Tag: social media

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Creator's Academy

Getting started on TikTok

It needs no explanation that Tiktok is a staple for content creation in the digital age: it is the 4th most downloaded app in Singapore and has 689 million active users worldwide. Most people prefer short clips over static photos, and TikTok is the perfect platform for such content. Videos on TikTok can be made much more easily compared to fully 16-minute Youtube videos and can be completely edited on the go. 

So here’s what you’ll need:

  1. Camera phone
  2. The TikTok App

Content creation in TikTok takes advantage of the new, mobile-first generation. Like Twitter and Instagram, the app is driven by discovery and self-expression. Done right, your content can reach a wide audience. Done better, it can leave a positive impact on your viewers and inspire them to make a difference. 

Making TikTok work for your pawpals

Keep it simple!

As short as TikTok already is, try to keep your content between 15-30 seconds long to hold your viewers’ attention without it feeling too long. Your video will be one of tens or hundreds that your audience will be seeing in one sitting. Keep your message simple and they’re more likely to remember it.

Shoot vertically

Take advantage of the full-screen experience! TikTok is one place where you don’t want to be rotating your phone for every next video (also because their app layout is fixed vertically). The recommended aspect ratio is 9:16. Shooting 16:9 just makes the video very small since you can’t zoom-in a video the way you would an Instagram post.

Use effects and texts

One thing that you might underestimate is the variety of effects and modes TikTok offers (we’ll cover this in another article). It helps if your video feels like something that can only be made with TikTok and not Instagram Stories or YouTube Shorts, so try to utilise all the tools at your disposal.

Use a good cover photo

A tried and tested formula from Youtube’s development: Choose your cover photo. A cover video serves as a glimpse of the video and the viewers should expect. If you don’t choose it, TikTok’s A.I. picks it for you.

TikTok is wildly experimental, so don’t be afraid of making new content. You can also follow us on tiktok @pawjourr to see how we make our content. Next week, we’ll be covering various TikTok functions, so stay tuned!

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm

If you’ve been on Instagram long enough, you’ll have heard that the best way to get ahead of the curve is to post at ‘peak hours’. Timings where traffic is highest so users will see your posts immediately a.k.a The Chronological Feed. Sadly, that no longer works. In a new update, Instagram rolled out the new Instagram Algorithm 2021, which is designed to decide what content you get to see when you open the app.

The algorithm at its core

Instagram’s new algorithm basically ensures that the posts and stories you see right away are the ones you want to see. Your followers all have their own habits and browsing routines, so the algorithm is summed up in four factors:

  1. Information about the post — Is that post a photo, a carousel, or a video? Where was it published from? How long is the video?
  2. Information about the poster —How interesting are you to them? How often do people engage with your content? 
  3. Browsing activity — Do they tend to watch a lot of videos? What type of content do they typically engage with? 
  4. Interaction history — Do they typically like or comment on your posts?

The algorithm in Instagram Stories is similar and more obvious — Stories of accounts you interact with most often get pushed to the front, regardless of whom posted most recently. However, since Stories are shorter and can be binge-watched, your followers are more likely to swipe to your content.

Interactions that affect the algorithm

When prioritising content for each of followers, the Instagram algorithm puts into consideration five forms of interaction that supplement the factors we just mentioned. These are:

  1. Time spent — Will they bother to spend time on the post?
  2. Likes — Will they like the post?
  3. Comments  — How likely are they to comment on the post?
  4. Saves — How likely are they to save the post?
  5. Taps on Profile — How likely are they to tap on the profile after seeing the post?

Do you want people to spend more time on your content?

The advent of the new algorithm provides us with the opportunity to explore video formats as well. If your followers are shown to like more dynamic content like videos and gifs, but you do not want to crowd your feed with too many types of posts, you can use Instagram Stories (which only lasts 24 hours but can be saved as highlights), or Instagram Reels (which has a longer duration limit and appears permanently on a separate tab).

Is this post likely to be liked or commented on?

If the content you are posting is supposed to drive engagement, it would be good to draw Insights from your followers as to what kind of posts do better on your profile. If polished, well taken photos of your pawpal get more likes and comments than your casual pictures of them, then you can consider steering your profile to a more polished feed.

Is this a post someone would save and come back to?

This is especially true for educational posts, like tips & tricks. Think about whether your post will leave your followers coming back to it for repeated views.  Loopable videos like Jade Taylor Ryan’s TikTok of her cat Ed dancing to Mr. Sandman are comfortable to watch over. And over. And over again.

Does this post include a CTA (for example, “Click the link in my bio”) that will prompt someone to tap on your profile?

If you have campaigns, promotions, or events happening on your profile, your posts should include a CTA so that your followers know there’s more in store when they go to your profile.

Now that you know…

It’s always important to remember that Instagram is always upgrading its algorithm. What works now may not work next year. So while this guide is still relevant, please take this opportunity to experiment with the content you are making and most importantly, to have fun with your pawpal while doing so

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

Categories
Creator's Academy

Exploring Instagram’s Functions

Instagram has been constantly evolving since its debut in 2010. What used to be just a platform to share images has now become a network for conversations, content creation, and e-commerce. Let’s walk through some of the latest game-changers to the app this year.

Map Search

To make the app a hub for businesses, Instagram rolled out ‘Map Search’, a function found on the top right corner of the discovery tab. The map search function makes it convenient for users to find details and tagged posts of people in a particular area.Map Search also outlines popular stores, hotels, and restaurants. This feature will show the businesses’ working hours, price details, profile links, and related posts within that area. If used properly, it could be a treasure trove of hidden gems for you and your furkids to eat, play, or just hang out at!

Reels

Instagram Reels was introduced as a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on the platform. Users can make minute-long videos with an array of effects such including:

  • Audio – Use a song from the Instagram music library, or use your own original audio
  • AR Effects – Created by both Instagram and creators around the world, these effects can be stacked on a single reel
  • Timer and Countdown – The timer allows you to record your clips hands-free.
  • Align – Line up objects from previous clips to create seamless transitions.
  • Speed – Speed up or slow down part of the video or audio in your reel.

Remix Reels

Similar to TikTok’s Duet Feature, Remix Reels was added to Instagram to film split-screen reaction videos. This format is good for reaction videos, collab performances, and creative challenges

Image from Instagram

IG Stories

While not new, Instagram has continued to make its stories more relevant, innovative, and versatile. The function brings to the table the ability to send fleeting, casual content that only lasts 24 hours. Because Instagram Stories are more engagement-driven, they come with many tools like polls, questions, and quizzes.

Stories Captions

With the captions sticker, Instagram Stories are more accessible to everyone. The feature transcribes the things you say so that you can understand the clip even without audio.

Image from Instagram

“Add Yours” Sticker

“Add Yours” allows you to create a public thread in the form of a Stories sticker. Following a prompt or a topic, users on the Instagram Story will be prompted to respond with their own rendition of the topic. The stories of every user who reacted to the prompt are then stored as a collection, turning the sticker into a content chain really quickly. The “Add Yours” sticker is great for creating engagement well past your usual circle of followers due to how easy to spread it is, allowing you to find other like-minded furfriends.

Image from Instagram

Sharing links

Replacing the swipe-up feature in Instagram Stories is the Instagram Link Sticker. As the name suggests, you can add this sticker to your Stories to link people to an external website! This works especially well if you’re running a campaign on Instagram and want to direct your followers to a website!

Instagram Guides

Bringing blog posts to Instagram, Guides can be created using pre-published posts, places, or product listings from your or public accounts. This feature creates a dedicated post in your post that serves as a way to more easily share recommendations and tips with your followers.

Image from Instagram

Instagram Live 

Instagram Live brought streaming to its platform five years ago. We were able to share content in real-time and have a dialogue with their followers — one guest at a time. Creators could use Instagram Live to engage with their audience easily and with significantly less preparation required. This year, Instagram updated Instagram Live with Live Rooms.

Live room

A fairly simple update, Instagram Live Rooms allows hosts to include up to three guests. This small increase can open a world of possibilities for creators — collaborative classes, webinars, Ask Me Anything’s (AMAs), and live performances!

Image from Instagram

Featured photo by cottonbro from Pexels

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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

Content creation pitfalls (and what you can do about them)

Content creation may seem easy at first — snap a photo of your precious furkids and share them with the world. So why aren’t you doing as well as other pawpals on Instagram? Here are some pitfalls you may have made and how you can work around them!

No.1: Feed spamming

We’ve emphasised it a few times in our previous article but we must emphasise — do not flood your Instagram feed with multiple photos. More than anything, you want your audience to remember you for quality content, not excessive content. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, recommended posting 2-3 times a week, and no more than 1 post a day. If you want to share more pictures and videos of your furkid, you can always consider Instagram Stories.

No.2: Losing that personal touch

When making sponsored posts, it is easy to get lost in the products’ details. Yes, this new brand of pet food is made with high-quality ingredients. You sold the product, but you didn’t sell us the experience. How did your pawpal react to the product? Will they want it more now?  The photos you take and the captions you write must tell a story to engage your audience.

No.3: Making loooooooong captions

On top of being a place for short-form content, Instagram is also an app that puts a lot of emphasis on your pictures. Let your photos do most of the work (see above, “photos must tell a story”), and keep your captions short and easy to read. If you want to hold a follower’s attention, it should not be to read a wall of text. Remember, brevity is the soul of wit!

If you’re adding hashtags, it’s good to know that Instagram limits your posts to a maximum of 30 hashtags. It’s even better to know that using all 30 hashtags makes your post look cluttered. What we recommend is to throw all your hashtags into a single comment so that your caption is neat and emphasises the story itself.

No.4: Ignoring comments (completely)

Now that you’re making content, you’re sure to receive more comments on your posts! You may receive comments from people you may (or may not) know, so be sure to reply to them. This is the best time to engage with your audience, as it shows that communication is two-way, rather than just you sharing information top-down. A pawpal that replies and converses with their followers leaves a longer-lasting impression than a pawpal who only posts pictures and nothing more.

There are many other pitfalls we did not include, but these are probably the most important ones. With this, we hope that you’ll combine these with your insights to create more engaging content.

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 Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

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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
Community Stories Creator's Academy

Lights, Cameowra!

While everyone was looking at the wide-eyed, snow-coloured Scottish Fold x Ragdoll, Kyubi was looking at one thing — her pawrent and the eye of all Kyubi’s photos, Jane. The Temasek Polytechnic Graduate majored in Film and Television, and later refined her fundamentals in photography in part thanks to the influence of photography hobbyists among her friends and family.

Since adopting her in May of 2020, Jane and Kyubi have been sharing their photos ever since, amassing a huge following of 3.8k followers on Instagram. We thus invited her to share with us her photography techniques and tips for aspiring pet photographers

Jane’s 5 Essential Tools

  1. Camera and Lens

A good investment begins with a good camera. But as Jane states, a phone camera works just as well.

  1. Lighting

“Especially for indoor lighting,” Jane explains, “we use a few small, compact LED lights to illuminate the set, and a softbox to diffuse the light so that it doesn’t look too harsh on Kyubi.” In the case of animal photography, softboxes ensure that the light does not blind their eyes. As for how it looks in the frame, bright light constricts their pupils, causing them to appear small instead.

Jane recalled an incident where Kyubi’s eyes had become watery after one of their shoots. “I noticed that it was because the light was shining straight into her eyes. The glare was strong enough to make Kyubi uncomfortable.” It was through this trial-and-error and Jane understood the importance of a softbox.

  1. Backdrop

Contrary to popular belief, Jane and Kyubi do not work with huge backdrops. “I just work with whatever I have, be it brown bag paper or cloth,” she said, holding up what looks like a pink sheet of mahjong paper. “It all depends on the angle of the camera and how big your subject is. Making sure that it all fits into the frame.” 

Materials for backdrops can be found in Artfriend, Popular, or even Spotlight.

  1. Props

Jane advises against getting too many niche props, as they often end up as a one-use purchase. Instead, she recommends more generic props (e.g. flowers, fake candy, small figurines, etc.) to add value to the scene.

  1. Accessories

Accessories, wardrobe, and costume, to be exact. Beyond the usual accessories like bandana and bows, it is okay to purchase clothes specifically for thematic photoshoots.

Behind the Mind

When asked what goes into the conceptualisation of her shoots, Jane states that her shoots are usually to commemorate special days, or otherwise  inspired by the food she ate.

Spur of the moment

“One time I saw a sushi conveyor belt toy while browsing online and I was like, “I’ve got to get it. I have to do an Omakase-style photoshoot.””

Special Events

Jane : For our National Day photoshoot, we brought Kyubi to the iconic Dragon Playground at Toa Payoh just to take photos.

Improvise

Jane : We had a lottery themed photoshoot recently. For the scene, we collected a lot of lottery tickets from my grandmother and put it in a pile at the backdrop. For props, I made origami ribbons out of some tickets for Kyubi to wear. Sometimes you can just make do with everyday items from home.

Omakase-style shoot , National Day shoot, and Lottery-themed shoot

Working with animals

When asked how Kyubi learned to be so well-behaved, Jane laughed. “From the first shoot to perhaps the fifth or sixth one, Kyubi’s attention span was rather short. After 2-3 mins of shooting, you can see that her temper would start to show. She will become very restless, and will want to escape or lie down.” 

Jane then emphasised that it’s only natural that these things happen when photographing pets. “Be patient with them and reward them with treats for behaving. I give Kyubi treats once she sits for the shoot. After a while, we would notice that Kyubi would automatically walk up to the backdrop whenever she sees us setting up for a shoot.”

Jane continues the interview with a warm smile as she talks about the support she feels brimming from Singapore’s pet owner and pet influencer community. “Everyone in the community is very close. I appreciate that pet owners share their daily stories… their experiences… sometimes just seeking help or giving recommendations about what’s out there in the market through their reviews. It’s through these social interactions that we can learn how to be better pet owners.”

Follow Jane and Kyubi on Instagram to see their latest shoots!

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

Categories
Community Stories

Sharing Blessings, One Stuffed Toy at a Time

When Ivy first met Totto, she described it as the “first blessing” in her life. 

Her previous job as a preschool principal had been an incredibly stressful experience. When Totto came into her life and was subsequently brought into her care, her presence took Ivy away from her job. Taking care of Totto helped to alleviate the stress she felt during work. Playing with Totto also gave her the work-life balance she desperately needed.

Photo Credit: Instagram @totto_maltipoo

The joy she received from having Totto around her inspired her to start a pay-it-forward program, one that was intended to support any, if not all, paw-parents out there. 

It first begins via Totto’s Instagram account. Through there, Ivy has been able to meet lots of Singaporean pet owners. Their joy and eagerness to talk about their furkids motivate Ivy to care for them too. In the event she notices something amiss e.g a furkid has fallen ill, she reaches out to them to render support, and perhaps offer a little gift as an encouragement. 

She also offers support inspired by Totto’s quirks. For instance, she notes that Totto is a fussy eater. Hence, for pet owners whose furkids may equally be as fussy, she is also willing to share samples for products that are “Totto-approved”. “Most importantly,” she tells us, “I ensure [the furkids] are not allergic to the said product before I offer them to their owners!”

Photo Credit: Instagram @totto_maltipoo

Her contagious sense of generosity is not left unacknowledged by the larger Singaporean pet community. In the case of @cottonsim_themaltipoo, their paw-mum has kindly adopted Ivy’s ‘Pay-it-forward’ program as a means to show her gratitude and thanks to Ivy who had helped her through difficult times. Ivy had been by her side when Cotton suffered from a bowel obstruction. As such, the two have remained close friends and continue to spread love with the program. 

Yet, Ivy’s spirit of giving doesn’t stop there.

She also helps to collect donations for various charities or non-profit organisations such as Mdm Wong’s dog shelter. Encouraged by her friend, @mocha.mamashop, Ivy produced over 50 D-I-Y bows and bandanas which were sold to the pet community. Her hard work earned over >$1k in donations and profit, all of which was given to Mdm Wong.

Photo Credit: Instagram @totto_maltipoo

She also helped to promote and generate awareness for Dada, a Singaporean special. Dada had been injured and disabled due to lack of proper treatment as a stray. His new paw-mum met Ivy through a giveaway application. From there, Ivy had been touched by Dada’s story and wanted more people to know about it. Leveraging the power of social media, Ivy boosted Dada’s plight on Totto’s Instagram, which resulted in a mass number of followers almost overnight. Though Dada has since passed, his paw-mum continues to share his story, creating art through commissions, and donating to dog shelters as a way of remembering him. 

Photo Credit: Instagram @dada.the.brave . Image features Totto (top right), Dada (left) and their friend, Pony (center)

Despite the positive impacts she has done on the pet community, Ivy remains humble and down to earth. When questioned about the expenses incurred as a result of her munificence, she informs us, “It is nothing compared to what I reap in the process. I am so grateful to all these pet owners who have given me a chance to step into their lives. I am more than blessed to continue what I am doing”.

Perhaps, these pet owners are blessed too, to have met her.

Check out Ivy and Totto’s Instagram account. Her encounters with pet owners via her ‘Pay-it-forward’ program can be found in a highlight reel titled ‘My Vision’.

Let us know what you think about Ivy’s generosity. In the meantime, remember to cherish your blessings, and pay it forward.