On the occasion of Black History Month in the US, we’re celebrating black creators making waves on social media with their top content and engaging brand collaborations. February is a month dedicated to elevating black voices, culture, and history across all areas of society. In the world of social media and the creator economy, the biggest industry giants are playing their part by funding initiatives to support black-owned businesses and creators on their platforms. We’ll explore how the industry is championing black creators this month, plus we’ll share 5 of our favorite creators engaging audiences interested in beauty, fashion, travel, fitness, and family.
Celebrating Black History Month on social media
Black History Month is a time to celebrate black history while working towards a more equitable future. In the context of social media platform biases and payment inequality still disproportionately affecting black creators, it’s more important than ever that all players in the influencer marketing industry champion, facilitate, and support the contributions of black influencers. With this in mind, let’s dive into the social media initiatives launched in celebration of Black History Month 2022.
TikTok
TikTok started the month by announcing its 2022 Black TikTok Trailblazers, 12 black creators who have been voted for by the TikTok community as the next generation of ‘entertainment leaders’. TikTok has also launched Black History Month in-app stickers for people to use in their videos. The platform continues to explore live video content with a series of TikTok LIVE events throughout the month, including a collaboration with iHeartRadio with live performances from Lizzo and Big Sean. The TikTok sounds page will feature playlists celebrating black music and artists throughout the month. For businesses, there’ll also be the opportunity to join the Support Black Business training program cohort of 2022 to access resources and mentors to help grow their small business with TikTok.
Meta
Meta is launching a year-long Metaverse Culture Series in order to explore black culture and heritage in virtual reality with the participation of black creators and thought-leaders from the US. It’s been designed to make the future of technology (the metaverse) more accessible to black communities. There is also dedicated VR content for Oculus TV including a tour of the International Space Station with Victor Glover. On Facebook, you’ll find the Lift Black Voices Hub featuring exclusive creator content from the likes of Simone Oliver and Alex Elle.
On Instagram, you can tune into the #MyBlackJoy miniseries exploring all kinds of relationships that have started in the DMs. There’s a celebration of black memes from artist Alim Smith, plus a video series and Reels challenge called Future Made featuring engaging conversation about black family heritage and legacy between public figures and a member of their family. Instagram users are also invited to participate and follow the celebrations using the hashtag #ShareBlackStories.
YouTube
Video-lovers can engage with black YouTuber content from around the world by visiting the dedicated page for the Black Creator Class of 2022. Here you’ll meet 135 black influencers who’ve been selected in 2022 to receive funds from YouTube’s Black Voices Fund set up in 2020. The platform will work with these creators over the year, helping them develop their channels and fund training programs to help with content production, community engagement, and wellbeing.
Pinterest has teamed up with a black and women-owned agency The Creative Collective NYC to launch a Pinterest TV series called Soul Food: Nourish Your Soul featuring the work of black creators across industries including food, fashion, and wellbeing.
Snapchat
This month Snapchat has been using its AR technology to bring to life the stories of black public figures in the UK through Snapchat lenses. The Local Lens brings to life key moments of black British history in Trafalgar square including celebrating black artists at the National Gallery and paying tribute to Nelson Mandela.
5 black creators to follow on Instagram
@Nymatang – Beauty influencer
Nyma is an Ethiopian-born American beauty influencer who’s active on YouTube as well as Instagram. She rose to fame thanks to her 2017 YouTube series called The Darkest Shade where she tested out the darkest shade of beauty products from makeup brands, highlighting the need for more products suited to darker skin tones. She now has 496K followers on Instagram and has her own collection with Dose of Colors. You can also see Nyma featured in our Ebook A Complete Guide: Understanding Influencer Types in the chapter about mega influencers.
@curlfrysfeed – Fashion influencer
Nathan Hopkinson is a fashion influencer and model. He shares photos of his unique street style on his Instagram account, helping him to stand out from the crowd and attract brand deals. His recent collaborations include Swatch and Adidas. He’s ranked as A+ in Upfluence’s software placing him in the top 5% of similar influencers for his engagement.
@oneikatraveller – Travel influencer
You may be familiar with Oneika from her Instagram feed of jaw-dropping photos from her exotic travels, but you’re just as likely to have seen her on TV. She’s the lifestyle correspondent for NBC New York and has several shows for the Travel Channel. These top credentials make her one of the best travel influencers you should be following right now! Upfluence shows her audience is made up of 96% real followers helping to earn her an A+ ranking for the number of comments she receives on her posts.
@tiffanydarlyn – Family influencer
Tiffany shares photos from her family’s daily life on her Instagram feed, featuring everything from the grocery shop to a family photo in matching Christmas pajamas. She’s a great influencer to work with for brands hoping to reach moms based in the US as her audience is 90% female and 82% based in the US.
@msjeanettejenkins – Fitness influencer
Jeanette is a fitness trainer and health coach turned creator who shares her recommendations for healthy eating and good workouts with her Instagram following. She has an impressive reach of 914K Instagram followers. Jeanette is a clear favorite among Millennial fitness fanatics with 60% of her audience between the ages of 25 – 34!
