like in this successful 2015 campaign by Oasis.

18-34-year-olds reported finding sarcasm and irony the most amusing types of comedy in advertising (40%). Those over 35 preferred situational humor and people over 75 were most likely to think that humor is inappropriate when advertising a taboo subject. Overall, funny music and sound effects are the least popular types of humor.
When incorporating humor into your marketing, make sure it’s in line with your brand identity and target audience—both their age group and location. Adapt your humor to different platforms. For example, use current TikTok trends as inspiration for your posts on the app.
British humor also relies on subtlety, so avoid using a lot of loud, brash and distasteful posts. Humor in advertising is a learning curve, so don’t be afraid to make some (light) mistakes and listen to customer feedback.
See also: Too funny for words: How to translate humor in multilingual content
Keep the language familiar
While both the US and the UK speak English, this doesn’t mean you can just reuse your American ad copy. For starters, make sure to use British English spelling and terminology.
There are many well-known differences between US and UK English, but it makes a difference to work with an expert local linguist to localize your ads effectively.
Download our guide on how to manage multilingual social media accounts:

Know your target age groups
As previously mentioned, different age groups in the UK use different social media websites more or less frequently. But the differences in age groups go deeper than that.
Here are some tips to most effectively target different age groups on social:
- Gen X: This demographic tends to dislike branded social content. Facebook is most likely the most effective way to reach this group, but content should be highly targeted, and celebrities/influencers should be used more sparingly than with other groups.
- Millennials: Millennials love using social media, but as people who have used social media since the platforms came into existence, they’re more inclined to use the platforms as originally designed, by sharing experiences and connecting with others. Instead of pushing products, this cohort is most effectively won over through building communities and creating attractive brand experiences.
- Gen Z: Stereotypically, this age group is thought to be always on their phones and on social media. They spend an average of three hours a day on social media, but to them, social media is more about content than people. They’re more receptive to branded content and influencers than other age groups, and interactive ads and high-quality video ads keep them more engaged.
Understand British holidays
Like all countries, the UK has its own set of national holidays you can use when making content.
Here’s a quick primer on the most important ones:
- Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day/Carnival – February or March: This holiday takes place the day before Ash Wednesday, so its exact date changes every year. It marks the last day before Lent’s beginning for Western Christians, though many don’t celebrate it as a religious holiday. It’s celebrated by eating, as you might guess, lots of pancakes.
- St. David’s Day – March 1st: This is the National Day of Wales, in honor of its patron saint, although it’s not taken as an official holiday. Welsh people wear one or both of their national emblems – a daffodil and a leek.
- St. Patrick’s Day – March 17th: This is the national day of Northern Ireland and is taken as an official holiday, but only there. People in England, Scotland and Wales have work or school. There are celebrations, similar in tone to those in the US, throughout the UK in cities with large Irish populations. There can be some controversy in celebrating it or not. Generally, people who think Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK don’t celebrate it, but people who think Northern Ireland should become part of a United Ireland do.
- Mother’s Day – March: Also called Mothering Sunday, it falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It’s one of the most celebrated holidays in the UK. People usually give their moms gifts and cards and have brunch, lunch or high tea.
- Easter – March or April: The Friday and Monday before and after Easter are public holidays. Like in many other countries, people celebrate with Easter egg hunts and the Easter bunny and have an Easter Sunday lunch. While it’s traditionally a Christian holiday, many non-Christian people participate in Egg hunts and other traditions.
- St. George’s Day – April 23rd: This is the national day of England, but it is not a public holiday and businesses operate as normal. It’s observed with parades and other activities. Flags with St. George’s cross are flown on buildings, particularly pubs.
- Halloween – October 31st: Like in many other countries, people in the UK celebrate Halloween by dressing up, having parties and trick-or-treating.
- Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night – November 5th: In celebration of the discovery of a plot to blow up the houses of parliament in London, many people light bonfires and set off fireworks. It’s also common to host combined Halloween and Bonfire night parties.
- Remembrance Day – Second Sunday in November/November 11th: In remembrance of the end of World War I and veterans of all wars, a moment of silence is observed at 11 am, and people wear poppies as a symbol of respect and tribute.
- St. Andrew’s Day – November 30th: This is the national day of Scotland, and schools and most businesses are closed there. Large celebrations are held in Scottish cities and towns like Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dumfries.
- Christmas – December 25th: The most common symbols of Christmas in the UK are Christmas trees, exchanging gifts and cards and Christmas crackers, which two people pull apart, usually at Christmas dinner, and contain a paper crown, small gift and a joke. Traditional foods include turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies.
- Boxing Day – December 26th: A public holiday, people celebrate by spending time with family, shopping sales or watching special horse racing or soccer events.
See also: International holiday marketing: Dates, culture & language
The UK social media laws and regulations

Like many countries, the UK has regulations and laws you need to follow when launching marketing campaigns on social media.
Here are the most important ones to know about:
GDPR
Since the UK officially left the EU in 2021, that should mean that it no longer has to follow GDPR, right? To start, any company that provides services to customers in the EU must follow GDPR, and the UK has a responsibility to enforce it, even if it’s not an EU country. In addition, since the GDPR came into effect before 2021 when the UK left the EU, it decided to retain it in domestic law, and it’s officially called the UK GDPR.
Advertising in the UK means adhering to the UK GDPR, which closely mirrors the EU GDPR, with minor adjustments for the UK legal system. Data collected before 2021 must comply with EU GDPR, while data collected after 2021 follows UK GDPR guidelines.
A key difference is managing the flow of personal data between the UK and the EU, particularly if you’re an EU-based company. Free data transfers between the regions are permitted until June 2025, but future regulations are uncertain.
As the legal framework continues to evolve, it’s important to stay informed about any differences between UK and EU data privacy laws. Non-compliance with GDPR in the UK can result in fines, compliance orders, or bans on data processing, so staying up to date is essential.
CPRs
The CPRs stand for the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. They prohibit unfair advertising to consumers, including advertising considered misleading or aggressive. The CPRs also regulate social media influencer advertising.
The CPRs are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s independent advertising regulator, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the government’s principal competition regulator. The CMA has previously taken action against celebrity influencers, including Ellie Goulding and Alexa Chung, for violating the CPRs.
CAP Code
The CAP is the main code of standards for non-broadcast advertising and direct and promotional marketing. It provides a comprehensive framework for what kinds of content can be included in ads on digital platforms and how they’re placed. It also includes guidelines on other issues relevant to digital marketing, like cookies and other trackers.
The ASA enforces the CAP code, and the CMA and Trading Standards can investigate and take legal action against breaches of the code that are deemed to harm the collective interest of consumers. The ASA can make complaints themselves, or complaints can be made by consumers or competitors. Violating ads will be asked to be amended or withdrawn, and sanctions may be imposed if a company refuses to do so.
You can check out the full CAP code here.
So, we know the CAP code enforces digital marketing, but what are some examples of things we need to be aware of to stay compliant?
A clear example of advertising deemed non-compliant is when an influencer gives the impression that they’re a brand customer instead of a promoter. Any influencer you work with needs to be honest and direct about their relationship with any brands or products they’re promoting.
These regulations apply to any sort of post on any sort of social media involving an influencer and a company. Even if you have an informal agreement with an influencer, it still applies. The easiest way to have influencers be compliant is if they put #ad or #advert at the beginning of a post.
Social media trends in the UK to include in your strategy

Within the ever-changing social media landscape, there are always new trends when trying to reach consumers.
Here are some trendy tactics that are attracting customers in the UK.
1. Custom marketing
Sometimes, audiences can feel like social media marketing is impersonal or targeted to them in an almost too obvious way—we’ve all had an experience where we searched for a product once and didn’t stop seeing ads for that product for weeks.
Custom marketing is different. It delivers products more dynamically to consumers, offering up different formats and calls to action based on who it’s targeting.
Facebook, for example, offers personalized ads for Facebook and Instagram. You can also implement marketing strategies that add personal touches to your social media marketing, or directly allow the consumer to customize their experience.
2. Direct social selling
With the rising use of the Instagram Shopping Tag and TikTok Shop, directly selling your products to your audience on social media is easier and more popular than ever. UK citizens use their mobile phones for about half the time they spend online each day, a figure that’s remained steady since 2019, so giving them more ways to shop on their phones is good for digital advertisers.
Instagram Shopping allows users to buy products directly within the app. To set it up, simply link your Instagram to a Facebook business account, where you manage product catalogs. Once integrated, you can feature products in posts, stories and reels, tagging each item to link users to a purchase page. Instagram also adds a “Shop” tab to your profile, showcasing all your products.
Similarly, TikTok Shop offers a product database with names, photos, prices, and links. It supports live shopping, shoppable videos, product showcases and a shop tab, where users can browse and buy products. TikTok’s centralized Shop Tab also lets users explore products, watch shoppable content, and discover new brands through a search bar.
3. User-generated content
With the rise of better tools for casual users, sourcing user-generated content (UGC) for advertising has become more popular. Since influencer marketing is already significant in the UK, users are also open to submitting UGC to brands.
To encourage UGC, create a branded hashtag, host giveaways requiring UGC and share UGC you’ve already received to inspire more. You can also promote UGC in other ways, like featuring your hashtag on thank you pages, adding UGC galleries to your website, or including a UGC prompt on packing slips and invoices.
See also: UGC image usage rights: An introduction for brands
VeraContent case studies: Libby
Libby, an app that allows people to access e-books from their local libraries, approached VeraContent to help them manage their UK Instagram accounts. As Libby was just beginning their social media presence in the country, they wanted to increase awareness of the app among both libraries and potential users.
They wanted to target book lovers in the UK, people who use their local libraries, people who are tuned into pop culture and people who follow book-themed accounts on Instagram and TikTok. Getting inspiration from things like BookTok trends, VeraContent has created a wide variety of social content, from memes to localized recommendations to quizzes.

When creating any of these posts, we consider what their Instagram audience has already responded positively to. We also follow what books and authors are more popular in the UK and spotlight those in their content.
The partnership has been a success! They’ve organically built a follower base and increased their reach and interactions month-to-month. In addition, they’ve organically built a following of not just users, but libraries, who also engage with their content.
Let’s target your UK audience
Social media marketing in the UK thrives on user engagement, with a focus on staying connected, discovering new products and following brands or influencers. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer powerful tools for reaching your audience, but understanding the local culture and preferences is key to success.
At VeraContent, we work with native-speaking, locally based content creators who truly understand the UK market. Get in touch with us today to see if you qualify for a Free Content Consultation.