MODEL DISCOVERY • SOCIAL MEDIA • NIGERIA

How to Get Discovered as a Model on Social Media: What Rachel Ojuromi’s Chanel Breakthrough Teaches Nigerian Models

If you are wondering how to get discovered as a model on social media, Instagram and TikTok can genuinely increase your visibility, but being seen is only the beginning.

A photographer can discover you online.

A stylist can send your profile to someone.

A casting director can come across one of your videos.

An agency scout in another country can see you without ever standing beside you in Lagos.

That is the opportunity social media has created.

But being discoverable and being professionally ready are two different things.

A timely example is Nigerian model and creative Rachel Ojuromi, whose distinctive fashion content from Lagos gained international attention before her modelling journey progressed into professional representation and, ultimately, the Chanel Spring 2027 runway in Paris.

Her story is exciting.

But the lesson is not:

“Post on TikTok and Chanel will discover you.”

Social media can help the right people find you. What happens next depends on what they actually discover.

Can Social Media Really Help You Become a Model?

Yes.

Social media has become another discovery layer within modelling.

Traditional routes still matter:

• Agency applications
• Open castings
• Street scouting
• Photographer referrals
• Fashion events
• Industry introductions

But Instagram, TikTok and other platforms now allow aspiring talent to become visible outside those traditional routes.

Understanding how to get discovered as a model on social media is really about combining visibility with preparation, personality and professional readiness.

01 Rachel Ojuromi Did More Than Post Pretty Pictures

The most useful part of Rachel Ojuromi’s story is that her online presence had a recognisable creative identity.

Her fashion content was not simply:

Pretty outfit.

Mirror selfie.

Another pretty outfit.

Repeat.

Her content incorporated personal style, movement, Lagos, fashion references and collaboration with other creatives.

That made the work easier to remember.

This matters because social media is crowded with attractive people.

Being attractive alone does not necessarily make someone memorable.

02 Create a Point of View

You do not need to become controversial or manufacture a strange personality.

But there should eventually be something recognisable about the way you show up.

That could come from:

• Your personal style
• Your movement
• Your hair
• Your face
• Your humour
• Your city
• Your interests
• Your styling
• Your creative collaborations
• The way you interpret fashion

The aim is not to become somebody else.

It is to stop looking like every other aspiring model online.

03 You Do Not Need Thousands of Followers

This is one of the biggest misconceptions aspiring models have.

A model and an influencer are not automatically the same thing.

Professional model selection can depend on:

• Look
• Proportions
• Height where relevant
• Movement
• Camera presence
• Expression
• Ability to take direction
• Professionalism
• Availability
• Fit for a specific brief

Someone with 900 followers can be a better model for a campaign than someone with 500,000 followers.

Follower count may matter for some creator-led campaigns.

It is not a universal modelling requirement.

04 Social Media Can Show Things Polaroids Cannot

Polaroids are extremely important.

But they serve a different purpose.

A short video can reveal:

• How you walk
• How you turn
• How you carry clothing
• Your posture
• Your facial movement
• Your confidence
• Your personality
• How naturally you appear on camera

That makes video particularly useful for aspiring models.

The content does not have to look like a formal audition every time.

It simply gives people more information about you than one photograph can.

05 Your Environment Can Become Part of Your Identity

Nigerian models sometimes assume international fashion requires them to remove everything Nigerian from their visual identity.

It does not.

Rachel’s work demonstrated something important.

Lagos could remain Lagos.

The streets, movement, architecture, traffic, fashion culture and everyday environment could become part of the imagery instead of something that needed to be hidden.

Specificity can be more interesting than imitation.

Instead of asking:

“How can I look like models already working in Europe?”

sometimes the better question is:

“What can I show from my own world that people have not already seen one thousand times?”

06 Make Things Instead of Only Announcing Your Dream

There is a difference between:

“I want to become a model.”

and actually creating something that shows your potential.

If fashion interests you, create around fashion.

If runway interests you, work on movement.

If beauty interests you, explore beauty imagery.

If commercial modelling interests you, demonstrate expression and versatility.

Aspiration tells people what you want.

Execution gives them something to evaluate.

Do not only announce where you want to go. Start creating evidence of the direction you want to enter.

07 Collaboration Can Make You Stronger

Models do not have to build everything alone.

Useful collaborators can include:

• Photographers
• Stylists
• Makeup artists
• Designers
• Videographers
• Creative directors
• Other models

A strong creative team can help everyone produce better work.

The goal is not to collect random collaborations.

Work with people whose ideas, professionalism and skill genuinely add something.

08 Social Media Does Not Replace Your Polaroids

An agency can discover your TikTok today and still ask:

“Please send your current digitals.”

That is normal.

An entertaining video may not clearly show:

• Your natural face
• Your side profile
• Your current body proportions
• Your current hair
• Your posture
• Your natural appearance without filters

That is what clean modelling polaroids help establish.

If every image on your profile contains heavy filters, beauty effects, extreme angles or dramatic makeup, somebody may enjoy your content and still have no idea what you actually look like.

Read our guide:
How to Take Modelling Polaroids at Home With Your Phone.

09 Know Your Measurements Before Someone Asks

A viral video cannot tell a fashion designer your exact measurements.

Aspiring models should know their current:

• Height
• Bust or chest
• Waist
• Hips
• Shoe size
• Inseam where relevant

If somebody serious discovers you and asks for basic information, you should not need several days to prepare it.

Opportunity moves quickly.

Preparation allows you to respond quickly too.

10 Being Discovered Is Not the Same as Being Signed

Someone seeing your page is only the beginning.

An agency may still want to:

• Meet you
• Take new digitals
• Confirm your measurements
• See your runway walk
• Understand your personality
• Evaluate your market
• Assess your professionalism
• Determine whether you need development

Discovery creates a conversation.

It does not automatically create a contract.

11 Being Signed Is Not the Same as Getting Jobs

Professional representation means an agency believes it can position and submit you for suitable opportunities.

It does not mean every client will choose you.

Brands, designers and casting teams still select models according to individual briefs.

That is why a healthier way to understand the journey is:

Visibility → Assessment → Development → Representation → Submission → Opportunity → Booking

Not:

Viral video → instant international modelling career.

12 Ask Yourself What an Agency Would See Today

This is one of the most useful exercises for an aspiring model.

Open your own profile and pretend you have never met yourself.

What do you see?

Can you clearly identify the person?

Can you see their face properly?

Can you see how they move?

Is there personality?

Is there style?

Is there anything memorable?

Does the profile still represent how the person currently looks?

Or is everything hidden behind filters, old photographs and angles?

You do not need a perfect page.

You need a useful one.

13 Do Not Fake a Modeling Career Online

Do not create fake campaign credits.

Do not tag yourself as represented by agencies that have never signed you.

Do not create fake magazine covers and present them as real editorials.

Do not claim personal photoshoots are major brand campaigns.

Industry professionals can often verify these things easily.

Being a genuine beginner with potential is better than presenting a fake professional history.

14 Your Social Media Can Also Work Against You

This does not mean aspiring models need sterile, personality-free pages.

But public behaviour is visible.

Think carefully about:

• Public attacks on clients
• Sharing confidential casting information
• False professional claims
• Constant online disputes
• Posting private production information without permission
• Behaviour that makes working with you appear unnecessarily difficult

You are allowed to have a personality.

Professional judgment still matters.

15 You Do Not Have to Turn Your Entire Life Into Modeling Content

You are a person before you are a model.

Your account can include:

• Friends
• Food
• Travel
• School
• Work
• Music
• Humour
• Interests outside modelling

Your Instagram does not need to look like a digital comp card.

In fact, personality may be part of what makes somebody interested in you.

The goal is simply to be comfortable with what professional people can see publicly.

16 What Should Aspiring Models Post?

There is no mandatory posting formula.

Useful content may naturally include:

• Clean current photographs
• Short runway clips
• Movement
• Styling videos
• Creative collaborations
• Behind-the-scenes from genuine shoots
• Personal style
• Posing practice
• Fashion content
• Strong work you genuinely participated in

Do not post something merely because you think every model is supposed to post it.

Post things that make sense for you.

17 Should You Tag Modeling Agencies Constantly?

No.

Repeatedly tagging twenty agencies under every selfie is not a professional submission strategy.

If an agency has an official application process, use it.

Follow the instructions.

Provide the requested information.

Send the correct photographs.

Social media discovery and formal agency submissions can exist together.

One does not replace the other.

Read:
How to Choose the Right Modeling Agency in Lagos.

18 What If You Are Not a Content Creator?

You can still become a professional model.

Not everyone enjoys constantly filming themselves.

That is okay.

You can still build your career through:

• Agency submissions
• Castings
• Polaroids
• Portfolio development
• Runway training
• Professional networking
• Strong performance on actual jobs

Social media is one discovery tool.

It is not the only route into the industry.

19 If You Do Create Content, Make It Support Your Direction

A commercial model might naturally show:

• Warmth
• Expression
• Lifestyle versatility
• Comfort speaking on camera
• Natural movement

A fashion-focused model might naturally show:

• Personal style
• Runway movement
• Editorial experimentation
• Interesting clothing
• Creative collaboration

A beauty model might focus more on:

• Face
• Skin
• Hair
• Expression
• Beauty-focused photography and video

Your content does not need to announce:

“I AM A MODEL.”

It can simply make your direction easier to understand.

20 Do Not Wait Until Opportunity Comes Before Preparing

This is probably the most important lesson.

People often start preparing after somebody notices them.

That is backwards.

If modelling is something you genuinely want to pursue:

• Know your measurements now
• Learn basic posing now
• Work on movement now
• Create clean polaroids now
• Understand agency applications now
• Learn professional communication now
• Build useful materials now

Then if somebody discovers you tomorrow, you are not beginning from zero.

What Rachel Ojuromi’s Journey Actually Teaches Aspiring Models

The lesson is not:

“Become an influencer.”

It is not:

“Copy Chanel and Chanel will hire you.”

And it is not:

“Followers matter more than modelling ability.”

The stronger lessons are:

• Develop something recognisable
• Create instead of only talking about your ambitions
• Use your own environment
• Collaborate with good creatives
• Allow personality to exist
• Use social media as a discovery tool
• Build professional readiness alongside visibility
• Be prepared when industry attention arrives

If Someone Discovered You Today, Would You Be Ready?

That is the question DXC wants aspiring models to think about.

Have your measurements ready.

Have clean current polaroids.

Understand the type of modelling you may be suited to.

Develop your movement.

Learn how castings work.

Understand what professional agencies expect.

And become easier to contact professionally.

If you are completely new, start with:
How to Become a Model in Nigeria.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get discovered as a model on social media?

Use social media to show your current appearance, personality, movement, style and genuine creative work. Avoid relying only on heavily edited selfies. Keep your professional information, measurements and polaroids ready in case an agency or casting professional contacts you.

Can Instagram help me get discovered as a model?

Yes. Instagram can make you visible to model agencies, photographers, stylists, designers and casting professionals. However, discovery does not automatically guarantee representation or jobs.

Can TikTok help me become a model?

TikTok can help people discover your face, personality, movement and style. It can be particularly useful because video shows qualities that static photographs may not reveal.

Do I need lots of followers to become a model?

No. Professional modelling ability and social-media popularity are different things. Some campaigns may value audience size, but agencies and clients can book models with relatively small followings.

What should I post if I want modelling agencies to notice me?

There is no compulsory formula. Clear current photographs, natural video, movement, personal style, genuine collaborations and content that accurately represents you can all be useful.

Should my Instagram look like a modelling portfolio?

Not necessarily. Social media can show more personality and lifestyle than a formal portfolio. Agencies may still request separate polaroids and professional images.

Can I get scouted without social media?

Yes. Agency submissions, open castings, referrals, street scouting, photographers and fashion-industry connections remain legitimate ways models can be discovered.

Should I message agencies on Instagram?

If the agency has an official application process, use it. Follow its submission instructions rather than repeatedly sending unsolicited messages or tagging the agency under unrelated posts.

Does going viral mean an agency will sign me?

No. Viral visibility may attract attention, but an agency will still consider your appearance, measurements, market suitability, personality, professionalism, potential and development needs.

Did social media make Rachel Ojuromi a Chanel model?

Her distinctive Lagos fashion content contributed significantly to her visibility, but her journey also involved creative collaboration, modelling ambition, industry relationships, professional representation, preparation and opportunity. Her career should not be reduced to one viral post.

Industry note: Rachel Ojuromi’s career is her individual journey and should not be treated as a guaranteed pathway for other aspiring models. Social-media visibility can create opportunity, but professional outcomes vary according to talent, market suitability, preparation, representation, timing and client decisions.