Boost Your Pet's Campaign with Media Coverage

You just set up your pet's Waggle campaign and, honestly? While you're optimistic, you might be freaking out. You don't have a large social following. You may feel helpless. You may feel clueless.

Waggle has amazing news for you: You can indeed raise the money you need for your precious pet. We will help you along the way, but we need you to do some work to help yourself and your pet. The stakes are high. But it's worth it.

Look Past Your Social Media

Yes, social media can be a huge factor in your campaign. But think of ways to reach people outside your friends and family network. In fact, this has proven to be a very powerful approach.

When Charley, a Lab mix in Toledo, Ohio, got hit by a car and required extensive medical care, his owner created a Waggle fundraiser—then called up the local media and secured coverage. Charley's campaign raised the money he needed, and he's now doing well.

Similarly, a local humane society in California needed help saving one of its shelter dogs. Media attention helped get Maci's campaign fully funded.

The more people who see and hear about your campaign, the better. You never know who is feeling generous or inspired by your story and will want to donate.

Go to the Media

Once you've crafted you and your pet's story—we recommend keeping it to about 400 to 500 words—contact your local media. Email and call every TV news station and newspaper in your area. Don't forget about those hyper-local neighborhood papers, too. Once you have your list, here's what to do for each one:

• Google every local media outlet that you can think of.
• On the top or bottom of their website, you will usually see a "Contact" tab or link.
• Choose the one that says "Contact the newsroom," "Send news tips," "Email story ideas," or something similar.
• Then you'll see either an email address or an online submission page with a form to fill out.
• Email each outlet the compelling story you crafted about your pet.
• Be sure to include the reason your pet is in need and the Waggle link to your campaign. The goal is for as many people as possible to see the fundraising link.
• If you have a favorite reporter or anchor, look to see if their email is listed and email them as well. Tell them you are a huge fan!
• After you've sent your submission, call and ask for the assignment desk to make sure they received it.

Be Visual

If you have adorable or emotion-evoking pictures or videos of your pet, be sure to let the media outlet know.

Don't attach too many photos to an email; you risk it not going through due to file sizes and server gremlins. When it comes to injuries, don't send anything that's too graphic.

Use Social Media

• Post your story, photos, and campaign link on social media. In your caption, ask others to share.
• You can also share the post on the social media pages of media outlets or message them through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and NextDoor.
• If you don't have any social media accounts, create one! Start with Facebook, which is extremely easy to navigate and use for sharing.
• Jump on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. It takes ten minutes. You never know who will see your post and will want to help.
• Enlist the social media networks of your friends, your teenagers, your friends' teenagers—actually, any teenager you can find since they are totally hooked into social media and often have large networks—as well as your library, community pages, and even your local humane society. All you have to do is ask them to share your Waggle campaign.

Jump On Every Response

If a media outlet responds to you and asks you for an interview your answer is always, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"