Meet Kaylah Oniwo, Top influencer on Bookings Africa

The world of freelancing is a different yet, an exciting space that can only be truly understood from the lenses of service providers. This is why we are launching a series where you will get to meet those making waves in different fields and doing excellently with the services they provide. 

In today’s series, Kaylah Oniwo shares insights on how she has scaled up her journey to influencing, the challenges she faced and how she overcame them. If you are as excited as we are, let’s dig in already! 

Who is Kaylah Oniwo?

Over the years, I realized something about the popular phrase “ Jack of all trade, master of none”. Infact, this phrase was a turning point for my career. Before then, I was just a radio host doing my thing but when I understood that you can do so many things and still be good at it, I took up the challenge. Who am I? Kaylah Oniwo is a social media influencer, TV personality, radio host, fashion enthusiast and many more. 

How did you build a connection with Bookings Africa? 

It started with the relationship I had with the founder of Bookings Africa, Fade Ogunro. We had been great friends from way back, and I knew about her journey hosting radio shows to now, this great company she has created. Looking through the management of Bookings Africa, I can categorically say that in all my twelve years in media, this is one organization that is committed, professional and dedicated. My expectations are always met. Sometimes, I want to be selfish about the connection I have with Bookings Africa because there is so much to enjoy with the team. But recently, I have decided to tell as many people as possible about the great potential that awaits them here.  

How was your transition into influencing, and how did Bookings Africa help in the journey? 

It was an exciting journey for me as I started in the radio space because I wanted to be unknown. I wanted to be a fantastic personality on-air but still be free to move around like everyone else without worrying about being recognized.  Fortunately, people started  to identify me from Twitter and then Instagram that I couldn't hide my face anymore. I started doing other things outside of radio hosting. I shared beauty, fitness, fashion tips and many other interests on these platforms and people started to know this other side of my personality. Messages started coming in from people that enjoyed what I do and wanted to pay for campaigns. One of such calls was from the Bookings Africa team, and they wanted me to jump on a campaign which I joyfully did. Interestingly, the call wasn't because I knew the founder but was from the value I was already giving other brand agencies and companies. Even after I came on board for the first campaign, I was eager to join Bookings Africa full-time because of the seamless process the team provided.   

Since you started influencing, have you experienced challenges in getting gigs?

One of the significant issues I faced was brands not understanding the value I provide as an influencer. I tried to make these brands understand that there are specific logistics that need to be placed before they receive the world-class content that I create.

There were certain disparities I noticed in the industry whereby more foreign influencers were valued highly than local influencers and this affected the average influencer’s business growth. I almost gave up but got inspired by Jackie Aina, A Nigerian-American Youtuber, who didn’t stop at ensuring that black women got paid their due diligence. Learning from her experience, I became more consistent and this was a huge value-add to my brand.

Lastly, I noticed brands reaching out to me even though their objectives didn’t align with my brand. I learnt that working with brands that were keen on forcing their brand voice on me didn’t turn out well. As an influencer, I have a specific voice I communicate with to my fans and changing it for a brand will just water down the purpose of the campaign. 

How do you feel being one of the top influencers in Bookings Africa? 

I feel great! But, I won't take all the credit because I know it is an accumulation of the team's effort that has brought me here and is taking me to the next level. Trust me; you are not even ready for what my brand has in stock for you this year. 

What would you tell other influencers looking for ways to stand out?

This might sound cliche, but it has been a major point of my success story: authenticity and consistency. Billions of people exist in the world right now and as you are similar to many people you are also different from a bunch of others. So, your best bet is to stay true to yourself. What I have built today didn’t take a day but 12 years of consistency. Yes, I do believe in overnight success but a long-lasting success requires intentional consistent effort. I’m proud to say that if you mention top influencers in Nigeria or top media personalities, my name will pop up, but it didn't happen in a day. So, "Do YOU" consistently and work on yourself. Pick a few people you admire, reach out to them, and learn from them. Ultimately, remember to put your version of yourself out there consistently. Also, don't try to create an image that is not sustainable because it never leads anyone anywhere. Eventually, the bread will come! 

What brands have you worked in so far through the Bookings Africa team? 

I have worked with Estee Lauder companies, Net-a-Porter, Hermès, Pandora, MAC cosmetics and many more. I didn't mention it all because there are so many, trust me! I also want to say something about Bookings Africa to those who haven't joined- the time to sign up is now. Whatever skills you have, don't wait till there are so many people in your field on the platform. When you sign up now, you will be among the top service providers displayed when you join quickly. Plus, this is not Bookings Lagos or Bookings Surulere but Bookings Africa, so somebody in Kenya or South Africa might just want what you do. So, sign up already! This is the real deal!