Tag: instagram

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Creator's Academy

Boosting your posts on Instagram

Now that you have an Instagram Creator Account, you will have noticed a new button below your posts: “Boost Post”. What does it do? Can you really boost a post? We’ll give you a quick tour of this new function for your pet influencing journey.

What does it mean to boost posts?

When you boost a post on Instagram, you’re making it more visible to a targeted group of people on Instagram. By paying social media platforms, you can amplify your reach to your followers, a recommended audience, or a targeted audience. Your boosted post will then show up as a sponsored post on your audience’s feed.

How to boost your posts

1. Click the “Promote” button at the bottom of your post.

2. Pick a goal.

To boost your post, you need to first know what the boost does for it — that is your goal. Do you want more people to visit your profile? Do you want them to click a link to another website? Or do you want them to message you more? Whatever your goal is for the specific post you want to boost, make sure you choose the option that best aligns with it.

3. Choose an audience.

After choosing your goal, you can pick from three different targeting options: Special requirements, Automatic, and Create your own. 

Special Requirements lets you target based on very niche categories.

Automatic tells Instagram to target people who have similar demographics and browsing trends as your followers.

Create Your Own lets you target specific people, based on their age, location and interests.

4. Set your budget and duration.

Based on the budget and duration you set, Instagram will estimate the expected reach and clicks that your post will attract after you set your post’s budget and ad duration.

Expected reach refers to the estimated number of users who might see your post.

Budget refers to how much money you’re willing to spend to reach your target audience.

Duration refers to how long your boost will last. It can be as short as one day, and as long as one month.

5. Review

Check that your settings are all in order before confirming your boost!

Now that you know how to boost your posts, you can reach out to more audiences!

To find out more about pet influencing, click here.

Ready to kickstart your pet-fluencing journey? Join our community of pet influencers and explore opportunities here.

Categories
Creator's Academy

Writing a good caption

Instagram is a platform that focuses on visuals, but to really make your post shine, it needs to be supported by a good caption. In four steps, we will guide you through the process of writing a good caption for your Instagram posts.

Step-by-Step

  1. The message
  2. Hook, line, and sinker
  3. Sensory words
  4. Strike a conversation

Step 1: The message

Think of the story you want to tell. Who are you telling it to? What is this post about? What is the point of this post? A picture can tell a thousand words, but why let it do all the talking? An Instagram caption can hold up to 2,200 characters (that’s anywhere between 310 words to 550 words). That means you don’t have to exhaust the limit, but you will have a lot of space to share how you feel.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good Caption:
Maxie lying down next to me when I’m sickMaxie came to my side to nurse me, I feel better already!

Step 2: Hook, line, and sinker

First impressions count. Not just for your photo, but also for your captions. Instagram has a really nifty automatic function that truncates your captions if they’re too long — 125 characters (up to 20 words) to be exact. Your opening line needs to have a hook, something that makes your audience want to read more. In that regard, you can opt for a short sentence, then separate your caption with a line-break (the return key on your keyboard). Grab your audience’s attention in those first 125 characters to draw them in.

Photo by Zen Chung from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good Caption:
The interview at the cafe was a success and Snuffles told me I was just the man he was looking for. I will be starting work in his hooman cafe, run entirely by dogs, starting Monday.I’m going to work at a Hooman Cafe run by dogs! Snuffles said I was “just the man [he] was looking for”. 

Anyway, I’m starting Monday, thanks Snuffles!
Poor Caption (truncated):Good Caption (truncated):
The interview at the cafe was a success and Snuffles told me I was just the man he was looking for… moreDid a dog just hire me?… more

Step 3: Sensory words

If there’s one thing people underestimate about photos in social media, it’s that your audience really appreciates it when you describe your experience as vividly as possible. Eating something new and novel? Describe its flavours and complexities. Travelling to a new location? Describe its sceneries and moods. Utilise the senses of touch, taste, smell, sound, sight, emotion, and thought to convey your story.

You can also use emojis to your caption to add value and make it less wordy!

Photo by Dids from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good Caption:
She wants ice creamJust as the tiger stalks a deer, so too does Mocha’s eyes gleam on her prey…??

Step 4: Strike a conversation

When it comes to content creation, it pays to not just tell a story but also start a conversation with the audience. This is especially true for sponsorships, where you’d want to promote a product or brand.

Include a call-to-action (CTA)

A CTA is the simplest way to engage your audience. Having a CTA will direct them in the direction you want them to go. Be it to sign a petition, to visit a brand’s website, or to participate in some pet jobs. CTAs are also useful when there’s too much information to share, so redirecting them to another site would make things easier for you.

Credits and Hashtags

When doing sponsored posts (or simply reposts), remember to credit your sources and partners. For your sponsors, it generates traffic; for your sources, it’s good manners. It also costs nothing to credit and tag them, so it’s a win-win! Similarly, hashtags help to bring new audiences to your post through the explore function. Instagram has a limit of 30 hashtags per post, but if that makes your caption look too chunky, you can always put them in a separate comment.

Ask a question

It’s as simple as that. People are compelled to answer whenever they are posed with a question. This also becomes a prompt for conversations to happen in your comments.

Photo by Korina Stecenko from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good caption:
Cherub’s soft toy. Good for cats.How do your pawpals wind down on lazy Sundays? 

Granger likes to snuggle her favourite toy from @Cherub.


Visit their store for a 10% discount today ? 

#CherubToys #CatsOfInstagram

You don’t need to be a wordsmith to write good captions! Just remember these tips and you’ll be able to better engage your audiences. Stacey McLachlan also experimented with caption lengths to see how length affects engagement (so you don’t have to). You can click here to see how the experiment went.

To find out more about pet influencing, click here.

Ready to kickstart your pet-fluencing journey? Join our community of pet influencers and explore opportunities here.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

Categories
Creator's Academy

Sponsorships vs Exclusivity

Everybody knows what sponsorships are — at least vaguely. We last explored how to get your pet sponsored too. However, there is another category of partnerships. Exclusivity. How are they different? Is one better than the other? Lets know more about exclusivity and understand why it is an equally valid strategy for Pet Influencers.

Definitions

Exclusivity

Working with a brand for a set period of time. During this time, you are not allowed to promote any other brand. “Which brand” will depend on the contract — some exclusivities do allow you to work with other brands, so long as they are not in the same category, or competitors of the brand you are working with..

Because of that, exclusivities may be restrictive in its own way. When you’re promoting a brand as an exclusive ambassador, you won’t be able to promote other brands with us. If you have been offered an exclusive contract, do consider the benefits as well as the contract terms carefully before accepting.

Sponsorship

Promoting or a product, event, or activity to raise brand awareness for the client. Sponsorships are more flexible because of the requirements per sponsor — most tend to be a one-time project. Of course, brands would definitely want some commitment back. A good rule-of-thumb would be to avoid promoting similar products from other brands during your sponsorship.

Benefits

While exclusivity may restrict the number of offers you can take up at any one time, it’s not without its benefits. 

Sponsorships play at versatility. Because sponsorships tend to have a short campaign period, you can use the fast-paced premise of the jobs to get your name out to a wider audience much faster. Your followers and potential partners will see you on media and current events more often, which creates a lasting impression.Exclusivities however, are all about being selective. Having many sponsorships may get your pawpal seen in the early game, but over time you may have to balance your feed with more organic posts or risk losing authenticity. In the case of exclusivities, being selective and deliberate, signals to your potential partners that you are invested in their cause, not just their profits. Your words carry more weight because you chose to endorse these brands.

How to make the most out of each

Sponsorships : Form bonds, create long term connections

Sponsorships come and go really quickly. So one way to maximize your opportunities is to know not just your own audience, but also your partners’ usual audience. If you can engage them, your partners are more likely to  find you again to do more sponsorships.

Exclusivity : Think community-first, be wary of competitors

When speaking for your partner, always keep in mind how your audience will feel about you and the brand when you post something. Think about how your pawpal can stay true to themselves while still representing a brand. Take note of what your partner’s competitors are up to, and avoid working with them when your exclusivity ends.

Keen to have your furkid sponsored?
Join us to begin your journey here.

For more useful articles on pet influencing, click here.

Featured Photo by Ivan Babydov from Pexels

Categories
Creator's Academy

Understanding Instagram Insights

Earlier this week, we gave you a small glimpse of the perks of using an Instagram Creator Account (you can read about it here). One of the big game-changers you get that personal accounts don’t get is the Insights feature. By looking at insights, creators like you will be able to identify how your followers engage with your content, which will improve your Instagram strategy.

?? Does that sound too complicated???
Well, let’s make it easy to understand!

“Reach” out to your audience effectively

In the ‘Reach’ section, you will get a good idea of how many people are looking at your posts. Your reach covers data like :

  • Impressions – How often your posts were seen (if the same person looks at it 5 times, that is also 5 impressions)
  • Account Activity – When someone visits your Profile
  • Top Posts – Posts that your followers keep going back to
  • Top Stories – Instagram Stories posts that got the most views and engagement.

Top IGTV Videos – IGTV videos that have the most views and comments

You can also see the insights for a single Instagram post too! Each image in your profile will have its own “view insights” button. These insights will show what actions users took on your profile when they see your post. If your post includes links to other sites, the insights will reflect those site visits as well!

Know how “Discovery” affects your engagement

If you’ve been using Instagram long enough, you’ll know that there are many ways for users to find your post. To name a few:

  • From your Home page
  • By visiting your profile
  • Through the Explore tab
  • By searching specific hashtags
  • By seeing posts from similar location tags

Insights on the “Discover”  tab will let you know how each post is found. It also shows how likely the post was seen by someone who has not yet followed you. Having a good amount of reach is a healthy sign that your pawpals are being spotted. ??

Story Insights are slightly different

Your Instagram Stories, as fleeting as they are, are more than just one-time videos of your pawpals doing zoomies in the park. Because of how easy it is to watch, it can end up being really effective in sharing quick content. Some data unique to Story Insights include:

  • Taps Forward / Taps Back – The number of times your story gets skipped to your next one, or tapped to show your previous story
  • Replies – How many times someone starts a conversation by replying to your story
  • Swipe Aways / Exits – More brutal than your taps forward, these refer to the number of times users skip your stories, either to the next account’s stories, or to go back to their home feed.

Now that you know…

Now that you know how to look at your insights, you’ll be able to come up with better strategies to reach out to other pawrents (and even collaborators!) Here are some strategies you can follow:

Tip 1: Make Content that Collaborators will like

Through insights, you will know which posts and stories get more impressions. If the insights show that your followers like a picture of your cat having an existential crisis more than one of your cat just looking at the camera, then it’s time to consider posting more comical content that shows off your pawpal’s character and personality.



Photo Credits : @zil.zed.bsh

Tip 2 : Scheduling your Posts

Your audience is sure to see your content at different times of the day, but your insights will reveal that they have a preferred time to browse Instagram. Once you know that, you can time your posts so that they can appear when you have the most of your followers online

Tip 3 : Include the right hashtags

It’s important to make sure that your posts aren’t just seen by your followers, but also by brands and other users that haven’t followed you. Using the “Discovery” feature, you will now understand which hashtags Instagrammers are more likely to use. From there, it is just a matter of using the right hashtags for your posts for a wider reach.

You can also use hashtag generators that can recommend the right hashtags based on your post. Just drop the photo or the post and watch the magic happen!

Instagram doesn’t have to be all business. Click here to find out how you can do more with your pets on Instagram.

Featured image by No Longer Here on Pixabay

Categories
Creator's Academy

5 tips to up your Instagram game!

Is your pet more famous than you on social media? Do you put more effort into taking pictures of your pet than you do for yourself? Is your pet’s fanbase more than just your friends and family? If the answer is yes to all three of these questions, then you probably have a pet influencer in the making. 

Here at Pawjourr, we help your furkids reach new heights by collaborating with brands and causes that they love. You may even have already read our previous article about how to meet the criteria for becoming a pet influencer. However, pet ownership can be made much more enjoyable with the content you create for your loved one. Here are some tips that you can follow with your pet on Instagram:

  • Have a persona
  • Find out what everyone’s up to
  • #Feedgoals
  • Vary your stories
  • Quality over quantity

Have a persona

How do you share moments of your furbaby with the world? You can do so with a Hooman voice or your Pawpal voice. A Hooman voice is essentially you talking about your pet from your perspective. By giving your friends a look into your journey as a pet owner, other pawrents will find you more relatable and even chat with you for a playdate!

Let the world know what your furbabies are up to! Did your cat scratch the sofa? How naughty, you should talk about that! Did your birb dance to a catchy tune? Adorable! We want to see it too!

You can give your pets more personality with a Pawpal Voice. You’d pretty much be giving your fans a look into your pet’s thoughts and musings. How they interact with their hooman and the world around them. You could even try using unique or funny language styles in the captions to have more fun with the moment!

If ur pet iz derp, 
play wif words.
If your pet… is slow… and listless… your posts… could reflect that… as well…

Find out what everyone’s up to

Instagram is a good way for your pawpal to make more friends. Keep exploring various activities with your pet and find what makes for a fun time for the both of you! Look at the hashtags and trends that other pawrents are doing with their pawpals and consider trying them out too. When your pet is having fun, other pawrents will want to join in. Warm up to having conversations with them and before you know it, your doggos will be out on playdates with other pawpals!

#Feedgoals

If you would like to get noticed by collaborators and brands, it is important that you are not all business. Our furbabies’ comfort and joy are paramount after all! You can always post pictures that give products and brands a shoutout, but we recommend not doing so too often. Plan a schedule for yourself, decide when you will be posting more content and use a consistent editing style for your photos (we’ll go into that later). A good mix of casual posts to product shoutouts — say, 3 casual posts for every 1 product shoutout — would make your profile more authentic and fun.

Vary your stories

Instagram Stories come in many forms like Boomerangs, Layouts, and just the simple but versatile Create function. All of these are fun ways to quickly share pictures and videos of your pawpals.

• Boomerang — Create videos that make your pet look like they’re derping back and forth
• Layouts — Make collages out of multiple photos and share them as either a story or a post
• Create — Engage your audience through a variety of prompts and customisations

By adding various quick edits like filters, stickers, and music, your precious moments can become even prettier!

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by b♾merang (@boomerangfrominstagram)

Quality over Quantity

As you have realised, our furbabies will not always be in the mood to sit around for us to take pictures of them. You won’t be able to post new content everyday. So rather than trying to flood your Instagram feed with posts every day, you could instead take more shots at one time and spread those posts over a few days and weeks.

As for the photos that you post, you could make them prettier with photo editing apps like VSCO and Snapseed. A simple snapshot of your favourite pawpal could look magical through a quick edit!

  • Original
  • With Photo Edits
  • Using Preset

Photo credit : @hoshisheltie

That’s all the tips we have for now!
Find out how the folks at Pawjourr supports your journey as a content creator. For more photography tips, you can read this article!

Stay tuned on this space for more content, we look forward to your new curated instafeed!

Categories
Creator's Academy

Converting To A Creator Account : What to expect

Instagram Creator Accounts are perfect for pawrents looking to make the most out of their instagram experience. If you’re looking to find out more about the relationship between your audience and the content you post, this article will bring you up to speed.

Detailed insights and analytics

Insights are pivotal to growing your presence on Instagram. By understanding how your audience feels about the content you create, you also understand what they want to see more of, and therefore better engage with them. Insights and analytics include:

  1. Overview of Reach and Impressions

This basically refers to what people have done on your profile

  1. Audience Insights

Audience insights includes the tally of accounts followed or unfollowed, the age range of your audience, where they are most likely to interact with you from geographically, and when they are most active

  1. Content Performance

The performance of your posts, Instagram Stories, and IGTVs are measured through customisable factors like Impressions, likes, comments, follows, and many others

Streamlined Messaging

To make messaging easier and less cluttered, Instagram’s Creator Accounts help to organise your messages into 3 boxes:

  1. Primary

Your Primary Inbox is the tab that you’d like to see first. It will be set for keeping in contact with people you follow or interact with often. You will want to be notified whenever they reach out to you.

  1. General 

The General Inbox will be for followers interacting with you for the first time. Notifications are turned off for messages in the general tab, but you can always turn them on later.

  1. Requests 

Requests are messages from accounts that you do not follow. Spam-related messages also fall into this category.

Flexibility to brand your name

Instagram Creator Accounts have the option to choose a category label that allows for other brands and companies to identify you. Many of these categories are better aligned for personal brands and influencers, rather than businesses. This way, you will be able to find something that resonates with your brand.

On the business side of things, category labels are great for classifying what you are specialised in. A brand who sees your profile will know at a glance if your values align with theirs, so it saves both your time and theirs!

Shoppable Posts

For the inner entrepreneur in you, Instagram has an easy way to turn your followers into customers. Using a function known as Instagram Shoppable posts, you can link photos of your products — or products of brand partners — to the Instagram Shop catalog. Shoppable posts are great for promoting your personal fan merchandise as they allow you to combine valuable context (e.g. size options, colour palette, etc.) without cluttering your captions, and also gives a direct route to the shop.

Now that you are more familiar with Instagram’s Creator Account functions, you will be able to make a more informed decision on setting it up. Are you ready to make the switch?

Image Credits : Cover Photo by energepic.com from Pexels

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Community Stories Creator's Academy

Starting a social media page for your pet

How to make your pet an Instagram star

Official Twitter account of my two pets

Whiskers started her own Instagram account just last year, and ever since it has garnered 130+ followers as of today. Every time she comes out to play, there would be at least one post of her mischief in the house. Now that there is another member of the family – Miku, we would need a combined social media page – in the form of a twitter account.

Typically, we would post at least one to two times whenever Whiskers is on the loose. Once, we caught her in the act of peeing on our sofa (cause she’s shameless) and it garnered just about 9 likes as of today.

Sometimes, we would just post about her being lazy and sleeping in her cage or elsewhere in our house cause rabbits can sometimes be lazy and not come out to play. Even as she lazes around, she still is cute!

Even when lazy, she still is a cutie! <3

Oftentimes, this is the spot where she likes to “camp” out since it is dark and rabbits prefer to hide in a place that is dark and sheltered from outside so that they will feel safe from predators. (Here is a vid of her eating her favorite snack while in her favorite hiding spot! => https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEbEX_lDLhR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)

Another time, I took a pic of her lying down under our wooden cupboard and edited out the background to make her look like she’s at the beach in summer for a photo competition, as using filters or background effects can add more magic to your photos to make them really stand out.

This shows that sometimes, your furkid doesn’t need to be awake and active in order to be cute. Their cutest moments can come even when they are out like a light.

The day finally came when Whiskers hit 100 followers on Instagram, and she is ready to do a sponsored post. I celebrated it by doing an IG story with party filters (which has now disappeared due to the nature of IG stories).

When Miku finally came to our family late last year, I was wondering whether to make a combined page for them since someone already started an IG account for her. Then, I decided to turn to twitter and make a combined account specially for both fur kids. One of the pics I uploaded for Miku was this:

Still pic of Miku in 2020

With a combined twitter account I can finally post pics and vids of both of these two furry friends, or simply type a tweet like making a 10-word blog about the rabbit and the pomapoo. Occasionally, I would tweet about some cute bunny vids that I find on IG. Twitter can also be a way to promote Whiskers’ Instagram account, while I use instagram to promote their twitter at the same time so both pages end up helping each other.

My tweet promoting whiskers_hollandlop on IG

So what are you waiting for? Go and follow Miku and Whiskers on Twitter and Instagram to show them some love! Links are embedded in the first paragraph! <3<3<3