When Rachel Harris started her own personal brand-led accountancy practice in the UK back in 2020, her husband thought it was a terrible idea that would never work. But Harris was convinced there was a gap in the market for a practice that used content creation as its primary means of attracting clients and employees. So, she began posting on Instagram, building up around 4,000 followers within a year.
Fast forward five years and Harris is an established influencer with more than 200,000 followers across her key social platforms – Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – plus more than 26,000 on LinkedIn. What’s more, her UK-based accountancy practice, striveX, is now a team of 21 people that serves companies with revenues of up to £12m and brings in monthly revenues of £150,000.
Acting the part
Through her short, sassy videos, Harris offers practical accounting and tax advice to business owners, as well as tips for other accountants. She also draws on her acting skills, donning props to role play the parts of an HMRC helpline agent and tax inspector.
‘I’ve never seen any other creator interview the prime minister’
‘I don’t take myself too seriously,’ says Harris. ‘Bringing in role play helps people to consume content in a different way, because everybody learns differently.’
Posts that perform well for Harris tend to focus on a topical or trending subject. They also spark emotion and add value by explaining a technical subject in simple language.
‘Anything to do with HMRC performs well on socials,’ she notes. As an example, she racked up a big success with a video that explored the VAT treatment of a popular strawberry and cream sandwich sold by retailer Marks & Spencer.
Top tips for accountant influencers
- Get started! Every influencer had no followers when they started out.
- Post regularly to build up a following over time. Consistency is key for creating a social-media presence.
- Use questions from your clients to inspire your content. Instead of simply replying with an email, take a few seconds to create a video that you can also post on your social channels.
- Be authentic. If your followers detect that you’re not yourself, they may lose trust in you.
- Reach out to other content creators in your niche and ask for their support and advice about what works best.
- Network and attend events and conferences. You never know where you might find new ideas for content or who you could meet.
- Remember, social media is a marathon, not a sprint. Think long term and aim to consistently improve over time.
Harris has used her social media profile as a foundation for building a mainstream media presence. As well as appearing as a guest expert on television programmes, she has landed her own column in Stylist magazine. She’s even a member of the UK government’s New Media Unit – a role that enabled her to interview prime minister Sir Keir Starmer on funding for small businesses.
‘I think people underestimate what creators can do for their audience,’ she says. ‘I’ve never seen any other creator interview the prime minister.’
Authentic voice
For South African accountant Cwengile Nakani ACCA, the decision to launch her YouTube channel in 2021 was sparked by her desire to share career tips and motivate others to train as an accountant.
‘I wanted to show them my journey so they would believe they could do it as well,’ she says. ‘I didn’t know anything about influencers or personal branding. I just wanted to give back to people so they could change their lives.’
‘I want them to see that I’m human and that I struggle sometimes’
Nakani has nearly 2,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, which primarily offers content relating to careers, including her experiences of qualifying with ACCA. She also shares her mental health challenges with her audience, which mostly consists of women who are either starting out or looking to make a career change.
Being authentic is critical to succeed as an influencer, Nakani believes. ‘With YouTube, I can record myself wearing a beanie,’ she says. ‘My audience isn’t picky, and I want them to see that I’m human and that I struggle with things sometimes.’
Nakani is conscious of the ethical responsibilities that accountants have. For that reason, she tries to focus on providing inoffensive, information-based content.
‘When I speak out, I face reputational risks,’ she admits. ‘Other accountants may not think it’s worth their time to take those risks or they may not even realise there’s an opportunity for them to be in the accountancy profession and also be a content creator.’
Opening doors
Accountancy lecturer James Wright FCCA has built up an audience of nearly 80,000 subscribers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube over the past five years with no budget. He juggles his day job at the University of Chichester in the UK with posting social media content that helps accounting students to pass the ACCA and other professional exams.
Wright – who does not classify himself as an influencer – says that an effective social media strategy requires major commitment in terms of time and energy. He can devote up to 40 hours a week to social media, on top of his full-time job.
‘If you’re going into it to chase the money, you’re going to become unstuck’
‘There are hard days when you don’t have much motivation to record a video,’ he admits. ‘I do the editing myself and I’m not professionally qualified in social media or marketing.’
When creating content, Wright follows two principal rules. Firstly, if his mother saw the video, would she call him up and say, ‘James, what are you doing?’ Secondly, would he be happy if his content made the front cover of the tabloid press? ‘If the answer to both questions is yes, then I will post the content online,’ he explains. ‘There are some things I haven’t posted because it’s just not worth the risk.’
Success stories
- Founded by Australia-based accountant James Hearle, the Accounting Stuff YouTube channel has nearly a million subscribers. Hearle’s professional videos simplify key accounting and finance topics.
- Grace Hardy started her own UK accountancy firm at the age of 21 and is host of The Unconventional Podcast.
- India-based financial educator Twinkle Jain shares advice on making and saving money to more than 450,000 followers on Instagram.
- Based in the US, Jody Padar brands herself as ‘The Radical CPA’ and has more than 600,000 followers on LinkedIn, where she posts articles and videos.
- With more than 370,000 TikTok followers, Vietnamese-born Nhân Ta is a tax accountant and successful creator of travel and lifestyle content.
While Wright did not start his social media channels to make a profit, he has been able to monetise them, including earning advertising revenue platforms and sponsorship deals. That said, he emphasises that anyone who pursues social media needs to do it for the right reasons. ‘I post content because I enjoy making it and it’s going to help someone out,’ he says. ‘If you’re going into it to chase the money, you’re going to become unstuck.’
While being an influencer can bring personal and financial rewards, it’s hard to combine influencing with a demanding career as a professional accountant. This probably explains why comparatively few do it. Nevertheless, Harris believes that there are plenty of opportunities for other accountants who want to become influencers.
‘I would love to see more,’ she says. ‘There is room for everyone. Everyone can have a slice of the pie if we make it bigger.’
