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Connect with Toya: https://www.instagram.com/toyafromharlem
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Creators and influencers…aren’t they the same thing? If not, what makes them different, and what lane do you want to fall in? On this episode of the Creator Hub podcast, Lloyd and Ashley George are joined by Toya Coleman, a content creator, social media manager, and host of That Wasn’t In My History Book podcast to talk about distinguishing between professional social roles, and navigating the entrepreneurship that comes with them all.
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By day, Toya works as a social media manager for multiple accounts and by night, she’s focused on growing her podcast and social media platform. The podcast was a COVID passion project that grew out of a blog dedicated to capturing the culture of Harlem, NYC. Learning from all of the history being shared online at the time of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd’s murder, Toya was inspired to positively contribute to sharing knowledge of the past and present. She combined her love for history and bachelor's in African American studies to create a fun and uplifting history class at the touch of a finger.
Each episode of Wasn’t In My History Book podcast explores the historical journey of cultural staples today, from nail salons to gentrification and grills. Toya has found success in creating episodes based on a blend of ideas that she personally experiences, or that someone suggests, as well as paying attention to the seasonal hot topics. And in order to stay consistent as a one-host show, there’s much focus put on proper research and diligent script writing. Toya’s biggest fear? That she’ll say the wrong thing. She avoids this by keeping journals of research and cross-checking her facts as they get added to the show script. By starting with a simple Google search, Toya gets into the nitty gritty so that she can retell history factually, and in her voice. She’s continuing to find success in reaching a larger audience by consistently sharing episodes, collaborating with other podcasters, and in pursuing additional social platforms (ie: Patreon or a newsletter)
Creators vs. Influencers and The Link to Entrepreneurship
Being an influencer comes with a reliance on social media to maintain a personal, front-facing brand. Whether it’s on TikTok, Instagram, or Youtube, influencers use their platform to obtain brand partnerships and influence their followers. There is a direct audience for influencers to share their content from whom they’re trying to get to do something. Defining creators is a bit vaguer. In a sense, we’re all creators of something…Someone who creates original videos or audio content is a creator, even if their creations aren’t shared through their personal brand and don’t involve front-facing exposure. In a creator role, there may be more room for establishing creative boundaries and upholding that integrity through unfavorable brand collaboration. Regardless of which side of the coin you find yourself on, entrepreneurship can become part of the journey and is key to having your platform open doors down the road.