Advertising, Audience Building, B2B, B2C, Contests, local, National

Wait a doggone minute: How non-pet publishers are capitalizing, too

Alisa Cromer July 26, 2026

For niche publishers weighing a pet-oriented initiative, there are a variety of ways to cash in on the passion for pets and rising spend, an average of $3000 per year per dog, some studies show.

Publishers told us they found new advertisers hiding in plain sight, pet contests that grew email lists, and pet-friendly content that engaged readers in new ways. Here are our top picks:

1. Photo contests build emails and engagement.

Categories like pet fashion, best dog-friendly patio, or “cutest shop dog” can be added to Best of Contests. But stand-alone pet photo contests, such as Tops in Lexington’s Top Dogs, can work as an email builder, even for publishers who would never run a dedicated pet section.

2. Non-traditional advertisers are hiding in plain sight.

Publisher’s mentioned finding new advertisers, in one case a pet-resistant carpet and flooring provider. There are all kinds of pet-safe landscaping, pet specific auto detailing, pet-friendly real estate and rentals, pet insurance, and even happy hours at bars and breweries. All may be sponsors who don’t think of themselves as pet advertisers — until someone asks.

3. For B2C, guides and directories double as market research and inventory to upsell.

A vets/groomers/trainers/sitters directory is cheap to build, evergreen, and a natural stepping stone to other buys. Travel magazines with pet friendly options have a passionate audience.

4. A local pet-friendly events column can fill a real gap,

Especially in cities without a dedicated pet magazine or site, pet-friendly events are low-lift, recurring, and build the kind of local utility CityDog and Suncoast Pets provide in their markets. Wagazine’s regular Happy Hour for dog-owners is an idea worth stealing for local publishers interested in building engaged in-person communities.

5. The pet angle scales into B2B and trade categories, too.

Farm and agricultural publications that feature working dogs, retailers with “shop dogs” and cats, find these stories are more popular than imagined. For the tennis club operators magazine, the cat at the tennis center may have become a celebrity in its own right.

Almost any vertical has a pet-adjacent story hiding in it.

6. Consider a different writing style: Pet as protagonist.

Poems by Pets is more interesting than poems about them. Instead of “Top 5 dog-friendly patios,” think of headlines like,”This is Biscuit’s favorite patio. Here’s why.”

Not every good idea is a moneymaker, but publishers who have added a pet angle, say they are definitely worth a second glance.

Categories: Advertising, Audience Building, B2B, B2C, Contests, local, National

Managing opt-outs – and what causes them

s a niche publisher with a paid subscription model, I would rather lose a subscriber than get too many opt-outs from my email list.

Why? I know I can get the subscriber back. They may have signed up for a monthly rate, much higher than an annual rate, so… not committed – and then review their budget during the year and cancel because they were only interested in one thing, and have not used the information or attended an event since then. Here’s a video on what my opt-out tolerance is, what may be causing them, and what experienced publishers say to do to avoid a spike in the opt-out rate.

Alisa Cromer July 10, 2025

The case for Buyers Guides and directories (and do you need one?)

At a recent roundtable, publishers shared how they are using directories and “what keeps them up at night” when solving directory issues.

Here is the data on directory revenues, as well as the pros and cons.

Alisa Cromer August 28, 2025

Top B2C affiliate networks

Affiliate networks and programs (created by a single company) are typically super simple to join. It takes a few steps that can be accomplished in a few minutes, followed by a brief wait period. The larger stores may also require approval. But after that, any admin with access can conduct a search, grab a link, and insert it in a story or button.

Some networks have additional features, such as adding price comparisons between stores, live support, and useful reporting, but the most important factor is the relevance of the store to your niche content. Here is a list of the top networks, and how to find other programs that support your niche. Pleases join as a member to access this content.

Alisa Cromer June 17, 2023

Seven Essential Niche Advertising Trends

It’s no secret that advertisers continue to shift marketing budgets into digital media; however, what they are buying – and why – isn’t always as clear.

Alisa Cromer November 5, 2023

Bitcoin Magazine takes on the Feds

When Bitcoin Magazine received a cease and desist letter from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in February, 2024, the editor published it almost gleefully.…

Alisa Cromer November 5, 2023

How to train agentic writers to avoid AI tells

If you are using AI to write and don’t want to sound like it, here is a list of tells to ask your agent to avoid. And yes, this came from the horse’s mouth, ChatGPT, but as a writer and poet in my spare time (!) I’ve given my personal commentary. You can just cut and paste this as is into style notes saved for your AI agent.

Alisa Cromer August 23, 2026

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