Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaeda Cohen.
Hi Jaeda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have always been a huge cafe lover. I love the aesthetic of coffee, chai, matcha, and any other photogenic drinks. I started going to lots of coffee shops and cafes all over my area. (Baltimore, Washington DC, etc.) I started to get DM’s and texts from friends, followers, etc. asking for recommendations of where to get coffee when they were in an area they knew I was familiar with. I began to create a list of all of my favorite cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. in the areas I have traveled.
When people reached out to me, I was able to send them this list of recommendations. I soon realized this was a great business opportunity for me. I began reaching out to local coffee shops and cafes to ask if they would be interested in a collaboration. I proposed that I would come into their cafe/coffee shop and post content on my social media about their shop in exchange for free drinks/food. I eventually started getting many yeses and it took off from there. I now get paid for my cafe visits/collaborations with these cafes.
I expanded my collaborations to many different parts of the country such as New York, Hawaii, Montana, etc. I post content on my Instagram (@jaeda_skye) as well as my TikTok (@jaeda_skye) to get my followers interested in visiting their cafes. If I am pleased with my experience and their products, I add their cafe to my list of recommendations. I also give the cafes the content I create during my visit for them to use on their social media and advertising platforms.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Overall it’s really been a fun experience for me. With any opportunities come lessons to learn. Being in the influencer/content creator world is very different from what any of my friends/family do. I have had to learn how to teach myself what I need to know and I have found that each new opportunity/collaboration I am a part of leads to new things I learn which then makes me even more knowledgeable for my next collaboration.
Another obstacle I have overcome throughout this process is a judgment by others. Whether it is jealousy, confusion, or lack of understanding, I have had my fair share of looks and negative comments. I have always loved to be in front and behind the camera but this is taking it to a whole new level. I have learned how to be confident in public (especially when filming and content shooting) and how to be proud of myself despite any negativity I receive from others.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself an influencer/content creator. This entails a few different aspects. The first is my work with cafes/coffee shops/restaurants. I like to call these “cafe collabs.”
During these collabs, I am paid to spend a few hours in a cafe/coffee shop/ restaurant and take lots of pictures and videos which then translate into the content. Each cafe/location is different. For some places, I solely take pictures and videos for my own social media to post and tag the cafe. This gets my followers and other viewers of my social media interested in checking out this cafe. This also helps me create cafe recommendations for others when I am asked which are my favorite locations to visit within a certain area. The other part of these collaborations is the content I am getting for the cafe itself. Many cafe owners love to use the content I am getting within their own social media and/or other advertising platforms. I think they like using my work because I have such a unique perspective on what viewers in today’s world want to see and what they are most likely to click on and then visit in person.
The other part of my influencing/content creation business is my partnerships/collaborations with all other product brands. I work with all sorts of different brands including clothing, jewelry, skincare, makeup, coffee machinery/gadgets, beverage, food, spas, and so so many more. I am often able to somewhat overlap these collaborations with my cafe collabs. I often wear clothing, jewelry, skincare products, etc that I am gifted and/or paid to promote to these collaborations.
The main social media I use is TikTok and Instagram. On Tiktok I have over 40,000 followers and love to post all sorts of lifestyle videos. My most popular videos and what I am known for are my coffee-making videos. I am often referred to as a “cup girl” because of the fun cups I use in my videos. This is such a fun and creative outlet for me. I get paid for doing what I love.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Yes, my family and close friends have been extremely supportive and I am so grateful for this. With that being said, I am for sure my own biggest fan and cheerleader. Believing in myself and making things happen is really something that made a huge difference in this business. If I don’t make it happen, no one will. I am the one reaching out to brands, negotiating, editing, directing, content planning, content shooting, being behind and in front of the camera, etc. I am currently going into my junior year of college. I have never considered myself a “typical college kid.” I don’t like to party, drink, etc.
This was hard for me at times—being in college and not enjoying things that seem to be how many people make friends. I learned how to use this time productively. While everyone went out to party, I filmed, edited, posted, emailed brands, signed contracts, etc. All from my college dorm room. This takes a lot of determination, motivation, and perspective.
There’s one specific cafe in Baltimore that I owe a huge thank you. Morning Mugs in Baltimore was one of my very first cafe collabs. The owner Tyler took a chance on me and I can’t express how much that meant to me so early on in my journey. I was new to the world and Tyler saw my potential. He said to me that he couldn’t imagine saying no when I reached out for a collab. We must have talked for at least two hours the first time I came into the cafe to get content.
We now have a genuine and mutually beneficial relationship. I have formed such a close relationship with Morning Mugs and definitely give them a huge thank you for seeing my potential and giving me the opportunity to show my talents.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaeda_skye
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCQIyl2x98p81HbKjxwyuSdw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jaeda_skye?_t=8UnxFSBFs1S&_r=1
