Side by side 💕 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• . . . . . #pumpkinthepurrmachine #bouledepoil #catmyboss @go_animals_official @animals.co @cats_of_instagram @catsnet @cats_of_world @cutepetclub #happycatclub #ronronar #みんねこ #animalvideo #catsnet #cats_of_world #แมว #ねこ #kedi #chaton #kawaii #animalsco #pleasantcats#thedailykitten #britishshorthair #gatton #gatti #gattini #fofo #catvideos #sweetcatclub #catloversclub #kittens_today #sunday #weekend

A post shared by P u m p k i n 🐾 (@pumpkinthepurrmachine) on May 4, 2018 at 6:22pm PDT

Engagement Groups Rule

There is this one fancy hack that works the best for engagement on Instagram. That is called an engagement group that mainly run on Telegram! These engagement groups ensure the likes and comments you need for your cat photos! Now that you want engagement especially from cat lovers, we have good news for you! We, CatSocket, have launched our own Telegram Group! Click this link or the image below to join and enjoy the engagement together! 

Consistent Theme Works Like Magic!

Like any personal Instagram account, also your cat’s Instagram should have a glamorous theme. You should think about the theme from the start! Furthermore, although your cat can charm people by being just cute, some different tones and angles won’t harm the account! To get you inspired check @smoothiethecat Instagram account!

The Queen in all her glory.

A post shared by Smoothie the Cat (@smoothiethecat) on May 15, 2018 at 11:53am PDT

Plan Your Activities

Just to quickly remind that not a single successful project worked out without a plan. It is a good practice to think things beforehand and draw sketches and ideas about future posts. In addition, building your brand further requires a lot of thinking so make sure to write all the ideas down! If you are in need of a planner that you can carry around where ever you go, click/tap the image below! ;3

2018: HD Photos Rock the Instagram

Your phone/camera is most likely filled with fabulous cat photos. Taking a lot of photos is a good habit, but select only the great ones to be published on your cat’s Instagram. You really want to make sure that your photos are High Definition (HD) Quality! Thanks to advanced technology of today, our phones can make anyone become a professional photographer! Do not worry being as great as @iamthecatphotographer when you’re taking the photos. A lot of popular cat Instagram accounts are filled with great photos taken only using a smartphone!

Our big ferocious Badger is learning how to play. #gimme

A post shared by Andrew Marttila (@iamthecatphotographer) on May 9, 2018 at 7:13am PDT

(Bonus tip: Do not use heavy Instagram filters too much! Bright natural lighting and good focus should do the trick for you!)

Moreover, if you're  interested on hearing tips about taking better cat pictures, read our article on that here!

Quirks Add Personality – Let Them Shine!

Of course your cat is the cutest cat in the whole wide world. However, there's no doubt that the most popular cat Instagram accounts feature a kitty with a quirk. Ask yourself: Is your cat grumpy (like @realgrumpycat), does she/he have unique mark, or perhaps some weird habit that you could start to build her/his Instagram account around? Try to build your cats Instagram account around that special thing that adds character to your beloved cat!

Your future looks bright – NOT! But you can find out what your furry friend’s future holds with the Paws of Fate Sweepstakes from @Purina & PetSmart at PurinaFortunes.com (Link in Bio) I bet it will be terrible. #ad #FortunaForAll #GrumpyCat

A post shared by Grumpy Cat (@realgrumpycat) on Apr 26, 2018 at 9:29am PDT

Instagram Story is the New Snapchat

Instagram Story is growing its popularity and it is even threatening Snapchat as a whole. People are paying more and more attention to the Story and so should you! It is a great opportunity to advertise your new posts, or show little sneak peaks of our cat’s daily life. Especially now when Instagram has the relatively new feature of highlighting your stories, stories are getting even more popular! We would advise you to put a lot of thought and effort for the categories of your cats Instagram story highlights! Make sure to make them coherent and add a nice cover to them to increase the curiosity of the followers! Here is an awesome example of an account who has a strong game on that: @coco_cat_world

Hashtags, Tags and Credit

In general tagging is a wonderful way to accumulate followers on Instagram. There are roughly thee (3) types of tags. Account tags (although nowadays you can also tag products), Hashtags and Geotags. First of all hashtags are highly important especially when you’re starting out. You should research the most popular hashtags for cat accounts and add them to your post. In addition, creating your own hashtag for your cat is also a good idea! The tag should be versatile so it can easily be used for other cats’ photos. Furthermore, always include your pet's name in the tag!

Here is a list of some popular cat community hashtags that you should use for posting your cats pictures to his/her Instagram: : #catsofinstgram, #cat, #catsocket, #catplugs, #weeklyfluff, #kittensofinstagram,  #instakitty, #catoftheday, #caturday, #dailycat, #catlove and #catlovers  just to mention a few.

Second, there is account tag. You should tag other cats or people that are in your photo. That will optimize the search for these photos. It is also a good way to get the attention of a specific Instagram account. When you tag them to their photo, they might notice your account if they have tag notifications enabled! Moreover, it will help your account to show up of people use account search. Furthermore, if you have repost photos of other accounts, always give credit to the owner by tagging them to the photo. A permission for doing so should also be asked every time! We @catsocket do that all the time!

By the way! If you want your cat look as awesome as the cat above, just click/tap the picture below! :3

 Click or tap to open

Lastly, adding a geotag every time your picture takes place at a popular location might do wonders! More popular the place the better! This is a great excuse to take your cat with you to your travels! Here is an awesome example again from @realgrumpycat.

Don’t get too excited (I’m not) but I will be in NYC today with @Purina & @PetSmart celebrating my 6th birthday - and you are invited. Come to 91 Allen St in NYC today from 5pm-7pm to celebrate me, along with the great Madame Fortuna at the “Save a Fortune” event. Visit PurinaFortunes.com to learn more. (Link in bio) #ad #FortunaForAll #GrumpyCat

A post shared by Grumpy Cat (@realgrumpycat) on Apr 4, 2018 at 7:22am PDT

Give Your Cat a Voice and Have Conversations

The underlying premise of social media is to be social with other content creators. Don’t just post photos and be quiet otherwise. When you post your pic, add an engaging caption, and let the conversation flow. Even better if you do so as if the captions come from the mouth of your cat. A great example of this behavior is @zacandharvey. Furthermore, great captions can easily differentiate between a good and awesome account! For example, an account called @omgdeedee is a master when it comes to coming up with the best narrative creating captions!

I’m having SO much fun with @leahderoy while mom & dad are away!

A post shared by Zac & Harvey (@zacandharvey) on Apr 4, 2018 at 7:46am PDT

While still basking in his historic victory, Gary appointed Jesse as attorney general, who recused himself because his toes were under investigation, so assistant AG Gus's toupee hired the Black Whisker as Special Counsel after Gary fired the old futon mattress in the backyard for insufficient loyalty. Meanwhile, Margo fucking told you so, and no, she will not go away and take up knitting.

A post shared by Gary and supporting cast (@omgdeedee) on May 12, 2018 at 6:37pm PDTIn fact the things mentioned before applies to direct messages and commenting as well.  In addition, that is a great way to take the personality of your cat even further! That said, if someone has taken the time to comment your cat’s photo, give him/her a personalized reply. For larger accounts that may become somewhat impossible to handle, but as far as you can, do so! An awesome example for the rest of us is @ischmar.

In fact the things mentioned before apply to direct messages and commenting as well.  In addition, that is a great way to take the personality of your cat even further! That said, if someone has taken the time to comment your cat’s photo, give him/her a personalized reply. For larger accounts that may become somewhat impossible to handle, but as far as you can, do so! An awesome example for the rest of us is @ischmar.

I would rip off my left testicle for some chipotle #chipotle #nuts #ugglife #kitten #beer #baby #wine #bf #handsome #thechive #wine #meme #catsofinstagram #buzzfeed #cat #meowvswoof #catstocker #9gag #可爱  #可愛い #귀엽다  #ネコ  #猫 #고양이 #catsgato #myadorablecats #cutecatplus #cuteanimalspage

A post shared by @ ischmar on Mar 7, 2018 at 2:34pm PST

Collaborate With Other Cats and Cat Accounts

Do not hesitate on asking from other accounts to collaborate! That is maybe the best way of getting in touch with a ready-made audience.  Weather it is another cat or a cat family/community like @catsocket, make sure you slide into those DMs and get the conversation started! Alternatively, featuring your favorite brands or best of all, cat related products in your cat’s Instagram pictures is also a good idea. When doing so make sure to use right tags and hashtags!

Another fantastic shot from @meeeeeooooowww 😻😻😻 Follow their amazing #catfamily for more 📷! 😼#catsocket #catplugs

A post shared by CatSocket™ (@catsocket) on May 10, 2018 at 11:41am PDT

Dress Your Cat Up!

It doesn't matter what the event really is. Just go and have some fun with your cat friend and dress him/her up for the Instagram photo. For example, when the Christmas comes, make a nice holiday photo shoot with your kitty! Alternatively, you might want to celebrate his/her birthday by buying a cute little birthday hat and of course, displaying it for everyone to see! In fact that is exactly what amazing @pudgethecat has done. So in conclusion, dress up!

Pudge is 7 years old today! 🙊🎉 #pudgeybirthday

A post shared by Pudge (@pudgethecat) on Jul 5, 2017 at 10:41am PDT

If YOU want to impress your audience, you can try to dress your beloved cat with this amazing shirt for cats! Just click/tap the image to check it out! :3

Click or tap to open

Listen to the Internet - What is Viral?

Following viral trends is a really great way to engage with the discussion that is going on in the depths of Internet. So if anything interesting comes up, try to incorporate that into your cat's Instagram account. A really good tool for exploring the dialog on the internet is Socialmention. Use it to hunt down the latest trends! Here is an example from a cutie called @samhaseyebrows

Anyone else noticing a theme? #Gameofthrones #GoT #eyebrows

A post shared by Sam (@samhaseyebrows) on Jul 31, 2017 at 7:01am PDT

Contests & Giveaways

There is one thing that people really love and it is a change to get free stuff.  Prizes can vary from just a simple “shoutout” to an actual prize that you mail to the winner. Contests & Giveaways can be done in many different ways and that is usually dependent on the desired outcome. You might find it helpful to look from other established accounts for inspiration. @panther.cat is a good example how to handle giveaways! 

2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER ❤️ _________ It’s GIVEAWAY time! Thank you so much for all the love and spending your days with me following my adventures on IG! ❤️ INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS WELCOME ❤️ . Prize 1: 1x CatzeBox from @catzebox 1x set of 2 bow ties from @furryboy.leo 2x catnip toys from@rainbowluvcreations 1x tracking device from @thetrackr . Prize 2: $15 shopping spree voucher from @bewitchedcattoys 1x set of 3 bandanas from @nolababies 1x watercolor portrait of the winner from @monstr_kiwi_art . Prize 3: 1x miniature statue of the winner from @vonselfies 2x sets of itty bitty kitty stickers from @jaycatdesigns 1x matching Crisp and Key Fob from @formewtoys . Prize 4 1x set of 2 catnip toys from @legendarypettoys 1x kitty collar pendant from @mouses_magical_menagerie . . Rules are simple: 1️. FOLLOW me and my sponsors: @panther.cat @catzebox @thetrackr @furryboy.leo @rainbowluvcreations @bewitchedcattoys @nolababies @monstr_kiwi_art @vonselfies @jaycatdesigns @formewtoys @legendarypettoys @mouses_magical_menagerie . 2️. REPOST this pic with #panthersgiveaway . 3️. TAG your furriends and spread the love. . Good luck everyone! Contests runs from Oct 15-25. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced on October 26, 2016. 💕 #Goodluck #giveaway #entertowin #freebies #catsofig

A post shared by Panther (@panther.cat) on Oct 22, 2016 at 9:04pm PDT

Post a Lot and Right Time

The picture below is a extremely good and quick guideline for Instagram posting. All the Most Successful Cat Instagram Accounts follow these ideas when executing their posting!

Make a Lot of Purr-friends!

This might be very obvious for you or maybe it is not, but on Instagram NOBODY survives alone! You have to get yourself out there and make a lot of friends. Social media is a lot like the real world. Networking and becoming close with other users is a huge part of the whole experience of social media. That it is what a word social means in the end. Therefore, do not be afraid to open your mouth! DM, Comment, Like and Chat as much as possible! Make other users feel good about themselves and that will make them want the same feeling for you! Instagram is a shared experience and more you share with others, more your content gets shared as well! We here @catsocket are always welcoming new members to our #catplugs family! Feel free to contact us any time!

 Final Thoughts

We hope that you found this guide helpful! This is our view on the best practices that we have been observing while operating in the Instagram's cat space! Many of these tips apply on Instagram in general and not only on how to get successful cat Instagram. If you have anything to add PLEASE feel free to comment! We would be happy to add more tips to this guide if we missed something! 

Remember that getting successful on Instagram like any other practice requires a lot of learning, time and dedication. It is not a joke that for some, Instagram is really their whole life and a full-time job! If you want that as well, we wish you a good luck and finally: REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN! 

Other blog posts here.

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