Mr Viral
In February 2024, Chioma Anyanwu, better known as AnChi Vibes, was named ‘TikTok Creator of the Year’ at the Sub-Saharan Africa TikTok Awards. Her quick, witty takes on film and TV culture — like debating who the greatest wizard is between Merlin, Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, and Dumbledore — have made her a go-to voice in Nigerian pop commentary.
She went viral in 2022 with a slow-motion running video set to the “Kumama Yoruba Version” song, and has since grown her TikTok following from 15,000 to over 780,000.
Here’s how AnChi Vibes did it, as told to Dennis.
The beginning: Starting during the pandemic
Like many people, I started making videos during the 2020 lockdown. The first video I posted was a lip sync video. That was what was trending at the time, so I made a lot. Later, I started making dance videos, even though I was not a very good dancer. I have since made all those videos private on TikTok.
I was working in a bank at the time, but I resigned in 2022 to focus on TikTok. Honestly, working in a bank was the ghetto. I was working as a customer care representative, and it was not allowing me to utilise my creativity. I felt stuck, and that’s why I quit.
During that time, I focused on making content, but the growth was slow. The engagement was low, and my follower count was not growing. Eventually, I got a job at Pulse Nigeria as a TikTok manager. It aligned perfectly with what I loved: making content. All the stars had aligned in my favour. So I focused on that.
Hitting 15k followers: My first breakthrough
The first video people really engaged with was me dueting with a man who was twerking — it was during COVID, and everyone just wanted to be entertained. I wasn’t even good at twerking, but I tried to mimic him, and people loved it. At the time, I had under 5,000 followers. This grew my followers to around 10,000.
I jumped into other challenges that came. There was a challenge that Don Jazzy started when Simi’s “Duduke” dropped. I jumped on that, and it gave me lots of engagement as well. This took me to over 15,000 followers.
I started doing a lot of dancing, slow-mo, and lip sync videos. That’s when I started focusing on what worked.
From 15k to 200k followers: Going Viral with Kumama
The video that changed everything was the Kumama Yoruba Version trend. I became the face of that trend. I wore a pink sweater and ran in slow motion — people felt the spirit! It got over a million views in a few days. Funke Akindele even reposted me.
People started watching my old videos, too — some crossed a million views. I tried other things like interviews and hosting, but they didn’t take off at the time. People wanted slow-motion, makeup, dance, and fashion transition videos, so I made those videos, which got me to 200k followers.
Hitting 700k followers: Finding my Niche
When I joined Pulse, I was creating entertainment news content, which helped me understand the category better. I refined my approach to content on my page. I covered celebrity news, TikTok updates, and even birthday vlogs of other influencers. Whenever influencers on TikTok were celebrating their birthdays, I made vlogs of the parties, and people enjoyed them. When there was drama between influencers, I made videos about that too.
I also posted “get ready with me” clips and behind-the-scenes content, and it worked — TikTok started pushing my videos to the For You Page (FYP).
Later, I pivoted to recaps of Big Brother Naija and The Real Housewives of Lagos, and eventually, to movie reviews. That’s what really defined my niche on the platform.
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The content tools I use as a TikTok Creator
TikTok likes high-quality content — both in video and substance. I started with an Android, but when I got an iPhone, the growth was immediate. My videos looked better.
Lighting mattered too. At first, I shot under a tree, far from home. I’d take an okada there just to catch good sunlight. Later, I bought an LED light and a colour light. I bought the coloured light not because I needed it, but to stand out visually.
The tools I use to make my content are:
CapCut to edit. I use the free version and don’t pay
Canva occasionally for visuals, which costs me ₦2,700 per month
LensGo wireless mic. This cost me ₦30,000
iPhone 12 Pro Max (This costs ₦880,000 on Jumia)
I also wear makeup sometimes because brands like that clean aesthetic, but I still post barefaced when I have to catch a trend early. TikTok prioritises speed. Time to market is very important.
How I make money as a Creator
The story of how I first made money on TikTok is complicated because I didn’t negotiate a fee and didn’t expect to be paid. This was before the Kumama video went viral. Someone I knew asked if I could host a live stream of a football match on TikTok. I wasn’t even into football, but I did it. Then he gave me ₦30,000 after. That was the first time I was paid for my content.
Later, I got ₦50k to promote a song. When I started doing film content, I got paid ₦50k – ₦100k to promote the movie, depending on the project and how I negotiated. Now, I mostly promote movies.
How long does it take me to make a TikTok video?
Green screen videos take about 2 hours — scriptwriting, filming, and editing. No effects or captions. In green screen videos, it’s just my head people see.
Full-body videos take 5 hours. I have to get dressed, wear makeup, set up lights and my tripod, shoot multiple takes, add subtitles, and edit down to under 3 minutes. Just setting up alone can take up to 45 minutes.
Event coverage is different. I go with someone to help me film. Like at the Headies — I posted live from the venue. A vlog I did of Priscilla Ojo and Juma Jux wedding did over 2 million views.
What I spend money on
I don’t spend much. Uber, data, Netflix, Showmax. But generator costs — repairs and fuel — take the most. My biggest investment is learning: watching TikTok tutorials. I don’t use YouTube. TikTok is my school.
How I manage burnout
Right now, I haven’t posted in four days — partly because I’m house hunting. Creating content is exhausting. Sometimes I make multiple posts in one day, so I can take like three days to rest. Rest for me is sleep, movies, and anything offline.
My regrets as a TikTok creator
I don’t have many regrets. But I will say this: content creation in Nigeria is about networking. You need a clique. You need to show up at people’s houses, host people at yours, and be in the right spaces.
I didn’t do that. And sometimes, it stings — seeing others get opportunities just because they belong to the right circle. But I am happy with how I chose to live my life.
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