If you didn’t know, I’ve had a pretty crazy year! I spent the first half of the year planning and executing my heavily-DIY wedding and the second half buying and moving into our new house. Despite all of the change, there is one thing that stays the same: I love being a pet blogger.
There are so many reasons I love this job, but let’s dive into just five of them! If at the end you’ve decided you want to take the plunge into pet blogging, you can buy your very own copy of Pet Blogging for Love and Money by my friends Carol Bryant and Maggie Marton to get yourself started!
Five Reasons I Love Being a Pet Blogger
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you make a qualified purchase after clicking the pink. I was also given my copy of Pet Blogging for Love and Money as a thank you gift for contributing a case stuDy.
1.) Learning New Skills
Becoming a pet blogger pushed me to learn many new (and marketable!) skills. I’ve improved my photography, photo editing, and graphic design know-how in order to create the branding and feel I want for my site. In addition, I’ve learned new social media techniques, picked up basic coding skills, and even developed a grasp of search engine optimization and Google Analytics. If I want my blog to succeed, I need to gobble up every tip, trick, and skill I can!
2.) Bonding Time With Your Pet
Working on the blog has led to countless priceless memories with Henry! We’ve learned new tricks together for the Trick or Treat Blog Hop and brushed up on Henry’s posing skills for photos. He’s tried nearly every dog treat under the sun, so I’ve discovered what his likes and dislikes are. I could have been spending those hours staring at my phone or television while Henry took a nap — instead, we’re closer than we’ve ever been.
3.) Side Income Doesn’t Hurt!
I am not lying when I tell you that we were able to buy our house because of my blogging income. Sure, we budgeted our mortgage payments based on our day jobs, but money from The Broke Dog was incredibly helpful for saving a down payment. The folks we bought our house from even turned down a higher offer because we had a bigger down payment — so Henry can quite literally thank this blog for his new backyard! Whatever your goals are — helping with rent, paying off loans, saving for a vacation, or even spoiling your dog — successful pet blogging can help make it a little easier.
The best part? I haven’t been able to blog much this year since life has been so bananas, but I’m still earning money on the blog thanks to passive income! I kid you not.
4.) You Meet Amazing People
I can’t tell you how many incredible folks I’ve met because I decided to start The Broke Dog! In addition to the fabulous fellow bloggers I’m proud to call my friends, I’ve encountered or gotten to know brand reps, hardworking dog rescuers, famous pups – even The Dogist! I have a wonderful network of pet professionals and animal lovers that I trust and can ask for advice or simply laugh about a silly meme with. Have you ever been to a party and bonded with the one other person who is hanging out with the host’s dog? The pet blogging community is like that, but a hundred times better.
5.) You Get to Help Others
Not only do I have the honor of helping my wonderful readers improve their lives with a fun DIY, perfect dog treat, or some new tidbit of knowledge, I can use my influence for good. Because of blogging, I was able to donate $2000 worth of supplies to Henry’s rescue in Arkansas. Our 2016 Doggie Coat Drive resulted in two huge bags of donations for our local Brooklyn rescue. I even won an incredible prize — $10,000 towards vet costs — for the rescue of my choice at a BlogPaws conference. Blogging is a wonderful platform to do a little good in the world!
Ready to start?
Pet Blogging for Love and Money is an indispensable new guide for the pet-blogger-to-be AND the seasoned professional! It will walk you through every step of the way, from naming your site to optimizing it for search engines. We even have a couple of cameos! You can pick it up on Amazon at this link!
2 Comments
Thanks for this well-constructed post. You hit on so many points that make pet blogging a viable option as a side hustle or a full-time job.
I second all of these!! Especially the meeting wonderful people… like YOU! I’m so grateful our paths crossed all those years ago, and I’m inspired by you and all you do every single day. Thank you so much for sharing the book and for sharing your insights in the book!!