Featured Influencer: Maddie Bruce

DIARY directory recently caught up with YouTuber Maddie Bruce. Since starting on YouTube in 2014 as a student, Maddie's profile and following grew quickly and she dropped out of university to pursue her career, working with a host of big brands including Primark, Benefit and Superdry. Remaining relatable to her large and dedicated following, on her channel can find honest mental health videos, make-up videos, hauls and down-to-earth chats.

Date of birth:    18th November 1994 - age 22
County & country of residence:    Hampshire, England
3 main areas of focus:    beauty, fashion, lifestyle
5 specific areas of interest:    Makeup, Skincare, Clothes, Travel, Mental Health
Skin type:    Olive/oily
Hair colour:    Blonde
Hair type:    Flat, fine
Height:    5ft 5
Dress size:    6
Shoe size:    UK 4

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Maddie talks about her mental health vlogs; how PR's can improve the way they work with influencers and why it's important to manage the pressure of Instagram.

When and why did you decide to start a YouTube channel? 

I started a YouTube channel around 3 years ago. I got really into posting pictures of my outfits and makeup on Instagram and built up a following on there so I just felt it was only right to start a YouTube channel.  

What’s an average day like for you?

It varies A LOT! If I'm not in London I'll be working from home so pretty much sat at my desk doing emails/editing videos or filming videos.  

You’re based in Hampshire - is it a struggle as so many events & PRs/brands are based in London?

It's not too bad for me as I do come to London once a week and when I do I'll try and jam pack a whole day of meetings and events in. However, because I can't always be in London for everything building relationships with brands for me entails a lot of emailing!  

When was the first time you realised that this could turn into a full-time job?

I was studying at uni and I was finding it so hard to juggle with my uni work. I started getting paid campaigns coming through and I thought wow this could actually go somewhere. I ended up dropping out of uni to pursue a career as a YouTuber.  

Do you have any additional professional help with your vlog?

Nope, it’s all me!  

You’re really open about your struggles surrounding mental health and do a series of videos covering issues from anxiety, self-harm & depression - has this been helpful for you?

SO much! By helping others it helps me. The response I get from my mental health videos is the most rewarding.  

What content do your followers love the most & what have been your fave videos you’ve created so far?

They love videos where they can peer into my life so morning/evening routines, room tours, makeup collection tours etc. My favourites have to be my videos on mental health and my Stranger Things Halloween lookbook!

How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers? Any pet peeves?

Simply being open and transparent about what they want from the relationship with you is super useful. I hate it when I'm being constantly chased for my opinion on what a product was like that I've been gifted, I just don’t have time to try everything I get sent!  

How do you wish PRs would measure ROI on promotions you work on with them?

I think it’s most important to look at the engagement of the content and also the reach but I feel engagement is more important - a lot of brands get blinded by reach. Also, the campaigns may not always generate direct sales however the brand can monitor their following growth/interest in their products from the audience I've sent across. Building a loyal audience/target market is to me more valuable than the odd one-time buys.  

What, if any, metrics do you provide to a PR after a sponsorship campaign to help them measure success?

I have management so luckily they handle that side of things for me so I can just focus on creating content. They will send a full report including all the stats on engagement, reach, age range etc.  

"I hate it when I'm being constantly chased for my opinion on what a product was like that I've been gifted, I just don’t have time to try everything I get sent!"

You’re signed up to a management agency - what do they mainly work with you on & how much have they helped since appointing?

They mainly manage all of my paid for campaigns. They act as a kind of buffer between me and the brand which is great because they're so good at keeping both sides happy. They bring me in many more campaigns than I would be able to myself and are so helpful at managing my inbox.  

Many young girls want ‘to be a YouTuber’ - where do you think YouTube is headed?

I think young girls can get blinded by what they see YouTubers do on the internet. In reality, they never see 1. all the boring stuff we have to do or 2. the sheer amount of hard work it takes to even get to a level where you can consider it being a job. It's hard, it can be isolating at times and it basically becomes your whole life. You have to be really self-motivated - I think a lot of people see it as an easy career but it’s the opposite!

Is there something else you’d like to branch into?

I'd love to maybe do some presenting work. Whether that be in a documentary style or on TV.

What would be your dream collaboration?

That’s so difficult, I have so many! With the festival season coming up, I'd love to go to Coachella with a brand one day.

If you weren’t an influencer what would you be doing?

I would probably be finishing up a uni degree and seeking a career in something mental health orientated.

What are your fave products, brands at the moment?

I love Benefit Cosmetics so much. All of their brow products are amazing and they've just brought out GALafornia which is a super cute summery blush.

Instagram is such a key tool for many influencers - do you feel pressure to curate your feed in a particular way?

So much pressure! However I've actually learned that people seem to respond better to just naturally smiley photos where you're being yourself that have just been taken on an iPhone not a fancy camera.

You recently posted that you wanted to take a step back from posting online so much - tell us more about this decision

Yes. With social media it becomes a job 24/7. I was starting to majorly neglect other aspects of my life and just became engulfed in all the projects I was working on to the point where it was damaging my health. Now I don't feel pressure to post on Instagram if I have nothing to post and have started to fill my life with social activities that actually get me out the house!

What other influencers do you follow & why?

I follow lots of inspirational girls mainly. Em Sheldon because her positivity and attitude to life is infectious. In The Frow because her drive and passion is admirable and Lydia Millen because she's just an all round babe and girl boss.

Source: Diary directory