| February 1st, 2022
Inside The Influencer World With Nevaeh Palmer
By: Micah Barkley
Being an influencer for a company or a brand ambassador for a clothing line is something many people can’t wait to venture into once they leave school. For sophomore business administration student Nevaeh Palmer, it is a lauded feat she’s been conquering since her first year at Florida A&M University.
As a freshman student, Neveah went through many training sessions to learn more about the world of social media. Starting off her content as a campus representative for Victoria’s Secret PINK, her following blossomed on Instagram. She now is also an ambassador for Icon Swim, Blushmark, and GluteBoost, producing content that displays reviews from gifted products. Her outreach grew exponentially once she came to campus in the second semester of her freshman year as it became easier to interact and branch out to viewers at FAMU.
“When I first started taking social media serious, I was worried of looking like I was doing too much”
Being a full-time student while being a social media influencer can be very draining both physically and mentally. “I always struggled with confidence and when I first started taking social media serious, I was worried of looking like I was doing too much,” the 20-year-old says. However Palmer recalls that when she became more self-assured with her picture-taking skills and her potential, both her confidence and support boosted.
Photo of Nevaeh Palmer | Photo courtesy Justyn Thomas
While she has gained confidence in her stature across Instagram, she also faces the unrealistic expectations of her image that comes with her fame. “I will say [influencing] has made a lot of new people I meet expect a certain personality out of me, but I’m very to myself,” she says.
“You are focused on the enjoyment of just putting it out there instead of the pressures of your followers’ reactions, the likes, and the shares”
Palmer also says the intense pressures of perfection have lessened as she finds joy in creating content. “…I learned that when you make your post genuine and stay true to what you enjoy, whether it be posting style inspo or product reviews, that it takes less from your mental,” she says. “You are focused on the enjoyment of just putting it out there instead of the pressures of your followers’ reactions, the likes, and the shares.”
Photo of Nevaeh Palmer | Photo courtesy Justyn Thomas
Although she considers influencing a full-time job, Palmer is also balancing her studies. She explains that a typical day for her is waking up, eating breakfast and heading to her morning classes at FAMU.“Depending on the day, in the afternoon I either have content creation planned, which could be taking pictures for a clothing brand or reviewing a product,” she says.
Palmer is also a dedicated member of FAMU’s Pom Squad, Venom Dancers, which adds yet another task to her busy schedule. “On the days I have dance practice, I try to stay away from booking photoshoots or planning content because I don’t want the day to drain me,” she says regarding how she balances it all.
Photo of Nevaeh Palmer | Photo courtesy Justyn Thomas
As a business administration student, Palmer plans her junior year to begin to shift into the marketing route, specifically social media handlings. She also wants to begin transitioning from social media modeling to real-life modeling. She says, “I want my content to play into that plan so I’m going to start posting more behind the scenes of shoots and photoshoot content to gain the attention of agencies and people interested in the same things.”
“If you’re not comfortable with it, it’s going to show and come off as forced”
Right now, Palmer says she is in the building stage of her career, but hopes to get future recognition for her work as her profession develops. When asked her advice to people looking to pursue a career in the same field as her, she stated, “Be genuine and be comfortable because you can get caught up in what other people are doing, posting and think you have to post exactly what they do. If you’re not comfortable with it, it’s going to show and come off as forced.”
