'Everyone think it's easy to be a social media influencer - but it's not'

Millions of us go on social media every day and find many brands and individuals are after our time, trying to influence us.

"It's daunting to put yourself online," Lauren Davies admits. "I think people think 'oh I could do that' - and you go to it and it's hard!"

She has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram while also running an agency for fellow social media influencers.

She and her business partner have 18 clients on their books, mostly other mums like themselves, who specialise in content around homes, family and day-to-day lifestyle.

"We wanted to create a team where we could all bounce off one another. It's very important to have a network of people that understand," said the 35-year-old, from Nantwich, Cheshire.

But not everyone has caught up with what she does - Davies said her mum still did not get what she did for a living: "She still thinks I sit at home!"

Producing content can be very lucrative. Facebook offered some influencers $3,000 (£2,260) a month to post on the platform earlier this year, while some on TikTok say they have earnt up to £5,000 a month.

But Davies said brands could also have very specific demands about what they wanted in the content.

"Ultimately it depends on views and traffic," she said. "But there is a lot of money to be made from it, if you do it properly."

Authenticity and consistent content was key to success, the talent manager believed.

Filming yourself could be very isolating though and there was also online trolling to deal with, Davies admitted.

She said some people believed it was acceptable to abuse those they felt have chosen to be in the public eye.

"Some of these people didn't mean to, they just went viral, or they just did what they loved and people started to follow," said Davies.

Making material for social media could also become like an obsession: "Posting is addictive, the comments you receive are addictive - good or bad - the follower count, the views can be addictive."

The agency, Talent Wise Management, takes their clients away on two bonding sessions a year, where they discuss the good and bad, share ideas and film fresh content.

Davies also puts on twice yearly events, called the Housewise Socials, involving about 100 content creators being invited to network with well-known brands and pitch what they do.

"You're getting them off direct messages, you're seeing the whites of their eyes, it's excitement, and you're actually coming out of this very isolating world," she said.

Davies, who used to work in home decor design and development, said being an influencer was a "dream job" as it provided both flexibility and rewards.

"It's a real skill set creating content, it really it is," she said. "It's something that people really enjoy to consume now."

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