Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Elizabeth Prater @genevieve_the_cute_dog

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

I’m an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame studying marketing and Program of Liberal Studies! I am initially from Washington State where my dog Goldendoodle still resides, but I live in South, Bend Indiana during the school year. My dog has been my best friend ever since my family adopted her when I was six, and I created an Instagram for her over six years ago. I wasn’t allowed to create one myself, so I found a loophole and created a persona around my dog. When we first started, dog Instagram accounts weren’t that popular, and a lot of people found it quite bizarre. Over time, it has evolved to successful platform in which we’ve developed a blog, a YouTube channel, and have worked with some awesome brands including Petco, Chewy, Avocados from Mexico, etc. I also am a writer, so I have done a lot of guest blogging and have different creative writing projects in the works, including a one-act play and a novel I hope to traditionally publish in the future.

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

The Instagram that I run (@genevieve_the_cute_dog) is centered around my Goldendoodle, Genevieve. She is 13 years old and the most photogenetic dog to exist (unbiased opinion). I usually post action shots, headshots, portraits, etc. of Genevieve. Oftentimes, we utilize fun props and backgrounds to create more variety on the page.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

I came up with it when I was very young, so there are a few regrets about the plethora of underscores. However, I think the username has become a large part of her brand, so I think it gets the message across about what the account is about!

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

I usually use Snapseed and turn up the brightness, saturation, and usually add a dramatic filter. We try to keep it easy on the filters though because any coloration shows up on Genevieve’s fur on photos haha.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

We are really big fans of @goldenwoofs as far as dog Instagram accounts. They have done a really job of creating a niche for themselves and they have effectively developed their brand horizontally. Our brand has been very focused on vertical growth, and on developing the Instagram page, but their brand focuses on their brand and news in the press, and the way they have garnered a following is an inspiration.

6) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

It’s awesome being able to work with brands that we regularly use. In addition, it helped me find my interest in business and marketing, and it’s the primary reason why I chose it as my major at university.

7) What’s your favorite part about StarNgage? Any exciting campaigns that you have joined through StarNgage before?

I recently joined StarNgage, but I love how accessible the platform is. Sometimes, there is a lot of gatekeeping in this industry for finding opportunities, and joining this platform has helped to open a lot of doors.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

I love it when brands are explicit about what they are looking for in a campaign. Sometimes, this is displayed by showing an example photo that they would like us to emulate. In addition, I love it when brands are open to different kinds of influencers. Sometimes, we collaborate with home and lifestyle products that aren’t exactly canine-related, but they are companies that we support and can create fun promotional media for. Genevieve has worked with a socks company and was able to demonstrate their newest product line in a fun manner that differed from the rest of the influencers in the campaign. The opportunities are very limited in such a specific niche, so I love it when brands are open-minded and understand the endless possibilities towards reaching people in different markets. Maintaining authenticity is something that has grown more important as Genevieve’s brand has developed. We have been approached several times by brands that offered a generous amount to collaborate, but we didn’t honestly believe in their product and/or didn’t think it would fit with our niche. It used to be very hard to maintain authenticity by turning away opportunities, but I realized that Genevieve’s account is more than a business, but it is a reflection of values and staying true to oneself. If I accepted very opportunity without thinking twice, what would that reflect about the way we perceived our loyal followers? It wouldn’t be fair to them! We only want to produce content that would be beneficial to our audience and things that we truly believe in ourselves.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

Quality content has changed definitions over time. Quality used to refer to the physical quality of the media itself, as in what kind of equipment you used, and perhaps the cost of the editing service you use. However, I’ve realized over time that this is not the case. I believe the highest quality content isn’t in the price of such equipment or your physical capability, but rather, what you are portraying. Quality content is all about creating a brand for yourself, so that when people look at your page, they know that they are always going to get a photo that brings them joy, or maybe makes them reflect on their day. Loyal followers are attracted to pages in which they can always expect something emotive to come out of seeing your posts, and developing this emotional expectation is the key to creating quality content. You could use an iPhone or a Nikon camera, and it wouldn’t truly matter if the heart of the content isn’t there.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

It’s always fun to see what the business-side of collaborations looks like. As I’m studying marketing, I’m interested in the future of working on that side of the business instead of just the influencer market, and use my experiences from this Instagram to suggest better campaigns that are more accessible to different platforms. In addition, it’s been great sustaining relationships with different brands. I remember my first Petco campaign I was freaking out because it was Petco, and I believe I was in high school at that time and I had to get my parents to sign it off and give me permission. We’ve worked with them several times after that, and we get invited to their annual Halloween and Christmas campaigns. It makes me believe in the work that we do, and it feels like we’re a part of their family, not just a one-time collaborator.

Topics:

• Animals & Pets

Country:

United States of America