Tips for Your Cool Pet
Here are some tips to help your dog reach your goals in the Zionsville Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest. Below you'll find suggestions on how to promote your pet, including ready-to-go posts for your social media campaign. And who knows, you may find out you have the coolest pet and a special beer or coffee brew is waiting to be labeled with your pet's picture. Good luck!
Contest Entry
Your photo is worth a thousand words. Have fun with your pet's photo:
- Make sure the photograph is in focus.
- Whether you have a sophisticated Siamese or a goofy gecko, make sure the photograph is taken at a high resolution. At 300 dpi, your photo should be at least 6X4 inches.
- Get up close to your pet when taking the photo. You don’t want your star to compete with the background.
- Whether you have a sophisticated Siamese or a goofy gecko, capture your pet’s true character: Dress him up. Pose him with amusing props. Catch him sleeping or while she’s in mid-jump.
Your words can make a difference:
- Whether you are telling a true story about your critter or crafting pure fantasy, be clever while explaining why your pet is coolest.
- Share a unique story about your pet … something inspiring, a hilarious habit, an embarrassing memory, or maybe even sad.
Spread the word: Tell your family members to tell their friends. Tell your friends to tell their co-workers. Tell your co-workers to tell their families. … Use email. Mention the contest in workplace conversations. Call neighbors.
- Let everyone know how easy it is to vote.
- Remind everyone about the discount that gives one extra vote for every $5 spent in a single vote transaction. A vote with $20 gets 24 votes.
- Give them the URL link or our QR code to help them get started.
- Add our Facebook tag to your post: #zwkiwanis.
- Most of all: Use social media!
Using social media
Previous coolest pet contest prize recipients used social media heavily to seek support for their cool pets.
Share the contest’s URL (gogophotocontest.com/kiwaniszionsville) and our Facebook tag (#zwkiwanis).
Save and share your pet’s contest URL so your supporters can go directly to the correct page.
Some past winners made daily posts. Here are some suggestions to help you generate regular social media content:
Images are absolutely necessary to capture attention. But people scrolling through social media posts reject content in less time than it takes to blink your eyes. Make sure your videos and photos are:
Keep your videos short (under 30 seconds or under 15 seconds is even better).
Keep your text messages short.
Try These Ideas and Don't Forget to Encourage Votes
Interview your pet for a short video to post on your social media. Ask him/her how he/she feels about chances for winning the contest. Ask about her/his strategy? Who has been his/her inspiration?
Videotape each family member explaining why they love their pet. Keep it short.
Videotape or photograph your pet performing a trick or two.
Explain why you support the contest's aim to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club, the Humane Society or Riley's fight against mental health concerns among Indiana youth.
Snap and post a photo of your pet-related bumper sticker to prove your love for your pet.
Write or record one of your favorite memories from experiences at a Boys & Girls Club, Humane Society or at Riley Children's Hospital.
Write or videotape yourself describing the moment when you first saw your cool pet.
Share photos/videos of your pet's puppy or kitten days.
Describe your pet's typical day. Or make up a spectacular fictional day of adventure!
Dress your pet in costume or clothes and share a photograph or video.
Capture a video or photo of your pet with a favorite toy.
Ask your children or grandchildren to draw pictures of your pet so you can post their artwork while promoting your cool animal.
Have fun expanding on the story you wrote for your pet's entry. If, for example, you portrayed him/her as a secret agent, tell of a recent, thrilling assignment.
Compare your candidate's traits to those of famous pets, such as Sylvester, Lassie, Mr. Bigglesworth, or Toto too. We're sure these famous canines and felines can't compare to your furry best friend.
Release your inner comedic talents and pun-fully play with these canine clichés:
Dogs:
Cats:
Cats rule, dogs drool
Cat’s meow
Cat’s in the cradle
Like herding cats
Cat nap
Fat cat
Puss in boots
Cat eyes
Purr-fect
Birds:
Bird-brained
Birds of a feather
Fish:
Mouse:
Spider:
Horse:
Horse sense
Hold your horses
Gift horse
Trojan horse
Pig:
High on the hog
When pigs fly
Use These (Almost) Ready-to-Go Posts
Try using these messages – as they are or edited and personalized to your taste – on social media to encourage your friends, family, and other followers to vote for your pet. Link to the contest at
https://www.gogophotocontest.com/kiwaniszionsville.
Remember, photos, videos and brevity dramatically increase interest in your social media posts.
Suggested posts to be used immediately or soon after you enter your dog in the contest. (Pet's Name) needs your help. She/He's an entrant in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. Every $1 dollar vote gets him/her closer to being declared one of 10 cool pets. The top fundraising pet's portrait will be featured on the label of a special Deviate Brewing beer! More importantly, the contest is raising money for the Zionsville Boys & Girls Club, the Humane Society for Boone County, Riley Children's Foundation, and the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club. Please vote for (pet's name). Vote as often as you like! Every contribution/vote is appreciated.
(Pet's Name) needs your help. She/He's an entrant in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. Every $1 dollar vote gets him/her closer to being declared one of ten coolest pets. The top 5 fundraisers will be featured on the label of a special Deviate Brewing beer! More importantly, the contest is raising money for the Boys & Girls Clubs, the Humane Society for Boone County, Riley Children's Foundation, and other causes supported by the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club. Please vote (link) for (pet's name). Vote as often as you like! Every contribution/vote is appreciated.
We're challenging all followers! We've entered our (pet's name) in the Zionsville /Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest. Enter your pet, and let's see -- just among ourselves -- who has the top pet. The chase is on!
Suggested posts to be used during the contest.
Get more votes for your bucks with the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest's quantity discounts! Each transaction in multiples of five receives bonus votes. A $5 gift gets 6 votes. $20 gets 24. $100 gets 120. And so forth and so forth. (Pet's name) thanks you. We do too!
Our pet (Name) is doing well in the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest, but s/he still needs your help. Every vote is appreciated, and every vote will help Riley Hospital battle mental health issues among Indiana youth, or update Zionsville Boys & Girls Club facilities.
Here's a not-so-secret secret: In the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest, you may vote as often as you like!
I remember fondly my days as a Key Club member, and I'm glad that the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club continues to encourage service leadership in our community's youth. If you were a Key Club member or if you think it's a good idea to build tomorrow's service-minded leaders, vote for our pet (name) in the Kiwanians' Coolest Pet Contest.
Every year, our local Kiwanis club sponsors the Zionsville Community High School Key Club, where more than 300 Whitestown and Z-ville teen members learn how service is a primary component of leadership. That's one of the reasons I'm urging you to support the Coolest Pet Contest: to support the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Club's investment in our community's youth.
Suggested posts in the closing days of the contest.
(Pet's name) is in the home stretch of the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. Urge her/him on with your votes today.
(Pet's name) is in the home stretch of the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest, and she/he is (very close/halfway/about halfway) to our fundraising goal of $(amount). Your votes will help her/him to the finish line. Thank you.
(Post a photo of your pet's best begging eyes) Take one look at these eyes. Then vote generously for (Pet's name) in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. You'll make him/her very happy!
(Pet's name) may not make the top 10 in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest, but it's been fun, and we appreciate everyone's support. And it's all for great causes; so, keep voting (link). Every vote helps children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Zionsville and Whitestown, as well as Indiana youth fighting mental health issues. Thank you for your support! (Pet's name) thanks you too.
Suggested post after the contest ends.
Thank you for supporting (pet's name) in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest. He/she didn't make the top 10, but with your help, he/she made us proud. Plus, we helped raise money for some great causes. Wait 'til the next time!
(Pet’s name) won! She/He came in second/third/fourth/fifth in the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest and will receive a cool collection of prizes. More importantly, he/she raised money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boone County, Humane Society for Boone County, Riley Children's Foundation and many other great causes. Thank you, everyone!
Suggested posts to be used during the contest.
(Pet's name) has announced that if he/she wins the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest, she'll/he'll proudly pose with each and every one of her/supporters for a selfie. Just be warned: his/her tail will be wagging like crazy. (Or: rewrite for your non-canine candidate.)
Suggested posts to be used in the closing days of the contest.
With only a few days left in the Zionsville / Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest, (pet's name) needs your help to stay at the top of the leaderboard. Thank you.
With only a few days left in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest, (pet's name) needs your help to reach the top of the leaderboard. Thank you.
With only a few days left in the Zionsville / Whitestown Coolest Pet Contest, help (pet's name) reach our $(amount) fundraising goal. Vote today. Thank you.
Suggested post to be used after the contest ends.
Thank you for supporting (pet's name) in the Zionsville Coolest Pet Contest. He/she didn't make the top 10, but with your help, he/she made us proud. Plus, we helped raise money for some great causes. Wait 'til the next time!
Guess what! We truly have a cool dog/cat! (Pet's name) (won/came in second/third...) in the Zionsville Whitestown Kiwanis Coolest Pet Contest! More importantly, he/she helped raise money for the Boys & Girls Club, Humane Society for Boone County, Riley Children's Foundation, and many other great causes. Thank you, everyone.