Hi — we're Iana and Alex, the humans behind Nicole & Nora, two mini dachshunds with a lot of opinions and very short legs. We started posting them for the same reason most people do: they're ridiculous, we love them, and the internet seemed to agree. What we didn't expect was that it would turn into a real thing — collaborations, brand work, a newsletter, and eventually this whole site.
This page is the honest version of who we are and why we made the Petfluencer Playbook. No polished founder myth — just what actually happened.
The pack
Nicole
The confident one. Walks into every room like she owns it, which on camera reads as "natural talent." She's the reason the account exists.
Nora
The soft, sleepy heart of the operation. Nora doesn't chase the spotlight — it just kind of follows her around. The comments adore her.
And us — Iana and Alex, the two humans holding the phone, writing the captions, and answering every DM. We usually let the girls be the stars, which is exactly how they'd want it — but that's us up top, if you were wondering.
How this started
We didn't have a big following, a strategy, or a clue. We had a phone and two dogs. We posted inconsistently for a while, figured out what actually made people stop scrolling, and started treating it a little more seriously.
The turning point wasn't going viral — it was realizing that you don't need a huge audience to be taken seriously. We landed our first paid work while still under 5,000 followers, by understanding our niche, showing up consistently, and knowing how to pitch. That single lesson is the backbone of everything we teach now.
Since then we've grown a genuinely engaged community across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack — and worked with brands as real, opt-in collaborators rather than one-off ad slots. You can see all of it for yourself; the links are right below.
Why we made the Playbook
When we were figuring this out, most "how to become a pet influencer" advice was either recycled 2019 tips or vague hype selling a dream. Nobody laid out the unglamorous, practical path: pick a niche, set up your account properly, make content people actually watch, grow a real audience, and turn it into income — ethically, and without pretending it's easy.
So we wrote the guide we wish we'd had. The Petfluencer Playbook is 20 plain-English chapters, a real workbook, templates, and a live rate calculator — built for how creators actually earn in 2026, not five years ago. Everything on this site, including the free guides and the free rate calculator, comes from the same place: things we've actually tried.
What we believe
- Honesty over hype. We never promise money, followers, or overnight results. Any numbers we share are illustrative, and your results can be zero. We say so plainly, every time.
- Small accounts count. Some of the best income — UGC, affiliate, gifting, a newsletter — works before you're "big." Most of what we teach is designed for creators just starting out.
- The pets come first. No stressed-out animals for content, no fake engagement, no shortcuts that treat your audience like a number. The community is the whole point.
- Share the real playbook. If something worked for us, we explain exactly how. If it didn't, we say that too.
Giving back
Our two got lucky. Not every dog does. That's why we're raising money for Animal Haven, a New York no-kill shelter that has been finding homes for abandoned cats and dogs since 1967. If the girls have ever made you smile, it's a lovely place to spend that goodwill.
Come say hi
The best way to know if our advice is worth anything is to look at the accounts it came from. We're @nicolenoraminidoxies everywhere:
Have a question, or want to tell us about your own pet? Hit reply on any of our emails — we read every message.
The full path we took — from your first post to your first paid brand deal — is inside the Playbook.