Influencer
The Heartwarming Story Of Social Media Sensations Jared And Luna
Just days before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Jared Davis welcomed a cockapoo puppy named Luna into his life. What began as a simple video of Luna napping on the couch would unexpectedly launch a heartwarming success story in the creator economy.
“That first night I got Luna, I posted a video of her. I took a little video of her on the couch, and she flopped,” Jared explains. “I posted it on TikTok to see what happens. And then I woke up the next day, and it was at around 300,000 views.”
Five and a half years later, @LunaTheMiniCockapoo has accumulated nearly 5 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with content that consistently delivers touching moments between Jared and his canine companion.
A Foundation in the Creator Economy
Unlike many creators who stumble into social media success with little industry knowledge, Jared brought valuable expertise to the table. At the time of Luna’s viral debut, he was working at influencer marketing agency IZEA.
“I was selling influencer marketing campaigns, and I was involved in that space. And I have a background in advertising and media, and I’ve always had a desire to create content,” Jared says. This professional background gave Jared insights into the business dynamics of brand partnerships, content strategy, and audience engagement.
Despite previous attempts at content creation, including a fitness page in high school and a YouTube channel with an ex-girlfriend, nothing had truly resonated with audiences before Luna entered the picture. “Once I saw the reaction that I got from Luna by posting how cute she was that night that I got her, I decided to go all in. From then, it was just video after video every single day.”
Creating a Content Strategy That Connects
What began as simple, cute dog videos quickly developed into a thoughtful content approach that tapped into deeper emotional connections. Jared recognized that while audiences could connect with Luna, creating a more meaningful relationship with viewers required showing the human element.
“I started to introduce myself with [into] the content more, because then people were going to connect with me and not just Luna,” Jared explains. “They can connect with a dog, but they can only connect with the dog so far.”
One of his most popular series began almost by accident when he discovered Luna’s unusual responsiveness. “I knew Luna always liked to communicate with her paws. And then one day I just asked her, ‘What’s two plus two?’ And she ended up tapping me four times. And then I was like, ‘Did she just do math?’”
Beyond cute tricks, Jared identified that emotional storytelling was the true driver of engagement. “Every time I tapped into the emotion of love and something heartfelt and warm and that sort of vibe, I realized, ‘Wow, I’m really building an audience who shares the same thing as me.’”
This focus on heartfelt emotional content has become Jared’s signature approach. He has systematically developed what he calls his “cycle of content,” a repertoire that includes various content types.
“I have a cycle of content that I like to use. So, whether it’s heartfelt emotional videos that pull at the heartstrings, that’s in my repertoire. And then there’s math, showing how smart Luna is, the bond between her and me. Now that I have a daughter, it’s like my family is its own content vertical.”
The Art and Strategy Behind Each Video
Creating content with an animal requires patience, understanding, and a deep bond. Jared describes how Luna has essentially grown up in front of the camera since she was 10 weeks old.
“She’s had a camera in her face basically almost every single day,” Jared explains. “It’s been challenging at times, especially if I know she’s capable of something. At the end of the day, you have to be super patient because it is a dog.”
Jared’s approach combines positive reinforcement through treats with a deep understanding of Luna’s moods and preferences. “If I need her to be excited, I will film right after she gets groomed. She gets so excited after she gets groomed,” he says.
Behind these heartwarming videos lies careful strategic planning. Jared approaches each platform and post with intentionality, from the timing of posts to the captions. “I’m very strategic on what I post and even down to the captions,” he explains. “I would write something that is going to make people want to wait till the end of the video.”
This strategy focuses on maximizing viewer retention, which Jared considers a crucial metric for success on social platforms. “Retention is one of the biggest things within short-form videos. You want to be able to hold them past that three-second mark and then, if the algorithms notice that viewers are staying there past a certain period of time, they’re going to push it out to more people.”
Building a Community Through Engagement
Jared emphasizes the importance of community building through active engagement. “I’m huge on replying to comments. I try to reply to at least 50 comments every video,” he says. “You have to put in that extra work of actually engaging with the community.”
This commitment to engagement serves multiple purposes. Jared recounts how a follower once shared photos of a serious car accident, telling him that his content helped them through their recovery. “When people tell me those sorts of things, it means a lot to me and it helps keep me going.”
Beyond the emotional connection, this engagement strategy also serves a practical purpose in platform algorithms. “Strategically, the platforms are then also going to push our videos to that person because that person is going to get a notification. That person is then going to go back to the video that I just posted and give it another view.”
Managing Creator Life
Despite his success, Jared is candid about the challenges of content creation. One of the biggest struggles is maintaining creativity and avoiding burnout.
“Sometimes you get in these modes where you’re just like, ‘I don’t want to do nothing,’” he admits. “My mind is just clouded with whatever’s going on in my life. There could be family stuff, there could be work stuff.”
The pressure to constantly outdo previous successes took an emotional toll early in his career. “You feel a little bit stressed at times because you’re almost chasing something bigger and better.”
Jared found himself emotionally affected by the video performance, a pattern he quickly recognized as unsustainable. “I felt like I was always constantly chasing more views. And then, if it didn’t happen, it would have emotionally affected me. And I knew that wasn’t a healthy place to be in.”
Now, Jared takes a more balanced approach. To maintain this balance, he has established clear boundaries between his online and offline worlds. “My notifications are turned off across platforms. I don’t want to see any of that,” he explains. “I try to treat these social platforms like it’s a video game. When I log on, I’m in that world. When I’m off of it, I’m in the real world. I’m with my family.”
The Business Side
Having worked in the influencer marketing industry, Jared was better equipped than most to handle the business aspects of creator work. He initially managed all brand partnerships himself, leveraging his industry knowledge to negotiate deals.
As his following grew, so did the business opportunities and demands. “It’s gotten to that level where I definitely need a lot of help,” Jared shares. This led him to seek professional representation, and he eventually signed with G&B Digital Management.
“I’ve been engaged with G&B for many years,” Jared explains. “I had a lot of different interactions with other agencies and people trying to rep me and manage, and I never really felt, like, a spark.” Finding the right management partnership was a critical step in Jared’s business growth. He compares the process to marriage: “It’s not like a one-way street, it’s a two-way street. It’s got to be a solid partnership.”
Joey Bader, Jared’s manager at G&B, emphasizes the importance of transparent communication in creator management. “We’re super transparent with our talent. They’re on every email, they always know what’s going on,” Joey says. “I think because the influencer is the one in control, it has to be much more day-to-day, moment-to-moment.”
The Rewards and Future of Luna’s World
For all the challenges, Jared emphasizes that the rewards of his creator journey far outweigh the difficulties. The most meaningful aspect has been the impact his content has on viewers.
“The biggest thing for me is just spreading positivity and actually impacting people’s lives,” Jared says. “That really warms my heart, makes me feel good. It makes me believe that what I’m doing is actually having an impact.”
Perhaps the most valuable benefit has been the flexibility to spend time with his family. With a one-year-old daughter, Jared values the ability to be present for important moments. “I’ve put myself in a position to be able to be with my family, and I think that’s priceless,” he says. “My daughter is one year old, and I get to be with her and I get to watch her grow up.”
Having formalized his relationship with G&B Digital Management, Jared is looking ahead to new opportunities. “We have a lot of goals and other brands and partners that we want to work with and other ways to monetize too,” Jared shares, with Joey adding that they’re exploring merchandise opportunities.
“I feel like we’re just getting started, honestly,” Jared concludes. “There’s a lot of cool things we want to keep doing and keep growing and just keep it going.”
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