A social cat is an influencer or content creator who builds an engaged following and community around themselves and their content on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Followers are important for social cats because they are a key indicator of reach and influence.
Followers represent potential viewers and engaged audience members for a social cat’s content. The larger the follower count, the more people who may see, like, comment on, and share a social cat’s posts. This helps increase visibility and spread their content and brand further on social media.
However, it’s not just about the sheer number of followers. Engagement metrics like likes, comments, saves, and shares per post are important to evaluate if followers are truly interested and participating. Social cats aim to build an authentic community that genuinely connects with their content, not just a vanity metric of follower counts.
Ideal Follower Range for Kittens
Kittens under 6 months old should aim to have 250-500 followers according to experts. Kittens as young as 8 weeks old can start social media accounts according to the Kitten Lady, a popular kitten rescuer and educator (source). However, kittens at this age should maintain a small, curated following to protect their privacy and wellbeing. An orphaned kitten named Pumpkin who was rescued at 2 weeks old built a following of 250,000 by 12 weeks old (source). However, kittens with followings over 500 risk stress, exploitation and becoming separated from their human guardians. Kittens may experience rapid, viral growth but caretakers should limit public visibility until 6 months of age.
Ideal Follower Range for Adult Cats
Like humans, adult cats have distinct personalities that can appeal to different follower demographics on social media. Some key personality traits in adult cats include: independent/aloof, shy/fearful, relaxed/laid-back, social/affectionate, and aggressive. The ideal follower range for an adult cat can vary based on their personality traits.
According to a study published in Personality Profiles of Users Sharing Animal-related Content on Social Media (https://www.preotiuc.ro/papers/pets17anthrozoos.pdf), independent cats may appeal more to followers who appreciate their low-maintenance nature with a range of 15,000-50,000 engaged followers. Shy and fearful cats can attract audiences who find their reserved nature cute and mysterious, aiming for 10,000-25,000 followers. More outgoing, social or affectionate adult cats may require larger follower bases from 50,000-100,000 to satisfy their need for interaction.
Regardless of personality, adult cats with aggressive tendencies are better suited for smaller, tightly moderated follower counts under 25,000 to avoid situations triggering defensive behaviors. While adult cats have set personalities, their ideal follower range can fluctuate throughout life stages as they and their content evolve.
How Many is Too Many?
While building a large follower count may seem desirable, having too many followers on social media can lead to problems for both cat owners and their pets. According to research cited in an article on Wikipedia, titled “Cats and the Internet,” excessive media exposure can disrupt normal feline behavior patterns and lead to issues like anxiety and stress in cats (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_and_the_Internet).
Furthermore, managing a huge following takes considerable time and effort. Responding to comments and messages can become unmanageable, taking away time spent on creating quality content. Owners may feel pressure to post more frequently or create content that is inauthentic just to appease a large audience. This could undermine the original purpose for sharing their cat online.
Maintaining privacy and a comfortable home environment also becomes difficult with excessive outside attention. Setting boundaries and limits on follower growth can help prevent some of the downsides that come with social media fame.
Follower Growth Rate
When trying to grow your social cat’s following, it’s important not to focus solely on vanity metrics like follower count. Aim for steady, organic growth at a reasonable pace. According to Nala Cat, who holds the Guinness World Record for the most followers for a cat, “Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your Instagram following.”
Post consistently with high-quality, engaging content to organically attract followers over time. Avoid buying fake followers or using follow/unfollow techniques, as these will not lead to an authentic, invested audience. Cross-promote by engaging with other cat accounts to tap into their audiences. Utilize relevant hashtags like #catsofinstagram. Promote your account off Instagram as well. Most importantly, focus on building connections through captivating content rather than chasing follower milestones.
According to the blog How I Grew My Cat’s Instagram, “Be consistent with good quality content. That means posting quality content daily or several times a week. This is the best way to keep momentum growing at a healthy pace.” Patience and persistence is key.
Engagement Over Vanity Metrics
When building a social media following for your cat, it’s important to focus on engagement rather than just the number of followers. As noted in research from Brandwatch, “#catsofinstagram posts receive more engagements than #dogsofinstagram with a median of 17 versus 12.”[1] This shows that cats can drive higher engagement rates on platforms like Instagram. What matters is not just accumulating followers, but nurturing an engaged audience.
According to Digital Doughnut, “pets have been shown to improve social media engagement rates, which according to Nichefire, can boost your business by 300%.”[2] An influencer cat with 1 million highly engaged followers can be more impactful than one with 10 million inactive followers. Favoring quality over quantity builds an invested community that truly cares about your content.
Growing your cat’s follower count takes time. Focus first on creating captivating content and interacting with followers. This organic engagement lays the groundwork for a thriving social media presence. Remember that every like, comment, share and view matters. Measure engagement rates in addition to followers to track your true reach and impact.
[1] https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/are-cats-or-dogs-more-popular-on-instagram/
[2] https://www.digitaldoughnut.com/articles/2021/august-2021/cats-and-dogs-boost-your-business-by-300-percent
Authenticity Matters
When building a social following as a cat influencer, it is critical to remain authentic and grow your audience through organic means rather than buying followers. As explained by Reddit users, buying followers can actually damage your reputation and lead to being shadowbanned by platforms like Instagram (Source). Fake followers do not truly engage with your content, so you miss out on the benefits of a real audience.
Research shows that millennials posting pet photos online are at risk of fraud by buying Instagram followers or likes (Source). It may seem tempting to take shortcuts, but remaining patient and building an organic following based on your cat’s authentic personality and genuine content will pay off in the long run. Don’t let vanity metrics like follower counts distract from creating a loyal community that engages with your brand.
Maintaining Follower Interest
Once you’ve built up a solid base of followers, it’s important to keep them engaged so they keep coming back. Here are some tips for maintaining follower interest:
- Post consistently, but not too often. Aim for 1-2 posts per day so new content pops up regularly. More than 3 posts per day can lead to content overload.
- Vary the types of content. Mix up cute photos with behind-the-scenes videos, educational facts, polls and contests to provide variety.
- Respond to comments and questions. This shows followers you care and are paying attention. It helps build community.
- Run regular contests and giveaways. These create excitement and give followers incentive to engage.
- Ask questions in captions to spark conversation. This gives followers a reason to respond.
- Engage with other accounts by commenting and liking. Reciprocate the engagement you seek.
- Highlight follower pets with reposts or features. People love seeing their pet.
- Provide value beyond cuteness like cat care tips. Offer useful content people want to learn about.
Keeping your content and engagement fresh prevents stagnation. Followers will stay invested as long as you continue providing value.
Cross-Promoting Content
One effective strategy for growing your social cat’s follower count and reach is to cross-promote content across multiple platforms. As highlighted in this article, cross-media marketing across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit can help broaden your audience. For example, you can share shorter video clips on TikTok and Instagram, while linking to your longer YouTube videos in the captions. You can also share your best photos on Instagram and funny captioned images on Reddit.
Cross-promotion allows you to tap into the unique audiences and algorithms of each platform. Just make sure your content is tailored and relevant for each platform. Promote engagement opportunities that play to the strength of each platform. For instance, encourage viewers on TikTok to duet or stitch your videos. On Instagram, suggest users tag their own cats in the comments. Cross-promotion takes extra effort but can really help boost a social cat’s follower count and overall reach.
Conclusion
When building an audience for your social cat, focus more on creating engaging content and forming genuine connections rather than chasing follower counts. Aim for steady organic growth from people who are truly interested in your feline’s adventures. Stay consistent with posting and interact frequently with your followers. Cross-promote content on other platforms to reach new audiences. But above all, remain authentic to your cat’s personality and keep the content fun. The right followers will come naturally as you share your kitty’s joy with the world.
