Kayla Jade never set out to dominate social media, but her influence is now impossible to ignore.
With more than three million followers across TikTok and Instagram, where’s she’s called @blueyedkaylajade, she has quickly become one of Australia’s most well-known, and arguably one of the most prominent influencers in the global digital space.
Originally from New Zealand, and now based in Australia, Kayla began posting on TikTok about a year ago, initially using the platform as a space to “vent” about her experiences as a sex worker with clients and her work.
“I was like, ‘I’m just going to throw this out there’ and then it just totally blew up,” she told Mediaweek.
Kayla Jade
But now, she has emerged from that social media influencer sphere, and successfully transitioned into podcasting and content creation – and the results are staggering.
When her vodcast Storytime with Kayla Jade launched in April under Made in Katana’s new podcast division, MIK Made, the studio expected strong engagement with Gen Z audiences.
What they didn’t predict was the scale. More than one million streams and views across platforms in its first month, and it’s growing, fast. It’s now a Top Ten podcast in the US too.
The audience data tells a clear story. As a vodcast, it draws a heavily female base, 85–90 per cent, with a core skew of 18–34 but a surprising reach into older demographics, that is unexpected.
MIK Made’s Amelia Chappelow is the show’s Executive Producer. Her impressive credits include working at Triple J, and as EP on the hugely successfully podcasts Storytime with Seth Rogen, I Weigh with Jameela Jamil and Who is Daniel Johns?
Amelia Chappelow
She says the format of Kayla’s podcast was clear and is shaped around the content creator’s strengths. “She’s one of the rare creators who can jump from short-form to long-form. She knows the beats, she’s curious, and she connects with guests in a way you can’t teach,” she says.
Kayla’s trademark intimacy is baked into the production. Episodes are recorded wherever she feels most comfortable, often on her bed, and without the trappings of a traditional studio. “I don’t want it to feel like I’m pretending to be a newsreader,” she says. “I want it to be easy and real. If I wait too long, I lose motivation, so I just press record and start talking.”
She says some of that is down to her ADHD diagnosis, but some of that is also down to the way she’s found success on social media. Her intimate delivery, spontaneous posts and unfiltered delivery.
If the vodcast was heavily produced or scripted, Chappelow and Kayla feared her fans wouldn’t see it as authentic, and as a result there are no long introduction sections, title credits or stylised studios for her to talk from. “It’s natural,” says Chappelow. “And that’s the way it works.”
‘Balanced look at life’
“With ADHD, it’s definitely a struggle,” she says. “Some days l’m so great, I’m so motivated, and then other days, I just don’t want to do anything.
“But the medication has helped me have a more balanced look of life. My ADHD means I am a very creative person, and maybe I wasn’t the best at school, but I’ve always excelled in other ways. I’m so happy that I have the personality and the creativity that I do.”
But, even so, the move from short social posts to a longer-form podcast was a big leap.
“I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I first got into this,” Kayla says when she first started to talk to her agent Lem Zakharia about the idea of a vodcast. “People had been asking for longer-form content for ages.
“TikTok is great, but it’s fast. The podcast lets me talk about things I wouldn’t cram into a 30-second clip, even something as simple as what I’m doing next month.”
“I like to have control over things,” she adds. “I had to let go of that. Obviously I do everything myself on social, so giving it to other people to edit was hard, and so is talking to producers about content. That was the biggest thing for me, but it’s been good.”
Kayla Jade’s podcast has surpassed all expectations.
The show was still in its planning stages when the launch was suddenly brought forward, after Kayla was “outed” as a mother by a section of social media followers who appeared to want to label her as fake for not talking about her children.
‘She didn’t need scripting. It was raw’
Within days, Kayla had recorded her first episode dealing with the intrusion and the fall-out. The vlog was raw, unfiltered and answered as many questions as she felt she could face at the time. There were tears, some laughter but also a vulnerability that fans fully supported.
“It was her story to tell, in her own space,” says Chappelow. “Rather than letting speculation run, we worked to get it out quickly. She didn’t need scripting, she just talked. It was raw and it was hers.”
Kayla says the experience was confronting. “I hadn’t planned on doing that then. I mean, I had planned for a podcast where I was going to say I had kids but try to talk about it in a natural way, but that was very much sprung on me.
“We had an episode already lined up, but I said I think I need to talk about it. So that’s when I set up the camera, and told my side of it.
“Safety is a big thing for me. So obviously, I don’t want to harm the safety of my family, me or, even my clients, but sometimes you need to deal with what comes up and what feels natural.”
Working with brands
That unscripted style runs through every episode. From feminism, her past eating disorder, mental health and sex work, Kayla interviews friends, fellow s-workers, and subject experts, including a recent episode on PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) that Chappelow cites as a standout.
“Kayla found the expert herself, came fully prepared, and didn’t need me to feed her a single question. She asked what her audience would want to know and what she wanted to know, that’s what makes her so strong as a host.”
Commercially, the podcast works with brands, but there are clear boundaries around what will and won’t be promoted, and as Kayla is not aligned to one platform like Acast or Listner, the ultimate decision rests with Kayla.
Kay
“I only work with brands I truly align with,” she says. “If it’s not authentic, it’s not happening. I’ve even ended agreements when brands asked me to change things that didn’t fit my values.”
Chappelow says that independence is deliberate. “Being outside a major network means you can choose partnerships on your terms, and you own the IP.”
Reports of products Kayla promotes selling-out are rife across the media. One client, Georgia Geminder, the founder of Gem deodorant, took to the company’s TikTok account following the product’s viral success to confirm they were working hard to replenish stock.
Geminder told news.com.au, “Blue Eyed Kayla Jade has made our small business go completely viral! Over four days, we’ve sold out nationwide, with one product being sold every three seconds.”
Gen Z strategy
For MIK Made, Storytime is also a proof point in its Gen Z strategy. “We meet audiences where they already are, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, but the audio has to stand on its own,” says Chappelow. “Video podcasts are now standard for growth, but if the audio doesn’t work, the format won’t last. We’re future-proofing so the show could live anywhere, even on a streaming service.”
So does that mean TV is next for Kayla?
Kayla isn’t mapping out the next stage in detail. “I’ve never planned anything,” she says. “I just see where it goes. The opportunities that have already come from the podcast are incredible, so anything else is a bonus.”
And is there anything else she wants to do with all the opportunities on offer?
“I’m not sure,” she says honestly. “There was a free ad that I did for a company that gives free period products to women. So even just like, shouting out companies that deserve a shout out, like, I’m happy doing that.”
Chappelow keeps a list of potential guests and ideas on hand, but says the direction will always come from the host. “It works because it’s her,” she says. “Our job is just making sure the audience can find it.”