Allegro Dinkwanyane of Orgella Online

It seems like everyone is joining the
blogging bandwagon but only a few are
really good at it. Allegro Dinkwanyane of
the Orgella Online fame reflects on
blogging her way to success.

WHO IS ALLEGRO?

I’m a 24-year-old ambitious and hard-
working woman from Limpopo. I fell in
love with the media industry when I was
about 12 years old. My family moved
around quite a bit so I grew up in
different places but I was mostly based
in Pretoria and then in Lebowakgomo,
Polokwane. I’ve been based in
Johannesburg since 2009. I’ve always
known that I was destined to be in the
entertainment industry, whether as a
singer, journalist or even a media mogul.
My aspirations were to be where I am
today so I’m really blessed to have
realised my dreams.

WHAT DID YOU STUDY?

I studied a BA in Journalism at the
University of Johannesburg because I
enjoy telling people’s stories. For me,
being an interviewer is much more
enjoyable than being an interviewee. My
role models are people like Oprah
Winfrey, Khanyi Dhlomo, Basetsana
Khumalo, Carol Bouwer because they are
powerful media moguls. Journalism was
and still is something I enjoy, although I
don’t consider myself as a typical
newsroom journo.

TELL US ABOUT ORGELLA
ONLINE. WHEN AND HOW
DID IT START?

Orgella Online is my entertainment blog
that I launched in 2011 while studying.
Initially it was like my personal “dear
diary” blog where I wrote about stuff I
love like music, celebrities, fashion and
events. The idea of running it as a
business came after I started receiving
mails from potential advertisers, huge
brands that wanted to sponsor me and
help me establish my blog. Now after three
years, it’s one of the top entertainment
blogs in South Africa.
Online journalism interested me the most
at tertiary. I remember for one
assignment we had to create a fake blog.
I already knew what I wanted to blog
about and how I wanted it to look so I
pitched my idea to my lecturer and she
loved it and I got top marks. I just
simply continued blogging until the
official launch in October 2011. There’s
nothing I love more than staying updated
with the latest local and international
entertainment news so I figured I’d be
one of the sources for my target market.

BLOGGING IS VERY
POPULAR NOW. WHAT
SETS YOU APART FROM
EVERYONE?

It’s true, everyone has a blog now but not
everyone runs it like a business or stays
consistent. One of the keys to being a
successful blogger is consistency and I’ve
been consistent for three years running
and I can tell you now that my team and
I will not be slowing down anytime soon or
never. But most importantly, I use my
own voice! I think that’s what makes me
different. There’s only so many
“exclusives” we can get, half the time
we’re all blogging about the same thing.
What’s important and interesting is what
YOU as the blogger have to say. Most of
my readers come to my blog to find out
what MY opinion is on entertainment news
making headlines. Having my own voice is
what makes me unique.
For me, blogging is not a hobby – it’s my
job. I got inspired by my favourite
international bloggers who actually make
a good living from their websites. I told
myself I could also do that. Fair enough,
blogging in South Africa and Africa is
still not where I’d like it to be in terms
of the standards but we have quite a few
people who are successful. I take what I
do seriously. It may be entertainment
news but it’s still my livelihood. Orgella
Online has done so well in the past three
years that I’m going as far as launching
two more digital platforms @AllegroEats
and @BossChiq_SA.

HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO
MONETISE ORGELLA
ONLINE?


I get approached by different brands
and sponsors, especially corporate
companies that want to tap into my
target market. They buy ad space on the
blog. There are also Google ads, but I
don’t use that because it clutters my
website. I love how my site looks without
too many ads.

SPEAKING OF SPONSORS,
HOW WERE THOSE
RELATIONSHIP STARTED?

I’m just blessed! Sponsors like Avon,
Brutal Fruit and FabroSanz have been
with me from the beginning. They believe
in my brand and we have a very good
and clear working relationship. They love
what I do and I appreciate what they do
for my business.

HOW MANY VISITORS DO
YOU GET IN A MONTH?

I have an average of 35 000 to 40 000
unique visitors monthly and a hit rate of
about 5 million per month. Most of my
readers are based in South Africa,
Nigeria, Botswana, the U.S and the UK.

WHAT HAS BEEN MOST
INSTRUMENTAL THING IN
MAKING YOUR BLOG
SUCCESSFUL?

My commitment, consistency, my sponsors
and my team of freelancers. I also have
wonderful readers who practically live on
the blog (even though most are “silent
bloggers” that always visit the blog and
keep me on my toes).

YOUR BLOG IS THREE YEARS NOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE
FACED AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

I haven’t faced that many challenges.
The one thing I would say I overcame was
pitching my blog as a business and saying
no to companies who always want to offer
you freebies for free advertising. I
respect my blog as a business and so I
should collaborate with brands who value
what I have. Sometimes the site will crash
unexpectedly but that’s easy to deal with.

TELL US MORE ABOUT
YOUR OPERATING
EXPENSES?

I pay for hosting services, upgrading and
maintaining the website. I work with
several freelance photographers who also
need to get paid. Money is spent
travelling to events and meetings with my
team of writers.

SINCE YOU WORK
INDEPENDENTLY, HOW IS
YOUR RELATIONSHIP
AMONG THE BLOGGER
COMMUNITY?

I’m cool with everyone. I know what I
want and I stick to that and focus on
me. I don’t compare my blog to anyone
else’s. I have friends that are bloggers
and we all get along.

WHAT’S THE ONE THING
YOU’D WANT PEOPLE TO
KNOW ABOUT BEING A
BLOGGER?

It’s not all fun and games, meeting
celebrities, attending events and all that
glitz you’re sold on social media. It’s a
lot of work, sleepless nights and loads of
bandwidth but if it’s what you love, you’ll
do just fine.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

There are quite a few things coming up
from Orgella Media, which is my company
that Orgella Online is a subsidiary to. I
run a PR agency called Orgella
Communications . I’m launching my food
blog #AllegroEats on www.allegroeats.com
before the end of 2014 and I’m also
working towards my first cook book.
There’s an online talk show in the works
and my online store Boss Chiq SA soon.
I’ll also be back on radio full time in
2015. There’s also plenty of travelling too!
YOUR ADVICE TO UP AND
COMING BLOGGERS?
Be consistent. Stay true to who you are
and what your blog represents. Be online
savvy. Have fun!