> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theanimaltraders.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Social Promotion & Featured Spotlight

> How listing promotion works, what weekly social media promotion includes, and how browse featured spotlight works for all sellers

# Social Promotion & Featured Spotlight

## What's the difference?

Social media promotion and browse featured spotlight are two separate listing add-ons.

| Option                        | What it does                                                                          | Where it appears                                     | Who can use it |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| **Social media promotion**    | Schedules a set number of ad placements over your listing period (about one per week) | Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok                      | All sellers    |
| **Browse featured spotlight** | Places your listing in the featured section of the Browse page                        | Browse featured spotlight and featured listing badge | All sellers    |

## How do I add these options to a listing?

1. Go to **Step 5: Review & Activate** when creating your listing
2. Choose your listing duration
3. Turn on **Weekly social media promotion**, **Browse featured spotlight**, or both
4. Review the pricing summary before you activate the listing

Both options are priced by listing duration, and the exact amount is shown in Step 5 before you activate.

## What does social media promotion include?

Social media promotion schedules ad placements for your listing across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for as long as the listing is active. The total number of placements depends on the duration you choose (typically about one placement per week over that period).

Step 5 shows the total placement count for your selected duration and the promotion fee before you activate.

Social media advertising is targeted regionally based on the listing location. Depending on the type of listing and likely buyer travel distance, promotion may be focused on the local metro area, nearby counties, the wider state, or a multi-state regional audience.

Typical regional boundaries include:

* Local metro area and nearby suburbs
* Nearby counties or a broader commuting radius
* Statewide reach
* A multi-state regional market for listings where buyers commonly travel farther

Social media promotion does **not** automatically put your listing into the browse featured spotlight.

## Can nonprofits be promoted for free?

Sometimes. If there are no paid social media promotions scheduled for a given week, The Animal Traders may choose to promote nonprofit listings at no charge.

This is optional and not guaranteed, so nonprofit organizations should still treat social media promotion as a paid add-on when planning listing activation.

## What does browse featured spotlight do?

Browse featured spotlight places your listing in the featured section of the Browse page for the duration you selected.

If the listing is activated with browse featured spotlight applied, it can also show a featured badge on the listing detail page.

Browse featured spotlight does **not** include social media ad placements by itself.

## Can I choose one without the other?

Yes. You can select:

* Social media promotion only
* Browse featured spotlight only
* Both options
* Neither option

These choices are calculated separately in the activation quote and shown separately in the pricing summary.

## How does pricing work?

Your total due can include up to three parts:

* The base listing fee for the duration you selected
* The social media promotion fee, if selected
* The browse featured spotlight fee, if selected

The pricing summary in Step 5 shows the current total before you activate the listing.

## What if I sell through a nonprofit or shelter organization?

Organizations with free listings can activate listings without paying the base listing fee. Duration cards in Step 5 show the base fee as "Included" along with the regular value of each duration, and the pricing summary reflects a \$0 base fee.

They can purchase **social media promotion** and **browse featured spotlight** at the same price as any other seller. The free-listing benefit only waives the base listing fee, not the cost of paid add-ons.

When the total due is \$0, the activate button reads **Activate Listing** instead of showing a payment amount.

## Why don't I see social promotion or browse featured in Step 5?

These options may be temporarily hidden by The Animal Traders team. If a promotion type is not currently available, it will not appear during listing activation. Pricing rows remain on file so the option can be re-enabled without reconfiguration.

## Why doesn't my listing have a featured badge?

A listing only gets the featured badge when browse featured spotlight is applied at activation.

Buying social media promotion alone does not mark the listing as featured.

For the full Step 5 payment flow, credits, and Stripe checkout, see [Listing fees, Extend, and Renew](/help/listing-fees-and-activation).

For more about how listing content and general location may be used in promotion, see [Privacy Policy](/help/privacy-policy).