The internet loves cats, and many cats have strategically grown their social media accounts to reach stardom and celebrity status. Some cats have tens of millions of followers and have even launched their own brands and product lines.
If your cat has a special stage presence and loves attention, then you just might be living with the next feline internet icon. The internet is always welcoming new cats into the scene. With some time, effort, and some luck, you can help your cat become the next big internet star. Here are some tips for helping your cat journey down the road to stardom.
Top 13 Tips to Make a Cat an Internet Star
1. Figure Out Why Your Cat Is Special
Of course, we all think our cats are special. But the most famous internet cats all have something that stands out about them and draws attention. Grumpy Cat had a permanent scowl on her face. Lil BUB also had a unique physical appearance. Maybe your cat “talks” to you in a way that sounds like human speech, is specially-abled with only two legs, or you and your cat travel around the country together. Think about what sets your cat apart from the other cats on the internet and what is going to draw people to them, then base your content around that.
2. Create Social Media Accounts and Make Sure They’re Public
Creating a social media account, or multiple accounts, will provide a centralized location for you to keep all your photos and videos of your cat. It also makes it much easier for others to discover and get to know your cat. Instagram and TikTok are two of the most popular social media accounts today, but you can also utilize Facebook and YouTube, depending on the type of content you want to create and post.
Instagram is great for photos and reels, TikTok and YouTube are great for reels and videos, and Facebook is great for creating written posts and stories about your cat.
When creating a social media account, make sure to choose a username that’s easy to remember. The name also needs to be consistent across multiple social media sites to help people find your account easier. For example, make the Instagram and TikTok names the same so that people automatically know which account is yours (or rather, your cat’s) and can follow on multiple platforms.
You also want to make sure that the accounts are public and not private. If the accounts are private, then people have to follow you before they can see your content. You’re more likely to gain followers if they can see your content first.
3. Learn to Take Good Photos
People like looking through high-quality photos rather than blurry images where they can barely make out what’s going on. Fortunately, you don’t need fancy photography equipment to take nice photos. Many smartphones are capable of capturing beautiful photos. So, get familiar with your own phone’s features and look up a few quick tips and tricks for getting clear photos of your cat. Here are some tips from Expert Photography on how to take great photos of your cat, and you can use a lot of these tips even if you don’t have a fancy camera!
It’s also helpful to identify spaces in your home that get natural lighting. Photos with natural sunlight often look better than when you use your camera flash. It’s even better if you can capture your cat posing near a window during golden hour, as this type of lighting often makes photos look warm and beautiful.
4. Learn to Edit Videos
If you plan to share videos of your cat, make sure you learn the basics of video editing. While you may enjoy watching hours of footage of your cat, strangers don’t really have that kind of patience. Edit your videos to start just before your cat does something cute or funny. Adding background music and appropriate sound effects can also make videos more engaging.
Obviously, the ideal length of your videos will depend on the social media platform you’re using. But here are some general guidelines for how long videos should be for different social media platforms in order to increase your chances of going viral:
- Facebook – 20 seconds
- Instagram – 15 seconds for stories, 5 to 60 seconds for reels
- TikTok – 7 to 15 seconds
- X (formerly Twitter) – 44 seconds
- YouTube – 2 minutes
5. Let Your Cat’s Personality Shine
Make sure to share the star quality you see in your cat with others. You can do this by posting dynamic and entertaining photos and videos that highlight their unique features and qualities. Adding narrations to your video can help your audience get to know your cat’s personality better.
Don’t forget to utilize the caption section of your social media posts. You can use this spot to write funny captions or write in the voice of your cat, like this example from @arloandrune:
One of the best ways to get started is to share your cat content with your family and friends. Friends who are already fans of your cat are more likely to share your cat’s social media account with others on their own. However, it doesn’t hurt to ask your friends to share your photos and videos proactively. Just make sure that you’re not overdoing it with the requests.
It also helps to reach out to other people that run famous internet cat pages. Ask if they would mind sharing your cat’s photos/reels to their pages or Instagram stories. A lot of them may be willing because they were in the same place as you once, trying to grow their accounts. This can help you gain followers or subscribers, and you can offer to return the favor to them as well. They may deny your request, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, and make sure you thank them for their time even if they say no.
People are drawn to stories and are more likely to revisit your cat’s page if there’s an ongoing story that they can follow. For example, you can design your social media posts to follow your kitten’s development from kittenhood to adulthood. If you like writing stories, you can write a simple script and have your cat be the star of the show. Consider multi-part reels or videos for Instagram or TikTok to keep your followers on those platforms engaged as well.
Stories help people feel connected and enable them to relate to others. So, a good story featuring your cat can help others get to know your cat and fall in love with all the same things that you love about your cat.
Hashtags are a great way for people to stumble upon your content that might not otherwise. Instagram and TikTok are the best sites for utilizing hashtags, but you can use them on pretty much any social media site.
Some popular hashtags include #catsofinstagram, #catsoftiktok, and #catlovers, but you can use any hashtag that relates to your post or content. And again, you want to make sure that your accounts are public so that people can see your hashtags.
9. Keep Your Cat Healthy and Well-Groomed
Your cat’s health and well-being must be your top priority. Make sure your cat Is having fun and isn’t stressed out by being in front of a camera. Keeping them well-groomed will support their skin and coat health and ensure that they’re always photo ready. Cat lovers can tell when a cat’s happy and healthy, and they’ll love following a pampered cat that’s living their best life. If your cat seems distressed or neglected in any way, you can bet that your followers are going to let you know about it, which can drive people away from your site.
10. Post Regularly and at the Right Time
If you want people to keep following your cat, it helps to post regularly. That can look different for everyone, but the most famous internet cats post daily or are at least active on stories daily. You can post every other day or once a week, but consistent posting keeps your followers engaged, and if you keep a consistent schedule, they know about when you’re going to post next.
If you can’t keep up with posting due to a busy schedule, there are social media posting apps and tools that allow you to schedule posts for a certain time. Avoid posting between the hours of 9 PM and 9 AM, as this is when most people are sleeping and aren’t on the internet. The best time to post is late afternoon or evening, or anytime on Saturday after 9 AM, since most people are home from work or school at this time.
Posting consistently and regularly allows your posts to reach as many friends and followers as possible.
11. Hop on Internet Trends
Sometimes, you can attract more people to your cat’s social media account by hopping on internet trends. There’s always a new challenge that your cat can participate in. Posting a video that uses the same audio or hashtags of these internet trends can boost its visibility and cause more people to see it. A video of your cat participating in an internet trend just might be the thing that makes your cat go viral and become internet famous.
12. Collaborate with Brands
Collaborating with brands is one of the best ways to grow your following and make your cat an internet star. Brands reach millions of people every day, and everyone has their favorite. Consider taking photos of your cat with some of your favorite cat brands and tagging the brand in the post.
Brands often repost photos or videos containing their brands, and this gives exposure to both the brands and you. As you gain more followers, brands may even be willing to work with you to promote their products, which can give the brand and yourself financial gain.
13. Interact With Fans
Being active in the comments section of your social media accounts can help retain your current fanbase. Liking comments, leaving kind responses, and thanking people for commenting can encourage fans to continue to comment and boost engagement. This will help your content appear to a wider audience.
Try finding other cat accounts and leaving comments on their content. It’s fun befriending other cat lovers, and you can also end up promoting each other’s content and creating a wider audience for your cats.
And if you start working with brands or can start monetizing your accounts, you can host giveaways for your fans as a way to thank them for being there and supporting you and your cat.
Conclusion
Becoming an internet star takes time and dedication. It’s often helpful to learn how to take good photos and videos of your cat and to stay on top of internet trends. It’s also important to let your cat’s personality shine and show the rest of the internet what makes your cat special and unique.
It’s rare for cats to rise to fame in an instant. Becoming an internet star takes a lot of time and consistency. However, no matter what happens, you’ll end up with many wonderful photos and videos of your cat. You’ll make many fun memories along the way that’ll make all your efforts worth it in the end.
Featured Image Credit: arisa Stefanjuk, Shutterstock
Top 13 Tips to Make a Cat an Internet Star
