How to promote your art on social media?
Here are 5 social media channels that we like.
As an artist, chances are you have many questions about how to promote your art. How do I get more views on my website? How do I get more likes on my latest post? How can I make people buy my piece of art? And, how can I make money from my art if I'm not selling yet?
These are all valid questions—and the good news is that you don't need to be an expert in social media marketing to get results! You just need essential tips and tricks for promoting your art on the proper platform focusing on what matters.
These are all valid questions—and the good news is that you don't need to be an expert in social media marketing to get results! You just need essential tips and tricks for promoting your art on the proper platform focusing on what matters.
Should I promote my art on social media?
First things first: before diving into any specifics, it's essential to understand why promoting your art online matters.
It's one thing if you're making money off selling prints at conventions or doing commissions; it's another if you're hoping to build a fanbase that will buy your prints from your website or follow along as you work on new pieces. But these two goals are not mutually exclusive—they're pretty synergic.
Whatever your strategy is on social media, you should be pointing your fans to follow a link to your web page or selling platform. A landing page will welcome them and offer guidance to your selling process.
If you sell online and don't have your own website, you're probably using some external eCommerce. This works pretty well, but having your own website can grant you more prestige. It can take more work initially, but in the long term, your personal branding will thank you.
The same applies if you're not selling online and your strategy is all about physical selling at conventions, concerts, or galleries. Your website should reflect which conventions you are going to, the dates, and all needed to find you and buy your stuff.
Once you know your mission on these social media channels, it's time to look for the best platforms and choose the most appropriate to promote your art!
But first, focus
We recommend you don’t take on more than 1-2 social media channels to promote your art at the beginning. You want to create the biggest impact from your time.
Focus: 1-2 social media channels, with one type of art (focus on your actual “season”) and stick with it for at least 1 year with a fixed schedule of x publications per week.
But remember: don’t be too hard on yourself, just make your schedule realistic and easy to follow, otherwise you won’t follow it.
It's one thing if you're making money off selling prints at conventions or doing commissions; it's another if you're hoping to build a fanbase that will buy your prints from your website or follow along as you work on new pieces. But these two goals are not mutually exclusive—they're pretty synergic.
Whatever your strategy is on social media, you should be pointing your fans to follow a link to your web page or selling platform. A landing page will welcome them and offer guidance to your selling process.
If you sell online and don't have your own website, you're probably using some external eCommerce. This works pretty well, but having your own website can grant you more prestige. It can take more work initially, but in the long term, your personal branding will thank you.
The same applies if you're not selling online and your strategy is all about physical selling at conventions, concerts, or galleries. Your website should reflect which conventions you are going to, the dates, and all needed to find you and buy your stuff.
Once you know your mission on these social media channels, it's time to look for the best platforms and choose the most appropriate to promote your art!
But first, focus
We recommend you don’t take on more than 1-2 social media channels to promote your art at the beginning. You want to create the biggest impact from your time.
Focus: 1-2 social media channels, with one type of art (focus on your actual “season”) and stick with it for at least 1 year with a fixed schedule of x publications per week.
But remember: don’t be too hard on yourself, just make your schedule realistic and easy to follow, otherwise you won’t follow it.
1. Promoting your art on Tiktok, the best platform for fast growth
Tik Tok has skyrocketed since it came into our lives. At the moment of writing this article, it's where you can impact the most people. Nowadays, it is the best platform to market products, but its video format can make it tricky for some more image-based artists, like photographers or painters. So we want to give you a few ideas to help you promote your art on this platform
TikTok is all about Trends. But you don't need to join every trend as it arises. It's better to look for the kind of audience you're trying to reach and then look for the trends they participate in or would like to. It's important to follow certain accounts where you can discover new possible trends so you can jump in as they begin. Of course, give them your own style. Remember it’s not only about having fun, but also your art business.
An easy topic for your videos can be educational content about your art, your creative process, before and after videos, etc. Just try to make them as engaging as you can. Look for the synergies between platforms: Your Tiktok videos can nicely be recycled for Instagram Reels. Same work, double impact!
Use Tiktok content schedulers to publish at different times. By trial and error, you should discover which time is better for reaching your audience. After a while, you’ll understand the best time to release your material.
Challenges are another way to join your audience in the same style of videos they participate in. You can also try to promote the challenges that fit you the best. Participating in collabs with other creators can widen your audience. Remember to never be spammy about your products, but don't be afraid to give them some exposure.
User Generated Content (UGC) can significantly help you promote your art. For example, you can re-use your fans' unboxing videos. Or show their wedding album you made as a photographer. This will virtually give you unlimited content.
You can boost your followers by using growth tools like Social Viral and Social Buddy. These tools can be a boost for you on the algorithm, but you cannot rely on them alone.
And remember to use hashtags the right way!
Best for
TikTok is all about Trends. But you don't need to join every trend as it arises. It's better to look for the kind of audience you're trying to reach and then look for the trends they participate in or would like to. It's important to follow certain accounts where you can discover new possible trends so you can jump in as they begin. Of course, give them your own style. Remember it’s not only about having fun, but also your art business.
An easy topic for your videos can be educational content about your art, your creative process, before and after videos, etc. Just try to make them as engaging as you can. Look for the synergies between platforms: Your Tiktok videos can nicely be recycled for Instagram Reels. Same work, double impact!
Use Tiktok content schedulers to publish at different times. By trial and error, you should discover which time is better for reaching your audience. After a while, you’ll understand the best time to release your material.
Challenges are another way to join your audience in the same style of videos they participate in. You can also try to promote the challenges that fit you the best. Participating in collabs with other creators can widen your audience. Remember to never be spammy about your products, but don't be afraid to give them some exposure.
User Generated Content (UGC) can significantly help you promote your art. For example, you can re-use your fans' unboxing videos. Or show their wedding album you made as a photographer. This will virtually give you unlimited content.
You can boost your followers by using growth tools like Social Viral and Social Buddy. These tools can be a boost for you on the algorithm, but you cannot rely on them alone.
And remember to use hashtags the right way!
Best for
- Selling your own art
- Building a fanbase
2. Deviantart, an artist-based social media
Deviant art has always been the artist's social network by excellence.
Remember that you'll probably only meet other artists there, and you probably are trying to sell your products to a broader audience. It's a nice place to build a portfolio if you're a visual-based artist, like an illustrator or a comic drawer.
First, you should try to upload a consistent flow of work. One or two “deviations” a week it’s a good starting point. But try to upload only worthy content. Just don't upload it all at once and then stop for a month or two.
As since it's a social network mostly for artists, the professionality you should show is higher than on other platforms.
Deviant’s art forum is a nice place when it comes to “silent” promotion. Just talk with others and give valuable comments on others' pieces. Browse the topics your art is more involved with, or just the newest deviations, instead of looking for the most popular ones, since your comment might get lost in those due to the sheer amount of participation.
Some controversy can be a nice marketing tool if used well, but it’s a no-go on DeviantArt. It's better to show yourself as a helpful and friendly artist.
Best for
Remember that you'll probably only meet other artists there, and you probably are trying to sell your products to a broader audience. It's a nice place to build a portfolio if you're a visual-based artist, like an illustrator or a comic drawer.
First, you should try to upload a consistent flow of work. One or two “deviations” a week it’s a good starting point. But try to upload only worthy content. Just don't upload it all at once and then stop for a month or two.
As since it's a social network mostly for artists, the professionality you should show is higher than on other platforms.
Deviant’s art forum is a nice place when it comes to “silent” promotion. Just talk with others and give valuable comments on others' pieces. Browse the topics your art is more involved with, or just the newest deviations, instead of looking for the most popular ones, since your comment might get lost in those due to the sheer amount of participation.
Some controversy can be a nice marketing tool if used well, but it’s a no-go on DeviantArt. It's better to show yourself as a helpful and friendly artist.
Best for
- Networking with other artists
- Shoutouts from other artists
- Commissions
3. Unsplash - Effortless promotion for your photos or 3D Art
Unsplash is a showcase for your artwork. Probably the one platform that gets you the most exposure with less effort.
If you don’t know the platform yet, Unsplash is a space mostly used by photographers, but it can also be a good place to upload digital art or AI art in their 3D render section.
The content you upload to Unsplash can be used freely by anyone. This might sound bad to many artists, but it means it can attract a huge amount of people to your art, something you really need to work “for” on the main platforms.
With very few images you can get thousands of views per month without grinding constantly, something any artist can appreciate.
Another upside is that with the right image, curation, and intention, you can get commissions from companies on the platform, you just need to tick on the “available for hire” option. Or you can just set up a “Support” option for those who might want to donate to you.
If you're selling prints or another type of art you just need to link to your shop from your profile.
Creativity is what Unsplash is all about, so don't be afraid to try new things and ideas to see if they stick to advance further in your artwork.
But it can be better when combined with other media.
Best for
If you don’t know the platform yet, Unsplash is a space mostly used by photographers, but it can also be a good place to upload digital art or AI art in their 3D render section.
The content you upload to Unsplash can be used freely by anyone. This might sound bad to many artists, but it means it can attract a huge amount of people to your art, something you really need to work “for” on the main platforms.
With very few images you can get thousands of views per month without grinding constantly, something any artist can appreciate.
Another upside is that with the right image, curation, and intention, you can get commissions from companies on the platform, you just need to tick on the “available for hire” option. Or you can just set up a “Support” option for those who might want to donate to you.
If you're selling prints or another type of art you just need to link to your shop from your profile.
Creativity is what Unsplash is all about, so don't be afraid to try new things and ideas to see if they stick to advance further in your artwork.
But it can be better when combined with other media.
Best for
- Getting a ton of exposure
- Commissions
- Photographers, 3D Artists, AI Artists
4. Art on Instagram - a place for your portfolio
First of all, don't use your personal account: you should create a business or an “art” account ready for all your art.
Instagram can be a nice place, to sum up all your work. But, and this is really important, you must curate your content, publish your best pieces only. Don't fill up all your profile with tons of non-relevant stuff.
In the stories and reels section, you can go for some promotions, work-in-progress pieces, or publish the next event you will be at. But don't mix things. Let the post section be for your portfolio.
Right now, Reels are a huge marketing tool, so try to maximize the impact you can have with them. For example, as a painter, you can do some after/before a video about your next piece, from a very early stage to the finished artwork.
Feature posts can be an excellent help if you manage to get some of your designs in their posts.
Hashtags are one of the most relevant levers you can pull. Check the most popular hashtags and try to use them when you publish something related to them. They also can be a source of inspiration sometimes. Geotags will promote you in your local environment.
Check your statistics: Your publishing will vary in impact depending on the time of the day you publish them.
Giveaways are a really useful strategy. You probably know the formula: "follow, comment and tag a friend to participate in the giveaway". Algorithms will recognize this as a significant piece, and hence, will give you more exposure.
Best for
Instagram can be a nice place, to sum up all your work. But, and this is really important, you must curate your content, publish your best pieces only. Don't fill up all your profile with tons of non-relevant stuff.
In the stories and reels section, you can go for some promotions, work-in-progress pieces, or publish the next event you will be at. But don't mix things. Let the post section be for your portfolio.
Right now, Reels are a huge marketing tool, so try to maximize the impact you can have with them. For example, as a painter, you can do some after/before a video about your next piece, from a very early stage to the finished artwork.
Feature posts can be an excellent help if you manage to get some of your designs in their posts.
Hashtags are one of the most relevant levers you can pull. Check the most popular hashtags and try to use them when you publish something related to them. They also can be a source of inspiration sometimes. Geotags will promote you in your local environment.
Check your statistics: Your publishing will vary in impact depending on the time of the day you publish them.
Giveaways are a really useful strategy. You probably know the formula: "follow, comment and tag a friend to participate in the giveaway". Algorithms will recognize this as a significant piece, and hence, will give you more exposure.
Best for
- Selling your own art
- Building a fanbase
5. Art on Twitter, for the NFT freaks
Art is all about connecting with others and building a community. This is especially true for the new wave of artists creating NFTs, making Twitter THE ideal platform for NFT artists. But it shouldn’t be overlooked by other artists, since there are many opportunities in the platform, especially due to its focus on the “creator economy”.
The reason why Twitter is a great platform to promote your art it’s because it allows for a more direct connection between artists and their fans. Consistency in publishing would positively impact your visibility.
But given its “connection” nature, you also need to interact with others as much as you can, via tweets, DMs, or else. Share interesting or inspiring content from other sources in the platform: retweeting or sharing someone else's content is a great way to show that you're active in the art community and to get your own followers engaged. Most people underestimate the amount of visibility they can get by simply promoting other artists’ work.
Be active and engaging. Twitter is all about interaction, so make sure to reply to people who mention you and join in on conversations. The more you interact, the more likely people are to take notice of what you're doing.
Don’t be shy! Regardless of the artwork you do, make sure to post pictures of your creative process, alongside your insights. By doing this you will be inspiring other artists, and creating a reference for others of who you are and what is the thought process behind your art.
Best for
The reason why Twitter is a great platform to promote your art it’s because it allows for a more direct connection between artists and their fans. Consistency in publishing would positively impact your visibility.
But given its “connection” nature, you also need to interact with others as much as you can, via tweets, DMs, or else. Share interesting or inspiring content from other sources in the platform: retweeting or sharing someone else's content is a great way to show that you're active in the art community and to get your own followers engaged. Most people underestimate the amount of visibility they can get by simply promoting other artists’ work.
Be active and engaging. Twitter is all about interaction, so make sure to reply to people who mention you and join in on conversations. The more you interact, the more likely people are to take notice of what you're doing.
Don’t be shy! Regardless of the artwork you do, make sure to post pictures of your creative process, alongside your insights. By doing this you will be inspiring other artists, and creating a reference for others of who you are and what is the thought process behind your art.
Best for
- Getting Exposure
- Commissions
- Selling your own NFTs
- Building a fanbase
- Creating a community
There you have it!
These are just a few ideas on the best social media platforms out there to get you started on promoting your art through social media.
Experiment and find what works best for you, and don't be afraid to try new things. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely it is that people will take notice of your work. With a little effort and creativity, you can reach a whole new audience for your art.
These are just a few ideas on the best social media platforms out there to get you started on promoting your art through social media.
Experiment and find what works best for you, and don't be afraid to try new things. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely it is that people will take notice of your work. With a little effort and creativity, you can reach a whole new audience for your art.