Created August 2024
Banner credit: “You summoned me?” Mouse Pad by Leyawa

One of the best parts of being an artist? Creating art. Building an effective strategy for self-promotion, however, can be a bit of a challenge – especially if you’re new to the game. We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of tips to get you started off on the right foot when promoting your art online.

Building a social media presence takes dedication and patience. Start with a focus on creating quality content and creating meaningful connections with your fans. As your following grows, refine your strategy based on what resonates best with your unique artistic style and audience.

Create an online presence

The internet is a big place. You may want to start with the most popular channels: Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. Other artist-focused platforms to consider are DeviantArt and Cara.app. Here are some tips for the big 3 that will apply across the board:

Instagram

• Use hashtags. We suggest focusing on 3-5 relevant tags.
• Be engaged. Respond to comments, connect with other artists, and use Stories and Reels. 
• Go live: Look into hosting live broadcasts to interact with your audience in real-time.

Pinterest

• Pin your work. Pin high-resolution images of your designs with detailed descriptions that link to your Redbubble store
• Create boards. Use boards to showcase your style, product collections, and sources of inspiration.
• Use rich pins: Look into using rich pins to provide additional info about your products.

TikTok

• It’s all about that video! Post short clips to showcase your creative process, including time-lapses or art-related content.
• Trends move fast. Participate in trending art challenges to stay in the loop as new themes emerge.
• Engage, engage, engage. Don’t just browse. Comment, connect, and support

Set up a link-in-bio as a central hub

A link-in-bio tool creates a quick custom landing page with a single link to showcase all of your online resources— such as your Redbubble store, online portfolio, and social media accounts—in one place. This is perfect for platforms like Instagram and TikTok that only allow you to have one URL in your bio.

Popular link-in-bio tools include Linktree, Carrd, Buffer’s Start Page, and Beacons. Each tool has its own strengths, so choose the one that best fits your needs and aesthetic preferences.

Once you’ve set up your link-in-bio, make sure to put your custom Redbubble store link at the top of the list!

Set up a Weekly Content Calendar

You don’t have to post every day right away—starting with 3 posts each week is a great way to get the ball rolling. Think about how each post can work for each platform – people often crosspost Tiktoks with IG Stories/Reels and vice versa.

Posting at peak engagement times is helpful to get more eyes on your content. Sites like Buffer have seasonal guides to help plan post timing, and Meta also has a built-in tool for zeroing-in on peak times (more on this below). 

Use the following guide as inspiration to mix things up and keep your content fresh. On the days you’re not posting, dedicate time to exploring each platform to identify new trends and discover artists who you think are doing it right.

Monday: Behind-the-Scenes/Work-in-Progress

• Share updates on current works. Include photos or short videos of your workspace and creative process.

Tuesday: Finished Artwork Showcase

• Post high-quality images of completed artwork. Highlight details and share stories around each piece.

Wednesday: Art Tip or Tutorial

• Provide some quick guidance about your favorite art techniques. This could be a carousel post on Instagram, a step-by-step guide on Pinterest, or a short video on TikTok.

Thursday: Artist Inspiration or Influence

• What inspires you as an artist? Talk about other creators, books, or personal experiences. 

Friday: Fun/Casual Content

• Post something fun like a studio tour, Q&A session, or fun facts about your creative process. Make sure to engage with your audience in the comments.

Saturday: Product Showcase

• Demo how your art looks on various products (e.g., prints, apparel, home decor). Consider images or videos showing your artwork out in the wild. 

Sunday: Self-Reflection

• Share something about your artistic journey, recent achievements, or future goals to connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Expand your toolkit to save time

Building a successful personalized strategy for self-promotion takes a good amount of effort. There are plenty of tools out there to help simplify the process and save time. Wouldn’t it be nice to focus more on creating art rather than managing your online presence? Social media management tools can significantly streamline your day-to-day strategy by automating tasks and providing helpful audience insights.

Start by learning to schedule posts in advance.  This allows you to maintain an active presence without the stress of daily updates. A few tips:

• Meta Business Suite has a free content planner and scheduler for seamless posting on Facebook and Instagram.
• Buffer has a great free plan to help you understand how post scheduling works. You can also look into other options like Later and Hootsuite.
• If you already use Canva, they offer a Content Planner to design and schedule posts directly for social media.

Analytics provide insight on what type of content your fans enjoy by tracking engagement on each post you make.  These insights can help  you focus on what works best. Here are a few thoughts to get you started:

• Use Meta Business Suite Insights to better understand important details like demographics, behavior, and engagement across your Facebook and Instagram accounts.
• Instagram Insights also helps track post performance, story views, and audience growth.
• If you’re really excited about details, learn to use Google Analytics to monitor website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates across your online profiles.

Your needs will most likely change as your audience grows, so look around to find tools that fit your personal style and workflow.

Summary

When creating a social media strategy:

• Be consistent. Adhere to a regular posting schedule to maintain visibility and build an audience.
• Be responsive. Reply to comments and messages quickly to start conversations and stay engaged with your followers.
• Be authentic!  Cultivate genuine connections with your fans and other artists by observing, listening, and responding.
• Share your personality. Personal posts can help foster a deeper connection with the people who follow you.
• Tell a story. Give your fans a peek behind the curtain from time to time with a work-in-progress post.
• Use tools, save time. There are plenty of options for automating posts and taking the guesswork out timing.
• Get analytical. Track post performance to understand what content resonates most with your audience.

Click the links below to learn more about how to promote your Redbubble store.