Transitioning My Instagram Account To Human And Dog Content

I created my dog’s Instagram account back in 2015 when Instagram first came to exist as a way to keep photos of him in one place and off my personal account. At that time, I made the account private so my family and friends that lived in different states could see my dog grow up. As Instagram started becoming popular, I made his account public, decided to see if I could grow it and possibly make money from the account.

Having a dog-only Instagram account allowed me to met many amazing accounts, start learning photography and get paid for collaborations. But I started feeling stuck in a box and I was the one who put myself there. I could only talk about my dog versus all the amazing changes happening in my life. And I could only take on dog related paid advertisements. So I decided to go out on a limb and post a photo of the two of us and share more about our relationship. I was nervous not knowing how people would react to see a person on a dog’s account. But I got a great response! Over time, I started posting more photos of us on my dog’s instagram. Ultimately, I decided to change the dog-only Instagram account to one that included both human and dog content.

Why I Transitioned My Dog Only Instagram Account To Human + Dog Content

My biggest reason to change my Instagram account from dog only to a human + dog content was because it made me happy to share our relationship with the world. Previously, people only got Teddy’s side of the story from his perspective. Now I was able to be more authentic and share about real things that affected us on a daily basis. It made me a real person when I shared our struggles that others could relate to. For instance, people relate to me when I share that I spoil my dog with the best food and bandanas or when I share that my dog woke me up in the middle of the night to go potty, but really didn’t need to go. Now, dog parents could make a personal connection to our highs and lows and could see that we have many things in common. 

Transitioning my account forced me to be more open and vulnerable. I had difficult conversations about race, marriage, children and many more hot topics that affected my everyday life. There is a human behind every dog-only account that is affected with real life issues. And I wanted to have real conversations with them. That may be what drew you to me!

Another reason I changed my Instagram account is to get more opportunities to work with non-dog related brands. I niched down to dog-only content but that also meant dog-only brand partnerships. I felt limited to dog treats, food and toys. And many of the dog brands that I worked with didn’t pay or didn’t pay well. Allowing our relationship to show on Instagram meant I could show many aspects of my life. Such as the project I’m working on at home, where we hang out in Atlanta or the recipe I’m making for dinner. Changing my account allowed me to do paid partnerships with Fruit and Flower Wine, Atkins, K&H Pet Products, First Alert and Decoy Wine, just to name a few recent collaborations. I doubt I would have gotten these collaborations without changing my account.

Did You Lose Followers?

I was afraid to lose followers on my Instagram account.  And I did initially. Most people followed the account for my dog and dog only content. My strategy of slowly transitioning helped get my audience ready to see more human content. I didn’t change over night but rather slowly over time. Ultimately, I lost accounts that may have only wanted dog content. But I gained true followers in the dog parent world. 

How To Add More Human Content To Your Dog Account

In the beginning, it was difficult for me to get in front of the camera. Many start a dog-only account because we don’t want to share our faces on a public page. So how exactly did I transition?

Tips To Transition Your Instagram Account To Dog + Human Content

Start With Your Stories

I started small by including my voice in my stories while still sharing dog only content. Even the sound of my voice made me cringe at first. But I practiced and now I don’t need to do as many retakes!

Add Your Name To THe Instagram Bio

By simply adding your name (or nickname/middle name) to your Instagram Bio, people will instantly feel like they know you better.

Include Human Aspects In Photos

An easy way to include human aspects in photos but not show your face is taking photos from behind or include a human aspect like legs or arms. People become more interested when given a glimpse of the person behind the account.

Change Your Captions

I changed the captions from Teddy’s perspective to my perspective. You can even do two sets of captions as @shades.of.har does on her account. A few great examples of content creators that seamlessly include human aspects or transitioned to human + dog content are @Gusandtaytakethecity and @byolivialee. 

When I felt comfortable with the small steps, I took the giant leap to talking into the camera. I am still getting more comfortable showing my silliness and personality to the world. Use this affirmation to help; I am comfortable getting into uncomfortable situations.

Transitioning your Instagram account may not be what is best for everyone. Tell me in the comments if you have transitioned your dog only account or would like to in the future. What is holding you back from doing so?