Ever wondered what influencers do all day? Every week we're going to be chatting to famous social media influencers to find out exactly what they do on an average day.
This week we spoke to Instagrammer, TikToker and one of the funniest YouTubers - Looking For Lewys. He's spilled the tea on getting into the industry when he was younger, what he gets up to on an average week and why he doesn't take TikTok too serious.
Name: Lewys Ball (aka Looking For Lewys)
Age: 22 years old
Social media platforms: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter
Looking For Lewys reveals how he got into the influencing industry
If you have a look at Lewys' oldest YouTube videos you'll notice that he looks VERY different and that's probably because he's literally a child in his earlier videos.
He looks absolutely adorable but long gone are the days where he'd film primary school observations and now you'll most likely see him film chaotic vlogs with his BFFs including Olivia Neill and Flossie.
Lewys has 500k subscribers and over 300k Instagram followers but it turns out he's actually been in the content creating industry for quite some time.
"I have been posting videos for 10 years now but it wasn’t until around 5 years ago I started taking it seriously," he explained.
"I have always loved YouTube since I was like nine years old and as soon as I was old enough I knew I wanted to give it a go for myself."
And it turns out Lewys decided to go full-time with his influencing career after completing university last year - at home, because of the pandemic.
"My social media started to become a job while I was still in university, so I was lucky enough to do that alongside university and have been doing it full time since I graduated last summer."
Since finishing uni Lewys reached 500k subscribers on YouTube - a huge milestone - but things have probably taken a 180 now that he has to create content full-time, compared to writing essays and coursework.
"Everyday is different for me," he confessed.
"One day I might be spending the day on my laptop editing videos and replying to comments, the next I may be on set for something followed by one event.
"I have a very short attention span so having a different routine everyday is one of my favourite parts."
Looking For Lewys reveals what he does on an average week
Lewys is active on pretty much every social media app which means each week he plans to create different content for all his followers.
"I usually try and create one YouTube video, two Instagram posts and a few TikToks every week.
"I also present on CBBC so I am in the studio one day a week for that too, and with my second podcast season starting very soon I will typically have a recording of that once a week too."
"I don’t like my Instagram feed being too polished"
Now Lewys' YouTube videos may range from 10-20 minutes but it turns out that the full process from thinking of the idea to clicking publish actually takes a while.
I’ll have a look around at the start of the week to see what’s trending or what other people are posting, Typically a YouTube video will take one to two days in terms of planning, filming, editing and sorting out the behind the scene admin stuff."
And it's not just his YouTube content that takes longer than it make look.
"With Instagram photos I tend to take in the moment. I don’t like my Instagram feed being too polished so usually I’ll just get some pictures while I’m out and about during the day.
"And I usually just use the editing tools that come on the camera roll. Turn the brightness or contrast up a bit but that’s about it.
"Same with TikTok I try not to take too seriously, especially as I’ve found usually the ones I put the least effort in tend to perform the best!"
During our chat Lewys revealed admitted he's always shocked at how well one particular part of his content does.
"It always surprises me every year how much people care about what I have to say about Love Island!
"It just started off as me streaming my thoughts on the show and I never expected people to actually care about what I have to say about people kissing on the telly."
Turns out Lewys' most watched YouTube video is actually his collab with Love Island 2018 Casa Amor bombshell Savanna Darnell.
Looking For Lewys on how to grow your social media following
Now if you want to follow in Lewys' footsteps then he's stressed that consistency is key.
"A following isn’t something that happens overnight and I know for me, the more someone posts, the more I get to know them and the more I get invested in them and follow them more!
"Trends are a great way to get a following and some notice, but try and think of an original spin you can put on the trend that hasn’t been done before," he explained.
As for figuring out his audience, Lewys revealed, "There are analytics which tell you, but most the time I just head to my comments and DMs and see the type of people who are actually interacting with me."
"I’d lose my head if it wasn’t screwed on"
Becoming an influencer seems easier said than done but Lewys has warned to take your time when it comes to signing with a management company.
"Always read through things properly and make sure you don’t rush into anything. There are so many management companies out there, there is no point rushing into one.
"I have 3 people who are from my management team who help me do the behind the scenes admin stuff, which is very much needed because I’d lose my head if it wasn’t screwed on," he confessed.
When we asked Lewys if he could go back in tie and change anything about his job, he said, "I don’t think I’d change anything, there a few things I’ve done which perhaps I wish I hadn’t, but it’s helped my learn about myself and what I do."
Check out: heat’s Rich List 2020: the richest TikTok stars
TikTok wealth estimated by Forbes
heat's Rich List 2020 - TikTok stars - slider
1 of 55) Josh Richards, 18 - £1.1m
TikTok's resident pin-up shot to fame partying with his Sway House collective in their LA mansion. Sponsorships with Reebok and Houseparty, plus a record deal, have made Josh plenty of cash, and he's also co-founded a talent management company, plus an energy drinks firm. He recently caused a flap by moving to TikTok rival Triller.
2 of 54) Loren Gray, 18 - £1.8m
At the start of 2020, US teen Loren had the largest TikTok fanbase, thanks to her videos lip-syncing to Nicki Minaj. Rae and the D'Amelios may have overtaken her, but Loren's still a millionaire through promotions with Skechers, Burger King and Chipotle, who made her do cringey stunts such as a "guacamole dance-off".
3 of 53) Dixie D'Amelio, 19 - £2.2m
Charli's older sister (above right) is no slouch in the social stakes, either. She's scored a record deal - first single Be Happy has been streamed 58m times so far - and has promo deals with clothing and cosmetics firms. With the Kardashians about to disappear from our screens, the D'Amelio sister act is poised to fill that space.
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4 of 52) Charli D'Amelio, 16 - £3.1m
Charli has the most followers on the app (89.3m), but hasn't matched Addison's wealth yet, possibly due to her age. Still, the ex-competitive dancer charges a hefty £37k per Instagram post, sells her Charli-branded hoodies for £47 a pop, and has signed a deal to front US teen clothing brand Hollister, too.
5 of 51) Addison Rae (20) - £3.9m
Became famous on the app last year after posting videos of herself dancing with her mum. Since then, she's picked up 65.9m followers, bagged a brand deal with teen clothing firm American Eagle, launched a podcast and merch line, plus become pals with Kourtney Kardashian. She's also just been cast in a remake of '90s teen comedy She's All That.
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Not only is Lewys active on social media and hosts his own podcast, he's revealed one of the most surprising things about his job was working with make-up brand Rimmel.
"It always surprises me when brands I’ve loved actually want me to promote their stuff. I remember the first ever make-up product I bought was a Rimmel eyebrow gel, and the first ever campaign I got was a shoot for Rimmel eyebrows which has always been one of my favourite jobs."
And as for his 2021 plans, Lewys has teased that his podcast is returning VERY soon.
"There’s a lot of exciting things I still am hoping to happen this year! The thing that is coming up soon is my podcast, Pop Off, is launching season 2 very soon which I am so excited to get back into."