Zak Heath Redefines Content Creation with Unfiltered Approach
Zak Heath is a 20-year-old beauty and fashion content creator based in the UK. Over the past three years, Heath has experienced remarkable growth, particularly after starting his journey during lockdown.
What sets Zak Heath apart is his bold stance on breaking gender norms in beauty. When faced with negative comments suggesting “men can’t wear makeup,” Zak responded by using editorial content to challenge these perceptions.
For Heath, makeup is a genderless tool for enhancing one’s natural beauty and confidence. His mission is to be a voice for those who embrace natural makeup, especially since he didn’t see men represented in this way while growing up. Going viral during lockdown, Zak Heath identified a gap in the market and capitalized on it, amassing over 1 million followers across platforms.
A central focus of Heath’s efforts is addressing societal skepticism regarding grooming practices for men. In his videos, Heath challenges conventional perceptions about natural makeup and luxury handbag styling. A recent collaboration between Heath and Snapchat marks an exciting effort to explore new ways of delivering engaging content and immersive experiences in beauty and fashion.
His aesthetic content has caught the attention of luxury and accessible makeup brands worldwide. Beyond beauty, Heath’s passion for fashion runs deep. Studying fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, he’s now expanding his horizons into the fashion industry. Join us as Zak Heath shares his journey and insights in the first installment of the Creator Spotlight series, exclusively with AdBuzzDaily.
As a social media influencer, how do you perceive the role of creators in shaping trends and narratives specifically on Snapchat?
“As a Gen-Z born in 2003, I can speak for my age group in saying before the rise in popularity of Snapchat becoming a social media platform, we all used it anyway as a platform to message our friends on. We don’t have Whatsapp groups or send our friends messages on Facebook Messenger but instead Snap each other. I think that is what has made this shift a really easy transition especially since Snapchat has always been a platform where people are more unforgiving and natural. The introduction of Snap Stars and more people experimenting with the platform has therefore felt more organic since these Stars are just showing their authentic selves and aren’t promoting a “perfect” lifestyle. Maybe there are elements that they do show that are; however, Snapchat is all about showing one’s individuality and lifestyle whilst being authentic. Regarding trends, i’m seeing a lot of comedy content on the platform which is similar to what TikTok was prioritizing in the early stages of their strategy. The videos i post that i see do specifically well are ones that have notes of comedy and relatability which I like because that’s my DNA on TikTok too.”
What impact do you believe Snapchat’s latest features and updates have had on your content creation process?
“Snapchat’s new Creator features are still in its early stages; however, it has lots of features which are specific to its platform and I’ve seen that they have constantly been adding more. I film most of my videos on other platforms and then upload them onto snapchat, specifically for spotlight; however, for casual stories, I do make content just for Snapchat and I’ll use their features including text, color, graphics and music.”
Could you share some strategies you’ve found effective in building a loyal and engaged audience on Snapchat?
“Lots of comedy content, shocking content and creating videos that make people share with their friends. I sat down with the Snapchat team and they said they flag content that is too click bait or promoting an unrealistic product or lifestyle and also content that clearly has been posted on another platform. For example, if i posted a video on Snapchat Spotlight with the TikTok watermark, it would be instantly flagged and the video won’t post. To build a loyal following, you need to create content that isn’t on other platforms and I personally think that the content that does the best is casual content!”
How do you foresee the future of beauty and fashion content evolving within the digital landscape, particularly on platforms like Snapchat?
“The beauty industry is constantly changing everyday and trends don’t have longevity like they used to, you have to really stay on top of trends. We all remember the water bottle flipping challenge in 2014; however, can you name a trend from last week? Probably not. With the popularity of AI, I’m intrigued to see how that will contribute/ affect snapchat since when I think of the platform, I automatically think of them being the first to introduce filters on a mass scale. In the short term, I can’t see much change between snapchat and other social media platforms especially within beauty and fashion.”
What unique opportunities do you think Snapchat offers for content creators in the beauty and fashion niche?
“A place to show your true authentic self. When I think of instagram, i think of a perfect lifestyle and polished personalities. I think Snapchat really allows creators to show even more personal things about themselves; however, when more brands come onto the platform, I wonder if that will change because creators will be aware of the brand’s presence. I think that will be a really interesting avenue to explore.”
Have you adapted your content creation approach on Snapchat in response to shifts in user behavior or platform updates?
“The main thing I do differently is unedited videos. I’ll talk for a few minutes and you can see everything I do and say. I wouldn’t post something like that on instagram.”
How do you balance staying true to your own style and voice while also catering to the preferences of your Snapchat audience?
“However i’m feeling or whatever im doing I’ll post it on snapchat. I’m not hiding anything so I’m not catering myself to any preference, I’m just being my true authentic self.”
