How to Grow Your Dog's Instagram Followers

So you think your dog is a star…

Of course they are! The instagram phenomenon has caught on for dogs for awhile now and we can’t even go on social media anymore without a viral video or cute dog meme catching our eye. It’s pretty common that in every friend’s list there is at least a few dogs with over a million followers and more likes than you (human) have ever gotten in your life.

So now you made your dog an instagram and you want to have some fun. What now?

**For this post, I’ll use french bulldogs but these tips can apply to any dog or breed.

1. FIND YOUR GROUP.

The best way to grow followers on instagram is to use hashtags! There are so many hashtags available for every breed so make sure you put those to use. French bulldog hashtags: #frenchbulldog #frenchiegram #frenchielife #frenchbullys to start… or find your city! Most popular cities have their own special hashtag for dogs; ie: #seattledogs #torontodogs. Always put these at the end of every post or in your comments, so people who are searching for #frenchbulldog can find you!

Use anywhere from 5-20 hashtags per post. Usually around 10 is the good sweet spot so it doesn’t feel too spammy. Try to find niche hashtags so you’ll have more chances to be seen. #Frenchbulldog has 27 million+ posts, but at 420,000 posts with #frenchiepup, that may be the wiser choice.

2. CLEAR CONTENT

Make sure you have fun, clean and memorable photos. No dark blurry photos! If you can find a theme, even better. If there’s a consistent “thing” that you’re into–like dogs posing with hats, going to restaurants with the best brunch (hello, @dogswhobrunch), posing with wine (anything you love!), your profile will tend to stand out more and be catchy.

3. ENTER CONTESTS

Many companies have giveaways and contests where they repost your photo and these are great ways to get a surge of new followers. Try bigger pages like @petco and @petsmart and also smaller businesses that are giving away free product. Enter, repost, use their hashtags and not only could you be the winner but you’ll also be engaging with new audiences.

4. FIND POPULAR PAGES

Email or tag your photos with other profiles like @dogsofinstagram, @thefrenchiepost, @loveabully. These pages’ photos consist of other user’s photos which they repost, so once you’re featured on there your photo could get in front of thousands of eyeballs! They get hundreds of requests a day so just keep trying and tagging. 🙂

5. ENGAGE + SHARE

Like, share and comment on others too! Find similar frenchies with the hashtags and make new friends. Comment on photos you find adorable, follow them and make sure to stay engaged. That is what social media is about, after all.