From the ‘hot lobsterman’ to the stunning shepherdess, meet the blue-collar workers who are raking in a FORTUNE on TikTok by sharing their working days with MILLIONS of doting fans
- Blue collar influencers are dramatically rising in popularity on social media
- They’re amassing millions of views with their fascinating day-in-the-life videos
- Some are securing brand sponsorships after showcasing their unique jobs
It’s a different kind of ‘Get Ready With Me’ – and despite being less glamorous, a little dirtier and having no makeup or designer outfits involved – it’s becoming just as lucrative.
Social media isn’t just about the blonde bikini-clad babes anymore with a new type of influencer making the rounds online – the blue collar worker.
Despite showing people preparing to go and do grueling, physical and often dirty work, rather than fancy fashion shows or lavish trips, these social media stars have amassed millions of followers by showcasing their unique jobs.
From lobstermen to long haul truckers, it seems as though there’s a market for everyone.
Industrial influencers are becoming steadily more popular. Pictured: The British Columbia farmer who calls himself Potato Ty, has made people embrace the starchy vegetable after his posts to TikTok went viral
Industrial influencers are becoming steadily more popular, with a more raw and vulnerable style on display, reminiscent of the original influencer TikTok clips that launched the popular ‘day in my life’ style accounts and creators.
‘That’s where we’re getting these blue-collar influencers,’ Alice Marwick, an associate professor whos studies focus on social media at the University of North Carolina told the New York Times.
‘We know these jobs exist, but we don’t really know what it’s like behind the scenes,’ she explained.
Take a look below at some of the social media stars who have managed to secure brand deals and sponsorships through their regular jobs, as they walk people through what their day looks like – often looking hot while doing so.
Tyler Heppell: The Potato Farmer
Tyler Heppell is just as you’d like your potatoes served – hot.
The British Columbia farmer who calls himself Potato Ty, has made people embrace the starchy vegetable after his posts to TikTok went viral.
His videos show the day-to-day workings of the potato farm, where he has amassed over 560,000 followers, who now eagerly await his vegetable videos.
Potato Ty started posting to TikTok in June last year, showing viewers how potatoes and vegetables on the farm are planted, harvested, cleaned and graded – with some of his clips amassing millions of views.
His videos show the day-to-day workings of the potato farm, where he has amassed over 560,000 followers, who eagerly await his vegetable videos
Happy National farmers day! A year and a half ago I decided to come back to the family farm and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I feel like I am working towards a bigger purpose that just myself. Thank you for following along and engaging with my content. Let’s create a new world where we can feed everyone who lives in our communities #farmtok #farmer #farminglife #harvest #farming
His insights range from showing viewers the oddly-shaped vegetables on his farm, to the ins and outs of what it’s like being a vegetable farmer, as well as giving away some of his produce to food banks in the area.
Before he began farming, Potato Ty worked in sales however he found himself feeling ’empty and purposeless’ in that job, switching to working the land instead.
‘Making the switch from sales to farming was one of my biggest leaps of faith,’ he revealed in a TikTok, adding he’s found his ‘love and purpose again’ in farming.
However it’s not just the interest in a day in the life of a potato farmer that have users eagerly following the journey of a potato.
‘You grow food and feed people, hang out with time travelers, are soul-crushingly charming,’ declared one user.
‘It’s so hard not to fall in love with you,’ quipped another.
Another simply declared him: ‘So handsome!’
Jacob Knowles: Commercial Fisherman
Sure there’s plenty of fish in the sea – but are they all like Jacob Knowles?
The popular creator, from Winter Harbor, Maine, rose to TikTok fame after posting his grueling days of working as a commercial fisherman catching lobsters.
The 30-year-old, who is a fifth-generation lobsterman, regularly shares his work day with his 2.5 million followers, where eager fisher-fans wait him for his latest lobster haul.
Knowles, who is the captain of the Rest-Ashoar, the lobster fishing boat which Knowles and his crew operate from, has also started collaborating with companies as he’s gained popularity.
He first became a viral sensation in 2020, after explaining that fishermen tag female lobsters with eggs – otherwise known as ‘eggers’ – with a small notch in their tail, so fishermen leave them at sea to reproduce.
The popular lobsterman Jacob Knowles, from Winter Harbor, Maine, rose to TikTok fame after posting his grueling days of working as a commercial fisherman
Knowles (left) with a member of his crew onboard the Rest-Ashoar, the commercial fishing vessel which he is the captain of
Did you know you can put a lobster to sleep? #ocean #fishing #commercialfishing #lobster #mainelobster #sealife #seacreatures #lobsterfishing #lobstertok #fy #fyp #interesting #educate #didyouknow #education
Other than the the fisherman’s charm and good looks, Knowles has developed a cult following thanks to his seafood advice and general enthusiasm for people to take a peek behind the curtain of the fishing industry.
‘This is the most real thing I’ve ever followed. People don’t get it… you guys are real,’ one fan commented on a video.
‘This is such a unique channel, love your content,’ gushed another. ‘I’d legit get star struck if I met you, lol.’
However anyone pining for a man at sea may have to cast their net a little wider, after Knowles’ revealed in a recent video he is happily married with three young children.
Hannah Jackson: Shepherdess
Farming is hard, manual labor but Hannah Jackson is rewriting what a stereotypical sheepherder – or shepherdess – looks like.
Jackson, 31, moved to a farm near Carlise in North West England 10 years ago, and has since amassed 109,000 followers from sharing her unique rural lifestyle online.
With her striking red hair and unusual occupation, Jackson’s followers love seeing the beautiful young farmer living her rural life.
Her videos range from showcasing lambing season, to shepherding on a cold wintery morning, with some sponsored posts peppered in advertising farming vehicles and the McDonald’s Progressive Young Farmer program.
Hannah Jackson, 30, has since amassed 109,000 followers from sharing her unique rural lifestyle online
Jackson started sharing her farming day-to-days online, with uses fascinated by her rural lifestyle
Come move sheep with us!!!! #redshepherdess #teamred #bordercollie #fyp #foryou #sheepdog #farmlife #shepherdess
Jackson decided to pursue a career in farming after helping a sheep give birth on a family holiday.
However, when the shepherdess started posting online, hoping to teach people about farming so the ‘public knows where food comes from’, she was propelled into social media spotlight – for both her striking looks and captivating look into the day in her life.
Since she initially began posting to TikTok and Instagram, Jackson has had several sponsorship deals, as well as writing a memoir about her shepherdess life.
Adam Perry: Tree Trimmer
Whether you live in city or country, at some point you may have witnessed a giant branch being cut from the tree and falling spectacularly to the ground.
And one social media star has been giving keen observers a look at how the magic really happens.
Adam Perry, from East Sussex, has amassed over 248,000 followers on Instagram, simply from filming his point of view as he ascends to the top of a tree, secures himself with a rope and starts trimming the branches – much to the satisfaction of those watching.
Fascinated by the daredevil’s often nerve-wracking tree-trimming expeditions – and of course, his charming good looks – his fans watch with bated breath as he prepares himself for another day of climbing trees with a chainsaw in hand.
Adam Perry, from East Sussex, has amassed over 248,000 followers on Instagram, simply from filming his gardening from the sky
Perry (pictured) films his point of view as he ascends to the top of a tree, secures himself with a rope and starts trimming the branches – much to the satisfaction of those watching
Most of his videos involve Perry looking as though he’s about to start a high-ropes course, with the occasional how-to – although his looks don’t go noticed either.
‘Making hitches sexy again,’ an Instagram user cheekily commented on a clip of the tree-trimmer practicing his knots.
‘Idk why this is so sexy but it is,’ another tree-trimming fan agreed.
‘Some people want to be Superman or Batman. I just wanna be like this guy,’ quipped another.
Joe Seppi: The Long-Haul Trucker
There’s nothing better than the open road – which explains why a TikTok account about a long-haul tucker’s day-to-day has users clambering for more.
Washington-based Joe Seppi has gained 25,800 followers on YouTube and 182,000 on TikTok from documenting his life through sun, rain, hail and snow as he drives flatbed trucks for the Central Oregon Company.
His often in-depth, on-the-road videos have viewers captivated, as they tune in for a peek of what happens during the long multi-day drives – and what being a long-haul trucker actually means.
Washington-based Joe Seppi has gained 25,800 followers on YouTube and 182,000 on TikTok from documenting his life
Seppi drives the flatbed truck (pictured) through sun, rain, hail and snow for the Central Oregon Company
His endearing posts range from his excitement to get home and see his wife, what he eats on the road, explaining the supply chain crisis recap or his disappointment in the Patriots, with thousands of fans wanting more of his day-in-the-life content.
‘Love your videos!!! My father was a trucker and passed in ’15,’ one YouTube fan wrote. ‘Loved his driving stories!!’
‘My dad is gone now, but he was a truckie and somehow your videos are so comforting,’ agreed another.
‘You make me want to be a flatbed driver!’ another fan chimed in.
Robert Allen: Captain Bob
Robert Allen is a pilot with a pivotal difference – he facilitates planes reaching their destination and then parts with them.
The 57-year-old pilot, who founded Nomadic Aviation in 1999, still flies himself and takes his viewers with him on his various travels.
Allen’s unique plane journeys began after he founded his company, which has various pilots employed to fulfil different requests, and staffs them out.
Robert Allen is a pilot with a pivotal difference – he facilitates planes reaching their destination
The 57-year-old pilot, who founded Nomadic Aviation in 1999, still flies himself and takes his viewers with him on his various travels
#Secret Crew Rest Area! #787 #dreamliner #FYP #foryou #avgeek #tiktokaviation #fypシ #foryoupage #havingfunatwork #b787 #nomadic #cockpitcasual
Most of the time, a social media account featuring a pilot is usually one working for a commercial airline.
However Allen has carved out a niche area of the internet – and an area of the aviation industry few people have heard of.
Allen thinks his normalcy is what helped him gain his 387,000 followers on TikTok, telling the New York Times he’s a relatable online character.
‘I’m eating terrible,’ he explained. ‘I’m not getting the proper rest. I’m getting my catering from convenience stores. There’s guys like truckers that can relate to that.’
Source: Read Full Article