These days, it seems like everyone is getting internet famous. Pets and kids are, of course, shoo-ins when it comes to internet fame. But does your dog have what it takes to be an online sensation? More importantly, should you put your dog on social media?
While there are plenty of fun aspects of sharing your pet’s adventures online, there are also drawbacks to be aware of before moving forward.
A Social Media Presence Is A Lot Of Work
One of the biggest things about being successful on social media is sticking to a reliable schedule. Then there’s the matter of content. If you’re going to be making your pup into an internet sensation, what are you trying to accomplish? Do you want to make a living doing it, or just post pictures for fun?
Sorting these things out prior will be crucial to ensuring you have a solid social media presence. However, nothing has to be concrete, and you can even do multiple things at once. Is your channel meant to be funny? Informative? Are you doing dog-themed content only? Some people add their dogs into an already established social media presence. Others improvise as they go. Are these things that you feel you’d want to incorporate into your YouTube or Instagram experience?
Because putting your dog out there doesn’t just involve you, it’s important to consider what your dog is willing to do. Stressing out your pet for views and engagement are not ideal, nor is it responsible pet parenting.
Social Media Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be
No matter what you do, not everyone who shares the space with you on social media will be pleasant. Making content for social media usually ends up being more than just sharing cute pictures. People stealing other people’s images is a common tactic to gain views.
Then there’s the possibility of revealing more than you realize with your pictures. A picture outside your house or with your dog’s collar tag exposed might expose where you live. Exercise caution when posting anything on the internet.
Despite all of that, however, there are numerous internet communities that are as lovely as they are popular, and the dog community is no different. I have lots of feedback on my own Instagram posts where I feature Chance, whom you can see in many of my reviews here on DogTime. Just remember to always be careful.
How To Get Started
So now that we’ve settled all of that, how do you get started? While it’s not an absolute point of entry for social media stardom, a good camera will be a boon. Good lighting will also be important. However, for video content, good audio equipment will actually be more important, as people are more forgiving of a bad image over bad audio.
You may also want to buy props. If your social media page will be dog-centric, dog clothes or dog-themed things like fabric will add some stylized flair to your presentation.
Most importantly, things don’t have to be perfect. They just have to be unique! Experiment! You don’t have to get it right the first time. Chances are you won’t, anyway.
Are you and your pup already an internet sensation? What tips do you have for people who want to put their dogs on social media? Let us know in the comments below!
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