* Updated December 2024

Success On Social Media For Artists Requires Being Your Authentic Self

Successful artists know that reaching new collectors is a long game— requiring time, cultivation, and effort. Many independent artists who don’t have the support of a studio team, marketing consultant or even a social media-savvy partner might struggle to maintain a consistent, authentic, and engaging presence.

Of course, some platforms are better than others when it comes to engaging with the arts. And while the best social media platforms for artists like Instagram and Pinterest might seem fairly obvious, others are a bit more niche and under the radar, serving smaller but more concentrated audiences.

Why Artists Need Social Media

It might seem like a strong statement to say that artists need social media, but it’s a true one – especially if you are not actively selling art through art fairs (either online or in-person), galleries or independent art consultants. In fact, connecting with the people involved in those organizations might even be one of your goals! Though it often gets a bad rep for being a time suck and ego echo chamber, when used correctly social media for artists can be a huge asset.

Connect with other creatives.

Even if you have a strong network of creatives and artists already, there are always opportunities to meet and connect with more people. Social media for artists is especially important in this way because when other artists discover your work, they may be inclined to share it with their own audience. This amplifies the number of people your artwork reaches and can lead to more followers – and more sales!

Connect with potential art collectors.

Art lovers flock to image-driven social media platforms. Two of the best platforms for social media for artists, like Instagram and Pinterest, allow art collectors to discover new artists, art forms, and learn about the latest exhibitions, events and artists. Putting your work online for art collectors to discover is an easy way to market yourself!

Learn about new opportunities.

For collaborations and exhibitions, and even being discovered by art dealers, consultants and interior designers, social media can be a crucial tool for artists to stay connected and learn about new opportunities.

Get inspired.

Pull yourself out of your creative rut by soaking in what other artists are out there doing. Find inspiration online by checking out other creatives!

Social Media For Artists Can Be Challenging

Social media isn’t the easiest venture on the planet to dive into. There are countless platforms, businesses, blogs, and even coaches whose entire purpose is to help their clients “game” the system. The good news is that you don’t have to focus on making your social media presence perfect. There are easy ways to build an engaged following of fans, artists, and collectors that don’t waste your time and drain your emotional energy.

These are some common challenges you might find yourself dealing with when you’re working on your social media presence:

Creating new, compelling content is a struggle.

It’s common for people (yes, even people who create for a living!) to find themselves at a loss when it comes to creating content for social media. Our culture is incredibly visual, and knowing what to create that will be engaging on social media can feel like trying to learn a new language.

You’re disappointed by the engagement your content is getting.

This is particularly frustrating if you’ve been putting off creating a social media profile. Audiences and communities – offline and online – take time and effort to build. There’s a high probability that when you first create your social media profile and start posting, it may take a few weeks for people to begin liking and engaging with your content. Don’t let that frustrate you!

You’re exhausted.

Time management is tough enough without having the additional responsibility of running and managing your own social media account. Independent artists wear many hats Juggling studio time, admin work, and marketing yourself is a cocktail for exhaustion and even potential burnout for artists. If you consider creating art and connecting with collectors your top priorities or “main dish,” consider marketing in the form of social media for artists to be one of the sides. Putting even a little bit of thought behind connecting with art collectors through social media can go a long way.

There are some simple, easy ways artists can build an authentic presence on social media that doesn’t require all of your time and emotional resources.

5 Ways Artists Can Succeed On Social Media While Being Authentic

Create Smart Content

This can come in the form of original content or reposting images of your work from friends and collectors (what marketing industry professionals call “user generated content”). By having a mix of both content that you create and images you get from friends, collectors and followers, you are cutting your workload in half!

Behind-the-scenes pictures and videos. Create a time-lapse video (most phones have this feature nowadays!) or ask someone to come over and snap a few photos of you working in the studio.
Stage your artwork at home. If you have space above your couch, you have the perfect opportunity to snap a photo! Staging your work is a great way to help potential collectors envision your work in their home setting, since that can be a difficult task when all they see is art against a bare white wall.
Ask your collectors to send images of your work in it’s new home. This might already be part of your process so that you can keep a record of where your work is and how it looks in the space. This is another way to help potential collectors see your art in their homes. Remember to always ask your collectors first if it’s alright with them for you to post the photo on your social media!

2. Talk To Your Followers

This one’s a technical tip as well: social media sites reward accounts that are active and engaging with followers and even accounts they don’t follow. The name of the game is genuine connection!

Make sure to “like” and respond to any comments your posts receive, and seek out similar accounts to yours to comment on and like as well. Not only do the real people behind those accounts appreciate the gesture, it will boost how many people see your account. As we mentioned earlier here, the more eyes that see your artwork, the better the chances are at connecting with art collectors!

3. Engage With Other Creatives

Every time you meet a new artist or creative, it pays off to follow them on social media. This practice can be as easy as taking their business card. Not only is following other creatives easy, they’re likely to follow you as well. Sharing work by creatives on your profile will also encourage them to share yours, meaning your work is more likely to reach their audience – a whole network of new potential art collectors!

4. Schedule Time For Social Media

Batching work is a practice that many professionals use to make sure they’re getting work done without getting sucked in to time-consuming tasks. Social media is one of the easiest things to get sucked into for many reasons, but mainly because the endless-content nature of the scroll feed has the tendency to hold us captive.

Set aside 30-45 minutes each day (we recommend morning or afternoon) to engage on social media, and then give it a rest for the remainder of the day.

5. Take A Break If You Need To

Constantly posting and engaging on social media can become a creative and emotional drain for anyone, but especially artists who need that creative energy for their jobs. While we know that social media for artists can be made out to be the enemy sometimes, we also know that when used correctly (and in moderation) it can be an incredibly useful and successful tool for selling art online to art collectors.