People assume a pet page with almost no face in it can't make money. Nicole and Nora would like a word. Most of what pays our bills isn't sponsored posts on our own grid, it's UGC: short videos we film for pet brands to run as their own ads.
What UGC actually means for a pet account
UGC stands for user generated content. In practice, a brand pays you to make a video of your dog using their product, then runs that video as an ad on their own channels. You are not renting out your audience, you are renting out your camera roll. That is why it works even for a mostly faceless page: the brand cares about the footage, not your follower count.
The platforms I actually use, ranked
1. Insense
Insense is the one I hand every beginner. Brands post a brief, you apply, and the whole thing lives in one place: the contract, the payment, the revisions. Nobody “forgets” to Venmo you.
It’s also where the pet and lifestyle brands actually hang out, which matters when your entire cast is two dachshunds.
My honest reason for loving it: I am allergic to chasing invoices. On Insense the money is agreed up front and just sits there like a promise, so I can film Nicole pointedly ignoring a brand-new toy in peace. You can make a free profile on Insense and start applying the same afternoon.
2. Collabstr
Collabstr flips the whole thing around. Instead of you pitching, you build a little storefront: here’s what I make, here’s what it costs. Brands check out like they’re buying a candle.
I like it for the laziest possible reason, which is that it works while I’m asleep. The listing does the pitching. I wake up, see a notification, and decide if it’s a yes.
Being a mostly-faceless mini dachshund page is a feature here, not a bug. Specific is easy to shop for. Setting up a Collabstr listing took me about ten minutes, most of it spent picking a photo where both girls looked employable.
3. JoinBrands
JoinBrands is the volume play. Lots of small, fast jobs on a board, the kind you finish in an afternoon instead of waiting a month for one big deal.
I treat it like picking up shifts. Quiet week, quiet inbox? I open the board, grab a couple of quick gigs, and let the girls earn their keep for once.
It won’t be your glamour income. It’s the reps. And reps are how you stop overthinking every clip and just make the thing. You sign up as a creator on JoinBrands and pick jobs off the board.
4. Billo
Billo is video-first and built for e-commerce brands that just want clean product footage. No mood board, no vibes, just the shot.
That specificity is exactly why I like it. The briefs tell you precisely what to film, so there’s none of the “make it pop” guesswork that turns a ten-minute shoot into an existential crisis. You always know what “done” looks like.
Payouts are reliable, which after enough freelance work stops feeling like a perk and starts feeling like a small miracle. If you join with the code 2DN4C, you get a bonus after your first completed task, and I get a small thank-you too.
How I decide which one to pitch first
If you're brand new, start with Insense to learn how briefs work, then add Collabstr so brands can find you while you sleep. Keep JoinBrands open for volume weeks, and use Billo when a brand specifically wants polished product video. You do not have to pick one. My dogs are on all four.
None of this replaces knowing your numbers. If you want the honest math on what this actually pays, I broke it down in what pet influencers really make. And if you're not there yet, start with how to become a pet influencer and the media kit that gets brands to reply.
🎬 Turn this into 2–3 Reels
“Your camera roll is a resume.” Show a clip of the girls using a product, then reveal that brands pay for exactly this.
“4 apps that pay pet creators (your bio isn’t one of them).” Flash the four platforms.
“How a faceless dog page landed its first paid gig.” Walk through the Insense-first path.
🎯 Your challenge this week: pick ONE platform above and set up your profile today, it takes about ten minutes. Then tell me in the comments 👇 which one you started with, and tag us on Instagram @nicolenoraminidoxies so I can cheer you on. I read every comment and every tag. 🐾
🐾 One more thing, the playbook is here
UGC is one income stream, set up properly. The Petfluencer Playbook (2026 Edition) is all of them in order, the growth systems, the pitch templates, and the pricing math. If this post was the taster, the playbook is the whole meal. 🐾
📬 Up next: once your UGC profiles are live, the real question is what to charge, how to price your content without underselling your dog’s face. 🐾
— Iana (with two miniature dachshunds who refuse to ever do a second take) 🌭🐾