What is cute, fluffy, and makes you happy by just looking at it? Cats! You might ask what that has to do with Club Life Design, and why on earth are we talking about cats?
Well, the answer to that question is simple: we want to introduce you to the cutest CLD member in our community - Simba, aka @simba.blh. We interviewed his owner Jacqui, and she told us the ins and outs of being a petfluencer on Instagram. So, if you have any furry friends at home, and you want to learn how to grow a community with your pet and even monetize your account, then listen up, cause we’re going to tell you all about it!
Like most pet parents, you probably take at least 100 pictures daily of your pet. Well, Jacqui was doing the same and since she didn’t want to spam her friends with too many cat pictures, she decided to create an Instagram account for Simba in 2020. “I didn't have any big ulterior motives and originally just wanted to share my joy with other crazy cat moms. I had no idea what dimensions this could take on and how many people you can reach and bring joy to.”
By looking at these cute eyes, you can probably guess what happened next. People loved them, and slowly their accounts grew bigger and bigger. That’s when Jacqui realized she was doing more than posting pictures of her cat: she entertains people, puts a smile on their faces, and makes their days just a little more joyful. She told us that “after a long and tiring day at work, cute and entertaining content helps people to forget their everyday worries for a short moment and enables them to relax”. That’s when she decided to grow Simba’s account in a professional way and connect with other content creators.
Now Simba is not an exception! Being a petfluencer is a real thing - from dogs, cats, birds, and hedgehogs to horses. The market for pets on Instagram is getting bigger and bigger. As a matter of fact, a single sponsored post from the biggest petfluencer names might cost a brand up to $15k. Isn’t that crazy? But let’s get back to Simba.
How Simba grew over 10k followers in less than 1 month
Of course, there is more to it than just posting a few cat pictures a day - you need a strategy, just like in any other niche. After experimenting with various strategies for several months and testing out different types of content, Jacqui found that Reels performed very well in the petfluencer niche. “With the help of CLD I was able to develop a great content strategy, I learned that consistency is key and that you should never lose passion for what you are doing.” Her favorite type of content? Reels and Stories. “I love video content because it enables you to represent situations and emotions. You can tell a little story, and that’s what makes it special for me and obviously for our followers. I get so many messages daily from people telling me how much they appreciate our daily stories and Reels. I could never portray Simba's personality in just one picture.” And so Jacqui started to post a Reel of Simba almost every day and focused on giving her followers value in the form of entertainment. During the past month, their account took off, and they gained over 10k new followers!
By now, Jacqui is even monetizing Simba’s account - she is receiving tons of collaboration requests from companies who want to work with Simba, and of course, there are a bunch of companies that are asking her to promote food, toys, and even household appliances! She is also building her own side business - a petfluencer academy (@petfluenceracademy), where she teaches other pet parents everything they need to know about managing a pet account on Instagram! “Especially, Module 7 of the TPI course helped me to understand what’s possible with Instagram regarding monetization. I did not even know which possibilities beyond collaborations exist to monetize your channel.”
Their favorite part about their journey so far
But of course, it’s not just about making money - her favorite part of this Instagram journey is the community because Simba hasn’t had an easy life. “At the age of only 5 months, he became very ill and suffered from the deadly FIP virus. He developed neurological disorders and could no longer walk or stand.” The vets advised them to put Simba down but with the help of Instagram, they actually became aware of another cat that was suffering from the same disease. But don’t worry, this story has a happy ending because after 6 months of therapy and the support of their followers, Simba recovered and is now better than ever. “It was a very difficult time for all of us, but we received so much encouragement and support via Instagram. And that’s what makes our Instagram journey so beautiful to me: the community and the support we get.”
And if you want to make use of the thousands of pictures that you have of your pet, then Jacqui has a special message for you, which we hope you will find encouraging:
“Don't think too much about it and just get started. You don't need high-quality content. All of our Reels that went viral were taken with a mobile phone. Be consistent, authentic, and show your life with your pet. In my opinion, there is no better way to grow on Instagram!”
Well, we couldn’t have said it any better. Stop finding excuses and waiting for the “right time to come”. There is no such thing. The right time is now and if you would like to take the step with us, you now have the chance to join our CLD community. The doors to our TPI course are open - don’t miss out on your chance!
Talk soon,
Your CLD team
