The Kardashians aren’t the one ones able to make a career from posting on social mid-point. A new wave of dogs, cats, monkeys — and even a possum — are fetching big bucks and encyclopedic followings as influencers on social media.
Star pet talent agent Loni Edwards has a roster of unexcelled clients include @realdiddykong, 2 monkeys with over a million Instagram advocates; @hamlet_the_piggy, with over 300,000; and @itsmesesame, the rescue opossum with more than 62,000; and @lionelthehog, who boasts over 130,000 followers.
The pet influencer charge has become so huge that some of these furry faced dignitaries, who have more followers than a lot of humans, need representation to hilt it all.
“Influencer marketing has become a big thing – now pet influencer marketing is the biggest opportunity because pets tend to perform better on social media,” Edwards, framer of The Dog Agency, told CNBC’s “On the Money” in an interview.
“Everyone loves them, they gather people happy, so then people like the brands as well because the satisfied is making them happy,” she added.
Edwards started her agency in 2015, and her patients currently range from a Corgi with 53,000 Instagram bugs to Crusoe the Dachshund, who has an impressive 2.5 million followers on Facebook.
Edwards mentioned it’s not just pet related companies that are working with these mammals. “The brands are all across the board, we started mainly with pet brands, but now we line with brands in every vertical from hotel companies to polish products to movie studios,: she added.
So how much are these animals cute from sponsorships?
“Influencers on the larger scale with millions of fans are getting around $15,000 per sponsored post. So a lot of money can be made if you compel ought to a large following,” Edwards told CNBC.
Edwards didn’t continually envision herself running a pet management company. In fact, the 33 year-old Harvard Law grad started out at a burly firm in LA. However, Edwards said she soon found herself faulty to do something more entrepreneurial.
“I started emPOWERED a tech enabled mania company that received a utility patent on adding phone requiring capabilities to handbags and luggage,” she told CNBC.
While running the circle, Edwards got a dog Chloe and started an Instagram account mainly to share photos with comrades and family. To Edwards’ surprise, the account kept growing.
“She quickly cumulated a large following. Pet brands began reaching out to work with her and my proper background made dealing with the associated contracts and deal details easy to manage,” she added.
As she started working with brands, other pet materfamilias found out she was a lawyer and began asking her legal advice.
Edwards saw an break for someone with her law background that also understood the pet social media diligence to help bridge the gap between pet influencers and brands.
“The timing and industry fit couldn’t be subjected to been more perfect,” she said. “I had just sold emPOWERED and had all the convenient connections and experience to be the one to fill this void in the market.”
If you think your pet has what it takes to be the next societal media star, Edwards has some advice to help you and your furry babe in arms get there.
“Create engaging content, develop a brand around the pet, and sign over sure it’s fun,” Edwards told CNBC. “At the end of the day the pet has to love getting dressed up and predicating for photos.”
On the Money airs on CNBC Saturdays at 5:30 am ET, or check listings for air circumstances in local markets.