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Dannie Tayla moved to Manchester six years ago to study fashion at university. She shares that this time sparked her interest in becoming a content creator. In early 2022, she started posting online after seeing a handful of people she knew working with brands.
“In March, I kept seeing loads of people that I know working with brands, and I thought this would be such a dream. I’m just going to push myself to do it, and then it’s just rocketed from there.”
Dannie Tayla shares that it took her a while to find her niche.
“My main [niche] has always been fashion and lifestyle, but I think I’ve grown a lot since March. I’ve found my personal style, identity, and what resonates with the people that follow me. I think that was quite tough, just trying to find my own style.”
Gaining Confidence
She adds that as she has grown her audience, she has gained confidence in posting images and reels that may not fit the beauty standard.
She has also learned to love how she looks without using an excessive amount of filters or Facetune. When she started posting content, she was afraid to share more ‘real’ content, but now she embraces herself and her personal style.
Embracing her love for what she does was a critical step in this process.
“I got quite a lot of negative feedback when I first started creating content from people that I knew in my day-to-day life, like friends, family, things like that… People [in real life] are opinionated as well as random followers online. So, it was a bit hard because I’m quite an anxious person.”
Dannie Tayla shares that her anxiety would lead her to ruminate about worst-case scenarios and embarrassing things that could result from posting content online.
“It took me quite a while to gain confidence, but as soon as I started telling myself I’m doing it for myself and the other people, that’s where it got a lot easier, and I started not to let the negative feedback really affect me.”
A post shared by Dannie Tayla (@dannie_tayla)
Now, she uses her platform to discuss things that matter to her and to lift up other influencers with support and kind words.
In her Instagram stories, she gives her followers advice about building confidence and living their lives for themselves rather than others. She also shares that feeling anxious or stressed out is okay because we are all human.
“As someone who suffers from anxiety, the thought of being a content creator was a dream for my young self, so now it’s great to look back and see the process. Knowing it’s now my reality is amazing!”
Creating Relatable Content & Dannie’s Creative Process
Dannie shares that she starts her creative process by doing a lot of research about different locations.
“I’ll set out to create content. I’ll go and drop by the location, and it might not be what I have in mind.”
Despite her research, sometimes the location isn’t quite what she had in mind. In that case, she will switch to her Plan B location.
Dannie adds that she focuses on what she feels will resonate most with people and what she can do to make her content stand out on the explore page.
She also plans her outfits according to the intended location.
“It’s kind of like matching your location. For instance, if I’m doing a night out outfit, I’ll actually go out and then get it [the photo] there. It’s realistic and relatable for people because that’s what I enjoy seeing, so I always try to do it like that.”
Dannie shares that her lifestyle content typically performs best. Many of her followers are also from Manchester, so they like hearing her insights into the best places to visit.
Working with Sintillate Talent
Dannie shares that working with Sintillate Talent has been a massive help because they are incredibly supportive and inclusive.
“They are such an inclusive agency to work for, and I think in terms of confidence, they are so amazing to give you that boost of confidence. They’re always engaging with my posts and giving me nice comments that make me want to continue doing what I’m doing.”
She adds, “They are also all about mental health as well, so it creates a nice environment for the content creators, which is great.”
Brand Partnerships
Since Dannie started posting in March, she has worked with around 45 fashion brands.
One of her most successful partnerships was with Party Hard, who took her and a group of influencers to Malta for an event over a weekend.
Another collaboration she enjoyed was working with Stronger, a fashion fitness brand.
“I think that’s [the Stronger collab] kind of where my Instagram started to get a bit more serious.”
Final Thoughts
When asked about the challenges she faces as a creator, Dannie shares that the biggest challenge is finding ways to stand out in a saturated market and ways to relate to your audience.
“I don’t get it right all the time. I post something that I think will do amazing, and it gets okay engagement.”
In the future, Dannie shares that she believes reels and video will continue to dominate the industry.
“I think things are going to go more towards video as well. Obviously, you’ve got TikTok, and then you’ve got Instagram Reels. I love making Reels. I love making TikTok, so I think things are going to go more toward video.”
As for her plans, Dannie reveals that she has recently become a TikTok-verified shopper.
“I’m going to be sharing loads on there [TikTok} and things that I find on TikTok, which is exciting.”
Amy DeYoung is a freelance blog post writer covering influencer marketing and business topics. As the daughter of two business owners, she’s been fascinated by all things business from a young age, which led her to graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree in business. When she’s not typing away, she spends her time reading nonfiction books and mystery novels, baking scrumptious desserts, and playing with her dog.
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