Over the last few years, we have seen a rise in influencers across all social media platforms. Alongside this, has been the increase in “animal – influencers” (yes, we just made that up!) In fact, did you know that there’s a dog on Instagram that not only has more followers than Tom Hanks but could be making more money on sponsored posts than him too?
Let’s take a closer look
The Highest Earning Animals on Instagram
They might not be running the accounts, but we know the animals are the main event. With some smart business decisions, you can even those turn millions of followers your cat may have into thousands of pounds.
That might surprise you, but there’s that much money available because advertising on Instagram just works.
According to Hootsuite, 92% of Instagram users say they’ve followed a brand, clicked on their website, or made a purchase after seeing a product/service on the platform.
With a conversion rate like that, it’s not surprising industry giants are pairing up with pets of all kinds online.
Below you can find a closer look at the most popular animals on Instagram, along with what they could be earning per sponsored post:
| Name of account | Instagram Handle | Animal type | Followers | Earnings per post (£) | Earnings per post ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiff Pom | @jiffpom | Dog | 10 million | £43.3K | $56.7K |
| Nala The Cat | @nala_cat | Cat | 4.3 million | £18.6K | $24.4K |
| Doug the Pug | @itsdougthepug | Dog | 3.9 million | £16.9K | $22.2K |
| Juniper the Fox | @juniperfoxx | Fox | 3 million | £13.1K | $17.1K |
| Henry + Baloo | @henrythecoloradodog | Dog and Cat | 2.2 million | £9.4K | $12.3K |
| Tuna | @tunameltsmyheart | Dog | 2.1 million | £9K | $11.8K |
| Maya | @mayapolarbear | Dog | 2.1 million | £8.9K | $11.6K |
| Sukii | @sukiicat | Cat | 2 million | £8.5K | $11.2K |
| Mr Pokee | @mr.pokee | Hedgehog | 1.9 million | £8.2K | $10.7K |
| Diddy Kong and Yeti Kong | @realdiddykong | Monkey | 842.6K | £3.6K | $4.7K |
| Jill | @this_girl_is_a_squirrel | Squirrel | 723.7K | £3.1K | $4.1K |
| Bertram | @bertiebertthepom | Dog | 440K | £1.9K | $2.5K |
| Popeye | @popeyethefoodie | Dog | 407K | £1.8K | $2.3K |
| Bodhi, The Menswear Dog | @mensweardog | Dog | 400K | £1.7K | $2.3K |
| Hamlet | @hamlet_the_piggy | Pig | 344K | £1.5K | $1.9K |
All earnings data is correct according to Inkifi – see methodology below for more information.
Now we have that information, we can compare them to human celebrities for some context. As you can see, there are some incredible results when you look at the two. In fact…
Below you can find data on some surprising accounts that Jiffpom may be out-earning:
| Name of account | What they're known for | Followers | Earnings per post (£) | Earnings per post ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Hanks | Actor | 9.4 million | £40.3 K | $52.8K |
| Raheem Sterling | Footballer | 8.7 million | £37.4K | $49K |
| Molly Mae | Influencer | 6.1 million | £26.3K | $34.4K |
| Dolly Parton | Singer | 4.4 million | £19.2K | $25.1K |
| Gemma Collins | TV Personality | 2.2 million | £9.6K | $12.6K |
A Closer Look At The Animal Superstars
Surprising data, right? Now, lets take a closer look at some of these animals that are stealing the hearts of people all over the world; and making thousands while they do it!
Click on the images below to visit their Instagram page.
Jiffpom The dog
The most popular animal on Instagram and look at her - are you surprised? She's often pictured with a big smile on her face and dressed as everyone from Santa Claus himself to pop culture icons like Captain America.
Earnings per post: £43,600 / $57,100
Nala The Cat
The face of her very own major cat food brand, Nala is the most famous cat on Instagram. Even Grumpy Cat couldn't keep up, with 1.7 million fans between them.
Earnings per post: £18,800 / $24,600
Juniper The Fox
You might not have expected to see a fox here, but a scroll through Junipers' pictures will make it obvious why the account is so popular. The fox is even a strong advocate of adoption with a page dedicated to it on her official website.
Earnings per post: £12,800 / $16,800
Mr Pokee the Hedgehog
As one of the most photogenic animals we've seen, Mr Pokee even makes a great business mogul. He boasts some great partnerships and even has a social media package full of guides and assets available!
Earnings per post: £7,800 / $10,300
Tips To Make Your Own star
Do you have your own pet that you want to show off? We have a few tips here that could help you gather a following. However, we in no way encourage anyone getting a pet just for financial gain or solely to develop a social media following. Animals should be adopted when a safe and loving home can be guaranteed; these tips are just for the owners that want to share some of the happiness their pet gives them.
Make them their own account
Your pet can't be the supporting actor. They need to be the main star. That's why they should have their own account and can't just be playing second fiddle to your lunch snaps or selfies. That helps with the third step here, too.
Understand the Instagram algorithm
Instagram revealed in 2019 that the posts that appear higher in the feed are from the accounts that you interact with the most. This means you need to post frequently, on posts or stories.
Interact with other accounts
If you look at the comment sections of some of the accounts above, you'll likely find a few other animals in there - even speaking in character. This is a great way to organically gain fans and get your name out there.
Enjoy and Share This Infographic
You can’t exactly copy and paste an entire article onto your website or social media feed. Sometimes, an image to encapsulate everything is exactly what’s needed.
So, we put together this infographic below which you’re free to share on your blog or social channels, just be sure to link back to this page so people know where they can find more on the topic!
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The search data at the beginning of the report was taken from SEO Monitor’s own ‘Search Trends After COVID-19’ tool. This pulls search volume from Google’s own ‘Keyword Planner‘ tool and is then combined with their own aggregation system.
All of the proposed post earnings are only estimated and are not official numbers. To arrive at the data, we used Inkifi’s ‘Earnings on Instagram’ tool, where it calculates the estimated earnings an account could make based on their followers.
The Instagram follower data was collected by our own team manually from the website itself and are accurate as of the time of writing.
In no way is this report meant to encourage the adoption of animals for the sole purpose of making money or developing a social media presence. An animal should only be adopted, be it a dog or hedgehog, when you believe you can provide it with a safe and loving home.