The world of famous Instagram pets is full of cuteness, love and more importantly, money.
For starters, pets on Instagram have more followers than you. Chloe, the mini French bulldog has 118,000 followers and Biddy the hedgehog has 581,000 followers. That’s not all — the pets at the pinnacle of their social media fame have garnered millions of adorers.
A photo posted by Chloe The Mini Frenchie (📍NYC) (@chloetheminifrenchie) on Feb 14, 2016 at 3:27pm PST
A number of these pets have probably had more job opportunities than the average person. These adorable creatures have product lines and endorsements from well known brands. They are also requested to make guest appearances and receive freebies from hopeful sponsors. Best of all is that the formula is simple: Post pictures of your cute pet to gain followers and monetize along the way.
A photo posted by Biddy (@biddythehedgehog) on Jan 29, 2015 at 3:51pm PST
According to Quartz, though the owners and managers of the Instafamous critters are reluctant to disclose exact figures, Instagram gurus with at minimum 100,000 followers are known to make up to $2,000 per post. Recently, eyewear brand Karen Walker recruited Toast, a rescued King Charles Spaniel as the poster animal of its line.
A photo posted by Pumpkin The Raccoon (@pumpkintheraccoon) on Feb 12, 2016 at 6:20am PST
Other companies, including wedding registry site Zola, hopped on the bandwagon too. Toast had a wedding in January and wore a custom Marchesa gown and a diamond necklace with a $139,000 price tag for the special occasion.
A photo posted by TOAST MEETS WORLD™ (@toastmeetsworld) on Feb 3, 2016 at 5:08pm PST
It’s no secret that America has an infatuation for small, cute and fuzzy things. The pet industry rakes in $60 billion from America’s obsession with pets and it appears that Instagram is the place to do it. Loni Edwards, the owner of Chloe the Mini Frenchie, is taking advantage of the opportunity to start her own brand management company for pets.
A photo posted by Buddy Boo Blue (@buddyboowaggytails) on Dec 22, 2015 at 12:46pm PST
Edwards, a pet owner with a J.D. from Harvard Law School, has made it her full-time gig to run a New York-based Dog Agency to manage celebrity dogs. Edwards told Quartz:
“Cute dogs make people happy and brands want their marketing to make people happy, so it was a natural transition.”
A photo posted by Marnie The Dog (@marniethedog) on Feb 14, 2016 at 10:53am PST
It’s no question that these furry friends are perfect in every way.
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