Think Your Pet’s a Star? The Dos and Don’ts of Running a Pet Instagram Account

So, you think your pet’s a star, do you? I mean, obviously. Just look at them! That face, that fur, that funny way they cock their head. What’s not to love? The internet is definitely going to flip for them. And once they do, lucrative brand deals and a very sassy resignation letter to your ungrateful corporate overlord are sure to follow. 

But before you can set social media (and your 9 to 5) on fire, there are a few things you need to know: the dos and don’ts of pet social media. Because this isn’t a game. Unless your whole thing is going to be playing games with your pet, which, come to think of it, could actually be a really cool niche for a social media pet account.

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Imagine a dog who plays chess or a cat who is obsessed with tennis. Yes, that’s the one! It’s perfect. You’ll be sipping tea at Wimbledon in custom Adidas x [your cat’s handle] sneakers in no time. But only if you follow these rules. 

Do keep it 100.

“It’s super cliché, I know, but it’s true: You have to be authentic to yourself and not just try to force content,” says pet content creator Mary Alex, the human behind the often-viral Khaleesi the cat (@the_khaleesicat on Instagram and @thekhaleesicat on TikTok). 

What does that even mean, though!? It means creating the content that you want to see. If you think something is fun or funny or it fills some weird little corner of your soul or satisfies some ineffable longing in your very being, just do it. And if you think you’re the only one who will enjoy it, you’re wrong. The human experience is vast and varied, but not to the point that there isn’t an audience out there for the special flavor of content you are most keen to deliver. 

Don’t buy fake followers.

You can’t be authentic with a bunch of fake followers. “And buying followers is really only going to hurt you in the long run,” says Colleen Wilson, founder and CEO of Pets on Q, one of the world’s leading pet influencer agencies.

Sure, you’ll be able to grow your account quickly and to the untrained eye, it may look like you’re a success, but marketers (and audiences in general) are a lot more savvy than they used to be. If they see an account with a high follower count and low engagement, they’re going to realize something is up. Quality over quantity, people! “I just had a brand choose to work with a client with 20,000 followers at the same price as someone with 200,000 followers, just due to the quality of their audience,” Wilson says. “That’s what matters.” 

In fact, just ignore the numbers all together, especially when you are starting out. Viral fame is illusive and usually short-lived, so don’t waste your time trying to chase it. Instead, allow yourself the space to explore your own unique voice and find your audience.

“Remember that not everything is going to hit and try to maintain perspective,” Alex says. “People will get so upset if a video they post only gets 100 views, but if you were in a room and 100 people were looking at you, that would be a lot. So remember that and keep creating. The audience will come.”

Do post consistently.

Alex and Wilson agree: This is a big one. “You don’t have to post every day, but be consistent,” Alex says. You need to give your followers a steady flow of content to keep them engaged. You can’t go weeks without posting and then suddenly post a bunch of stuff all at once to make up for it. That’s the content creation equivalent of crash dieting and, like a crash diet, it doesn’t work — certainly not in the long run.

Create a schedule for yourself, and stick with it. And start slow. You can always choose to post more frequently down the road, if you want to. “Don’t feel like you have to post three times a day,” Alex adds. “If you only post on Mondays and Wednesdays or Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, that’s fine.” 

Many creators, Alex included, make content in batches and then schedule it to go out over the following days and weeks. This allows them to step back from content creation for a few days without disappointing their followers and gives them the space in their schedules to respond to timely trends that they believe will resonate with their audience. 

Don’t let the haters get to you.

This is the downside of viral fame: the haters. Even if all you’re doing is posting videos of your cat playing with a piece of string, if enough people see it, someone is going to have something negative to say. So, you need to develop a thick skin.

“As nice as the community is overall, they can also be ruthless,” Alex says. “For example, I just did the concrete trend, and a lot of people seemed angry that I didn’t buy the right slab of concrete. But you can’t let negative comments stop you. There will always be people out there judging you. Online keyboard warriors come out on every video, and they will always find something to be mad about, so don’t take them too seriously. Just keep on creating.”

Do highlight what makes your pet unique.

Whatever it is that makes your cat stand out — or even just slightly less ordinary — is what you should focus on. Doing so will make it easier to find your voice, engage your pet in authentic ways, consistently create content, and find your audience.

Does your cat have a weird meow? Film them meowing, and set it to music or stitch videos of them vocalizing with dramatic scenes from famous movies or TV shows. Do they walk funny or have a crooked tail? Do they sleep on their back or carry around a ratty old toy like a child might carry around their baby blanket? Whatever it is that makes them special in your eyes, that’s what you should share with the world. That’s what they will respond to. 

Don’t engage in harmful or exploitative trends.

This should go without saying, but don’t do anything that hurts your pet. Don't scare them or make them uncomfortable for the sake of views or to jump on a certain trend (like this one where people pretended to get kidnapped). It’s cruel and also totally gross. “There’s quite a bit of abuse in the industry — people forcing their animals to do things they are not comfortable with. It gives me the ick,” Wilson says.

“I remember a trend where people were spraying their cats in the face with a water bottle and filming their reactions and another where they were yelling ‘Taylor Swift’ into their pet’s ear. I would never do videos like that,” Alex says.

Your pets depend on you. They trust you. Don’t betray that trust. Be nice! And if you can’t be nice, don’t have a pet in the first place. 

Do find your niche.

“If you and your pet enjoy something — like hiking, touring, dressing up, photography — do it,” Wilson says. “Have fun! There are so many cool niches in the pet space.”

It may seem counterintuitive, but the more niche you are, the more appealing you are going to be. Carving out a niche for yourself often correlates with authenticity, and that’s what it’s all about.

Also keep in mind that audiences are different on different platforms, not just in what they like but how they interact. This means that something that performs well on TikTok might not do as well on Instagram. Meanwhile, you might find that the community on Instagram is more engaged than the community on TikTok. Success in one place and with one metric doesn’t mean success universally, and that’s OK. Do what works for you, and don’t worry about the rest. 

Don’t cheap out on lighting and equipment.

When you are just starting out, creating content with your smartphone alone is fine. But as you grow your audience and start looking to partner with brands you’re going to need to deliver a more polished product and that means investing in lights, camera, costumes, etc.

“I have an entire production closet dedicated to Khaleesi,” Alex says. “She probably has more outfits than I do and I definitely spend more money on her than I do on myself.”

Do remember this is supposed to be fun.

Seriously. If you’re not having fun, what’s the point? And not just you, your pet, too. They need to be enjoying themselves just as much as you do. Otherwise, you’ll both be miserable. 

One of the best ways to ensure your pet has a good time is to offer them plenty of high-value treats. “Khaleesi really enjoys cat Go-Gurts [like Churu],” Alex says. “So if I give her treats like those, she usually enjoys any filming we do.”

And if Khaleesi isn’t enjoying it, Alex never forces her. That wouldn’t be fun for either of them.

Don’t quit your day job (yet).

I know, you wanna jump straight to the part where your pet is a big star, and you can leave your soul-sucking office job in the dust, but hold your horses. Don’t be so quick to trade one pair of handcuffs for another. Because being a successful pet influencer is a lot of work.

“People think they can just post, and everything will just happen,” Wilson says. “But that’s not the case. It’s a full-time job for most of these big influencers: engaging, building your community. Gone are the days of just following trends and posting whenever you feel like.”

Although Khaleesi’s success initially allowed Alex to leave her job, she has since decided to go back to working full time and does Khaleesi’s social media during her off hours, which is really like having two jobs instead of one. “I say I have a 9 to 5 and a 5 to 9,” she says. “I do a full time job, and then I do everything for her. A meme takes 10 to 15 minutes, but a whole music video takes hours. Khaleesi has a pea brain, so getting the perfect shot, even just a five-second clip, can take an hour or more. I’m good at [visualizing] the finished video before we start, so I usually know exactly what I need and can [identify] the perfect moment [when it happens], but it still takes time. And some days, she won’t do it.”

Then, even after she’s got the shots she needs she still has to edit them together, add music, graphics, etc. It’s a ton of work — so much so that on weekends Alex usually feels the need to disconnect from social media entirely: “My friends say, ‘You’re not even on your own accounts,’ and I’m like, ‘No, I need a break.’”

Breaks are good, though. They keep you fresh and engaged and allow you to interact with your pet in ways that have nothing to do with creating content for social media. Because at the end of the day, your pet’s not an influencer; they’re your best friend.

The likes, the follows, the brand deals, they are all just gravy. What really matters is that you and your little star are having fun together and sharing moments that make you laugh, smile, or feel a little less alone. Do that, and whether your pet winds up with 100 followers or a million, you’ll have already won.