How to start a pet blog

Thinking of starting a pet blog or a blog for your pet business?

Having a blog gives you a creative outlet to share whatever you like, whether it’s showing off your pet or putting something you feel passionate in the spotlight.

It’s a platform you control, where you’re not at the mercy of ever changing social platform trends and algorthityms.

You can publish what you want, when you want and it’s your own little part of the internet where you can express yourself.

It might be that you want to start a pet blog, or a blog for your pet business, and in this this episode will show you how.

Listen in on the player link below or you can read the key points covered as a blog post.

This post contains affiliate links meaning if you click through and buy I will be paid a small commission. This doesn’t affect the price you pay.

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Starting an award winning blog and how that helped my business

Five years ago I started a pet blog, www.thepawpost.co.uk because I was working as a journalist and writing lots about pets and people making a difference.

These were the key reasons why.

I wanted a created outlet where I could write stories in the way I wanted to. Often, I felt I wanted to share more of a story, and because I was pitching to newspapers and magazines, the word count was limited.
It’s all about online now isn’t it? I’d always written for newspapers and I wanted to understand digital journalism and social media.
I hoped that blogging might be a way for pet businesses to see my work and if they liked it, create a potential revenue stream.

I worked really hard, spoke to lots of incredible people, and my blog featured on the Vuelio Top Ten Pet Blogs of 2017 and has stayed on the list ever since.

Pet businesses asked if they could be on the blog, then when they discovered I was a journalist, they asked about how to get in the press.

So I wrote a book, Publicity Tips for Pet Businesses in 2018 which put together in one month and self published.

That grew into a community, then online courses, then a podcast, then a membership programme and this makes up about 80 per cent of my income.

The essentials you need to start a pet blog

These are the key things you need to get started, and please note this is focusing on content, not the tech side.

A name. Make it searchable and relevant and think before using your pet’s name. My dog Daisy passed away less than a year after I started my blog.
Decide what the blog is going to be about. You? Your pet? Your business? Is it going to be like a magazine where you cover a range of topics?
A domain name. You need to buy this along with a hosting package.
A website. You may be able to build your own but I would suggest investing because trying to DIY usually ends up costing more further down the road.
Key pages on your website are your home, about, contact, work with me and your blog.
Social media accounts. Get the names as close as you can to your blog name and decide on your key platforms. Don’t try to do them all, chose two or three. (Facebook Instagram Pinterest)
A mailing list. Connect this to your blog with an opt in page. Mailchimp is free and if you work with brands further down the line, they will ask about your subscriber numbers.
Branding and logo. Have a graphic designer help you with your fonts, colour scheme and a professionally designed logo, especially if you want to monetise your blog. I recommend Alison from
https://www.houseofhenry.uk

Decide the topics for your pet blog

What are you going to cover? Are you going to write about you and your pet? Maybe you’ll have a specialist topic like your pet’s breed?

You might prefer looking at your blog as an online magazine where you cover a range of topics such as trends, health, new products, travel, news, reviews and people you admire.

Decide on the style of your pet blog

How are you going to write? Will it be first person where you write as you speak, or third person where it’s more like a newspaper style and you’re reporting?

Consider your tone and how you want to come across? Friendly, informative, authoritative?

How often will you share content on your pet blog?

Choose a frequency that is manageable for you, and you can always change things up.

I started out weekly but now it’s monthly because my coaching business on this website has had to be my main focus so I can pay the bills.

Remember to promote your pet blog

This is so important. Each post needs to be shared at least once on your social channels, to your e mail list and you need to continually be sending people to your blog.

Monetising your pet blog

Your blog will cost you money! So can you make that back? Would you consider having people advertise, or sponsored posts, or affiliate links?

Having a pet blog for your business

Everything I’ve shared about starting your pet blog applies if you’re looking to start a blog for your pet business.

Starting a blog if you have a pet service business

Often what you do is ‘invisible’ as my client Jo Sellers from Pippins Pets explains.

If you, like her, help people online with separation anxiety it’s hard to show what you do.

That’s when a blog can help people get a feel for what you’re like to work with, your values and then decide whether you’re the person for them.

These are the kind of posts you could share:

Case studies of clients you’ve helped
Tips
Explainer posts
Consideration content about your key offers
‘Getting started with’ posts on classes and skills you teach
Posts to drive people to a lead magnet – eg 5 ways to support your anxious dog

Having your blog means when people check you out, you stand out.

Starting a blog for your pet product business

A blog can really help when it comes to people discovering your pet product online.

These are the kind of posts you could share:

Your story and how you came to create your product
How your product helps
Explain how it works
Case studies
Ways to use/wear your product
Content around your niche and the people who use your product. Take a look at
www.redhoundfordogs.com

where Debbie Humphreys shares all things Whippet!
Questions around your product. ‘How to clean up after a muddy dog walk’ is a perfect post for Jo Milnes from Distinctive Pets for her Muddy Dog clean up kit.
Charities you support. Kim O’Donnell from Leo, Charley and Me writes about her work for Spaniel Aid and donates 15 per cent of sales to them.
Causes you’re passionate about. Michelle Burgess from Scruffy Little Terrier shares cases of missing dogs on behalf of Doglost.

Seven awesome things about having a blog

I hope you’re raring to go with your blog but if you’re still undecided, here’s seven reasons why a blog can help you and I could share so many more!

It drives traffic to your website.
You create helpful information and answer common questions.
It’s a way to express your personality and share your values.
Your blog will help feed the ‘content monster.’
You get to practice writing and this helps build confidence for pitching. It could turn into a podcast too!
It’s great for when clients check you out.
When journalists check you out they can see you’re credible.