If you’ve ever been on Instagram or TikTok, you’ve likely seen a cute video of a dog with thousands of views and followers. Even if you’re not looking to become the next social media sensation, it can be fun to share cute photos, videos, and collaborate with other pet parents. Here are some tips and tricks to help boost your dog’s social media presence.
Find your dog’s niche
A niche is the specific thing you’ll focus on when creating your dog’s account. A niche can help you fit in better in a specific category, such as with your dog’s breed or activities they enjoy. Look for niches such as breed-specific accounts, activities such as flyball or agility, or hobbies like dressing up or traveling. By narrowing down your content, you can more easily target viewers that have the same interests.
Create engaging content
Once you’ve found your niche, it’s time to create some great content. You’ll want to take the time to make sure what you’re creating is high quality. Be sure to pick spots that offer good lighting or interesting backgrounds, use a high-quality camera, and retake photos or videos as needed if you miss the shot. Your dog should be front-and-center and the main focus of anything you post. Blurry photos or videos that don’t get to the point often cause people to click away instead of engaging.
It’s also good to have a consistent posting schedule. This doesn’t have to be a million videos or photos in a day, but choosing a specific time each week, day, or multiple times a day to post can help your audience know when to expect your next post. Many social media sites also reward users for posting consistently by bumping them up in their algorithms. You can also use a posting scheduler or see if the social media site you’re using offers one to help make scheduling posts a breeze.
Collaborate with other accounts
Collaboration is a great way to reach new followers or engage with larger brands. Once you have some posts and some followers, you can collaborate with other accounts. If you participate in activities such as flyball or agility with your dog, see if anyone else in your group also posts on social media. Or, if you have followers that post in the same niche, reach out with a private message to see if they would be interested in working together.
If you’ve amassed a larger following, pet brands or other large dog accounts may be interested in collaborating as well. Often, these brands will provide products that they might want to be reviewed or showcased to your following. Just be sure to follow any disclosure rules or guidelines provided by the company and social media site. You want to be honest with your followers!
Keep your dog’s social media presence fun and positive
Sometimes, negative comments and interactions can happen. Always strive to stay fun, positive, and professional. If you’re experiencing negative interactions, it’s OK to block a follower or delete a comment to avoid worsening tensions. If there’s a legitimate issue, be sure to address it in a kind, positive, and honest manner. Yelling, fighting, or being rude back doesn’t help!
Above all, you want to keep your dog’s social media presence light, positive, and most of all exciting for you. You started the account as a way to have fun, share ideas, and spend time with your dog. Now’s the chance to go out and have a tail-wagging adventure together!
