One of the most important things when it comes to marketing, is carefully choosing what you say. Try making these easy swaps to help elevate your language and ensure you create the best possible perception of you and your brand.
| Use this | Not this | here’s why |
| Seeking quality homes | Puppies for sale | Puppies aren’t a product. They’re living, breathing future family members. And you’re dedicated to finding each of them a loving and nurturing home. |
| Adoption fee | Price | Similar to the note above, this phrasing feels more closely correlated with “family” than it does “profit” and better communicates value. Fees are for quality services. Prices are for products. |
| Submit an application | Buy a puppy | You won’t give your puppies to just anyone. You have premium dogs in need of excellent homes. |
| $100+ (exact price) | Free | “Free” sounds like you’re so unhappy, you’d do anything to get rid of it. No one wants an undesirable pet, and even shelters don’t give away puppies. |
| Goldendoodle (exact breed) | Poodle/golden retriever mix | Always use the formal name. Or, heck, make one up. Selling a mix can be misinterpreted as a mistake vs. an intentional decision, lowering the perceived value of your puppies. |
| F1B Goldendoodle (exact type) | Goldendoodle | Take it a step further, and be very specific when describing a dog breed. Speaking to the exact type shows that you’re knowledgeable, experienced and intentional with your litters. |
| Cream to Deep Apricot (specific feature) | Cute (insert generic adjective here) | Although true, words like “cute” and “adorable” and “sweet” don’t add value. Of course, they’re cute. They’re puppies. Talk about a distinguishing characteristic. Size, eye-color, coat type, etc. |
| Family-Raised F1B Goldendoodle Puppies: Cream to Deep Apricot | Cute Puppies for Sale: Poodle/Golden Retriever mix | This is an example of how you combine it all together for a compelling listing to get people’s attention. Tell them when they’re ready to be taken home and that you’re accepting applications for consideration. |
Whether you’re posting to Facebook, your website, or anywhere else online, think about incorporating powerful phrases that are honest and positive, helping to craft the message you want. Because we were spending a ton of time with the puppies, and we had a baby who spent a lot of time with them as well, we focused on “family-raised,” “well-socialized” and “good with kids” to help shape our messaging around the types of people we were looking to attract.
And no matter what, never lie to prospective buyers. It’s unethical and there’s very little to gain from it. Don’t tell someone you’ve done this before if it’s your first experience breeding. Just focus on the positives. Here are some example statements that you can expand on.
- This is [dog name]’s first litter.
- We worked with [breeder’s name] at [other business] in the whelping of this litter. His health information, along with a letter from our vet, is included here for your records.
- Breeding is something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and we’re committed to doing it right.
