Blogger Spotlight: Oloni, Simply Oloni

Simply Oloni was created in 2008 by Dami Olonisakin to discuss relationships, fashion, lifestyle, and beauty. The ‘Ask Oloni’ column gives readers the chance to submit sex and relationship questions anonymously, which are answered by Dami and sometimes featured in a full-length article to help others. In this spotlight, Oloni who featured on our relationship and dating blogs UK Top 10 chats to us about how Sex and The City inspired her to start blogging, the importance of engaging with her audience, and why she is keen to work with more dating apps. 

Relationships can be a complicated topic, what encouraged you to start a blogging about this? I started writing about relationships due to one too many nights of Sex and The City! No seriously, I was 18 when I first started and what encouraged me was my relationship blunders. I enjoyed having conversations about my friends’ love lives and would often blog theirs and mine.

Do you find that writing a dating blog encourages people to come to you for advice? Oh most definitely. They immediately assume you have all the answers which isn’t always the case. However, it is a good feeling when you’re able to help someone with their own relationship dilemma.

What do you think makes your blog different to your competitors? I have an ‘Ask Oloni’ page where I answer several dilemmas at least twice a week. It’s the most viewed page and probably what I think my competitors don’t offer. It’s kind of like a curious cat that has been implemented into my site where readers can submit their relationship or dating woes into anonymously.

How do you define the success of your blog? Do you do this through the level of engagement with your audience or unique visits? I measure my success through the opportunities that come my way due to my blog. I’ve worked with amazing brands due to Simply Oloni. I also define my success by the engagement I have with my social media followers who enjoy their daily dose of Simply Oloni.

What has been your experience with working with PRs and marketers? I’ve had so many experiences with PRs and marketers and thankfully all they’ve all been good. They’ve been supportive and I’ve actually picked up a few tips.

How much planning, research and preparation do you need to execute your content marketing plan? I usually try to plan content a couple week in advance. This is so I can research and revise posts. I like to make sure the title is captivating. I want to make sure the post is interesting to read also. There have been times where I’ve written a post and saved it as a draft because I felt like it could have been executed better.

How do you keep your content fresh and up to date with current dating trends? I keep it up to date by looking at what’s happening in pop culture. I feel like it has the biggest influence when it comes to what to blog about.

What kinds of PRs or campaigns are you interested in working on in the future? I’d like to work with more dating app companies.

What are your thoughts on media databases, such as Vuelio? They’re amazing. Especially for the blogging world.

Do you have a funny dating story you could share with us? Yes. When I was 19 a guy who had insisted to take me out on a date took me to Nando’s. However, before we got there we went into Topshop to buy him a rather nice expensive jacket. When we headed to dinner, we looked at the menu and got up to pay. As we walked to the front he said, ‘don’t forget your purse’ – I have never been so embarrassed or mortified. Safe to say I had my purse and paid. I never called him after that awful date. Men should always pay on the first date.