INTERVIEW: Emmanuela Okon a Content Creator for "StyleByEmmanuela"
SOA: Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
Ans: Hello, my name is Emmanuela Okon. I am a Student, Fashion Youtuber and Style Blogger currently based in Canada but, I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. I am the first child of four (4) girls, and I was born in May. So, I’m a May baby.
SOA: How do you describe your own personal style?
Ans: Personally, I feel I don’t have a specific style I necessarily stick with. I mean, my style is always evolving. If you take a peek at my Instagram posts, you would probably notice the way I tend to try out new trends! This is me. I’m always willing to give it a try and try out pieces I might have possibly not imagined myself trying on. Now, that’s part of exploring and finding out what your style may be in future years to come. It gives me something to look back and reflect on if that makes any sense.
SOA: Can you tell us about your blog, and what inspired you to start it?
Ans: Well, my blog is not even a year old yet. It may seem like it, but really, it’s not. The name of the blog is ‘StylebyEmmanuela,’ and I started it up sometime in October 2017. I must say, my blog/website has been one of the best things to ever happen to me ever since I started my Youtube/Blogging journey. I began posting up ‘blog like photos’ on my Instagram let’s say in 2016, and I loved the feedback I was getting from it. Moving forward, I then decided to start up my Youtube Channel to expand my content creation. Then, I thought to myself and wondered why I never created a website for my brand (myself). I figured this would be a good way for me to have a public space where I showcase all my works and most of all display what I love doing the most, which is posting photos of how I style my outfits.
SOA: Where do you find the inspiration for your blog posts?
Ans: I get inspired by a lot of things, for my blog post, I would say Instagram in general with the addition to the kind of other content creators I keep up with on the platform. Also, Pinterest inspires me too. I would say creating mood boards of what I love while trying to create content, helps in my creative process.
SOA: Who is your fashion inspiration and why?
Ans: Okay, So I have got a whole lot of fashion inspirations. I would just list a couple of them on here for you guys to check out.
DO NOT SLEEP ON THESE CONTENT CREATORS
- Vanessardnls; Her Youtube Channel & Instagram feed is super cool! I LOVE her & she knows that, LMAOOO
- Sherlina Nym; You guys should check out her Instagram feed for style & nail inspiration. Plus, she just started her Youtube Channel & it is amazing!
- TheLineUp & Tothe9s are both duo content creators, and I love both of them so much. Their editing and fashion contents are amazing, and so, you guys should check them out!
- VintagedollRisa - I love the vibe she brings when she styles her outfit. Her blog is amazing, and she has got this vintage and tomboyish vibe to her style which I love!
- Fisayo Longe - Her blogging journey alone has inspired me to become dedicated to what I am doing as a content creator. She is Nigerian which makes some parts of her journey relatable as well. I had the opportunity of attending her blogging webinar, and the experience was amazing!
- Empress Jo - Basic is Boring, and this girl right here has taught me that I have always got to be extra when editing my videos. Her videos are not BASIC, and I love that about her! (She's Nigerian as well :)
I can go on and on listing so many other people but here are just a few of them I LOVE so much.
SOA: Best brands you have worked with so far?
Ans: For now, I don’t have that much of a favourite brand yet. But I would say, ‘Firmoo’ which was one of the first brand’s to reach out to me. Firmoo is an online optical store where you could purchase quality eye-wear online. They are amazing and affordable!
SOA: You have some great photos on your instagram, how do you decide what type of photos to take and what's your most favourite shooting location?
Ans: Aw, thank you! Well, I’m glad you even mentioned this question. I recently created a Youtube video on how I usually edit my photos using my iPhone. That could help out a bit. Here is the link if you wanted to check it out: Also, I have a particular person that helps me take my photos, and that has helped me a lot too. I used this as an opportunity for myself to always make sure I had new photos on my Instagram feed. Personally, I love shooting outdoors because the photo quality comes out well. At this point, I do not have a favourite location. I am open to trying out locations that bring out the best photos!
SOA: How did you build followers to your blog and social media channels? for example, was it a slow trickle, taking months/years or did you attract a lot of followers straight away?
Ans: My followers did not come straight up. As I said, I began posting photos of my outfits a whole lot more in 2016, and I started getting some good feedback from it. I would say, my followers, grew, even more, when I decided to launch my Youtube Channel in January 2017. For sure, I noticed the spike in growth on my Instagram because from that day on until now I began posting more photos. Even before my Youtube, I decided to give myself a little bit of experience in the blogging world by signing up to an online fashion community called ‘CollegeFashionista.’ I would say, this has helped me a lot in my blogging journey. Here is a link to some of my past fashion articles back in 2016. You can check them out, and you may want to join that fashion community because their support system is great! Eventually, after ten months, I decided to quit on it and focus a bit more on my content, and here I am today. Ps: I suggest as a content creator; you should try your best to have at least a wide range of social media platforms. Most especially, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or even Youtube. Having them expands your audience community.
SOA: What's the key to keeping them interested and coming back for more?
Ans: This may sound cliché, but the honest thing to do to retain your audience is to be consistent. Consistency is key, and I am speaking out of the experience. However, if you try to be consistent, always make sure you are putting out your best while creating content. In other words, quality over quantity. You should always aim for the best when creating content because no one likes a crappy photo. Personally, I try to put up content that interests my audience. So, with consistency, you would be able to understand your audience a whole lot better!
SOA: Where there days you had difficulties/challenges? how do you overcome them?
Ans: Oh, yes, as a content creator challenges will come. However, I don’t necessarily see all types of challenges as a problem because most of the time, these challenges just open new doors for me to ‘do better.’ I am human, and I cannot possibly do everything right or do everything on my own. As a content creator, challenges will always come your way when you first start off but as you begin to move forward you would definitely notice the growth and have something to reflect back on. Honestly, the best part is just reflecting back because, you realize how far you’ve come. That has got to be one of the best feelings.
SOA: Where do you see your blog in five years time?
Ans: In the next five years, I would want my blog to be more of a business. Hopefully, by then I would be done with school and I plan on focusing a whole lot more on it because my YouTube, blog and everything I do is something I am really passionate about.
Want to know more about Emmanuela?
instagram @ellahh
website stylebyemmanuela.com
