How you can make money from your dog on Instagram
Victorian dog owners are scoring up to $50,000 extra a year by turning their pooches into Instagram stars. Here’s how you can cash in on your canine too.
Pets and Wildlife
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POPULAR pooches are racking up likes on Instagram and earning their owners big bucks and gifts in the process.
Top dogs are commanding more than $1000 per picture and earning more than $50,000 a year.
Power Pets’ Luci Awad — who runs a talent agency specialising in four-legged social media ‘influencers’ — said some dogs became so famous on social media, they could almost support their owners financially.
“[The dog owners] are bringing in over $50,000 per year on top of their full time salaries between brand deals and merchandising,” she said.
“If you were to invest enough time and put the effort into your content, you could support yourself solely on earnings from social media.”
Ms Awad said even “modest profiles” with 5000 followers could earn money if they had a loyal, engaged audience.
“Some of our most popular accounts are run by doctors, nurses, vets and full-time students,” she said.
Midwife Thea Herrman, who runs @skippinggirl_shihtzus with her husband Michael, shares her dogs’ Indi and Maggie’s lives with 12,000 followers, to great success.
“We’re very selective in who we endorse and our concentration is to grow organically,” Mr Herrman said.
“We’re mindful to not promote something that we wouldn’t use.”
Payment often comes in the form of free goods or cash payments for sponsored content.
With 82,000 followers, @Emma_the_Westie is considered Instagram royalty among Melbourne’s doggie influencers.
But for dog owner Jodi De Lorenzi, who started an account so she could have a “photo album” for herself, canine Insta is just a hobby.
While she hasn’t signed any contracts or negotiated deals for paid posts, she has been gifted products in exchange for content.
“I’ve been offered to go away for the weekend,” she said.
“And Dyson gave me a brand new vacuum.”
Many other pet owners also describe their journey into the world of social media and sponsored posts as ‘an accident’.
For Georgia Triantafyllopoulos who runs @Jaxandlulufrenchies, sharing photos of her French Bulldog started as “a bit of banter with family” three years ago but quickly grew and her handsome hounds now have more than 7,500 followers.
However, it’s not about followers for Ms Triantafyllopoulos, who saw the platform as an outlet to cope with work stress, particularly during the Covid pandemic.
“Working in aged care and palliative care I come home at the end of the day and get to dress them up and have fun,” she said.
“Showing my dogs to my clients really put a smile on their faces.
“I’ve made lifelong friends through Instagram.”
Jax and Lulu receive free goodie boxes – “after all what dog doesn’t love treats” – from their two favourite companies in exchange for posts.
“If there’s no walks or treats there’s no smiles, you will get a side eye,” Ms Triantafyllopoulos said.
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