Is your pet the cutest? Do they always naturally find the best light and angle in photos? Do people greet them before you? If you answered yes to any of these, you may have a pet influencer in waiting. Help them fulfill their potential to get into the social media spotlight.
1. Create an Account Just for Them
Don’t just use your personal account – set up a separate and official presence for your pet. Choose one or two main platforms instead of trying to maintain accounts on all of them.
Start with Instagram since it’s really popular for pet accounts. Plus, it’s easy to share your Insta posts to a Facebook page automatically if you want to have a Facebook presence.
2. Find an Angle
What’s your pet’s angle? What’s their special quality? Think about building your brand around that. Find something that naturally happens in their life (that you approve of and like) and use that as your angle and brand.
Do they like adventure?
Are they more of a derpy couch potato?
Are they a film critic or foodie?
Do they get into crazy predicaments with your human baby?
3. Pick a Good Descriptive Name
Find the right balance between boring and too cutesy. A lot of pet accounts include the pet’s name and then a descriptor of some sort including their species, breed, or even their “angle.” For example, if it’s a cat who hikes, a good name could be “Freddy The Hiking Cat.”
Sometimes a pun can work too. Whatever you choose, make it easy and memorable for people to talk about and find – and don’t change the name after you’ve decided. If that means taking more time to find a name that suits your pet, so be it. Changing the name later will confuse your followers, (and potential followers) and injure your brand value and growth.
4. Create Content Ahead of Time
Put up several quality posts before you fully launch. Have at least a few weeks’ worth of content so your new followers have plenty to look at and engage with when they visit you.
When people first discover you, they will scroll through your content and make a decision within seconds to follow you or not. Make it impossible for them to leave without making that commitment!
Pro Tip: Pay attention to what other successful pet accounts do and replicate it in pet influencer style. Never copy content – there’s enough to go around!
5. Post High Quality Content
Accounts that get the most followers and engagement offer high-quality photos and writing, so make sure yours features both. Consider taking a photography or writing course or watch YouTube tutorials to make it look like you know what you’re doing.
6. Know Your Hashtags
Start a spreadsheet and keep track of the hashtags you see other strong pet accounts use. Add columns to help separate them by day or special events or anything like that. Record pet-related tags and any related to your soon-to-be Instagram famous pet. For example, if you’re out for a hike, throw some outdoor-related tags in there.
The more interests your tags spread across, the more exposure pet influencer account will get. Use them liberally and change them up when you post. Consider creating a custom hashtag (like Embrace’s #EmbraceYourPets) for your pet that you use on all posts. Search it first to make sure it’s not being used elsewhere.
7. Post Regularly
Once you’ve launched, post on a regular schedule. Depending on the platform and your followers, come up with a schedule that meets their appetite level.
Consider your brand and what your own personal capacity is for posting. That might mean once a week, once a day, or something else. You may even want to decide on themes for each day that you hashtag – or join in on pre-existing ones, like #TongueOutTuesday.
8. Be a Follower
Follow accounts that you like, are successful, and vibe with your brand. If you and your pet love to go on adventures, follow fellow hikers, travelers, or beachgoers. Comment on and interact with their posts.
It’s okay to follow more people than you have followers at first, but try not to make the gap too large. Ideally, you want your number of followers to be exponentially larger than those you follow.
9. Use All Available Features
Social media platforms change and get upgraded with new features all the time. Stay informed about them and use them as soon as they roll out. For example, “story” features on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat are very popular. Don’t forget about IGTV and Reels too! These features are pretty much a standard part of successful social media brands. If you don’t know how to use a feature, Google it and watch some how-to videos.
There you have it – a few tips to get you started on the road to social media stardom! Remember us when your pet is famous!