Before social media turned influencing into a defined career path, Gisela Amponsah believes Nana Ama McBrown had already mastered the craft, quietly setting the pace for what many now follow.
In a discussion with Nana Romeo on Okay FM on April 21, 2026, Gisela traced her admiration back to McBrown’s acting years, insisting the star had already set the standard for brand influence long before social media gave it a name.
“I used to watch Nana Ama McBrown when she was an actress. When we want to say who an influencer is, we would give it to McBrown,” she said.
For Gisela, the title came much later than the practice itself. She argued that McBrown was already shaping consumer behaviour and commanding audience attention at a time when the industry had not yet defined what influencing meant.
“When she started influencing, we hadn’t given the role of influencing a title. When you think about it deeply, she has been an influencer for a very long time,” she stated.
She pointed to McBrown’s long list of brand partnerships and her ability to promote products in a way that connects with audiences, describing it as a benchmark many in the space now follow.
“She has worked with a lot of brands and how she would advertise them on her social media platforms, that’s exactly what she’s doing. I believe most influencers look up to her and I also do,” she explained.
Beyond praising McBrown, Gisela challenged the perception that influencing is a female-dominated path. In her view, the space is equally open to men who are willing to build a presence and engage audiences authentically.
“It’s possible for men to also take influencing seriously. I don’t see the difference between what a woman will do and what a man will do,” she noted.
She maintained that the same lifestyle-driven content that draws audiences to female influencers can work just as effectively for men.
“If a woman can show her lifestyle online to her followers to be inspired, why can’t men also do the same? Influencing is not meant for only women; men can do it as well,” she said.
Gisela also reflected on how quickly the industry has shifted, particularly in the years following 2020, when content styles and audience expectations began to change.
“Influencing has always been in existence but it wasn’t like how we see it today. What we used to see on social media in 2020, that’s not what we see now,” she shared.
That evolution, she added, is not limited to content alone but extends to how influencers are compensated, noting that the financial side of the work has also transformed since she began.
“I started influencing in 2020, but what we used to do back then is not the same as now. When it comes to payment too, it used to be different,” Gisela Amponsah stated.
