Last week I shared a little Pet Blogging 101 primer, which covered 5 things I wish I had known way back before I started this blog.
In that post, I mentioned a part two was coming… and this one builds off of part one with a little caveat. Instead of 5 things I wish I had known, today I’m sharing some hard truths about this industry, some realities about pet blogging that make this niche extra challenging. Let’s dig in, shall we?
- Pets die.
Sigh. It’s something I never, not for one second, considered when I started my blog. Chances are, if you’re a pet blogger who hits a decade at the keyboard, you will have said goodbye to a pet along the way–your own, or a beloved pet of a pet-blogger friend. {{As an aside, if you’re thinking about launching a pet blog,my advice is to name and brand it around you or a theme rather than a specific pet. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but I’m actually forever grateful I didn’t name my site, like, EmmettandLucas.com or something.}} When a pet passes, it’s devastating. The grief process is hard enough, but when you add being a pet blogger on top of it? Whoo, boy. When Lucas died, it took me a very long time to come to terms with his loss, and this space was abandoned. The result, of course, is that when I came back to it ready to tell our stories again, more than a third of my traffic had disappeared. I’m 100% OK with that, of course, but that’s just the reality. When Emmett died, I just couldn’t even fathom what to write at all, and then Violet was born, and again this space was abandoned. When I finally came back to it again, another third of my traffic was gone. And, again, I’m 100% OK with that because I needed that time. But, as far as making a living in this space, well, see last week’s post. The numbers matter. All that said, it doesn’t even begin to approach the actual grieving of the pet, which happens in a somewhat-public manner because–if you’ve told your stories well–lots of other people love your pets, too. You have to really, really love what you’re doing in this space to accept this fate and still move forward. - The pet industry lags behind.
I’ve been immersed in the pet industry since 2010. I’ve attended countless tradeshows, conferences, and events. I’ve interviewed probably hundreds to pet product manufacturers, trainers, vets, and so on. My biggest takeaway? The pet industry is always behind. Many product makers don’t have a functional website, let alone social media channels. Most of the major publications have barely adopted a digital presence. The only industry segment that truly seems to “get” the importance of being online, of having a social presence, of having a functional website, of having relationships with influences is pet food. That’s it. One of the biggest tradeshows in the world didn’t even have a hashtag until this year. All this makes it exceedingly difficult to form partnerships with brands we love because many of them don’t get the value of connecting through an influencer to their audience. It’s frustrating, sure, but not insurmountable. {{As an aside to this point: While this is frustrating, and now that I’m back to freelancing full time, I’m considering ways I can help pet industry brands overcome this misunderstanding and fear of the digital space with some service offerings to help them thrive online! I’m SUPER pumped. More to come on this one! 😉 }} - It’s not always about what you want it to be about. (And that’s actually OK.)
You launch for a reason. You want to share cat training tips or you want to share fear-free practices for veterinarians or you want to tell stories about your star agility dog. Whatever the reason, you started your blog to share that topic. Over time, though, you have to be open to evolving. You just have to. You’ll build an audience who loves your pet, and maybe they love reading about cat training but are desperate for cat grooming tips. Well, maybe it’s time to add a category to serve that audience. While you never, ever want to try to be all things to all people, blogging isn’t always about what you want it to be about… sometimes it has to be about what your audience wants, and that’s OK. It’s still you. You can still branch out and explore and grow and learn and evolve, while remaining true and authentic to you and your initial purpose. Frankly, bloggers who desperately try to cling to what they’ve always done or what they’ve always covered are rarely able to make it in the long run because blogging isn’t about you. It’s about your audience. Serve them, and you’ll find long-term success. - The best tech is the one you’re going to use.
I stressed about having the right equipment and software early on because I thought if I had this or that, I’d do better. Well, of course, the pricey editing software sat, unused, in a corner of my hard drive until that computer died because I didn’t need it, nor did I want to invest the time in learning it. Whether it’s Mac vs Windows vs Chromebook or Photoshop vs Canva or a DSLR vs your phone vs a GoPro or whatever… it doesn’t matter. The best tech–and the only tech you should invest in–is the tech you’re going to use. The end. I recently/finally ditched my heavily-laden laptop with a ton of software I never used for a simple Chromebook because I do literally everything online. It’s been perfect, minus one baby-spilling-coffee incident that did, thankfully, get repaired. (In case you’re curious, this is the one I’m using and loving now–and, yes, that is an Amazon affiliate link–and while it was a bit more than I wanted to spend at first, it’s proven its worth because it’s SO LIGHT that I can carry it in the baby’s diaper bag when we’re out and about, and it adds almost no weight! And it starts up in a couple seconds!) Bottom line: Don’t feel like you need to keep up with every blogger who buys the latest-and-greatest tech. Figure out what you’ll truly use, and just invest in that. - We love, love, love our pets. Not everyone loves us for it.
Everyone on the internet has an opinion, and some of them aren’t so kind. Fortunately, most people keep them to themselves. Unfortunately, some people don’t, and it’s those unkind comments that seem to make the most lasting impact. I don’t think this is unique to pet blogging. I think this is an internet thing. Trolls are out there, and they are mean. You love your pet more than anything, and you strive to do your very best for your pet every single day. You write about some of your efforts and share it with the world. Welp. The reality is that someone somewhere will pop up on your site someday and tell you, “You suck.” Maybe not in such a succinct phrase. Most trolls like to expand upon that simplicity with more elaborate insults. I’ve had some doozies over the years, and I have a pretty thick skin for that sort of thing. (Honestly, John gets SUPER DUPER riled up, way more than I do, whenever someone writes something mean!) It’s unfortunate. It’s unkind. We should all strive to do and demand better from each other. But, go into it knowing you’ll probably be insulted, and it’s easier to take when it happens.
For some of these points (like, of course, #5), every blogging niche probably experiences something similar to some degree. Many, though, are unique to pet blogging and are unfortunate, hard realities of working in this particular space.
Of course, the flip side to all that is…
We’re writing about pets!
There’s literally nothing better to cover, imo! They’re there for us day in and day out. We strive to provide the very best for them. At the end of the day, there’s nothing I’d rather spend my time writing about than the furries that come in and out of my life. I’m not sure any other blogger out there gets as much joy and fulfillment from writing about their subject than pet bloggers!
OK, so after parts one and two, what questions do you still have about jumping into the pet blogosphere? Or, if you’re a longtime pet blogger, what would you add to this list? Any specific challenges you’ve faced being in this niche?
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These are great truths! #1 gets you right away. That’s one of the hardest things for me, not only will you ultimately lose a pet of your own but pets of your blogging friends that you’ve come to care deeply for online may also pass away. It’s so hard, all you can do is rally around your blogger friend to offer comfort & love. I find that one of the hardest things about having a close community of pet blogging friends. I’ve never had a big issue with trolls, but that doesn’t bother me, I can easily ignore them and I’m thick skinned as well. You asked what further questions and challenges we might have – mine is that I’d like to write for others (companies or other publications) as well as my own blog but I’m not quite sure how to go about making those connections. That’s my next step, hopefully, for this year.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
YES. You are so right, Cathy. I’ve grieved for my blogging buddies pets… but I do think the closeness provides a layer of support when anyone loses a pet that we don’t all necessarily get in real life.
As for your big goal, that’s awesome!! Best of lucky with pitching and landing clients!
I’m with Cathy. It’s not only the loss of our own pets but the loss of so many friends.
Regarding point #3, it’s excellent advice. But I’d also add that you don’t have to write what EVERYONE will read. But what enough people will read to help you meet your goals.
When I used to write a home buyer blog, I assumed I would fit into the financial service sector and see more traffic because it’s such a big niche. But my emphasis on being smart and managing your emotions as well as your finances was never going to get as much traffic as “10 Ways to Buy A $300,000 House If you Earn $50,000.” And that’s okay too.
It did establish my authority, filled my home buying classes, and gave me a valuable site to sell when I moved on.
As you state, we need to be authentic. And that means making conscious choices about what we’re willing to do for however we define success.
That’s a great point. You can’t be everything to everyone… and who would want to?!?! And, like you said, that’s okay, too!
I agree with all of this, but as a pet blogger, I decided that I wanted to write my blog simply to write and share my stories rather than trying to make a profit doing it. Not all bloggers are looking for ways to make a profit. Some of us just like to share! Blogging is a great outlet for my non-dog hobbies, like photography, writing and hiking. Plus it’s a permanent record of the times I shared with my dogs that I can look back on forever. But definitely good tips and advice for those who want to pursue a higher level of blogging.
Absolutely!! For lots of people this is an awesome hobby and a super fun, rewarding creative outlet! Everyone’s definition of “success” has to be authentic to themselves and their goals!
As for your record point, YES! Even if I stopped blogging tomorrow, I’d pay for this URL and hosting until I die because it’s a chronicle of so many memories, big and small, of all the furries who have graced my life, and I wouldn’t let that go for anything!!
#1 hits home hard. It’s only been a week since we said goodbye to Linus. I’ve been struggling with his loss.
#4 I’ve been hit or miss with the tech. I bought a DSLR and love it! On the other hand I purchased an expensive camcorder early in my blogging career (pre-dating smartphones) and found a simple flip-cam to be the better option.
One area I’ve had difficulty is finding blogging support that is specific to the pet niche. Of course there’s BlogPaws, but I have questions that don’t seem to have answers in our community. I’ve reached out to other communities, but the answers aren’t specific to the pet niche.
I completely understand, Colby. I’m so sorry for your loss, and be gentle with yourself. That struggle takes time.
I agree re: support. I think the pet niche is a unique space with so many different types of people and websites, different goals, different definitions of success. I think the basic tenets of blogging are the same across industries, but the audience is what’s vastly different in this space, imo. It provides some unique challenges, that’s for sure!
I don’t want to even think about one of my babies passing away but it is so true. Anytime I start up a brand or project I try to be as inclusive but general as I can while coming up with a name. I just started up my dog lifestyle blog after being on instagram for a few years. I decided I wanted to be a little more wordy in my sharing. I’m still building my website but I’m looking forward to sharing more! Thanks for writing this!
I love your name!!! I’m off to check out your blog right now! 🙂
Omigosh!! I’m right there with Cathy and Pamela! That #1 thing, the hard, heartbreaking truth that pets die. Not only our own, but those of our friends and family members. And any time one of my blogging buddies says goodbye to their pet, I bawl like a baby. And if it’s someone I feel particularly close to, well, there better be two full tissue boxes nearby. But I somehow gather the strength to pull myself together quickly and offer whatever words of comfort I can think of at the time. And when Callie earned her wings, you were all there for me as well.
I started blogging about a year before I really decided what I was going to blog about. I had just lost my last job about four or five months previous, and just needed to do something. Anything. I occupied my afternoons watching “The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.” And laughing at Callie’s reaction to the dogs Cesar was working with. And then I started making friends with some of the folks in that community. A “bunch” of us have remained friends and started our own little community online since Cesar went off-air. Somewhere in the midst of all that, I found my own little niche, writing about my life with Callie and Shadow. And then I found our community. And things started coming together.
I thought about trying to make “some” money from the blog, but I had no idea how to go about it. And then I saw one how one of my closest blogging friends was struggling and changed my mind. I didn’t want the hassle. So I went back to just sharing stories of my dogs. I dabbled a little bit with the Chewy influencer program; but found I just didn’t want to write reviews. At least not about products I was neutral about. And I went back to just writing about my “girls”.
I’ve had to take some time off from the blog – as you know – for personal reasons; but I’ve tried to keep up with everyone on social media. I’m sure I’ve lost a good number of readers; but I’m okay with that. I haven’t had any trolls that I can remember. But the ones I see on social media I pretty much just ignore. They aren’t worth my time or energy.
This post, and its “prequel”, are great, Maggie. I’ve learned a lot – some of which I didn’t necessarily want to learn, but was interesting just the same. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge – and your stories – with us!
It’s so, so true. I have shed many, many tears of my blogging friends’ pets over the years because you get to know them so well through the photos and stories. Their losses hurt.
I really appreciate the kind words of support. I know you’ve had a lot on your plate, and when you are able to return to blogging, know that there are a lot of us who are ready to hear what the pups have been up to! Sending you lots of love!
I especially agree with your comments on the pet industry. They are lagging behind in the digital world. Good post!
Totally!! Hopefully the tide starts to turn as consumers demand it. Time will tell!
#1 I think hits all of us hard and you seemingly grieve every week as another on line or IRL friend looses their precious furry or feathered family member. The positive flip side, as I continue to grieve, I am PAWsitively SURROUNDED by animal lovers who understand, love and support me!!
YES!!!!! Thank you so much for making that point, Denise. How wonderful that we have such a big, loving community to hold us up when we’re grieving. Such a wonderful side effect of this industry!!