breaking the 4th wall on being an influencer

I’ve seen a lot of chat around Priya on Love Island breaking the fourth wall on a) knowing she’s on the show Love Island but b) knowing how she’s going to win.

I’m not sure what kind of unagi this is, but I’m going to break the 4th wall further from hers, does this make it an 8th wall? a 16th?

No one on that show care about winning their half of the £50,000. That is pocket change compared to what they’ll make if they become a successful creator. If they’re playing it properly, which it’s clear a lot of them are, they know Love Island is merely an incredibly prestigious internship into the influencer world. Each episode is building out their CV, telling brands, agencies & broadcasters why they should work with them come September.

I know this because I worked at influencer marketing agencies for years, before becoming a creator myself.

I find the content creator/influencer world absolutely fascinating. It is like nothing else. It is so close to looking like there is no such 4th wall. Even in my own content, I will rarely break it, and I wouldn’t ever break it to this extent.

I feel it takes the magic away from the content, the punchline away from the joke. However ~ for one night only ~ I thought it could be fun to spill the beans. I also think it could be marginally useful to you, whether you’re a content consumer, or someoen looking to get into this space.

If any of this feels blunt or crude, I apologise, I am both of those things. I am also autistic, and sometime’s lack the ~je ne se quoi~ or ~social conditioning~ to word things more politely. I also am currently working on just being honest, rather than socially palatable in my day-to-day life, so I hope you don’t mind me practising that a little here too.

Right, lets bash down the wall. I apologise if any of these are water’s wet, but I thought might as well include them all incase they’re not. I’d love to know which you did/didn’t know.

We’ll start small

1. Often creators will do Q&A boxes on their stories, and ask themselves questions they will benefit giving you the answer to. They do this so a later feature seems like a natural segue (still can’t believe that’s not spelt segway), and to create a sense of social proof. An example of this that I see a lot, is an influencer asking themselves, ‘what xyz are you loving atm?’, the influencer will then mention a product/brand in the answering story. A few days later they’ll then do a paid promotion for that exact product. It means you think they’re already naturally using it, and tees you up to believe they haven’t just been sent it.

2. I think it’s true enough when creators say, ‘anyone can become a creator’, but I think they miss out that not anyone can become a successful one. I think creators are a certain archetype of person, like a musician or an actor, or a really good architect. They are attention seekers to their core, they yearn to create and connect. They go to sleep thinking of video ideas, and wake up desperate to execute them. I think creators are obsessives. I’ve yet to meet a creator I admire, or I’ve watched climb the ranks, that’s proven that wrong. They are not in it to escape something else (i.e. ‘I’m becoming a creator so I can quit my 9-5’), they’re in it because it’s all they want.

3. There are certain things that will never, ever work long term, those are: (ironically) breaking the 4th wall about not getting the views you’re after, ANY talk about ‘300 view jail’ etc, any kind of follow-for-follow situation, saying you’re aiming for a certain follower number (i.e. help me hit 10k!), any sort of capcut editing trend. Do not waste your time on any guides or videos that lead with these pointers. There are two things that work: original captivating content & consistency. Maybe also give your camera a wipe on your t’shirt & film in relatively good lighting. That is it.

4. Getting PR isn’t a sign you’ve made it, it’s a sign brands have weighed up their potential return on investment, and they might as well give it a go. Remember, the products they’re sending you are probably costing them so, so little. That Simple moisturiser and a face mask probably costs them more in delivery than in product. They can afford to take that risk for a tenner, knowing you’ll post and generate at least 300 views. It also offers nothing to your audience. The only audience interested are the ones that want to know how to receive the PR parcel themselves, you end up in a weird sort of MLM, where no-one benefits other than the brand. You will benefit 10x more by focussing on how to receive 10 genuine comments from people you don’t know, than you would 10 PR parcels. Build the audience first, then build the brand relationships.

5. On that, there is no such thing as 300 view jail. Yes, your videos might be stuck at 300, that’s just the minimum amount they’ll give you, it almost feels like it’s out of pity. Good content performs, the amount of views ebs and flows of course, but it still performs. There are still people liking it, people commenting. You are in jail because no one wants to see it. You will do far better trying new content ideas than watching anymore videos on how to ‘get out of 300 view jail’. I’d like to add this doesn’t get easier lol, I still feel SO shit when my content performs badly, but I often know there’s a reason why, I’ve taken too long to get to the point, the punch line wasn’t good enough, the hook was tired etc.

6. There is an unspoken rivalry between influencers & love islanders. If I’m entirely honest with you, I feel this one too. A lot of creators are desperate to get into mainstream media - TV, radio etc. Which is ironic, as a lot of mainstream celebrities are trying to do the opposite. It’s just more validating. Getting into this sphere is hard, because these channels want proof that main stream watchers know who you are. Love island does exactly that, it’s the equivalent of getting an NBA in the influencer sphere. A lot of creators feel cheated that they’ve had to grind away at content for years, and a Love Islander’s had a few snogs and spats, and has suddenly landed a presenting gig*. If I didn’t have a fiancé, a baby on the way, a birth year starting with a ‘19’, and an arse that couldn’t handle a thong bikini, I’d be begging to go on that show, just for the reach.

   *This is not to be confused with stars that have gone on Love Island and are genuinely some of the best creators/ presenters/ business people we’ve ever seen join the industry. People like Olivia Attwood spring to mind.

7. Brand trips are not free holidays, they’re cheap advertisements for brands. These trips are basically sets built for creators to perform & record a ‘holiday’. As I’m writing this I’m realising the theme here is irony, because again, I’m sure you’d argue, ‘but how is this cheap!? They’re flying all these creators into fancy hotels, with expensive restaurant bookings and a shit load of free stuff?!’ These trips cost nothing compared to what creators would charge for a brand deal with the same expected amount of deliverables. Additionally, on these trips it’s less clear to viewers that what they’re watching is advertising, this means the content will perform better (as organic content always out performs branded/paid), so again, like the PR, the ROI is far higher. The marketing teams of the brands will hit an amount of impressions/views etc, whilst spending a fraction of what they’d need to for a proper influencer or paid ad spend campaign would. The creators benefit because they get to network, the brands benefit because they get the views, both teams are in work mode as soon as they leave their hotel room.

I think I’ve bleated on for long enough so I’ll leave it there - would love to know if this kind of thing is interesting? It feels weird sharing these insights into a world I operate in, but I do feel very strongly about trying to be a creator that can be honest, and still successful. I don’t think those have to be mutually exclusive.

I’m also not making this post to shame anyone, it’s more that I see the detriment that seeing these orchestrated lives can have on a person, me included, and hope ~myth busting~ some of it might help

If you enjoyed this - I’d love for you to subscribe! I plan to share an absolute load of random shit on here - from humorous observations of the things we do and say and why, to feelings on becoming a mum, to my neurodivergent experiences.

Kisses,

Holly x

p.p.s I thought I’d include a pic of me, cos I like visualising who’s written the articles I read, but now it just feels weird and unnecessary. A bit like having my phone background as a selfie of myself.