Instagram for artists 2024
In 2024, Instagram is still a prime choice for artists and art businesses, owing to the following three factors:
1. Back to Photos: Instagram shifts focus back to images from videos, respecting audience preference. The TikTok copycat era just favoring videos is over.
2. Increasing Dominance as an Art Marketplace: Instagram is confirming itself as the go-to place to purchase Art. Instagram use by art buyers is rising – 74% in 2023, up from 71% in 2022 and just 34% in 2015. In 2023, 29% of art buyers bought directly via Instagram, a significant increase from 21% in 2022*.
3. Artists Lead Influence: 78% of online art buyers see artists as the chief influencers, a jump from 71% in 2022. Galleries follow at 70%.
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Instagram tips for artists 2024
Instagram’s algorithm constantly changes and uses separate algorithms for ranking various content types – the Explore page, Reels, Stories, Home Feed, and Search:
1. Post frequently to appear on the Explore page
The Explore page features fewer Reels and highlights photos and carousels, benefiting artists. What it takes: Frequently posting is crucial to get a chance to appear, as your content shelf life is now shorter. IG wants you to stay longer on the app.
2. Socialize for exposure to Stories
Your connection with followers here prevails. To strengthen it, use DMs, reply to DMs, and utilize IG Video calls. Consider automating DMs if stories are your focus. The key is retention: if your viewers stay or skip your stories quickly.
Remember: Stories are the ideal selling platform because containing a direct link (for accounts with over 10K followers). It’s also an excellent method to introduce your audience to your offers.
3. Choose the right keywords for the Search
Search and hashtags are regaining significance. Repeat the relevant keywords in your content, captions, bio, and hashtags. Understanding how people find you is crucial, and for this, you need to know the semantics that define your art. Yes, this is SEO, but for Instagram.
4. Post at the right time for the Feed page
The content displayed in Feed mainly involves those followed, but now, the type depends on the viewer’s preferences. If they favor photos, they’ll primarily see photos. Ranking factors are related to time:
- Posting at times when your audience is active.
- The speed at which your posts receive likes, shares, and comments.
- The duration viewers spend on your posts – interesting captions and detailed images can encourage this.
- Recent interactions with your audience.
- Consistent posting – the more regular, the better for the algorithms. But remember, as an artist, visual quality comes first.
5. Focus on quality for REEL
Getting shares is the most important for Reels. So your posts need to be the best possible:
- Poor or sensitive content gets penalized.
- Avoid blurred, non-original content, excessive text, watermarks, and politically sensitive material.
- Don’t use borders. Instead, fill the entire screen with your top-quality image.
- Make it better: When you know how to define your art, you can observe your competition, and try to make better content quality or originality.
Here is our article about how to make Art Reels.
How to use Instagram as an artist? As a portfolio!
If you are an artist, perhaps use Instagram as a portfolio. Only as a portfolio. While Instagram is an effective platform to showcase your art, it’s crucial to approach it with a clear mindset. Instagram is presented as social media but is primarily a marketing agency.
By using Instagram as a portfolio tool rather than a social media platform, you maintain control over your artistic expression. This approach allows you to focus on creating art that’s true to your vision, while still benefiting from the exposure that Instagram offers.
1. Detach yourself from metrics
The chase for likes and followers can be emotionally draining and misleading. Engagement metrics are often poor indicators of the true value or impact of your art. Stepping back from this numbers game is crucial for preserving both your artistic authenticity and mental health.
“Internet is a table for two!”
Instead of fixating on sheer numbers, concentrate on the quality of your connections. The caliber of individuals in your network outweighs the sheer volume of followers. Meaningful interactions can lead to more fulfilling and professionally beneficial relationships, especially for art.
Minimize your following amount
A good way to do that is to minimize your following amount to the persons you value. Realistically, meaningful interactions are only possible with a limited number of contacts – a few hundred at most. Profiles following thousands tend to lose credibility and seriousness.
By curating your following list, you not only declutter your feed but also enhance the significance and quality of your network interactions.
2. Improve your productivity
Consistency and productivity are indeed key in our efficiency-driven society. And the more you post, the happier Instagram’s algorithms are. So you can find ways to increase it but it can’t lower the quality of your content. Consider adopting techniques that maintain your art’s integrity while streamlining your process. This could involve:
- Opt for smaller art: No matter the size of your painting or sculptures, they all appear similarly sized on a mobile screen. Using smaller canvases can make your work more accessible and marketable, potentially increasing sales opportunities without sacrificing quality.
- Refine Your Techniques: Regular practice helps in honing your skills, making your art-making process more efficient over time. Continuously refining your techniques can lead to a quicker and more confident execution of ideas.
- Use stencils for repetitive elements: If your art involves repetitive patterns or elements, creating templates or stencils that you can reuse can save a significant amount of time.
- Batching Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together and tackle them in dedicated time slots. For instance, dedicate a day to sketching, another to colorwork, and so on. This method can reduce the time spent switching between different types of tasks.
- Incorporating AI-generated elements in your process: Embracing AI technology in your process can offer new creative avenues and save time. Whether for generating ideas, layouts, or even assisting in patterns, AI can be a valuable tool in the artist’s toolkit.
Again, not at the cost of your art quality
Unlike typical influencers, your primary goal isn’t just to appease algorithms with frequent posts. As an artist, especially one whose work commands a higher price, the quality of each post primes. Refrain from sharing work that doesn’t meet your standards. It’s often the excellence of a few pieces, not the quantity of many, that sets you apart and captivates your audience.
Instagram account case study: TheObanoth
TheObanoth’s Instagram account is an excellent example of a well-managed artistic portfolio. This artist’s approach highlights key strategies for success on the platform:
- Quality Photography: Each post features well-shot photos, showcasing the art in the best light.
- Consistent, Photogenic Style: TheObanoth maintains a recognizable and visually appealing style, making the portfolio cohesive and attractive.
- Dynamic Content: The account includes engaging process videos, adding depth and showing the art in creation.
- Balanced Posting: TheObanoth posts real-time artistic output, focusing on quality rather than quantity.
- Strategic Variety: Occasional portraits and rare promotional posts add diversity while maintaining the overall aesthetic.
- Fast, Mastered Technique: TheObanoth employs a quick painting technique, perfect for smaller artworks that are ideal for Instagram’s format.
Posting Art on Instagram
Connect Instagram with Facebook
Posting Art is for reaching the most and for that you need to connect your Instagram account to Facebook. Facebook shares worldwide. You can allow it on the settings:
How to post Art on Instagram
1. Quality Photography
First impressions count. If the photo quality is poor, you risk losing potential followers. Ensure you have good lighting (natural light is often best), and try to capture your artwork from multiple angles or include close-ups to show detail.
Here are our 15 tips on how to photograph your artwork for Instagram.
2. Composition Matters
Instagram is a visual platform. How you present your art matters. Consider incorporating props related to your art-making process, such as brushes, paint tubes, or your workspace. This adds context and can make your post more engaging.
3. Consistency is Key
Try to maintain a consistent aesthetic across your posts. This could be through similar filters, consistent lighting, or sticking to a specific color palette. A cohesive feed will be visually appealing and encourage users to follow you. For this, you will need to define and follow a content strategy. Combine two of the styles below and stick with it:
- Inspirational: Artivism, artist lifehacks, morale,
- Educational: Painting tutorials, how-tos,
- Entertaining: painting with music, talking while painting,
- Promotional: Trying and selling art products, and promoting art events.
“I think an artist always needs an adventure they are on, to pull their followers with them.” Ali Cavanaugh
Instagram for artists DOs and DON’Ts
Remember what social media is
In social media, there is the word “media.” It means the bridge between you and your audience. It is contrary to “immediate”. So it is the same as a book, a monument, tv series – it is media – instead of focusing on a method for hashtags, you should know yourself and your audience. There isn’t any simple method for that.
Make Art, not Instagram content.
When promoting your Art on social media, the feeling is very mixed. You know it’s necessary, but at the same time, you feel reluctant. There are over 2 billion active users on Instagram. Even if you are not a fan of social media, you still need to get your Art out there. Using Instagram will influence your Art, but don’t make it the primary influence.
Work on your style
Experiment with your style! It can be a particular theme, look, or vibe. Once you find your visual identity, be consistent with it. Imagine your account is like an art collection; you are the artist and the curator of this collection. You want to show progress but stay within the same line of work.
Make engaging content
Many artists are using Instagram as free cloud storage to safe-keep their photos. They are not doing a lot to attract social interactions. The title of the Art? Untitled. The description? Oil on Canvas. Comments? No replies. It is not engaging! You are not stimulating dialogue between you and your fans.
Reuse your content for your website
You can re-publish the content on your artist’s website. Search Engines won’t penalize it as plagiarism. On your website, the content is yours, not on Social Media.
Relate to trends
Many artists are complaining because they need to follow trends on social media. Following trends can be good, but it doesn’t mean losing your style. Being up-to-date can help people notice your work. Picasso didn’t go to Guernica; he didn’t give a dam about it but he saw the opportunity when Dora Maar suggested it.
Don’t wear too many hats.
“Proud mother of two” – “Artist and Musician” – “Artist and Actor”
Amazingly, you have a lot going on, but you are wearing too many hats. It’s best to say which artist you are (painter, sculptor, digital artist).
Don’t write a boring Bio
“Hi, my name is Mark. I am an artist. I have been drawing since I was ten years old.” You are 30 years old, and nothing has happened for the past 20 years? You are not defined by when you started painting but by how you develop as a human being. Mention something interesting: Why do you want to paint? What is the news happening in your career today?
Don’t mix Work / Life.
Do you want to share some fantastic honeymoon moments, fabulous parties, or the first baby steps of your child? You might like to share them with your fans: but I would not suggest doing so. You will appear unprofessional, especially when you share photos of alcoholic beverages.
Don’t depend on professionals.
I talked to an artist about why he has not updated his Instagram for a long time. He told me that he was waiting for a professional photographer to come in and shoot. Timing is everything! Choose between having a decent photo today or a perfect one tomorrow. Don’t wait on the professionals. Learn how to take photos yourself so you can react fast.
Don’t use too many hashtags.
I have seen artists who are using up to 30 hashtags. Please don’t. You can put 5-6 relevant hashtags at most. Otherwise, you look desperate. Less is more. Consider posting the hashtags in the comment section (it has the same effects on the algorithms).
Don’t get paid following.
I asked once an artist: which artworks received the most likes on your social media? He said: ‘The ones I spent most promoting.’ You got me.
Don’t think of Instagram as a Website.
We surveyed on our Instagram, and out of 400 artists, 60% did not have a website. They used social media like Instagram as their online portfolio. It is hazardous! You can lose your social media account, and you have no way to get it back.
You should have your website instead. This way, you can rank on Search Engines, make an online store, and join all the social media. Plus, your website is protected by law as your private property.
Resist posting Art that may secure later deals
If you put your art on Instagram, you can’t make an exclusive deal with a magazine or platform with it. Instagram says, “We do not claim ownership of your content, but you grant us a license to use it.” Delete it from Instagram if you want to make an exclusive deal. (Source: Instagram Terms of Use)
Don’t blame the algorithms all the time
If your post doesn’t have likes, it’s not necessarily the algorithm’s fault.
You won’t progress if you cannot find your responsibility in failing. We tend to overstate the influence of the algorithms. The ones who complain about not getting enough likes are often overvaluing their Art.
Don’t be showy
It will only bring jealousy and hurt proximity to your audience. Focus on your work’s personal aspects, weaknesses, and what makes you different. You can show great Art with humility. People appreciate honesty and realness in your work.
Is Instagram good for artists?
Instagram is an opportunity with a cost. And like any opportunity, it can take you away from your goals if they are not firmly defined.
The myth of the artist making Art for himself alone is just wishful thought. Social media or not, artists are human and must deal with their environment. Instagram is a part of it if an artist decides to use it. Is Instagram good for artists? Here are the PROs and CONs:
It allows selling your Art directly.
Many artists get to Instagram for the sales possibility, even if few use it. They can directly sell to collectors and cut the traditional art market artist/galleries/art fairs. It only works for artists who are mature with their business. The cut the art gallery gets has a reason—many collectors prefer to deal with galleries than the artist because of their professionalism.
It helps you be productive.
Well, this works if you find a way to post a lot without degrading your visual Art. Otherwise, burnout isn’t far. If your technique is slow, you must find a way to counter that (process, drafts).
It facilitates networking.
Because Instagram is still trendy, the amount of spam is high and prevents from making new connections. It is even increasing if you have a small account. Otherwise, once your account is popular, it becomes easier to connect with people. If two versions follow each other’s, it creates a bond and benefits the way to collaborate and reach.
It gives inspiration.
If you pass the stage of these two extremes: “my art is unique” / “this art is too good, I will do the same”, then Instagram can be an excellent window to the trends and inspire you. And in fact, one of the best ways to be inspired is to watch things outside of the art niche.
To get the benefits of Instagram, you need to focus on what makes you an individual: your authenticity (the sum of your passions, skills, and personality).
It can trigger imposter syndrome.
By Envy or jealousy, Instagram can shut you down, as what you see is a mirror of reality. To counter that, be true and deal with your weaknesses; make them a part of your visual expression.
It sucks your time.
The main reason why Instagram is your free enemy. It takes time away from your life and your work so it can serve you ads based on your interests. And Instagram is increasing this aspect because it is gradually changing from social-based to interest-based content (like TikTok). And like a bowl of ice cream, it will wait for your weakest moments to predate you.
It deviates you from your plan.
Instagram can and should influence your objectives as an artist if it’s your primary social media. But it should be the base of any of your plans. Instagram is someone else business, not yours. An efficient way to counter that is when you feel you should make some art and post it to get likes; you are on the wrong path.
It can censor your Art.
Instagram’s censorship mainly follows American values. Nudity but also wars and status-quo are themes traditionally approached in the Art. They decide what to suppress and don’t have to explain the reason, even if it’s your account.
Hard to reach your existing audience.
Because of the degrading interest in the platform, Instagram is now copying the TikTok algorithm. It evolves from Social-based (meaning that you see who you follow) to Interest-based (meaning what will appear in the timeline is what you are interested in, even if you don’t want to see it). Consequently, your collectors and followers proportionally discover your content less.
Too many unpredictable algorithm changes.
The algorithm changes privilege what shareholders have to say, and users are secondary. It leads to abrupt changes we don’t understand and often impacts artists negatively.
Instagram artists’ Q&A
How do artists get noticed on Instagram?
For new people to find your Art, combine captivating Reels and photo posts with relevant hashtags. Focus on creating emotional and personal content rather than trying to impress. But don’t let Instagram take over your creation time.
Is Instagram worth it for artists in 2023?
According to the Hiscox online art trade report 2023, Instagram is still rising as the leading social media for buying Art. Instagram use by art buyers is rising – 74% in 2023, from 71% in 2022. In 2023, 29% of art buyers bought directly via Instagram, increase from 21% in 2022. Consequently, it is almost mandatory for artists to use it.
How do artists grow fast on Instagram?
Don’t blind yourself: Instagram is first a marketing agency. The primary way to grow fast is to invest in ads. Then it is about how you are well-known or how well-known people or institutions can recommend you. It won’t work if you don’t have a recognizable art style. Most other ways to grow fast are exceptional and feed on your hope. If it’s free, you are the product.
Greg Bot
Greg Bot is one of Very Private Gallery’s co-founders. Originally from France, he studied at Villa Arson, a pilot school for contemporary art. He got involved in setting up exhibitions and worked as a digital strategist for art fairs and galleries in countries like China, Australia, France, and Spain.
In your very 1st Tip, you mention to post frequently but how much was never defined! How do you define frequently? Once a day? Five times a day? Twice a week? etc., etc., Please define this…
What Instagram wants isn’t necessarily what you need to do. You just need to adjust your consistency of work with the posting frequency. Of course, we are in a capitalistic world and productivity is important, and faster your painting technique is, better it is. But In defining “frequently,” it really depends on your capacity to produce quality content without compromising its value. For artists, aiming to post at least once a day can be a good start. This frequency helps keep your audience engaged and increases your chances of appearing on the Explore page. Keep a balance between quantity with quality. If posting daily leads to a drop in content quality, it might be better to post less frequently, like three or four times a week, but ensure each post is impactful and well-crafted. The key is consistency and quality combined, not just frequency alone.
So first you say use 30 hashtags and then you say use 6 hashtags because it looks desperate
Yes and it is specified why you shouldn’t use 30 hashtags. So many changes happened, I will update this article again and make it clear enough!
very helpful and straightforward! def gonna bookmark and come back
As a really old fart born in another century I found this piece to be both informative and eye-opening. As with any powerful and potentially dangerous tool, there are rules to follow which are ignored at your own risk. After a quick perusal, I identified more than a dozen ‘DONT’S’ I would have likely committed. This particular article is a re-read must for me. Thanks.