Social media

Social media is a great way to promote your foster cat for adoption and reach a wide audience. You never know when that special someone will see your cat and fall in love! Here are some tips on how to effectively use social media:

Make posts/account public - this will ensure more people can view your posts, which means more eyes on your cat! When others share your posts, it will be visible to all of their friends and family, too. On Facebook, you can make specific posts public and still keep your personal posts private. For Instagram/Twitter, you can make a new/separate account just for fostering.
Post often - tell the journey of your fostering experience. Start with a "welcome home" announcement that introduces everyone to your new foster. Make daily updates (or at least a few times/week) that highlights your foster's progress (think: size & growth for kittens, or socialization for adults).
Be positive - focus on why your foster cat would make an amazing addition to someone's home. What makes them special? Why do you like them? If someone can picture the cat in their own home, they're more likely to fall in love!
Be responsive - if someone comments or messages you, make sure you respond in a timely manner whenever possible. Remember, the responsibility isn't on you to decide if they're the perfect adopter, but you should at least send them info on how they can connect with our organization and fill out an application! Thank them for their interest, even if they don't follow through. They may end up donating, adopting a different cat, fostering, etc. - and that's still something to celebrate!

Facebook

You can create a Facebook page for your foster home! It's a great way to create public posts that can easily be shared, without worrying about sharing your private information. To get started, you'll need a Facebook profile/log in.

HOW TO CREATE A FACEBOOK PAGE

Open your account.
To Edit Your Account, click the downward facing triangle in the dark blue navigation bar at the top right of your screen.
Choose ‘Create Page’ from the dropdown menu.
Click on ‘Artist, Band or Public Figure’
Choose ‘Pet’ from the first dropdown menu

In the box below this, you get to name your Foster Page!

Be sure to include the words ‘Heaven on Earth’ and ‘Foster’ in this name.

Heaven on Earth Foster: Waffle’s House

Buster’s Bungalow: a Heaven on Earth Foster Home

Emma Mae’s Heaven on Earth Foster Place

Remember to choose a name that will represent your foster home now and in the future (if you are naming the page after one cat, do so as a dedication realizing that future fosters will be featured here as well.)

SET UP YOUR FOSTER PAGE

Next set up your page by adding a description and website.

Describe your foster home as you wish! If you foster a special kind of kitty, like FeLV+ cats, socialization cats or bottle babies, this is a good place to call that out.
Please use heavenlypets.org as your website.
Click ‘Save Info’
In Step 2 add your Profile Picture
In Step 3 add your new page to your Favorites in your personal profile
In Step 4 you can define your Preferred Page Audience. Please enter:

Locations: Los Angeles

Age: 13 - 65+

Gender: All

Interests: Pets, Animal, Animal Rescue Group, Animal Shelter (and any others you see fit).

COMPLETE PAGE INFO

Finish up your Foster Page by adding a Cover Photo networking with friends

Upload a Cover Photo
‘Like’ your page
‘Invite Your Friends’ Invite your Facebook Friends to ‘Like’ your Foster Page. If they ‘Like’ your page they will see your posts about your cats and fostering experience.

CREATE YOUR FIRST POST

Introduce your Foster Page with your first post!

Example page:

The above information is courtesy of Austin Pets Alive! https://www.austinpetsalive.org/

Instagram

You can create an Instagram account especially for your foster home. It's a great platform to share photos and video! Unless set otherwise, this account will be public and any Instagram user can view it.

(Instagram is a mobile app that you can download on Apple and Android phones and tablets. You must create your account using the Instagram mobile app, not a computer. After you’ve downloaded the app and created an account, you can then view your Instagram posts from a computer.)

HOW TO CREATE AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT FOR YOUR FOSTER HOME

Download the app for iOS from the App Store, Android from Google Play Store.
Once the app is installed, tap the icon to open it.
Enter your email address and tap Next or tap Log In with Facebook to sign up with your Facebook account.
If you register with email, create a username and password, fill out your profile info and then tap Done. If you register with Facebook, you'll be prompted to log into your Facebook account if you're currently logged out.

Instagram is one of the most popular and easy to use photography sharing applications. It has an extensive Help Section where you can learn how to take, edit and share photos and videos.

If you set up an Instagram account for your fosters, be sure to tag us in your posts @perrys_place_la

Example account: https://www.instagram.com/cutestfosterkittensever/

The above information is courtesy of Austin Pets Alive! https://www.austinpetsalive.org/

Other types of social media

CRAIGSLIST

Don't underestimate the power of online community postings. While sites like Craigslist may get a bad rap in the animal welfare world, it can be a useful advertising tool! You're not giving away or selling an animal - you're simply sharing adoption information. Here are some tips for posting about your foster cat(s) on Craigslist (anyone can do it!):

Only post if your foster cat is at least 6 weeks old
Choose your location as "San Fernando Valley"
Post under the Community - Pets section
For contact info section, select "CL relay" (this keeps your email address private!)
Include your foster cat's bio and at least three good photos! Include information that your foster cat is available for adoption through Heaven on Earth and our Adoption Policy information
For Specific Location, use "Heaven on Earth Society for Animals" and our zip code: 90025

Safety tip: While you're welcome to invite interested adopters to meet your cat(s) in your home, it's a good idea to set up an initial phone call and/or have our adoptions team review their adoption application first.

REDDIT

If you're already familiar with Reddit, consider posting about your foster cat(s) on r/cats, r/LosAngeles, or r/aww

SNAPCHAT

Snapchat mainly targets your current social circle - but if you have a lot of friends on this platform, go for it! Post daily to "My Story" and share all the lovable quirks about your foster cat(s) - and mention that they're looking for a home!

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