Becoming a Sought After Digital Content Creator
“I Am African & I Can” is a women’s empowerment blog highlighting stories of Black women’s struggles and successes.
By Hadiatou Wann | 05/01/20
Born in Guinea, Conakry, Aysha Sow has become one of the most sought after digital content creators of her generation. She lived in Holland until the age of 14 before moving to Belgium.
During her last year of college (in 2016), she found an opportunity to travel to New York and intern at a nonprofit fashion house for four months. Once the internship ended, she returned to Europe. It was the end of an internship, but the beginning of an unwavering admiration for New York City.
As soon as Aysha obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and Sales, she moved to New York. Once there, she worked in the finance department of an event agency, in Manhattan. Being that Aysha is observant, she watched how top executives managed the agency and took mental notes. It gave her an understanding of how a business functions.
Early 2017, she had already started posting photos on Instagram and built a community that loved her content. This drew the attention of brands seeking to collaborate. She transitioned into content creation full-time.
In the early stages of being self-employed, Aysha was oblivious to the administrative aspect of content creation. As she worked her way through the world of content creation, she realized that there was a big pay gap between black and white creatives. But, she learned to stand her ground and demand to be paid what she’s worth. Without discounts.
In January 2019, Aysha signed to a management agency, and the weight of juggling different roles was lifted off her shoulders. Having a manager to negotiate contracts and partnerships gave her room to focus on creating content that her community would love.
Aysha explains that once brands finalize their creative brief and budget, they begin scouting for influencers to collaborate with. They usually keep an eye on Influencers for 6 to 7 months before deciding who to work with. And, they don’t watch influencers from their main account. To find their “great fit,” brands’ talent scouts watch influencers for months using their personal social media account.
With now a following of 124K on Instagram, Aysha advises, “It’s not about outshining each other. Stick to who you are and the right audience will come.”
Since Aysha became a digital content creator, she’s collaborated with Google, Nike, Levy’s, Primark, H&M, Zara, Ann Taylor, Macy’s, J. Crew, Pandora, Olivela, SOREL, Armani Beauty, Tom’s of Maine, MAC Cosmetics, Guerlain, Philosophy, Aveda, Allswell Home, 7 For All Mankind, H2O+. The list goes on.
She has the freedom to make her own decisions, and travels often. She wakes up whenever she wants when there isn’t a deadline to hit. Most of the time, she picks her own photographer. On average, a photo shoot can take an hour to two hours. Sometimes longer, if brands request different outfits or makeup. It can take up to a month for a brand to approve a photo and caption.
“No matter what you post, there will always be one person who loves that. It’s about being strong in who you are and not being afraid of judgement. Just take the picture and post it,” Aysha said.
Content creators gain the attention of brands by posting consistently on social media and having high engagement from their community.
“As content creators, people think we just post cute photos. But it’s a whole business,” Aysha said. There’s a team behind reaching out to brands. When a brand shows interest in working with Aysha, her management team negotiates the contracts and terms of the partnership. Though Aysha’s main focus is on content creation, she keeps her finger on the pulse of her business by having weekly meetings with her manager to review contracts and ongoing partnerships.
Being your own boss requires being responsible with money. Aysha says that it is important to be mindful of how you spend and having a savings account. When brands pay her, 75% of her check go into her savings account. She doesn’t touch it unless she needs it. She pointed out that content creators are self-employed and have to pay taxes. Keeping track of expenses is key. She always keeps track of the campaigns she signed up for.
Oriane Sarah Adjibi expressed the following about Aysha,” We're friends. Best friends I would say. We moved to NYC around the same time, met here at a work event to do the same job and also have both Guinean and Fulani origins, so we just shared a lot. It's been 3 years we know each other now, she is like a sister.”
Oriane added, “Aysha is one of the most genuine and beautiful (in and out) persons I know. It's been 3 years and I saw her leave her 9 to 5 job and go full time as a digital content creator in New York. She came here to work and follow a dream and she is an example and a true inspiration to so many other African women for making it in New York. She is very hard-working, kind and what I also like about her is she has such a great heart. You all need someone like her in your life.“
Being from a culture where the role of women in life is to find a husband, Aysha has great admiration and respect for black, African women who despite encountering obstacles, have found ways to break cultural barriers and go after what they want.
It started with one picture. Now, Aysha has influenced masses to embrace the skin they’re in and reach for the stars. She foresees being a property owner and owning multiple businesses. Her goal isn’t to be known as the black woman who took breathtaking photos and broke necks. She wants to be remembered as someone who was kind, giving, and built facilities for women and children in Guinea who are less fortunate.
Welcome to Aysha’s World
“Women have to dismantle a social construct that has been set up for centuries that don’t benefit them. ”
“New York City is one of the most vibrant cities I’ve been to. People here are hustlers, and there’s always something to do, no matter what mood you’re in. ”
“Why would you want to be anything other than who you are? Brands hire you because they love who you are.”
“Do your research. Reach out to agencies or influencers if you need help.”
“Success is not measured by the amount of materialistic things you have. It’s not tied to how many accolades, jobs you had, or who admires you. Success is happiness and growth. It’s when you make other people happy with your presence. ”
“Kindness is one of the most beautiful things because you don’t know who might need it in that moment.”
Aysha speaks Pular, French, English, Dutch, and can understand German and Spanish.
“During this quarantine, it is good to be productive. But people shouldn’t feel bad if they can’t be. It’s also important to be still and take this time to think of how we can have better manners towards other people and the earth, moving forward.”
“A strong woman is someone who has fire in them. Someone who knows what she wants and will not bow down to less than what she deserves. She will get up when she falls, and carries people with compassion.”
“I did not cross this ocean to give up. Never give up on yourself. Find a way to make it work!”
Connect with Aysha:
Facebook: Aysha Sow
Instagram: @Aysha.sow
Email: theayshasow@gmail.com
Read other success stories here: www.iamafricanandican.info/blog
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