Instagram tips for artists
A few months ago I gained more than 5000 followers in just a few weeks on Instagram with my art. Up until then I had been concentrating on my other account which is about my garden and growing cut flowers but I started getting traction and then had a couple of reels that really blew up.
If you’d like to watch my video where I talk you through these points you can see it here:
Now followers of course aren’t everthing but I think I’ve learned some valuable things both through my experience, and by studying other people, and I wanted to share them.
When you’re an artist you really just want to be making your art but we all know that it’s good to build up networks and an audience for your work, and although it can be mega frustrating at times, I still think Instagram is a good place to do this.
Whatever kind of art you do, one of the first places that potential clients and customers may see your work, is on Instagram.
How this translates into sales is hard to quantify. I haven’t had a shop on my website until recently so there wasn’t an easy way to buy from me, but I had an exhibition a couple of months ago and I definitely had visitors that attended who had discovered me on Instagram.
Go for a professional account as this gives you access to more analytics plus you can have a contact button and I’d recommend a creator rather that business account as you get better access to music for reels - more about them later!
So if somebody finds you there, the first thing they’ll do is look at your profile page.
Your profile
Because I’m part artist/part content creator my bio is more informal and I emphasise what I can offer to anyone who wants to follow me.
My Instagram profile and bio
If you want to be known solelyfor your art you need to make it clear what type of art that you do. And while I wouldn’t list all your qualifications, you can add any ssignificant achievements such as a prize, book or exhibition. You only have so many characters so don’t waste any on emojis (unlike me).
Then clearly put your website if you have one and other useful links. You don’t need a linktree now as you put several in the app.
Your grid
Think of your grid as a sort of portfolio and make it as appealing, and reflective of your work as possible. Have photos either of your work or you doing something art related. I wouldn’t recommend putting loads of pictures of other people or social occasions - you share those for your stories.
You can pin three posts to the top of your grid. So here it’s good to have an introductory post with a photo of you and a bit about yourself.. In preparing for this video I looked at my own and realised some of what I had put was now out of date so remember to update it every few months!
You can also put one of your top performing posts and anything you want potential followers to look at. So I have one of my top performing reels and one where I introduce my new cyanotype kits.
Do you have to show your face?
Now I get it, a lot of artists aren’t very extrovert or at least only some of the time, when you have to be, if you’re exhibiting for instance! And a lot of my most popular content doesn’t have my face on it , although you can see my hands.
However if you want someone to buy off you directly, and definitely if you want to provide workshops, it really helps to show up so people can get to know and trust you.
Which brings me to:
Don’t forget the social part
I know it sounds daft but I think some people forget the Social in social media. They put posts up with maybe one line of description and leave it at that. Not only is this kind of boring but the more you interact with others and they interact with you, not only is it more fun but these interactions are a sign to the algorithm that your content is engaging so will get promoted more.
So comment on other people’s posts and put questions on your own to start a conversation. I’ve heard it said that you shouldn’t interact too much with others in your niche because they’re not your target but I think the artist community online can be really supportive so promote others successes and make connections. You never know what this might to in ‘real life’. You might even find yourself painting an ox…..
Leave comments, interact, make bonds. Support others and don’y forget yhe golden rule - ALWAYS REPLY.
Hashtags
Don’t worry about hashtags, they’re much less important than they used to be as the technology to analyse what your post is about happens at a deeper level. Use 4 or 5 that indicate what your post is about and make one of those your name so anyone looking you up on Instagram will automatically see your posts directly.
Reels
Video content in the form of reels is THE best way to increase your reach and gain more followers. It doesn’t have to be complicated. People love seeing processes because we all love a story and going from a blank page to a finished work is a story and a make over in one.
All you need is a goose neck phone, the one I use now also has a light (this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Control-Overhead-Adjustable-C-Clamp-Photography/dp/B0CGLP4NDW) so you can film from above. You then need to edit your footage. You can do this inside the Instagram app. I prefer not to because I like to keep control over every stage plus I like having more tools available.
I began by using Inshot which is a very user friendly editor that has lots of presets for transitions between clips, filters and effects. CapCut is another good one. And I’ve heard good things about VN Video Editor. Them all have free versions but you might have to put up with some adverts. Also they’ll be some sort of branding such as a watermark but you can select and delete these before you save your video. If you have any voiceover explaining what you’re doing it’s a good idea to put captions on screen as so many of us consume with the sound down.
Despite this, the music you choose is really important. In case you don’t know, any audio on a reel or in the music finder that has an upward arrow means it’s trending and so reels with this on should get promoted more. It’s best to look for one that is on the lower side as this means it’s still on the way up. Every so often I just scroll through the reels tab looking for audios that are less then 3000 and preferably lower. For my book reel I got in on a track early that then went mega.
My most viral reel was one that used a voiceover talking about creativity so it’s good to experiment. Remember most viewers want to be educated, entertained or inspired so it’s good to experiment with any of these.
If you’d like a more in depth tutorial about making reels to show your art, put a comment below.
Ooh but one thing I’ll share here. When you upload your reel you get an option to upload a separate photo rather than use a still from the video plus it will show you how it will look on your grid so that’s really helpful for giving an aesthetic look to your grid.
Stories
Stories are a great place to put more informal content or things you want to share but don’t want them on your grid. As you know they disappear after 24 hours BUT then you can archive them in your highlights which is a good idea as anyone visiting your page might look at them. If you want to be fancy you can put covers on your highlights.Think of them as a way to connect to your existing audience. You can share behind the scenes of what your day is like, a look at your studio while you’re working and more personal content like your pets if you want ….
You can also save your stories into highlights by going to the three dots in the top right. This can be done retrospectively too. And then make sure to put a cover on each highlight category.
I want to finish by saying not to concentrate solely on Instagram, one of the downsides is that you are at mercy of the algorithm so your followers are not going to see all your posts. Also your account can be hacked or there’s some perceived infringement and you may lost all your content.
For this reason, it’s a really good idea to have a website and build an email list. Again I could go into more detail with those if you’re interested.
Catherine x