8 Things I’ve Learned from the Instagram Dog Community

How crazy is it that we’ve been on Instagram now with our dogs for two years? Largely through Navy’s account we’ve been able to travel to California, Philadelphia, Orlando, and more, and met some amazing people along the way. We’ve also worked with some incredible brands to create content for their global advertising campaigns. Our online community of friends have helped us through Navy’s sudden sickness last summer, through our Instagram account getting unexpectedly deleted, and also by providing us advice during Duke’s transition home. Some may call us crazy, but the dog community on Instagram is a pretty amazing thing.

Last year we wrote a similar blog post about the 7 things we learned by creating our dog an Instagram account. Now that we’ve been online for two years, I wanted to update that list.

1. Get ready for A-List Status!

People may recognize your dogs in public, get used to it. We attend pet-friendly events in the DC area and a lot of people will recognize Duke or Navy, even though we’ve never personally connected with them online.

2. There is no reciprocity with followers on Instagram.

Unlike other social media platforms, there is no reciprocity with your followers on Instagram. Basically, this means that if someone follows you on Instagram, you are not obligated to follow them back! My biggest piece of advice for new accounts is to never feel bullied or pressured into following someone on Instagram. You should only follow the people you want to follow.

3. The aesthetic of your editing and overall feed does matter.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but largely due to the algorithm change on Instagram, your posts are harder and harder to find. Instagram users are getting picky with who they choose to follow on Instagram. With that, many people will look at your overall feed rather than a single post when choosing whether or not to follow you. Yeah I know it sounds a little much, but I really recommend investing in the quality of the photos you choose to post and taking a closer look at when you choose to post them.

4. Use hashtags and geotags on your posts.

I truly cannot stress enough how important it is to use hashtags and geotags if you want to be discovered and increase your reach on Instagram. Personally, whenever I travel somewhere or choose to visit a particular establishment, I always look at hashtags and geotags for that location. I’ve discovered so many amazing accounts based on hashtags and geotags alone.

5. Instagram growth is a marathon not a sprint.

Some people are lucky and they seemingly grow overnight. However, the majority of accounts take a little bit longer to grow. By no means is this a bad thing. Sometimes taking a little bit longer to grow your audience means you grow more meaningful and stronger connections with your followers. From our experience in the Instagram influencer community, stronger connections proves to be more beneficial and shows in your overall engagement and other insights.

6. Show variety in your content.

Posting the same photo of your dog in the same exact pose every single day will not grow your audience (unless of course you are buying your followers *sips tea*). Again, because of the Instagram algorithm people want to follow accounts that inspire them. Instagram users don’t want to see the same thing every single day–so switch it up!

7. Learn to say no, or not at this time.

We talked about this on our Instagram recap blog post last year, but I want to expand on it more this year. As Navy’s account has grown, we’ve been offered more and more collaborations from brands. In the past, these collaborations were largely for products in exchange for a post on Instagram. As I explained in last year’s post, I have a very hard time saying no to free products, especially when a lot of times we like to donate these gifts to shelters. However, after a pretty bad panic attack this winter, I realized that even if people are offering money partner with us, I still do need to decline if the timing isn’t right. Instagram is not and never will be my full-time job. My full-time job will always come first (besides of course Navy and Duke… and I guess Zach). Over the past few months I’ve gotten very good at saying no to collaborations or “not at this time.” Brands that truly want to partner with you will reach out again or agree to work with you when the timing is right on your terms.

8. Post what makes you happy. Instagram is not forever.

After our account was unexpectedly deactivated by Instagram, we realized that Instagram is temporary. You truly do not have any control over what happens after you click that upload button. Your overall experience on Instagram is largely based on what you make of it. With that, post what you want. Don’t feel like you need to keep up with any trends, I guarantee the pressure to try to keep up will not be worth it.