Social Media can be an overwhelming place when trying to find an adopter for your animal. Here are some tips and suggestions!

Pictures are everything!

A great photo is the first major step in finding an adopter for your pet or foster. But what makes a good photo?

• Lighting: Make sure you can actually SEE the animal! However, if you want to avoid laser beam eyes, avoid using a flash. For dogs, natural lighting outside (like in the shade during a sunny day) is perfect! For indoor cats or kittens, try facing them towards a window so the natural light can shine on their face. 
• Pose: We recommend getting a close up face shot, as well as a full body photo which can help potential adopters see the size of the animal and any interesting characteristics (colors, tail, etc). 
  • Dogs: Have them sit, then hold the treat or toy above your camera or phone and snap your photo! (Squeaky toys work well too!)
  • Cats: For adult cats, waiting until they are napping (or otherwise sedentary) is a great idea. Focus your camera, then make a small noise until their eyes open
  • Kittens: You can try the same as above, but you can also enlist a friend or family member to hold them while you take your photo
• Equipment: Don’t think you must have a professional camera in order to take a great photo! Many of our profile photos are taken with phones, since they are smaller, more portable and tend not to overwhelm the animals.

Important Information to Include

When creating your post, you will want to include some basic information that will help potential families know more about your pet:

• Name
• Age
• Sex & Spay/Neuter Status
• Breed (best guess is fine!)
• Size/Weight
• Health Status – is the animal up-to-date on vaccinations, on any medication, has a history of medical conditions
• The “Big Three” – how does the animal do around dogs, cats and kids. These are usually the three main behaviors that adopters are interested in when looking for a new addition
• Anything that makes your pet stand out! Are they incredibly smart? A wonderful lap dog/cat? 

The more detailed information you can include, the more likely those seeing your post will share or tag friends that they think might be a good fit!

Where/How should I post the animal?

Posting on your own Facebook page is a good start. If posting on Facebook, you will want to make sure your post is set to “Public” so that your friends can share and more people will see your post. If your animal is a specific breed (e.g. German Shepherd, Great Dane, etc), you can use Facebook’s search bar to look for groups that focus on that particular breed. There are also many rehoming and animal adoption groups on Facebook. 

In post cases, a photo and caption will be all you need. However, if you are creatively inclined, you can create a poster or flyer that you can post with all of the information included!

Make sure to put your preferred method of contact on your post like an email or cell phone number.

Sample Post

See below for a sample post that can help you get started. Notice that all of our suggestions come together to make an informative post (with a great photo!) which will help potential families learn if the animal is a good fit for their home.