Courtney Stubbs graced your TV screens in this seasons Love Island, known for her ability to talk anyone under the table and hilarious sense of humour. Since appearing on the show, she’s grown her social follow substantially and is now working as a creator full time. We caught up with Courtney to learn about her journey, community and what she wishes brands new about creators vs celebs.
You recently appeared on Love Island - what was that experience like? Did it change your social media following and was in a way you thought it would?
My Love Island experience was definitely an experience to say the least. It was the most exciting journey I've gone through, a lot of fun and a rollercoaster of emotions, however I was unlucky in finding love on the show. Love Island definitely played a part with my social media presence and following. I now sit at 105k on Instagram, 44.4k on TikTok as well as an up and coming YouTube channel with 3.5k. I’ve worked hard to create a connection with my followers and have developed a great community. Going on a reality show I didn't know how the outcome would turn out re finding the love of my life or if i would develop a larger social media presence, especially with a show like Love Island where you can be booted off the show at any time! So I am very blessed to have had such a long experience. I was on the show from Day 1 (starting cast) to the 2nd last day and still featured in the final episode.
What were you doing before you were working as a creator? You’ve modeled since a young age, tell us about that?
Before I was a creator, I finished my nursing course then yes, prior to that I worked as a model from the age of 15 years old. This has led me to be confident in front of the camera as well as provide great experience that has helped my content creation, inspiration and creativity in the industry.
Which platform do you use most and why? Has that changed over the years?
This is an interesting question! Instagram is my highest growth platform however I can honestly say I am equally as passionate about my TikTok and my YouTube. As TikTok is a newer social media platform, I love how it has driven more content creation into video format.
Tell us about your community online - does it vary from platform to platform? What is your audience demographic like? What do they like/dislike?
I am blessed to have an incredible community online. The following varies slightly but my audience demographic still sits very similar to each other. Instagram is 75% women to 15% male. TikTok 71% female to 29% male. I honestly love that my percentages are mostly women, as this is my goal demographic as I can connect, relate and help more women.
How do you decide which brands to work with?
I am particular with brands I work with. They must always align with the personal brand I have created. I work with brands that I genuinely believe in and that my audience will like. This is why I have this strong following, as my audience trusts me and my personal brand is more important than just making money hence my following has grown organically.
What do you wish brands knew about working with creators/influencers?
I would love brands to understand that whilst other creators/influencers may sit at the same following, or higher then myself, I am viewed as a TV Personality, which is slightly different to your standard creator. I have followers that have got to know me on reality TV over a period of time and who know me, and love me, for being “me.” That adds an added element of trust, and credibility to my followers. I am not just a pretty face, I work at providing a connection with my followers and this does differentiate me from the crowd. I also have great interaction, as well as unique content that I am very proud of, and it reflects in my engagement rate and follower growth. I think brands should think about things like this when they are thinking about influencers, as its easy to get caught up in just the number of followers.
What’s the best/most memorable campaign you’ve been involved in?
The best campaigns I have been involved in are two coming up with brands I love, unfortunately I can't say who they are just yet. Watch this space!
What’s your favourite type of content to make and why? (reels, stories, tiktok videos, blogs, static photos etc)
This is tricky! I honestly have such a passion for all these forms of content. I love that Reels/ Tik Toks can help me be more creative with editing fun transitions. I love that static pictures can put together a whole mood board and get creative with styling or shoot location. I love that stories are a brilliant way to really just talk to my audience and connect. I also love my YouTube because it’s a longer video format where my followers can sit down, be entertained, feel like we are friends and connect. I also love travel vlogging, i got to vlog my trip to Bali and will be vlogging my Tasmania trip coming up.
What piece of content performs best for you, and do you know why?
This definitely varies; it can sit between Reels/Tik Toks, photo dump style pictures or Q&A. I think this depends on the topic of the content and less about the platform or style.
Who is your favourite person to follow on social media?
My favourite person to follow on social media would be either Emma Chamberlain or Hailey Bieber - style icons!
What brand do you think is doing an amazing job of working with creators/influencers and why?
I think a brand that is killing it by working with creators would be Mecca or Sephora. I love the idea that they provide brand trips for creators to meet, have a great experience traveling and then they also get the most incredible content out of it.
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