British social media star Madeline Argy's confessional storytelling videos have attracted 7.5 million followers on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Now, she's expanding her reach through a podcast called "Pretty Lonesome," which she launched with 30 Under 30 alum Alex Cooper's The Unwell Network in October 2023. Argy has partnered with digital brands like Google, Spotify and Netflix, as well as fashion and beauty companies like Coach, Rabanne and Kosas, which Forbes estimates resulted in $1 million in earnings last year. Though she's built a career on creating content, her biggest piece of advice to aspiring creators is to not stress too much about the content they're putting out. "Just get some funny friends and just exist, keep existing," she says. "There was a period of time where I was so stressed about putting out content that I kind of stopped going out and experiencing things." But it's life experiences and off-the-cuff thoughts that ultimately perform the best on her platforms, she adds. "[Ideas] come to me when I'm ready to receive them."
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Madeline, it's so great to be here with you today.
00:02 It's great to be here with you today.
00:03 So tell me about your background.
00:05 What were you doing before you started posting on social media?
00:08 I was in my final year of linguistics at Kent University,
00:12 and I was planning to go get my masters at the University of York.
00:15 Okay. So what motivated you to make that first post?
00:19 I was just bored.
00:20 Yeah.
00:21 That's fair.
00:23 I read somewhere that it was like a crush that made you maybe want to do it?
00:27 Okay. Yeah. No, actually it was.
00:28 Okay.
00:29 It was. It was. I had a crush on a girl.
00:31 It was a mixture of the two.
00:32 Like, I only had a crush on her because I was bored.
00:34 That's so rude, but like, I really didn't know her or anything.
00:38 She's just like a creator.
00:40 And I was like, "Oh, she's like replying to like people in her comments who like have a following."
00:44 And me and my friend, we both had a crush on her.
00:46 And so we were like, between the two of us, like one of us can figure this out shortly.
00:50 So we like started posting and like, yeah.
00:53 And then it spiraled out of control.
00:55 Oh my gosh.
00:55 What would you say is the video or the moment that you think like really took off and made you go so viral?
01:03 I think probably the one about my sister having a worm.
01:06 I do remember that.
01:08 That was a good video.
01:09 Why do you think it resonated with so many people?
01:12 I don't think it resonated.
01:14 I think it just was like outlandish.
01:17 People were like, "What the fuck?"
01:19 That makes a lot of sense.
01:21 I think it's like videos like that about your sister.
01:24 And like you've so many videos that share such intimate details about your life.
01:29 Is there anything that you're like, "This is too personal to share.
01:33 I'm not going to post about it."
01:35 Oh yeah, loads.
01:36 Yeah.
01:36 What are those types of things?
01:38 I think just things that are actually like long-term issues in my life that like have no like funny resolution.
01:47 I think that's probably the difference of when I'm like, "Oh, this story has like an ending."
01:50 Or like, "Oh no, that's just sad."
01:51 Like, you know, I feel like there's, I mean, it's for everyone.
01:55 Like there's things you don't talk about even with like your best friends.
01:58 So yeah, and there's a lot of stuff that I just kind of choose to keep off the internet anyway.
02:04 Right.
02:05 So yeah, it's a mixture of like no one needs to know and then I don't want anyone to know.
02:10 That makes sense.
02:11 Yeah.
02:12 So in 2022, you signed to Alex Cooper's The Unwell Network and began your own podcast, Pretty Lonesome.
02:17 How did that deal come about for you?
02:21 Well, I had started to post videos on YouTube that like resemble the podcast.
02:27 I think it's kind of tricky to like differentiate a podcast if there's no like podcast deal in place
02:32 because like where's the line between like a YouTube video and a podcast?
02:36 I guess like I always said the difference is like you have a microphone.
02:39 So there was like a very thin line and I just was posting videos with a microphone.
02:45 But it didn't have a name and there was no contract.
02:48 I was just doing it.
02:49 And then I guess she saw that and she had asked me to come on Call Her Daddy.
02:54 So I had flown out to LA to go on her podcast.
02:57 And then that's when we kind of started having the conversation about The Unwell Network.
03:01 And it was the first time I'd heard the name of The Unwell Network.
03:04 It was still quite, I mean, I don't think it wasn't like a public network yet.
03:08 So that was when I first heard about it.
03:10 And then it just, yeah, I just signed.
03:14 Was there anything she said that really convinced you like, you know what, I'm going to just going to do this?
03:19 I think just the fact that she's Alex Cooper.
03:23 I just think like what better person to have as like a coach when it comes to podcasting
03:28 and also just having this kind of career in general.
03:32 Like there's probably no one better.
03:35 For those who haven't listened to your podcast before,
03:37 can you describe exactly what it is, what you talk about?
03:41 It is very much, I always describe it as like being alone, like together,
03:51 because I've had a couple of guests on which were just like personal friends of mine.
03:56 And I found it enjoyable because I love having conversations with my friends,
04:00 but more than anything, I'm always by myself
04:03 and kind of just like waffling about whatever it is I've experienced that week.
04:09 And I think nothing I could possibly be going through as a 23 year old girl
04:14 is that different to what everyone else around my age group is going through.
04:19 So it's kind of like an intentional place to like go through that as a group.
04:24 Yeah, that makes sense.
04:25 Where do you see it going in the next few years?
04:28 I don't know. It's an interesting question,
04:31 because I think I've played around a lot with the idea of guests.
04:35 But I think it's never like when I think of like something that I would be proud to put out,
04:42 it's usually just me by myself, because I don't know if I'm really a good interviewer.
04:50 And I would say I can hold a conversation, but with people that are my genuine friends,
04:58 who aren't typically people that are known publicly.
05:01 So I'm like, OK, well, I can keep having my personal friends on
05:04 or I can start interviewing people that are in the public eye,
05:07 but that feels kind of not what I'm meant to be doing.
05:12 So I kind of want it to stay very much similar and just always remain where I'm comfortable in my car.
05:20 And people have tried to pull me out of my car,
05:23 but I think I've kind of realised I need to stand my ground and just stay exactly where I'm comfortable.
05:29 And when I'm comfortable, the things I say are nicer.
05:33 So that makes sense. And I bet the sound in the car is great.
05:37 Oh, yeah. Plus, no one comes and mobs me.
05:39 Exactly. Yeah.
05:42 One of the things that I think is so interesting about you is that you're so open
05:45 with your struggles with mental health and anxiety.
05:48 How do you balance prioritising your mental health, but also being in the public eye?
05:54 I don't. Yeah, I really probably right now, I just genuinely don't.
06:02 Like, I'd love to lie and be like, oh, no, I have all these techniques and here's some that you can have.
06:07 But like, I really don't.
06:09 I feel like if it was at a crisis level that it would be different.
06:14 But I think it's probably a little bit of a trade-in for me right now of just like,
06:20 I derive joy from the process of like progress, I guess.
06:26 And so I'm worrying less about how much I might be struggling while doing it,
06:34 because I actually do derive joy when I can look back and be like, oh, no, but look, I've come here now.
06:38 Totally. So I don't know.
06:42 I don't know. It's probably not the healthiest, but I guess that's something we're all figuring out, I feel like.
06:47 Yeah, that makes sense.
06:49 So in this age where there's so many creators with millions of followers,
06:55 how do you think you stand out from the pack and is there space for everyone in this world?
07:01 Well, I don't know.
07:06 I don't know. I think there's a lot of space for a lot of people.
07:10 And yeah, I think there's space for every type of creator and every type of personality,
07:19 because everything's going to resonate with someone.
07:22 I don't know if I stick out. I think. I don't know if I do.
07:27 I just think like it's. I try to not get too involved with the trends,
07:35 and I did for a period of time get really in my head and think I need to do what these people are doing and change my content and evolve it.
07:43 And I kind of realised that I think one of the things that does resonate is the fact that I wasn't initially doing that.
07:50 And I was so offline before I started posting, like I didn't even have an account, like I wasn't on Instagram, I wasn't on TikTok,
07:56 I've never been on Twitter in my life. Like I don't know. It's kind of like a rogue thing I've started doing.
08:02 So I had no clue about like trends and I don't know what content creation really looked like.
08:09 So I try not to like edit it too much now to look like all this other stuff that I see and I admire because that wasn't what I started with.
08:18 So why would I, you know, like sometimes it's growth and sometimes it's shooting yourself in the foot.
08:23 That makes sense. Yeah.
08:25 What do you think the biggest challenge is that creators will face in the next few years?
08:31 Oh, definitely AI.
08:32 I was going to ask you about that. Are you using AI at all to help in anything?
08:37 No.
08:37 Really? Why or why not?
08:40 My hope is that people reject it on like a mass level and that if it's like,
08:47 because like I get that everyone loves technology and computers,
08:50 but I think when it breaches the line of being so close to like reality, I think that's when people are going to get scared.
08:57 So I would prefer to, I don't want anything to do with like, I mean, some AI is great, like chat, GBT is great.
09:03 But like when it's like the pictures that you can barely differentiate from reality and videos of people and images of people and
09:11 I just feel like we're going down a dark path and I just don't want to get too involved with it.
09:15 And I hope that people, especially young people, would feel the same.
09:21 As you're starting to kind of dip your toes into the businessy world,
09:25 has there been one business rule that you've operated by along the way, no matter what?
09:31 Business rule?
09:33 Oh, I don't know. I've had to learn a lot of hard lessons, I think, like a lot,
09:37 because I never have really been around that world before, like seen how people operate.
09:45 I don't know, I think it's tricky, I guess, like probably I learned quite quickly that there's a very clear line between friends and business,
09:54 and it's fine if you, if those things overlap, but you have to like understand where the line is and where people's intentions lie.
10:01 And you'll get a lot further if you understand that and everyone else will get a lot further if they understand.
10:06 It's just like, don't get caught up and left behind. You know what I mean?
10:09 So, yeah, that's, I guess, a lesson that I learned on like day one.
10:14 What's been the most challenging thing you've faced so far, either in your life as a creator or going into podcast?
10:23 I think scheduling was probably like, I think it's a bit random, but I think when you work online,
10:29 and probably a lot of people can relate, like working from home,
10:33 it's hard to like know when you're working versus when you're like off, and when you're on your couch versus in your office.
10:38 And like, it's just so weird.
10:40 So I think I kind of had to like learn to prioritise certain things and learn.
10:47 I kind of had to accept that I was going to be always on and just like, just do this for the next couple of years and be always on and it's fine.
10:55 I'll take care of you after, you know, like, because it was so hard for me to figure out how to actually switch off like effectively.
11:02 It's still something that I'm learning.
11:03 So I've had to like make peace with the idea of being always on so that I'm not always stressing about the fact that I can't turn off because then I just burn out.
11:10 So it's like a horrible little web.
11:14 What future projects coming up in 2024 are really exciting to you right now or anything you can share with us?
11:20 I'm just very excited for Pretty Lonesome to continue.
11:24 And I've set myself a goal of monthly vlogs.
11:28 I'd love to do weekly on YouTube because I actually think I much prefer that type of content than TikTok.
11:34 I find it like just less draining, like on my personality almost, like it's more genuine.
11:42 Right. So I would really like to put out more of that.
11:45 And yeah.
11:48 If you could go back in time and tell your younger self something the day before you posted that first video that went viral, what advice would you give?
11:58 Oh, probably nothing.
12:01 I feel like it's, I don't know, for the most part, I don't have like many regrets or many things I wish I knew beforehand.
12:11 I feel like information, I'm a very big trust to the universe.
12:15 Like I feel like information comes to me and I hear it when I'm ready and I need it.
12:19 And the same with ideas. I feel like they come to me when I'm ready to receive them.
12:23 And me and my friends, we always say that the ideas belong to the universe and then they come to the people that want to receive them.
12:29 And then if you don't use it, it goes away.
12:31 So and it goes to someone else, which is why you always see your business ideas getting stolen a month after you've had them.
12:36 And you're like, what the hell?
12:37 But I don't know. I don't feel like I would change anything.
12:40 Like I have regrets. But even with that, I feel like I would just let her do her thing.
12:44 Say tomorrow, Instagram and TikTok and everything disappears and fails.
12:49 Yeah. How would you keep building the brand that you've built on those platforms, then like off the platforms?
12:56 Oh, I have no idea.
13:01 I don't know. I should probably make a game plan.
13:03 Yeah. Make it like a megaphone and a very big block of wood.
13:07 Go out on the street. Yeah.
13:09 No worries. What are your top tips for coming up with new material?
13:14 Um, just get some funny friends and like just like exist, like keep existing.
13:22 And I don't know. I think there was a period of time where I was so stressed about putting out content that I kind of stopped going out and experiencing things because I was like,
13:29 no, because I haven't had an idea yet and I need to sit in my bed until I have an idea.
13:33 I need to be at home to have an idea.
13:35 And then I realised that the way to get ideas was to go out and have conversations and experience things.
13:40 And just like, I don't know, like some of my like looking back, bigger videos have been like I was out to dinner with my friend and something happened and I went, I had a funny thought.
13:51 And then I was like, oh, wait, I should post that.
13:54 And then, you know, like it's real life experiences and off the cuff thoughts that don't happen if you're just like stressing about something funny to post.
14:04 So I always just try and continue living and then let that give me ideas.
14:11 Advice.
14:12 What would you say are the biggest misconceptions about either you or just being a creator in general?
14:18 I don't know if anyone has misconceptions about me.
14:22 They probably, I mean, they definitely do.
14:23 I just don't know what they are.
14:25 Keep it that way.
14:26 Yeah.
14:27 About being a creator in general.
14:29 I don't know.
14:31 I don't know.
14:31 I hear, I think I don't hang out with enough creators to know what's true and what's not.
14:40 And I think I almost do that intentionally because I don't want my perspective to shift too much and to become something that I'm not or and not that that would be a bad thing.
14:52 It's just.
14:54 Why would I, you know?
14:56 Yeah.
14:57 So brands are so eager now to just work with creators like yourself.
15:01 What advice would you give to brands who want to partner with someone like you?
15:05 I think something that's always strange to me is when you work with a brand and they send you a stiff creative because in my opinion, you've hired someone for that purpose.
15:18 You know, it's not just the face on the mouth that's saying the words.
15:22 It's you need it to kind of come from them.
15:25 So and I always find that my better performing campaigns are ones where I've had more creative control and you can kind of guide them in whatever niche it is that you maybe exist within and whatever your style is.
15:38 And, you know, obviously they're paying.
15:40 So you kind of want to give them something that you know is going to do well and resonate.
15:43 So, you know, why are you reading off of like a script in a way where everyone knows it's an advert and everyone sort of thinks, does she even care about this?
15:53 So I think I understand creative in terms of like aesthetic, but I think in terms of like how it's put across, I think a lot of brands are doing it more where they give the creator a little bit more control.
16:07 But it's kind of like if you've chosen to work with that person, like work with them, you know?
16:12 Yeah, I think that's more valuable.
16:14 And definitely if I was watching an advert that would resonate with me way more.
16:20 Can you tell me about some of your more successful brand partnerships or sponsorships?
16:24 This year, even though I've had a couple launch, I did a big one with Kosis, which was really exciting.
16:30 I think that's my most recent.
16:32 I loved it, I think, because we worked on it.
16:34 It was like so well thought out and just so well done.
16:37 And and I got to meet the team.
16:40 And it's when you really like familiarize yourself with the team and what it's about and the product.
16:46 And it's there's time before you just come online and say, hey, guys, I like this product.
16:51 Like you actually like the product and you like everything that's behind the product as well.
16:56 So I did Kosis and then I also did a K8 team this year, which and last year, actually, which was really cool.
17:04 So my final question for you is a bit of a lofty one, but what would you like your legacy to be?
17:10 I don't know about legacy. Maybe I just hope that.
17:14 I hope that I can reiterate things well, like if I listen to 100 podcasts a day and read a bunch of books and I get one idea from them and put it online,
17:25 I hope that I can say it in a way that it makes sense.
17:29 And I don't know, I think more than anything, I'd probably just be happy if I love people with like a good feeling, like, you know,
17:36 I never want to be someone where you see a video and you you're like, oh, they sounded mean or they, you know, anything like I want to make people feel comfortable and feel happy.
17:44 And I don't know, there's people I watch and even sometimes I just take away from the video of like, I wish I came off like that publicly,
17:52 like I wish I was that friendly or why don't I smile at people in public that much?
17:58 Yeah, just little things where you can maybe just make someone feel a bit better in some way, then I guess that's what I'd want.
18:07 Yeah. Well, Madeline, thank you so much for being here today.
18:09 Thank you.
18:10 Great to have you.
18:12 Thanks.
18:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]