Welcome to the ultimate destination for dog enthusiasts and social media mavens alike. At Dogfluencers, we're passionate about showcasing the best and brightest in the world of four-legged fame.
Whether you're looking for adorable photos, heartwarming stories, or expert tips on how to turn your own pup into a social media star, we've got you covered.
Today we got the honor of interviewing Mark (Maxi's Human). You can find a direct link to their Instagram here.
Here is their story:
Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a dog influencer? What inspired you to start sharing your dog's adventures on social media?
De Carvalho: It was a spur of the moment type of thing. I thought it would be an interesting experiment and learning experience since I had never used Instagram previously. We love Maxi and think she is so cute, so I wanted to just show her off to see what happens. To my surprise, she started getting lots of views and likes, and almost exclusively positive response. So I kept going with it and learning more about creating engaging content, and it became a kind of obsession to see how much I can grow her account. At every milestone I was surprised by how quickly and how much she grew, which just continued to fuel the obsession...
What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?
De Carvalho: Maxi is very photogenic, and everyone that sees her tells me how beautiful she is. I think the mix of comedy, and family-oriented content plus the fact that I'm a dog dad gives us a bit of a unique spin. Maxi isn't particularly goofy or funny in the traditional way, but she has a very peaceful and soulful aura that allows for creation of emotional content, but Im also able to put comedic spins on her videos and they seem to work well.
How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?
De Carvalho: I'm always thinking of ideas and jotting them down in a list which I pull from occasionally. I get inspired from time to time and can go on bursts of creating 4 or 5 reels at a time if I get in the flow. My wife and kids also help and come up with ideas. I also get inspiration from the bigger influencer accounts (dog and non-dog influencers) and try to put a unique spin on it. When I create content, I make sure its something that my family and I enjoy and think is funny/emotional/entertaining and don't just put anything out for the sake of hopping on trends. I really enjoy putting the videos to music that we like as well.
Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?
De Carvalho: So far, we are lucky we haven't faced much negativity. The only thing I can remember would be about a reel where we were thinking of making her a dog house, and people were misinterpreting that as us building something to keep her outside. Which couldn't be farther from the truth, as Maxi is very much an indoor dog, and very SPOILED (in a good way). She is treated better than the humans around here.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?
De Carvalho: Make sure you are doing it because you enjoy it, not to get followers and be famous. If you are finding it a chore to make the content, then it is not for you. Because it is a grind and is not always rewarding, so if you are not enjoying the process than you will not last and just end up quitting. We never imagined Maxi's account would grow to the point it has, but I kept going even when the growth was slow because I enjoyed making the content and saving these memories in a way that my family and I can always look back on and enjoy.
How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?
De Carvalho: Maxi has brought so much joy to our family. My kids got to experience a new sense of responsibility as well which has been great for them. She's also been a forcing factor to help us all get more exercise as we all enjoy and are benefitting from multiple walks per day.
Can you tell us about a particularly memorable or funny moment you've had with your dog during one of your photo shoots or adventures?
De Carvalho: Our content is mostly organic, so we dont usually go out of our way to "shoot" content. But we really enjoyed taking her to a private dog park where she was free to run wild along with our kids and we got lots of great footage and had a great day. We also like capturing some of her quirky moments, like how she stands up like a meerkat to drink milk out of a glass, and for the longest time we didnt even capture the video for some reason!
What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?
De Carvalho: I love that Maxi is having a positive effect on so many people. The comments are so positive and we love to hear how we are making someone's day better, or how Maxi reminds them of one of their pets and how it brings back such nice memories and joy. I also really enjoy showing my family and friends the content and laughing with them about it.
Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?
De Carvalho: We plan to continue posting consistently on instagram and also start to focus more on some of the other platforms to further learn and experiment. We want to engage our followers more on projects for Maxi like building her a dog house or planning her birthday party, etc.
