Create a social media account for your dog and with several thousand followers, you could become a pet influencer who brands want to work with. We speak to three pet influencers, a brand, and an agency for their tips on making your pet a social media star.
Incase you haven’t noticed, dogs are all over social media! There are literally millions of dog-related accounts and the ‘dog influencer’ phenomenon has become a major part of social media culture with more and more dogs having their own dedicated accounts and followings.
Your Dog spoke to some everyday dog lovers who are making a name for their mutts on social media…and having a lot of fun doing it!
@trufflethesprocker
Truffle is a Sprocker Spaniel with 34.4k followers on Instagram, run by owners, Chloe and Charlie. Chloe says:
“We started the account when Truffle was just eight weeks old to capture the excitement leading up to bringing her home. Initially, it was just a fun way to share her daily adventures and adorable moments with friends and family. Then we quickly discovered that people were genuinely interested in seeing her unique antics and the bond we share. It evolved into a platform where we could connect with other dog lovers and create a community centred around the joy that pets bring into our lives.
“Truffle is always by our side, so our content ideas come naturally. We love showcasing her adventures as we explore dog-friendly places, new cities, and even different countries. Whether we’re visiting a pet-friendly hotel or discovering new sports together, we capture those moments to share her journey and inspire other dog lovers to explore with their dogs.
“I think posting about your pet is all about keeping things fun and real. Just like in everyday life, we like to mix it up and try new things.
“ Whether it’s showing off dog-friendly places or hopping on a trend, it’s all about having fun and doing what fits naturally into our everyday lives.
“We like to collaborate with brands that truly prioritise Truffle’s welfare. If a product enhances Truffle’s health and well-being or makes our life easier, then it’s a great fit for us.
“Running an account for Truffle hasn’t changed our routine drastically, but it’s made us more intentional about spending time with her and capturing those special moments. It’s given us more opportunities to explore new places and try new things together, which has been really fun. Plus, it’s lovely to see others share their love for Truffle – it feels like we’ve built this amazing community of dog lovers!”
Meet @the_foxy_margot
Margot is a cheeky Fox Terrier with 18.4K followers on Instagram. Margot’s owner,
Liz, says:
“I started Margot’s Instagram account in 2020 as a bit of a joke. I work for a pet brand marketing agency and someone in the office had just made an account for their cat. I suppose I was being a bit competitive!
“What started out as a bit of fun soon turned into a hobby. When I started posting on Margot’s account regularly, most of my family and friends thought I’d gone a bit mad. But it was so much fun, and it’s led me to meet some really lovely fellow dog owners over the past four years from all over the world. We all have our love of dogs in common and funny pictures and reels offer some much-needed respite from all the horrible things going on in the world. For me, there’s the added bonus that it acts as market research for my job and quite a few brands ask Margot to showcase their products.
“Margot is full of character, so she soon picked up a following without me posting much. Her ‘signature’ thing is her funny talking. She sounds like a motorcycle revving up! A couple of hundred followers to start with turned into a thousand after a few months – and now she has over 18K, I really don’t do much more than post when I have the time to. It’s all very spontaneous.
“Margot first started to get approached by brands when she hit the eight thousand mark and it was quite exciting. But we only ever agree to promote things we genuinely love, which isn’t that often to be honest. I think her followers like the fact that she isn’t always trying to sell them something. When we do talk about a product or service, they know it must be good!”
Why brands love an authentic animal influencer
Rachel Duffy is Commercial Director at NAKEDDOG which uses influencers to educate dog owners about raw feeding... and it’s working! She says:
“Raw feeding is still an emerging trend, only accounting for about 5% of the dog food market, so there are still lots of owners who don’t know much about it… or how to do it. Some dog owners are put off by the idea that it’s complicated and messy, when it doesn’t have to be! Working with influencers helps us change perceptions that might put some people off and provides lots of colourful, fun content for our channels.
“Having influencers tell their own NAKEDDOG stories is so important because it allows us to talk to customers through the lens of all the real people who feed our recipes to their pets. We already know our food is fantastic and helps dogs live their best life, but that message means so much more coming direct from a genuine consumer who’s seen the difference it’s made to their pet. We always tell the ‘NAKED’ truth about our food – how it’s made and what goes into it – and influencers help us do that, too.
We initially ran a recruitment drive to find our NAKEDDOG ambassadors and got such an overwhelming response to our shoutout on social media. For us, influencing has never been about pets posed next to our packaging. We’re much more interested in how NAKEDDOG fits into happy, energetic dog lives and the brilliant content our influencers create really brings our brand to life. They’re so funny and creative – we still get excited to see new reels and pictures when they land!
“For any aspiring dog influencer, I would say that getting your dog’s unique character across is what matters most. It was that genuine, well-crafted storytelling that caught our eye. Maybe your pet has a funny quirk, a clever trick, or cute characteristic? Whatever it is, show it off! You don’t have to have millions of followers but if you’ve built a tribe of other owners that love what you’re posting, that’s a great place to start.”
Meet @gusthelandseal
Gus has over 51.8k followers on Instagram and 245K on TikTok. His owner, Ryan runs both accounts:
“Gus’ account took off pretty fast…I mean, who doesn’t love puppy photos? By the time he was a year old, he’d gathered 15k followers on Instagram and it’s been growing ever since! I totally didn’t expect any of it. We’ve had a few videos take off both on Instagram and TikTok, which have then been shared on other platforms including LADBible, Imjustbait, and Animals Doing Things. One of his videos clocked up 19m views!
“Keeping content authentic is a big thing for us. We have had several brand ambassadorial offers over the years, but we will only collaborate with companies that match our values and what we truly believe in.
“There’s a huge negative stigma on bully breeds worldwide and we strive to promote positivity and show what these breeds are truly like. I’m a proud Bully breed advocate and will be for life.
“Gus and I do everything together and enjoy the great outdoors, especially our little adventures in the van. This makes creating content enjoyable for us while out exploring. One day, I hope to get a passport for Gus and take him on a European road trip.
“The best advice I would give to anyone wanting to post about their pet is to make sure you’re always having fun, never put too much stress on yourself and don’t feel disappointed if you feel some of your content hasn’t gone the way you thought it would. Enjoying every step of the journey is the most important thing. We’ve made lifelong friends all around the world doing this.”
How to make it as a pet influencer
Top tips from Jo Gordon, Head Booker at the multi-award winning Urban Paws Agency:
- Be authentic. We vet our influencers rigorously and can spot when someone has purchased followers or engagement
l Post regularly. It keeps your profile active and interesting, which attracts more followers and helps you make genuine connections
- Tag brands you work with. Tagging in posts not only boosts your visibility but also strengthens your relationships, leading to more opportunities
- Be passionate. At Urban Paws, we are advocates
for animal welfare, and we expect our influencers to share this commitment
- Showcase responsible pet ownership in whatever you post
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