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THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• ✍️ Make $3K a month writing about dogs

• 👨‍🍳 Cheffing for your dog at home

• 🧏‍♀️ Dogs listen to women more than men

✍️ MAKE $3K A MONTH WRITING ABOUT DOGS

Writing about dogs can be pretty fun (just ask us).

It can also be lucrative (still working on that part).

Are you someone who has some keyboard skills, loves dogs, and isn't against some extra money in your pocket?

Well dog blogging might just be for you. It's the type of side project that can be done on your own schedule, and has a number of different ways to make money.

"But Dogonomist, how do I get started?" you might ask. Well dear reader, we've got you covered.

There are two main routes; write for other people, or try to create an audience yourself:

Writing for other people

This route is easier, but has a lower ceiling for financial success since you are making other people money when doing this. Also, you may be competing against other writers.

You may not know this, but many online publications contract out their content to freelancers. You could be one of those freelancers!

Some pay per article or per word, and if you can develop a relationship you may be able to get consistent work.

Check out this article which covers different examples of publications that can pay up to $600 per article.

Examples are AKC Family Dog and The Wildest (previously The Bark).

To set some expectations, it will probably be hard to get the initial jobs with no experience, so we suggest looking on sites like Upwork, where small paid projects around pet blogging might be easier to get to help build your portfolio:

Creating your own audience

There is more involved in this route, but you could make a lot more money AND you get to own your own brand and decide your own hours since you are the boss.

1. 🫰 Pick a niche - the saying goes "riches are in the niches". There are thousands of blogs out there about dogs in general, so why compete against all of them? Pick a more specific category and it's much easier to develop a loyal audience. How many blogs do you think there are specifically about grooming techniques for boxers? The key is picking something you are knowledgeable and passionate about, because you are going to spend some time on that topic.

2. 💻 Set up your blog - this could include buying a domain name, getting hosting (paying a company to make your site show up on the internet), and designing your blog. Or, you could use existing free blogging networks like Medium, which cut out the need for any setup (though you do give up control and potentially the ability to advertise). We'd suggest setting up your own blog, and you can find many simple guides on the process with a short Google search.

3. 👩‍💻 Create content! - this is the key to the whole idea. You want to write articles that you think people will look for. This is why a niche topic is key. If you are writing articles about the best dog treats, there are hundreds of other articles you need to compete against when someone is searching for treats. But if you write an article about the best dog treats for dogs who have had dental issues, you narrow down the competition. We suggest trying to write one helpful article a week

4. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Get an audience - this is the most challenging part. You might write great content, but how to people find it? Well, one way is through the almighty Google. However, you'll rely on them finding your posts amongst the sea of other posts. So don't just write, also get on social media and find out where people are talking about the topics you are writing about. Create some profiles and start engaging. Don't just plug your writing, but be helpful and ask and answer questions. Find blogs that might benefit from your content and ask if you can post on their site.

5. 🤑 Monetize - if you start to get some eyeballs now is time to make some money. There are a lot of options, such as affiliate links (ex. you direct people to products on Amazon or other sites and get a cut of any purchases), sponsors who pay to be on your blog, Google ads, and more. For ease, we'd suggest Google Ads, which pay you per view on your site. We found a short guide here to explain more.

Have we oversimplified all of this?

Yes.

This isn't easy, but it is straightforward. Our goal is to get you thinking about this and potentially try it out. So hopefully this got the old brain juices flowing and got a few entre-paw-nuers to take a step forward.

👨‍🍳 CHEFFING FOR YOUR DOG AT HOME

Everyone wants to get into the pet industry these days.

The newest trend? Companies we are used to seeing in the hooman kitchen are dipping their paws into the dog food game.

Homemade treats

First up is Cuisinart, the American kitchen appliance and cookware brand. This month they announced the GoodBone Treat Maker, an appliance designed to create treats at home that comes with a recipe book utilizing common ingredients around the house.

A company spokesperson said the aim was to create a convenient way for owners to create their own treats without needing specialty ingredients, but while being able to avoid additives and preservatives found in store bought treats.

And yes, we would definitely try these out of curiosity 🤔

Meal Plans

Next up we have HelloFresh, the meal prep company, who recently announced a pet food version called the Pets Table.

Pets Table offers a number of different subscription plans, ranging from $2.89 to $1.59 per meal. There are options for fresh food ("human" grade), air dried, or a combination of those.

Subscription plans for dog food is nothing new, but it's a logical step for HelloFresh whose goal is to be the world's leading "fully integrated food solutions group" (great band name! kidding).

They already have the logistical skills and customer base, so adding on pet food shouldn't big a big leap.

And as we've covered a number of times on this publication, since Covid, pet ownership has steadily grown, so the opportunity is as big as it's ever been.

Keurig for dogs

This one isn't really a crossover, but in March we saw the launch of Artie, a product presented as a "Keurig for dogs".

This countertop appliance lets you use pods to create home-cooked meals for your fur pal in under 3 minutes.

While the appliance is the looker, it's the pods where they have an opportunity to make their money. It's a similar model to printers, where you buy the equipment, but the real money is made on the ink.

They have a variety of monthly meal plans with different calorie counts, portion sizes, protein bases and more.

The food is freeze dried or dehydrated so you get the full supply shipped to you all at once.

Artie's claim to fame is winning Purina's 2023 Pet Care Innovation prize (worth a nice $125k!).

🧏‍♀️ DOGS LISTEN TO WOMEN MORE THAN MEN

Have you ever had that sneaking suspicion that your pooch might be deliberately ignoring you?

Well, maybe it's not them; it's you!

Or more precisely, it’s your voice 🗣️.

Let's dive into what the brilliant minds at Eötvös Loránd University discovered.

The Hungarian researchers took on the Herculean task of scanning the brains of our furry best friends.

No, they weren't checking if the brains were filled with thoughts of fetching balls or chasing tails.

They were on a quest to find out how our four-legged pals respond to human speech.

And the results? Doggone surprising!

According to the study, our dogs aren't just being polite when they tilt their heads listening to us.

Their brains genuinely perk up, especially when they hear speech directed at them.

And here's the twist – especially if that voice belongs to a woman.

Yes, ladies, you've got that magic touch... or should we say, magic voice?

As Anna Gergely, one of the scientists behind the study, points out, this is the "first neural evidence that dog brains are tuned to the speech directed specifically at them."

Now, for all the men reading this, don't fret!

It's not that our dogs don't love your deep, baritone serenades. It's just that they seem to have a special place in their hearts (or brains? 🧠) for the exaggerated prosody typical of female speech.

And if you're scratching your head thinking, "proso-what?" - it’s just a fancy term for the rhythm and pattern of sounds.

But here's where things get even more fascinating.

Dogs didn't learn this sensitivity from other dogs. Nope.

This is something they might've picked up during their domestication journey with us humans. So, next time you feel silly using that high-pitched, baby voice with your dog, remember science is on your side.

So, whether you're a man, woman, or anything in-between, maybe try chatting with your pup in varying tones and see what gets their tail wagging the most.

And remember, it's not about what you say; it's how you say it!

KIBBLE BITS:

Every week we love to shoutout a pooch that has made another trip around the sun.

Happy 9th birthday 🎂 to Mr. Pug! By the looks of it, you had one for the record books!

That's all there is to bark about this week.

If you want more, be sure to follow our Twitter (@dogonomist).