Hey Anii Gang,
Many of you know me from Instagram and Youtube, for those who don't know me, my name is Anii Cooper. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and now I am L.A. living.
I started my journey as an influencer at a very young age without even realizing it. I created my Youtube channel in 2009 as a way to upload my dance recital videos so I could share them with friends and family. Who knew that would embark on a whole new adventure in the media world. The more I progressed as a professional dancer I wanted to share my dances online with the world opposed to just friends and family. Later on, I wanted to talk on youtube like I seen other YouTuber's doing. I learned about the program Windows Live Movie Maker, I started learning how to edit little by little.
PROGRESS: By 2011, I was recording videos with my friends as we goofed around. Eventually, I learned these were called Vlogs and Montages. I also had my first amateur video of me singing Beyonce's song Love on Top go viral with close to 2K views. LOL, that was a lot of views back then (2018: that video is now private).
By 2012, More of my Vlogs and dance videos were going viral with 14-30K views. That most certainly could've been my rise to fame, however, I was just a girl in High School who had no idea on how to market herself. So as time went on I kept learning new editing techniques/programs, purchasing new equipment, and building my name as a YouTuber in Brooklyn. At this point walking around with a camera in the street didn't seem too odd. This is also the time where I created my instagram account and started posting way more. This resulted in people stoping me in the street to talk or to take photos.
In High School, I Co-Founded my schools' first web series called "BHSA TV." This web series taught me so much when it came to editing, engagement, statistics and etc. This really pushed me to continue making videos. I went from wanting to own a dance studio to wanting to become a talk show host. However, things dimmed down when I entered college so post weren't so consistent (I had to keep up with school and my social life).
However, from then on I became so invested in building myself as an influencer. I know consistency is a huge part of growing your numbers, but with life going on sometimes my passion for content is just enough for me to get through. Sometimes I have creative blockages, technical difficulties, and discouragement with all the competition but I am more passionate about inspiring others than giving up so I always get back to it. Not to mention the true supporters of Anii Gang make sure to blow up my DM's when y'all want some new content LOL. I am at a point where I am actively collaborating with brands to produce content, trying out new aesthetics, and faithfully researching statics/marketing techniques to help me grow.
You would think the amount of years I've been growing myself as an influencer, learning techniques, upgrading equipment, and analyzing I would be a millionaire influencer traveling the world, right? Hell NO! As the years progress so does social media, I am still transforming and growing. Granted I do think I should have more followers because my content isn't trash, I think should have brand DEALS rather than COLLABS, and I think I should be getting paid but hey that's just me. I am also in a position where I'm still accepting the fact that everyone grows at their own pace.
This on and off battle of influencing has taught me so much about myself, my business and building myself as a brand. This helped me create SAGE ME DOWN. I wanted to show more of me, what I can do, and what I'm about. So many influencers are underestimated in their talents and strengths due to their numbers. I am a influencer who promotes self love, self care, and holistic living. This comes in multiple aspects and can be viewed in multiple different ways whether its photos, videos, or words.
Content creation is not as easy as it looks and it takes passion and talent. Numbers aren't everything, there are so many of us micro influencers out here killing it. I was so passionate about writing this post because I feel we should really continue to support those with a true passion and message. Thank you all for taking time to listen to the struggles of a micro influencer; Consistency, discouragement, transition and time management. Let's understand these struggles as we continue to uplift all the talent around us.
Down below in the comments please write down some dope influencers with under 10K followers killing it!
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