Influencer
Jaelan Davis Of Face Over Matter: Maximizing The Value You Deliver And Striking A Creator Work-Life Balance
Beauty, hair, fitness, and faith content creator Jaelan Davis discusses her journey to becoming a full-time content creator and the importance of staying authentic online. Keep reading for her top tips for aspiring creators and how she strikes a healthy work-life balance.
Jaelan Davis’ creator journey began in college when she started watching YouTube content.
She found the content inspiring but noticed that there weren’t many creators that represented her, so she began to consider how she could fit into the space. Shortly after, her mom bought her a beautiful camera for her birthday, and Jaelan started filming content.
Jaelan Davis shares, “That was pretty much the driving force. I wanted to be a woman in this space who represented other Black girls who looked like me and shared their love of makeup. Fast forward to now, and my love of makeup has turned into sharing my love for clothing, lifestyle, and the Lord.”
Jaelan now creates lifestyle, beauty, fitness, and faith content for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Maximizing The Value You Deliver And Striking A Creator Work-Life Balance With Jaelan Davis Of Face Over Matter
Staying Authentic Online
Jaelan Davis shares that staying true to herself keeps her consistent and authentic online. This approach reduces stress because she’s not worried about keeping up with trends or industry changes.
Her audience has grown as her content has evolved, and people who like her stick around regardless of what she currently shares.
She explains, “I’ve gained so many supporters that have stuck around through different changes, whether it was makeup, hair, lifestyle, or even fitness. I’ve gained audiences through that, so just through the platform, they’ll follow you. If you start on YouTube and stay true to your supporters and interact with your supporters – because they are real people – that’s why I never like to call my supporters followers because they’re not just a number.”
Jaelan recommends always staying true to what you like and not feeling pressured to keep up with trends because your audience will sense something is off if the content isn’t authentic.
Remember, your audience is here for your journey.
@faceovermatter New cut ✂️🤍
♬ R&B Chill Vibes – Yaahn Hunter Jr.
Notable Brand Campaigns
Jaelan Davis shares that she has been fortunate to work with many brands. Amazon is a brand that particularly stands out because it’s a service that so many of us use regularly.
Jaelan says, “I was able to curate outfits for my audience to shop from, and that was a big achievement for me because of my fitness journey, and then that translated into being able to work with Amazon. That was a real pivotal moment for me.”
Most Important KPIs
One of the KPIs Jaelan focuses on most is engagement because, as she puts it, having millions of followers doesn’t mean much if nobody is watching or interacting with your content.
Conversion rate is another significant KPI, especially for brand campaigns.
She adds, “For me, it’s been engagement. The quality will come as you make more money and invest in your equipment. Things like that play a huge role, too, but with the transition of new platforms like TikTok, a lot of people are using their phones. They’re not even using high-tech super cameras.”
Jaelan recommends taking that first hour after a post goes live to engage with your audience. Everyone likes to feel seen and heard, especially when they take time out of their busy day to leave a comment on your post, so take time to interact with your audience.
@faceovermatter A little home refresh to start the day✨
♬ Caramel Latte – Prod. By Rose
Standing Out From the Competition
The creator space is competitive, but Jaelan Davis tackles this challenge by prioritizing what audiences want – relatable content.
Nobody wants to feel like they are only watching ads from a creator, so stay consistent with your content and keep it authentic. Only partner with brands you truly believe in, and don’t make every post an ad, as this can turn away supporters.
Jaelan says, “Offer value to your audience. I feel like that helps your audience stick around, which brings you more value and can help bring more supporters to you. I’ll be honest. I try not to look at any other creator as competition because I do feel there is room for everybody.”
Her approach is that every creator has unique experiences and ways of approaching a topic, so creators with similar niches aren’t competition because you’re each doing your own thing.
Working with CFG Agency
CFG Agency is an influencer talent agency advocating for diverse talent and a full-funnel approach to influencer marketing. Jaelan has been a creator for 13 years and signed with this agency in 2021, and she shares that it’s significantly impacted her career.
At the time, she didn’t have an assistant and was doing everything from emails to negotiations to content on her own.
Jaelan Davis shares, “I can focus on just being a creator… I can focus on that while they handle the logistics, contracts, and all that. It looks more professional, but it’s also great to have agencies and management in place because it is a lot of work, especially as you continue to grow in your numbers as a creator. There’s more brands you work with, there is more money involved.”
Jaelan Davis loves working with CFG Agency because of how supportive the team is. She never feels like a number to them, and they help her take breaks when needed.
The Future of Influencer Marketing
Jaelan Davis encourages people to jump into influencer marketing while it’s hot.
She says, “I always tell people if you’re going to get into this space, maximize on it. Create value. Don’t just post content, but create something you could offer your audience, like an ebook or product.”
Regarding diversity, Jaelan feels that more can always be done, but she has seen brands take additional steps to make their campaigns and products more diverse. She hopes to continue seeing more diversity and inclusion across the board within the industry.
She explains, “I feel like everything is continuously evolving and progressing. As long as we’re continuing to move forward and opening opportunities for everybody so things are fair in a sense, that type of thing. I would love to see more of that.”
Striking a Healthy Work-Life Balance as a Creator
Jaelan Davis shares that her work-life balance is always a work in progress and something the CFG Agency team is helping her with by creating a specific schedule.
Her schedule assigns different tasks to days of the week. For example, she films on certain days, edits on others, and then schedules time for herself and her family outside of creating.
For creators struggling with this, Jaelan Davis recommends getting a paper or digital planner and blocking time for work and life tasks. Content creation is a flexible job, so creators need to find a way to structure their days so they don’t accidentally spend the entire day working without any breaks, meals, or time with family.
Jaelan’s number one advice for creators is, “Don’t overthink it to the point where you become paralyzed and do nothing at all. Find out what you love and like and create around that.”
