Raenest Diaries: How Tife Became the Internet’s Guide to Great Experiences

There’s content, and then there’s content that makes you think, I have to do this. 

You see a restaurant you’ve never heard of and immediately save it for the weekend. You find an apartment that looks almost too good for the price and start checking the dates. You discover a new spot in Lagos, a hidden gem in another city, or somewhere worth visiting on your next trip, and suddenly it is on your list. For Boluwatife Pereao, discovering and sharing those experiences has become a source of income. 

A few years ago, Tife was a struggling student with no clear roadmap. Today, Tife is a freelance content creator who has worked with global brands including Maggi, Spotify and Gemini, built an audience that comes to her specifically for recommendations, and learnt that being the person who tells people where to spend their money comes with its own responsibility.

For this episode of Raenest Diaries, we asked her to walk us through how she got here.

Temi: Hi Tife, let's start with the basics. Who are you and what do you do?

Tife: I'm a freelance content creator, and I also work a hybrid 9-to-5 in the marketing team at an AI company. It still centres around content and digital marketing, so the two aren't as far apart as people assume.

Temi: How do you balance that?

Tife: I map out my week in advance and stick to a scheduler, so I always know which days are for the office and which are free for shoots. It really comes down to prioritising properly. My hybrid role means I'm not in every day, so I use those days to shoot content for brands, and my weekends go the same way. It's a lot, but that structure makes it manageable.

Temi: If someone had never come across your content before, how would you describe what you do?

Tife: I help people discover new places, food, and experiences. I started as a food creator, chasing affordable street food spots and restaurants, but focusing on food alone wasn't sustainable, so I branched out into broader lifestyle content.

Temi: Where did that interest in documenting experiences actually come from?

Tife: It goes back to 2022, my second year of university. I used to be a huge fan of a food blogger, Bella Explores, and when she posted that she needed a virtual assistant, I applied and got in. Working with her showed me what was actually possible in this space. It was a genuine opportunity to learn what being a creator really looked like, and it came at a time when I was ready to take it seriously.

I'd recommend that path to anyone starting out: find someone already doing what you want to do and learn under them first. I was a broke student at the time, so I started small on my own, filming random, affordable street food spots, whatever I was trying for the first time.

Temi: What was your first paid collaboration like?

Tife: I didn't think anyone would take it seriously until people started following me and asking for more recommendations. Then a restaurant reached out and asked what I'd charge. I had no idea creators got paid for this. I asked my friends what to quote, and I charged 20,000 naira. It felt like an enormous amount of money at the time. My friends thought it was too small, but to me it was huge. That job went well; they loved the video, and after that smaller brands kept reaching out. That's when I realised I wasn't charging what I was worth, so I sat down and actually structured it: a set rate per video, per brand. At some point I realised content creation had quietly become my main job, and the 9-to-5 was the side gig.

Temi: Do you remember the first video that really took off?

Tife: Korede Spaghetti, at UNILAG. I didn't even like the video much; I just posted it and went to sleep. I woke up to my phone blowing up, people DMing me asking where the spot was. That restaurant never reached out to me directly, but after that, other businesses started noticing and offering to compensate me when I mentioned them.

Temi: You've built a reputation for knowing what's worth recommending in Lagos, and more recently, in cities like Cotonou. How do you actually decide?

Tife: I pay close attention to what my audience is already asking for. I get a constant stream of DMs like "I'm in this area, where can I eat," so I know affordability and location-specific recommendations are what people want. When I went to Benin Republic, a lot of creators were posting generic "my trip" content, so I built mine specifically around food: shawarma spots, local food, ice cream. I've also noticed a shift towards people asking me about affordable short-let apartments and Airbnbs, not just restaurants, so that's become a bigger part of what I cover now. It really comes down to listening to what my audience keeps asking for and building around that.

‍Temi: When you walk into a restaurant or a new space, purely for yourself and not to film, what are you paying attention to that the average visitor wouldn't notice?

Tife: How beautiful the space is, first. Lagosians love a fine space, and honestly, so do I. Then customer service, which matters a lot to me. Your food can be a ten out of ten, and your space can be gorgeous, but if the service is bad, that's a no for me. Then the food itself, and whether it's actually worth the price. Location, ambience, pricing, and customer service. Those are the things I'm quietly clocking the whole time.

‍Temi: How do you balance an honest review with the fact that you're often being paid to be there?

Tife: I'll give you a real example. I went to a place that paid me well, but the food wasn't up to what I expected. I told them directly: your space is fine, your team has been lovely, but I'm not impressed with the food, and I need you to know that even though you paid me. I offered them an option: I'd come back unannounced another day, try the food again with no notice, and if it improved, I'd post it. If not, I'd still be honest.

I went back with a friend, and the food had actually got better. That restaurant and I are close now. She still checks in with me about new dishes before she puts them on the menu. My audience needs to trust that what I show them is real, so I don't post anything I wouldn't stand behind, paid or not.

Temi: What does a typical content day actually look like behind the scenes?

Tife: I have an assistant who helps with my calendar and emails, though I still like to stay close to most of the process myself. My brother helps with filming, since I can't exactly hold a tripod and be in the shot at the same time. I do all the editing myself. I'm very organised about timelines. If a brand can't tell me clearly when they want the video out, that's already a red flag for how the collaboration will go.

Temi: How do you decide which brand opportunities are worth your time?

Tife: Not purely by money. Some brands don't pay what I'd normally charge, but having them in my portfolio opens other doors. That's why I always tell newer creators to prioritise building their portfolio early. When another brand looks at my page and sees I've worked with Maggi, Spotify, or Gemini, that association does a lot of the convincing.

That said, there's a point where you know a deal isn't worth it any more. I recently turned down a bigger brand because it came through an agency that would cut the rate significantly, and between my 9-to-5 and my existing clients, I wasn't willing to give up my one free day for that.

In case you didn’t know: Many creators like Tife use Raenest to receive fast international payments from global brands, whether that’s USD, GBP, EUR, or stablecoins. Join them today.

Temi: You've moved from local restaurants and Airbnbs to bigger, even global brands. What's your advice for creators trying to make that same jump?

Tife: Stop waiting for brands to find you. Keep creating content on your own terms, because that becomes your portfolio, and you don't need a big pay cheque to start building it. Position yourself so that when a brand does look you up, it's obvious what you bring to the table.

And it's completely fine to pitch first. Research brands that actually align with what you already do, because a generic pitch to everyone gets ignored by everyone.

I also tell people: brands aren't withholding money on purpose. Just keep showing up. I follow a creator who posts multiple times a day, and because she's constantly visible, brands keep finding her. Consistency does a lot of the pitching for you.

Temi: What actually makes a pitch land?

Tife: Treat it like a job application. Not every company replies, and that's fine. Research who you're pitching to and make sure it's a genuine fit, not just "you can help their brand grow," which brands tend to find off-putting. Frame it as why their work would matter to your specific audience. I've pitched restaurants that left me on read for months before finally replying. The ones that see value eventually come back, even if it isn't immediate.

🔗ICYMI: We've put together a pitch template that creators can use here! You're welcome 😉

Temi: Has content creation changed how you experience your own life, even outside of filming?

Tife: Completely. Even when I have no intention of posting anything, I notice things I wouldn't have before: how food is presented, small service details, the little touches in a space's ambience. It's changed how I move through the world, not just how I make videos.

Temi: How important have relationships with other creators been to you?

Tife: More than people expect. I'd tell any new creator to find a community, not necessarily a group chat, but people doing similar work. It's like being a banker and knowing other bankers. Following people in the same lane helped me get better and grow faster than figuring it all out alone.

Temi: Have you ever recommended a place and had your audience push back?

Tife: More than once. One time, someone booked a spa package after seeing my video, and the business didn't honour what they'd promised her. She came into my DMs furious, understandably. I reached out to the business myself and told them plainly: she came because of my video, so whatever went wrong reflects on me too. They refunded her in full and added extras. As creators, people trust us to steer them right, so when a brand messes up, we have to hold them accountable. It's happened to me too, as a consumer following someone else's recommendation, so I understand both sides.

Temi: Do you have a dream project?

Tife: Travelling internationally and documenting other cultures and cuisines properly, not just "I'm in this place, I'm in that place" content, but something immersive enough that people watching feel like they're there with me. My trip to Benin Republic shifted something in how I think about this. It's coming; people should stay tuned.

‍Temi: Last question. What would you tell yourself when you were just starting out?

Tife: Stop comparing yourself to other creators. Keep posting, stay authentic, and don't copy anyone else's style. Enjoy the process instead of chasing the price tag attached to it, because you can usually tell when a creator is forcing their content just to be seen. Be yourself, and don't try to outrun your own pace.

Final thoughts

Tife's story is less about virality and more about what happens after it: the decision to charge what she was worth, the discipline to say no to a pay cheque when the food wasn't good enough, and the patience to keep pitching brands that left her on read for months. Lagos already had plenty of people posting where they ate. What built her audience was consistency, honesty and a commitment to continuous improvement. That brings us to the end of today’s discussion. See you next time!