BlogPaws - The Pet Social Media Resource

Ten Ways to Help Your Blog Stand Out in a Popular Niche

by: Kimberly Gauthier

When I launched Keep the Tail Wagging, a local marketing expert took the time to ask Google how many pet blogs were active and came back with a crazy number.  I don’t remember what it was, but it was huge.  I realized that I’m a minnow swimming in an ocean full of pet bloggers.

Just keep swimming.  Just keep swimming.

A year later, Keep the Tail Wagging had over 14,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter.  I was emailing regularly with PR professionals from major pet brands and coming home to fun packages for our dogs.  I even had the courage to submit a proposal to be a speaker at BlogPaws 2013.

How did I get my blog to stand out in a popular niche?  I just kept swimming.

Not everyone is interested in blog notoriety or making money.  But I think pet bloggers have a bigger responsibility to consider.  We have a powerful voice and a dedicated audience of animal lovers we can influence on a daily basis.  This makes us very valuable to pet brands, rescue groups, and even the reputable breeders out there.  The impact we can have on animal health and wellness is tremendous and that should inspire us to do more to stand out.

That being said, here are 10 ways to help your blog stand out in a popular niche like pet blogging.

Wordless Wednesday: Who Let The Dogs Out!?

This Friday is the second season premiere of Tillman the Skateboarding Bulldog's "Who Let The Dogs Out" TV series on The Hallmark Channel! Watch this Friday (check your local listings for times) or set your DVRs to see Tillman, Norman and all his pals - and Feb 8th is the BLOGPAWS episode!

Yep! "Who Let The Dogs Out" filmed at last year's BlogPaws 2012 social media pet blogger conference, a lot of our bloggers and their pets are featured in the show!

The photo of Tillman and Kiko, above, was submitted by Doreen Disbro. Did you get a pic with Tillman last year? Let's see it!

Join BlogPaws' Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop posting your pet photo(s) on your blog and linking up below - then start hopping! Visit and leave comments on other blogs to make some new pals and maybe some new followers.

You can add our Blog Hop button to your post and/or to your blog sidebar, either by cutting and pasting the image or using the HTML code below. 






<a href="http://www.blogpaws.com" _mce_href="http://www.blogpaws.com"><img src="http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad127/cokiethecat/BlogPawsWedButton.jpg" _mce_src="http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad127/cokiethecat/BlogPawsWedButton.jpg" /></a>


Need help? Here it is: How to Join a Blog Hop - BlogPaws Tutorial

Featured Wordless Wednesday photos are randomly chosen each week from photos posted by BlogPaws Community members. Please do not email your photos. If you're not a member, you can join us here: BlogPaws Community Center. It only takes a minute.

GPS Tracking Collars: Where Will It All End?

Guest post by Dave Taylor

I'll start out saying that I haven't owned a dog in a few years. I'm a cat person now and the idea of tracking my cat's activities seems ridiculously boring: couch. bed. food. window. couch. In about a six hour cycle. He's also an indoor cat and I know the anxiety and fear of him bolting outside when no-one notices and being gone for hours before we realize he's not on his customary perch but outside in the wild.

A memorable Nov 1 a while back we were horrified to realize he'd been left outside all night, having escaped during a visit from some trick-or-treaters the previous night. It took about an hour to find him but find him we did, no worse for wear, and eager to sleep in our safe little house.

Pet Parents are Diversifying, Are You?

by: Carol Bryant

The pet market includes more than dogs and cats, and BlogPaws has long known this. If your pet wiggles, swims, chirps, slithers, scurries, scampers, meows, barks, or otherwise: BlogPaws embraces you.

The definition of "pet parent" has evolved in recent years as well.

“Pet parents today have hundreds of decisions to make and thousands of resources to consult for advice,” states Rose Hamilton, Pet360 CMO and General Manager.

BlogPaws embraces today's pet parent and a recent study from “Pet Population and Pet Owner Trends in the U.S." is quite revealing. How many of you can relate to these stats and information?

Do's and Dont's of Pitching Traditional Print Magazines

by: Carol Bryant

A pitch letter to a magazine editor or website manager is very similar to a blog post. It’s called a “letter” for a reason – it is a letter. It’s a letter personally written to individual journalists, writers, or editors (and more recently website owners and bloggers) that shares a specific story idea with the express hope of media coverage. Pitch letters are also called query letters.

In addition to calling attention to your blog, which can increase traffic to help you monetize, a successful pitch can mean add notoriety in a positive, purposeful way (i.e., establishing yourself as an expert). Here are some do's and dont's for pitching traditional print magazines: