Instagram is a powerful marketing platform for tattoo artists, offering low barriers to entry and global reach. By creating an eye-catching profile, showcasing your tattoo work, engaging with followers, using relevant hashtags, collaborating with influencers, sharing behind-the-scenes content, and promoting exclusive offers, tattoo artists can effectively promote their art, attract new clients, and grow their business. However, success with Instagram ads requires careful planning and compelling strategies.
To boost your Instagram page as a tattoo artist, consider the following strategies: what to avoid, which hashtags to use, and how to make money on Instagram. There are various ways to make money on Instagram, including setting up an online shop, selling products or merch, creating subscriptions, promoting special offers, and more. This article outlines 11 tactics for promoting your tattoo business on Instagram.
Social media has become the most accessible marketing platform for tattoo artists, with low barriers to entry and a global reach. With over a billion active users, Instagram offers opportunities for influencers to monetize their content and build profitable businesses. To monetize your Instagram presence, find the top city of your followers and contact the tattoo artist from that city. Payed reach involves investing in advertising to ensure your tattoo art reaches a specific audience beyond your existing followers.
From a tattoo artist’s perspective, Instagram marketing and organic audience growth are essential for turning Instagram followers into real clients. A full guide on different Instagram monetization methods and 17 popular ways to make money on Instagram is provided in this video/article.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Most profitable niche on instagram? | No niche is bad if you know how to monetize it. Just find the top city of your followers and contact the tattoo artist from that city and charge … | blackhatworld.com |
| How to grow an Instagram account from 10k? I just bought … | 10,000 people, 10% of them very actively interested in tattoos. All you have to do now is to keep up with the good quality pictures (otherwise … | quora.com |
| How to Promote Your Tattoo Business on Instagram | Instagram marketing and organic audience growth from a tattoo artist’s perspective. Learn how to turn Instagram followers into real clients. | medium.com |
📹 How To Grow Your Instagram Account As A Tattoo Artist!
Many artists tend to have an Instagram page where they upload and share their artwork. But ask yourself this, how many of them …
How Do Tattoo Artists Promote Their Work On Social Media?
Authentic, engaging, and meaningful content is essential for tattoo artists aiming to establish a successful social media presence. By focusing on quality over quantity and employing both organic and paid strategies, tattoo artists can promote their work effectively and cultivate enduring connections with their audiences. The guide "The Art of Online Promotion: Social Media Tactics for Tattoo Artists" reveals key techniques to enhance online visibility, engage clients, and highlight tattoo artistry.
To showcase their talents, artists can utilize Instagram ads alongside organic reach, optimizing their strategies based on the best ad formats, targeting options, and success metrics tailored for tattoo professionals. As many platforms emerge, newcomers might struggle to attract attention, underscoring the importance of setting up an Instagram profile correctly. A focused approach involving just a few key platforms can alleviate decision paralysis.
Consistency in posting and engaging with followers on Instagram is crucial. Using relevant hashtags can boost visibility and attract new audiences, while collaborations with fellow tattoo artists can expand reach. New artists should build robust portfolios and share them through social media, engaging with local tattoo communities and participating in relevant forums.
Instagram allows for vivid displays of artwork, where thoughtful hashtag use and post tagging can significantly enhance follower counts and client attraction. Crafting a unique brand and engaging your clientele is vital; tattoo artists have leveraged social media to gain real likes on platforms like TikTok, fostering a global following.
Creating personalized hashtags encourages clients to share their tattoo experiences while tagging popular profiles can help reach wider audiences. Engaging with local businesses and their customers can also enhance community presence. High-quality imagery showcasing artwork, before-and-after transformations, and behind-the-scenes looks can significantly draw customer interest.
In conclusion, artists should experiment with various content styles, drawing inspiration from leading tattooists, while employing effective strategies to transform their studios into social media sensations and increase brand visibility, interaction, and customer attraction.
How To Boost Tattoo Instagram?
To rapidly grow your audience on Instagram as a tattoo artist, focus on creating engaging Reels that showcase your tattoo artwork. Currently, Instagram limits visibility of photo posts to existing followers, making Reels a more effective tool for reaching new potential clients. Set up your Instagram profile strategically, emphasizing a diverse array of tattoo designs to attract attention. A well-rounded strategy involves not only consistently posting your work but also engaging with your audience through personable content like introductions, your services, and your experience in the field. For visuals, ensure your photos are well-lit and sharp, using minimal backgrounds to keep attention on your art.
Promoting special deals and discounts through Instagram Stories and Reels can further boost engagement. Utilizing Instagram ads tailored to your target audience can significantly enhance visibility and attract new clients. It’s essential to craft standout content and make effective use of relevant hashtags to broaden your reach.
To increase interaction and followers organically, implement quick tips that focus on authentic engagement strategies. Focus on the quality of your content by using natural lighting that highlights the true colors of your tattoos, and edit images minimally to maintain authenticity. Detailed captions can also provide context, enhancing the connection with your audience.
Building a successful Instagram presence involves understanding your target market and crafting a marketing strategy that resonates with potential clients. Remember, it’s not only about showcasing your tattoo artistry but also about fostering connections and driving engagement to convert followers into clients. Explore the best ad formats and targeting options to maximize your reach, and don’t hesitate to experiment with different content styles to see what resonates best with your audience.
How To Get More Tattoo Clients On Instagram?
To effectively attract tattoo clients on Instagram, start by building and engaging with your audience through various features like Reels, Posts, and Stories. Your Instagram bio should clearly reflect your identity as a tattoo artist, while profile highlights can showcase your best work and client testimonials. Utilize Instagram best practices, such as regularly posting high-quality content and engaging with followers, to boost your online visibility.
Consider collaborating with local businesses that are active on Instagram to enhance your reach. Setting up your profile correctly is crucial to making a positive first impression. Boosting your posts with targeted ads on platforms like Facebook or using Google Ads can help you reach potential clients seeking tattoos in your area.
As you grow your account, remember to interact with the tattoo community, ask for reviews, and encourage referrals. Sharing progress photos of your work will engage your audience and showcase your style. Use relevant and specific hashtags to increase your content’s visibility while avoiding overly broad tags. Collaborating with other artists and studios can also provide cross-promotion opportunities.
In addition, don’t underestimate the power of socializing offline; attending local events and bringing business cards can create valuable connections. Building a strong brand identity and portfolio is essential, as well as actively participating in the tattoo community to further increase your network and client base. By following these strategies, whether you are a seasoned artist or a newcomer, Instagram can significantly enhance your clientele and overall business.
How To Grow Your Instagram Presence If You Have A Tattoo?
Building and enhancing your Instagram presence as a tattoo artist relies heavily on consistency. To facilitate growth, aim to post several times a week, as regular activity increases visibility and helps attract a broader audience. Without consistent posting, it becomes challenging to expand your following and client base. Encouraging others to tag you in their posts, especially when there's an appealing backdrop, can introduce your account to new viewers. Marketing should be a natural extension of your artistry, highlighting what makes your shop unique.
To effectively grow your Instagram, utilize several strategies: maintain a well-structured profile, engage consistently with followers, and employ relevant hashtags for increased visibility. Collaborate with fellow tattoo artists to enhance reach. Understanding your ideal customer and defining your target audience are critical in creating resonant content. Additionally, researching competitors and current industry trends can provide insight into effective practices.
Avoid common missteps while showcasing your tattoo artistry to engage your audience and strengthen your presence on the platform. Engaging with local businesses, like coffee shops and bars, can help attract attention by interacting with their followers. Employing a well-planned hashtag strategy—using a blend of branded, industry-focused, and location-based tags—can significantly boost your posts. Finally, consider utilizing Instagram ads to promote your work, attract new clients, and grow your overall business.
How To Promote A Tattoo On Instagram?
Instagram's algorithms prioritize user engagement, such as viewing time, likes, comments, and shares, which are crucial for tattoo artists looking to promote their work. High-quality photos showcasing tattoos should be well-lit, sharp, and feature a clean background to minimize distractions and enhance visibility. An optimized Instagram profile is essential for serious growth in followers and art exposure.
To effectively showcase tattoo artistry, avoid common mistakes and utilize best practices in promotion efforts. Employ a variety of strategies, such as using Instagram Stories and Reels over static images to engage users, and share any special offers or discounts creatively to attract potential clients.
Building an engaging profile that highlights your tattoo work, interacting with followers, and utilizing relevant hashtags can significantly increase your reach. Collaborating with influencers and sharing behind-the-scenes content can also help to forge connections with your audience. Utilize social media networks, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, to showcase your artistry and broaden your business exposure. Engage with local businesses like coffee shops or indie stores and their followers to create relationships and stimulate conversation around your work.
Instagram ads can be a potent tool for tattoo artists, enabling targeted outreach to potential clients. Employ a thoughtful hashtag strategy, combining branded, industry, and location-based tags to aid in content discoverability. By integrating these tailored tactics and promoting your offerings effectively, you can enhance your online presence, attract new clients, and ultimately grow your tattoo business.
How To Make Money On Instagram?
Advertising on Instagram presents a lucrative opportunity to earn money and monitor your progress through analytics. You can effortlessly transform your posts into ads by boosting them, and analytics will reveal the impact of such promotions. Additionally, you can tag products within these ads, facilitating direct sales from your promotions. Utilizing Instagram's tools—like Branded Content, Badges during Live sessions, and Shopping—allows you to monetize your passion creatively.
There are multiple ways to earn on Instagram, including establishing an online shop for selling products or merchandise, creating subscription services, or promoting special offers. This guide outlines 11 strategies for making money on the platform, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a dedicated, high-quality Instagram account and generating content that resonates with your audience. Choosing a creative yet descriptive username is crucial. Don't hesitate to explore various strategies, whether through exclusive content with subscriptions, receiving support from fans through gifts, or collaborating with brands.
To make money on Instagram, consider several options: partnering with brands for sponsored posts, becoming an affiliate marketer, driving traffic to your own website, launching an Instagram shop, or selling your photography or art prints. With over a billion active users, Instagram offers a multitude of opportunities for influencers to monetize their content and cultivate lucrative businesses, often leading to significant new ventures.
Instagram provides official monetization tools similar to YouTube's Partner Program, creating pathways for creators and small businesses. To maximize earnings, consider options like sponsored content, starting an online store, creating merchandise, engaging in social selling, selling images, earning badges from fans during live streaming, and offering paid subscriptions.
The key to earning from Instagram views involves effectively leveraging your audience and content to attract brand partnerships and sponsored posts. Experimenting with various monetization tools will help identify what works best for you. As we approach 2024, key strategies for earning on Instagram include forming partnerships for sponsored content, utilizing live streaming badges, offering paid subscriptions, and setting up payout accounts for monetization. With careful planning and experimentation, Instagram can become a profitable platform.
How Much Is A 1 Hour Tattoo?
Tattoo artists generally charge hourly rates ranging from $50 to $300 or more, influenced by their skill level and reputation. For custom designs or larger, intricate pieces, hourly rates often fall between $75 to $250, with an average of $120 to $150. Considerations like the artist's popularity, social media presence, awards, and the studio’s reputation can further impact pricing. It's important to note that there isn't a fixed minimum price for tattoos; costs fluctuate based on various factors, including tattoo size, design complexity, placement on the body, and overall demand.
Utilizing a tattoo price calculator can help estimate costs by analyzing factors such as size, complexity, and artist experience, and offers insight into common tattoo pricing. For smaller tattoos, such as basic designs like hearts or crosses, the average cost is typically between $50 to $250. Medium-sized tattoos, like tribal designs or portraits, usually range from $150 to $450. When hiring an artist, their hourly charges usually align with time required for the tattoo; large designs like half or full sleeves often start at approximately $500 or more.
When evaluating the cost, the average price for a one-hour tattoo session can vary based on the artist’s experience, location of the tattoo shop, and design complexity, with averages around $100 to $300 for a one-hour period. Understanding how tattoo artists structure their pricing—whether by hour, piece, or specific details (like letters, color, and area)—is crucial for budget planning. Comprehensive charts detailing average tattoo prices in accordance with size and artist experience are also beneficial to prospective clients.
As a benchmark, most tattoo artists charge between $75 and $150 per hour, yet rates can escalate depending on the intricacy of the design. Elaborate pieces, taking significant time, can lead to costs starting at $150, with many highly esteemed artists falling within the $150-$210 range. Regional pricing can differ significantly as well; for instance, in parts of the U. S., average rates can reach $280 per hour in San Francisco or around $224 in New York City, while in London, rates hover around £150 and Leeds between £80 to £100. Overall, aspiring clients should anticipate average tattoo rates of $100 to $250 per hour, acknowledging potential higher fees for prominent artists.
Is $100 An Hour For A Tattoo Good?
The cost of getting a tattoo can vary significantly based on factors like the artist's experience, reputation, location, and the complexity of the design. Generally, most artists charge between $100 and $250 per hour, with average rates commonly falling between $100 and $175. For artists with high profiles or significant demand, such as those with a large social media following, rates can exceed this range.
A typical hourly charge for tattoo artists has remained relatively stable over the past several years. While some shops have a minimum charge that ranges from $75 to $200, it's also common to see discounted rates for good customers or for multiple hours of work. Tipping is customary in the tattoo industry, and the amount is left to the discretion of clients, often based on satisfaction with the final artwork.
The pricing structure may vary based on whether artists charge by the hour or by the piece. For instance, a good tattoo might range from $800 to $1200, depending on its intricacy and the artist’s skill level. Clients with multiple tattoos often have experience with varying prices and may have seen rates reach anywhere from $125 to $200 per hour for more seasoned artists.
When it comes to smaller tattoos, prices typically range from $30 to $100 for designs under 2x2 inches, between $100 to $200 for 3x3 tattoos, and around $250 or more for designs of 4x4 inches or larger. The quality of the tattoo often makes a significant difference in perceived value, with clients willing to pay higher rates for exceptional craftsmanship and vibrant results.
For clients seeking accurate quotes for single-session tattoos, it's recommended to discuss the final pricing upfront with the chosen artist. Many artists prefer working on an hourly basis, especially for larger projects where it can be challenging to estimate a flat rate without knowing the exact time and effort involved.
In conclusion, while the average cost for tattoos generally starts at about $100 per hour, prices can vary widely based on factors such as artist experience, geographical location, and the nature of the tattoo work itself. Engaging with your artist to understand their specific pricing structure and gaining clarity on how their rates reflect their skill and services will help ensure a satisfying tattoo experience.
Should Tattoo Artists Use Instagram Ads?
When tattoo artists leverage Instagram ads effectively, they can significantly promote their work, attract new clients, and expand their businesses. Success hinges on strategic planning, engaging content creation, and continual optimization based on performance metrics. Establishing a well-crafted Instagram profile is essential for artists serious about building their brand. Utilizing Instagram allows tattoo artists to share their services, special offers, and events. It’s crucial to post high-quality images of recent tattoos, keep followers posted about appointment availability, and highlight exclusive promotions to draw attention and engagement.
For effective marketing, running dedicated ads rather than boosting posts is recommended, as it tends to provide better results. Tattoo studios should focus on developing a tailored Instagram strategy that resonates with their target audience. This involves creating distinctive content, using relevant hashtags for enhanced visibility, and incorporating features like Stories and Live Videos, alongside ads.
Although the algorithm changes can complicate matters, maintaining consistent posting and fostering engagement with followers are vital steps to grow an Instagram following. Collaborating with other artists may also extend reach and visibility. The average cost-per-client may vary by location and marketing approaches, typically ranging from $20 to $50.
Reels can attract followers, Carousels can maintain audience engagement, and high-quality Static Images can effectively showcase art. Additionally, Instagram Live presents opportunities for real-time engagement about service offerings. This guide aims to equip tattoo artists with actionable strategies for maximizing their Instagram presence, emphasizing the balance between organic posts, which resonate as more genuine, and paid advertising, which can amplify growth. By following these strategies, tattoo artists can better navigate Instagram for long-term success in their craft.
How To Build A Tattoo Business On Instagram?
To effectively build a tattoo business on Instagram, creating a well-organized and clean profile is crucial. Your profile acts as your online studio and should reflect your artistic identity. Social media, particularly Instagram, serves as a powerful marketing platform for tattoo artists, enabling them to showcase their work and reach a global audience easily. To attract new clients and enhance visibility, it's essential to grow your Instagram account strategically.
Regular, high-quality posts keep your studio top-of-mind for followers and improve discoverability. Establish a consistent posting schedule, focusing on optimal times for engagement. Understanding Instagram's features is also vital; implementing ads can amplify your visibility when executed thoughtfully with compelling visuals and messaging.
Local engagement is important, especially for artists without large followings. Build your network by supporting and connecting with other tattoo artists and content creators to increase your exposure. Following accounts you admire, tagging inspiration, and sharing relevant art can grow your own content library while expanding your reach.
Personal content is valuable—introduce yourself, share your experience, and articulate what you offer. A polished bio also helps visitors quickly grasp your artistic focus. Quality content is key; sharp, high-resolution images enhance professionalism. Learn from similar artists and explore successful strategies they employ to grow their followings, such as engaging with peers, leveraging hashtags, sharing stories, and posting testimonials.
Promote any special deals or discounts through your posts, Stories, or Reels to attract interest. Consider hosting contests or giveaways, which can effectively generate excitement and engagement. This comprehensive guide outlines business strategies and artistic promotion on Instagram, emphasizing the importance of technology and community building to foster a successful tattoo marketing approach in 2023.
How Big Is A $500 Tattoo?
When considering a tattoo, a budget of $500 can yield a tattoo of decent size, typically ranging from small to medium. For instance, a tattoo sized approximately the length of a palm on an arm or leg may cost between $300 to $600, whereas larger tattoos, such as full back or chest designs, can easily exceed $1, 000. For a $500 budget, one could expect to get a medium-sized tattoo, around 2-4 inches, or an area akin to the size of a credit card.
Tattoo artist rates vary, often falling between $120 to $150 per hour. The total cost hinges on the time invested, as larger tattoos—like half or full sleeves—begin at $500 but can escalate to $4, 000 for extensive designs. To estimate a tattoo’s area, multiply its length by width, giving the area in square inches.
For smaller tattoos that cost roughly $100, one might expect simple designs that take approximately 30-60 minutes to complete, fitting into a 3x3 inch space — ideal for detailed symbols or meaningful quotes. These dimensions often culminate in a total area of 6 square inches.
The size of tattoos can generally be categorized into three ranges: small (up to 4 inches), medium (4-8 inches), and large (over 8 inches). When assessing the size, consider both the height and width alongside the desired style, be it traditional, realism, or black and gray.
Average costs vary by placement; for instance, tattooing the buttocks or genitals can range from $500 to $900 for small to large sizes. In contrast, chest tattoos may start at $250. Individual experiences with tattoo costs can widely differ. For example, a tattoo measuring 7 inches may cost around $500, whereas a full sleeve generally requires a budget of $1, 100 to $1, 200.
In general, the pricing for small tattoos might range from $50 to $100, medium tattoos can be priced up to $200, and large tattoos typically cost over $250. Notably, a standard tattoo on the hip or thigh running about 12 inches can cost around $500 for the outline only, possibly reaching $2, 000 when fully detailed.
📹 Artists on Instagram: Don’t Make This Mistake
An artist shares their experience with Instagram, revealing the pitfalls of focusing on follower count over quality of work. They discuss the importance of prioritizing artistic development and finding an audience genuinely interested in their art, rather than just popularity. The artist also shares their shift towards YouTube, where they feel they can better connect with their audience and be rewarded for their content.
Pro artist here: you have to view instagram as a portfolio now. Don’t expect likes or engagements (’cause you’re going to be disappointed), disengage emotionally from the chase of popularity and focus on your work. Accept that your followers are going to drop (I used to be 215K, now 198K) (lol) And yeah, focus on the work, always. It’s good for you and your career.
IMPORTANT note from an Artist to an Artist: I felt the social media burnout, my Art life was 5% art and 95% “business” (doing social media, scheduling, making content). I posted on my blog/reddit that I will be taking a break for a few months because I NEED to create stress free without deadlines or the pressure of always doing things on camera and always posting… I even said to my followers “listen, it is impossible to continue in real time, I will take 6 months off, make stuff, schedule them so you have content for 6 months while Im offline creating”… I was expecting to lose half my engagement. WRONG! The amount of people who were HAPPY and said stuff along the line “Finally we see someone taking care of their mental health and being an artist without being a social media persona” and they continued with comments along the lines of “We’d rather miss you for a while and know that more of your work will come back than have you burnt out and lose your work forever”. Overall, people DO prefer a mentally healthy artist who puts out art once in a while rather than a content-pumping anxious mess xD Normalise doing art while none is perusal. Normalise for artists to be artists and not marketing agencies.
I’m so glad you did a article about this! IG has changed drastically and it’s not going back. After spending a few years as a corporate publicist, I just hate social media altogether and I’m trying so hard to change my relationship with it now that I’m focusing solely on art. But really, there is only so much that we can control on social platforms. The algorithms are updated on a near weekly basis, and it’s always meant to keep you sucked in and scrolling. I’m thinking of planning a content calendar so that I don’t have to actually spend too much time on the platform because it really hypnotizes you within seconds. I’m so glad you decided to put some more effort into YT because I enjoy learning more about you, your processes, and your thoughts on art business and such. Keep it up Brooke, you’re killing it! <3
Instagram… and all social media outlets… will not make your art career. They’re entertainment outlets with fickle fans. All of your energy and time will be spent on getting people to follow you that you will never ever have an authentic connection with through your work. You will neglect making real relationships in the real world. You will. I deleted all of my social media accounts and decided to live in the real world instead. My precious time on Earth is more valuable to me than the empty void of social media.
Very relatable story. I had a article go viral on instagram last year, and got over 50k new followers from it, which was neat, but at the end of the day, changed nothing. Unless your reels are monetized, instagram growth doesn’t mean much anymore other than as a way to point people to where you can actually get monetary support from them if they truly want to support your art. The platform requires so much effort for so little payout if the goal is to supplement income. Most brands on there don’t mesh well with what an artist is trying to do, and most artists don’t want to take their focus away from their art to figure out how to incorporate a brand deal. Instagram has really let its artist community fall through the cracks in these ways, and turning to youtube is a good alternative where you do actually get paid for your efforts. Wishing you the best of luck on here!
Hey Brooke, what a much needed article for a lot of us, fellow artists. I just reached 400 followers on my insta art page, and I’m so proud of myself. Last year, I wouldn’t have felt that way. Like you, I was devoting every waking moment into trying to create content and post at least every day. I got burnt out and stopped painting for several months because I was exhausted, discouraged, and had a major artist block. I got back on instagram this year and decided that I didn’t care about the numbers anymore, but I was going to use the art page as a sort of diary to chronical my growth as an artist. I’m actually looking into becoming an art vendor this fall as I like personal interaction over social media. You should be so proud of your accomplishments, and I love your new jewelry line.
Everything you said in this article is absolutely true and thank you for specifically calling out the fact that numbers don’t equal money if it’s not the right people. I think a lot of us get caught up in the number not realizing it doesn’t really mean anything from an income perspective if those people aren’t passionate enough to buy your artwork. I’ve been a fan of your work for a while but continuing to stay for the candid content 🙂
I’m so thankful you came out with this article. I’ve been in this depressive funk for the past month because I went from 100k followers to 97k just in a few months and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing wrong. Not only that, I’ve made 0 sales this week and it’s honestly taken a toll on my mental health and making me rethink what I’m doing with my life lol. Thank you for coming out with this article because now I know I’m not alone and I don’t need to be posting 4 times a week and make a buttload of reels.
I hate social media, it demands way, way too much from us and wastes everyone’s time or distracts them from sleep, issues, etc. I used to enjoy it, but now it’s like this corporate washed up thing and I’m over it. Plus, it’s like what’s the point of the effort when it could all go under tomorrow? I mean look at the craziness of Twitter right now lol. I’ve been trying on YouTube and it’s been good, at least I can be found again for it. I appreciate this article and I’m sorry you spent so so so long to build that audience.
I’m a brand new artist and really have no idea yet how the algorithm works on any social media platform, but I have noticed a change in Insta since even Oct last year. My posts reach maybe 50% of what they once did. We need another platform, perhaps one that is made for artisans and artists. Keep all the garbage content on insta so it’s not drowning us out. Thank you for the very informative article! Glad YouTube is doing its job properly and recommended you to me 😊
Your reflection was deep and intelligently you come to a conclusion. Social networks are a tool, but not the axis of success. A bias is created from the fact that many people, without great artistic qualities, have a large number of followers, that does not mean that it is because of the quality of the content, but because of their physical appearance or because they venture to make a fool of themselves. The reality is that art is more transcendental than any new trend.
I relate a lot to this article. I have no more sales from instagram when I had 3k followers than I do now with 30k. I’ve also had a bunch of follower bumps from silly reels that have nothing to do with my art, therefore bringing in a bunch of followers that aren’t there for my work. Reels have been great for my following, but have also made that following pretty shallow.
This was such a smart article to post! It is so easy for artists to forget why they are painting, and get caught up in the number of followers, etc. Ha. I go in daily and DELETE followers who look like creezy guys or wannabe hackers. I don’t know who they heck they are, but I don’t want them in my life! I rather have the people who really admire my work. You are a truly talented artist, Brooke, and I look forward to seeing how your work evolves over time… which means I should buy something from you now before you become too expensive for me!!!
This article is a gift… I’ve been struggling for so long to ‘be better at social media’ and growing a following all so I can achieve my dream of financial freedom and to hear that that isn’t even the truth? That all this focus and attention and strees doesn’t even equal income? It’s like I’ve just been shown the earth isn’t flat 😂 the relief…. maybe I need to refocus back to what matters. The art and the revenue streams. Instagram just isn’t it…. its sucking my soul and its time to accept its never going to be what it was x
Thank you for this! It popped up as recommended to me today and I needed to hear it. I’m in the process of starting a small art shop on Etsy and preparing social media for the journey. And I kind of hate social media sometimes because it is exhausting. So thank you for the reminder that I don’t need to post all day every day and create a bajillion reels to build an audience
Great article and reminder. It can get really easy to worry about social media numbers or even just sitting and perusal articles all day, rather than working on your art to gain that experience and use the tips found on YouTube. Something I have to keep watch in my artist journey. I found your website earlier today and you’ve gain another subscriber. Thanks for posting and wishing you continued success all the way from Texas.
I’m only 3 minutes in, but already this is exactly what I needed to hear! I am currently in the process of designing, and getting a “business” going, but since I draw all my designs by hand, then colour them digitally – not to mention the time spent thinking up designs, finding the perfect layout, and that I only discovered my art “talent” a year ago, so I am still learning – it takes me a very long time to create. I have seen advice online about having to post everyday to get noticed and build your “business”, and I must admit, that has caused me many hours of doubt because I cannot create art/designs/content that quickly, to the standard I want to. I don’t want to post artwork/designs that are not my best work (unless, its for learning purposes). I have too much integrity to be false. What you have said makes a lot of sense, especially since I want my followers to follow me because they like what I am doing, will engage with me a bit and hopefully will buy some of my products. Quality over quantity in followers sounds good. I will try and remember this, as I know I will have moments where I wish I had more, or I’ll compare myself to other profiles and feel bad, like my posts and art isn’t good enough. I already struggle with this last bit, on some days. Other days, I feel like I can make a real go, and hopefully a career out of this. Anyway, this has ended up being a very long post – sorry about that! XD I will now watch the rest of the article! Good day/night to you! And thank you!
This is such an important article! I genuinely stuck at the whole being social thing. I truly couldn’t care less about creating “content”. However, over the lonely years, I’ve admitted the need to share my art with others. I decided to start posting not to grow numbers or gain popularity, but just to share and document my work. I am also fascinated with process. So that’s what i share. Whatever step I’m on, finished or not. When I’m on a project, it keeps me gently motivated to not abandon halfway through. To at least finish one step. I don’t feel too rushed, because i am not curating a visual museum of finished products. It’s more of a “look what i made, ma!” approach 😊 In the end, even if I’m not a “artist of instagram”, or only get 4 likes on a post, i have a kind of portfolio that makes itself.
Ack, yes. Super small artist here, never was able to get over 250 followers reliably. I’m done with Instagram. I’ll keep posting but I don’t want to spend any more energy than necessary on it. I’ll focus on my website (it’s in Spanish so the potential isn’t as big but I’m more comfortable with my native language).
Holy crap, this is amazing! I dedicated 2021 to social media and it was so demoralizing. Did all the “right” things and posted ridiculous amounts of posts and stories. It was all for naughty. And after reading rainy lune’s blog post about the meta conference she attended for small businesses, organic social media is dead. They all want you to pay for exposure. So I’ve turned away from social media as a large outlet for my work, just do the bare minimum and am focusing on in person connections. Awesome article!
As an artist looking to build a following on Instagram, it’s crucial to avoid the common mistake of solely focusing on promoting your work without engaging with your audience. While showcasing your art is important, it’s equally important to foster connections with your followers by responding to comments, asking for feedback, participating in challenges, and collaborating with other artists. By doing so, you’ll not only grow your community but also gain valuable insights into what resonates with your audience, ultimately leading to more opportunities and recognition for your art.
I feel this so much. I struggle to get ahead on instagram and it almost feels like the platform is working against me. It’s refreshing to see a article like this and also read the comments. Although it can be a great tool, it also seems like people are starting to wake up to social media and the damage it can cause.
Look here young lady, in my day we didn’t have anything like instagram. You are young, beautiful, and a talented artist. Follow your heart and nuture your soul, that’s what a artist needs to do. Just be kind and easy on yourself, your just getting started, give yourself all the credit and don’t think what you have done is wrong, you are learning and growing, focus on that. Learn, grow, and do your art, the money will come. Go into yourself and tap your inner wisdom and be blessed, and it will all come to you.!!!!!
I’ve enjoyed my connections with other artists on Insta. I can’t seem to get over 100 followers and I’m a full time Canadian artist. I think intention is important. I was using in it to get comfortable sharing art, especially since I believe everything I make is bad. The positive input and discussions helped. Great article.
I’m so glad your article found me! I had just decided to give instagram another try and just posted my first successful reel and immediately felt the pressure to deliver again fast. But I’ll take your advice and focus on getting my next painting done before worrying to share content on the gram. Thank you, this was calming. Also instant subscribers of yours on both platforms now! 🙂
This was a breath of fresh air Brooke, thank you! I’ve been spending far too much time trying to grow my Instagram. The only people who actively follow me there are fellow artists. I’ve found it’s a great place for growing an artist community, but not for actually finding any clients! I’ve had much more success on Facebook and I have far fewer followers there! Youtube is my absolute favourite place on social media though, as it really allows for creative expression. I love making my YouTube articles as much as I love painting…almost! Ps- I’m hesitating over your ‘people perusal’ painting…I love it!
I needed this! I feel so bad when I just don’t post constantly on instagram but I just can’t find the time so it’s not in my top priorities but my page just seems like it never grows so it’s frustrating. Sooo true though. Who cares if I don’t gain followers who will never even see my posts haha I have clients booked so I need to stop caring if I have a certain number. Thank youuuuu, algorithms are soooo annoying🙄 you are such a huge inspiration to me! And I’m a fellow Canadian, (but living in Australia) so of course I love you haha
Thank you for saying what is probably on so many other artists’ minds. I know it’s on mine.😮💨 I took a 10 month break from Instagram after my original account was hacked. In that time, I produced without pressure and had so many artistic break-throughs. Since starting up a new Instagram account, I have 1/10th of the followers I used to have … but your message makes sense … and there’s merit to growing organically. Thanks for sharing your insight, Brooke! 😊
I am so agreeing with you!! I came across this article and it is fun and so true about what you are saying. As an Dutch artist I use Instagram. But social media is soooo focussed on numbers and to achieve mountains of followers that doens’t do anything for you as an artist. Only frustration and thinking about quitting. But the few who are really interested give you encouriging feedback. Time to go back to quality!!!
I’m a learning 3D artist, ‘have been learning it for about 3+ years and I’m starting to take my artwork seriously. I made my instagram account back in 2022, and at the time I didn’t make it for the intentions of getting likes, or followers (my first few posts had very few likes), but I know that I wanted to make it to promote my artwork. And that’s what I’ve been doing. Obviously, I only post on it when I finish an artwork, and posting everyday would just be a monumental task. However, since I’m going to be taking my artwork more seriously, and am about to promote my Instagram to my YT audience, I know that I needed to educate myself to further maintaining a professional Instagram Art account for the future. So, I want to thank you for making this article and for educating, not only me but for many artists who are keen to share their work over social media. And you are right about Quality over Quantity. That is key advice that I’ll keep in mind for many years to come. Thank you 🙂
Well said Brooke! 👍🏻👏🏻 I couldn’t agree more. For me, trying to juggle a full time job, painting and drawing on my downtime and managing social media has just become too much. I am also going to focus more on my art and will post when I feel like it and I’m not going to be concerned with the amount of likes or followers I have anymore.
I’m happy that I’ve found this article. I have been thinking for the last few weeks about starting a new Instagram account from scratch since my current one has been pretty dead for the past months, I haven’t gained any new followers, my likes have been pretty bellow average. So I thought a fresh start would be a good idea, seeing if new people would find me. But now, seeing your article, I think I’ll stick with my current account and just focus on improving my art. Thanks for making this article! ❤
I had a reel go viral and gained about 15k followers and ever since then, a year ago, I’ve lost about 4k of them! Woo! Most of them were not in my target demographic anyway so I’m changing my mentality about losing them. It’s so easy to get caught up in the numbers, but I can attest too— followers does not equal sales! I’ve been re-thinking my wholeee business model and I’m even starting a newsletter to talk about art business/motivation/inspiration, because it really feels lonely out there when you think everyone is more successful than you! But everyone is struggling in their own ways. Thanks for the article and you’ve got a new subscriber!
I love your articles, insights and expressions! I feel YT shows personality if you can get confident on the camera. I’ve been in and out on my website for a while for over 8 years. To me it’s more about connecting with real people than the numbers. Youtube is so fun and creating articles has also become an creative outlet for me too!
Great article!! IG really helped my art biz take off in 2015/16, then things really changed for me and literally ALL of the artists I know and work with (and there’s a lot of them). I have thought of creating another platform just for artists that’s more like how IG originally was (still photos, chronological feed) but I have no idea how to create an app! 🤪 Thanks again for the article, just subscribed!
Excellent advice delivered in an entertaining manner. I love your artwork and have been following you on Instagram for a few years. I’ve actually started going through my followers and am removing those that aren’t there for my art. Pretty soon my only followers will be my Mom and my grade 3 art teacher but I’ll be guaranteed a couple of likes each time I post 😁 Keep up the great work.
Aw, your art and humor and bubbly spirit have me checking your IG even when your posts don’t naturally show up in my feed. (Admittedly, I do follow quite a few accounts!) Though, I initially found you through a Facebook ad suggestion for your page and your website. I saw your mini paintings in 2021 that sold out. Your relatable content about full-time artist experiences HAS been helpful for understanding and validating the feelings I get since pursuing a full-time artist journey in 2021. For what it is worth — I still am, and probably many others are, grateful for all that content you posted last year. 👩🏻🎨🎨❤️ Will be perusal your YT articles now too!
IT is INSANE, how relatable you are. I’m so speechless, how you are. I am sure now. You’re a shard of my soul, ripped apart at birth. HAH. No, but seriously- i really hope this chill, transparent and goofy behavior knocks on my door aswell soon. When i’m on the media i play a role for whatever reason and i’m so sick of it. I don’t know why i’m doing that. Gosh.. i am so grateful i came across your article. It feels so damn good to be heard and understand after a long time. I hope all your plans work out. From the bottom of my heart (and i just saw you for 10minutes) I’m wishing you the best and most success. Thank you for fighting so much in the past to become this person you are today. You’re inspiring. This sounds a bit odd, but i want to say, i am continue living bcs of people like you. Sometimes i find myself in a spiral and don’t get the feeling of being human. Not at all. Because i’m just not the norm. And.. this article showed me once more that you just have to find the right people AND that they do exist. xD
Omg this is me!! I have been struggling so bad mentally this year after going from 1000 followers to 25k in a month. I thought my life was gonna change. Wrong! I work a full time night job and I had a sponsorship where I had to make 4 reels a month (all different ideas/projects showcasing the product) for the resin company I worked with and eventually I got soooo burnt out!! I feel so empty and aimless right now. I owe on a business credit card (hoping I was going to make plenty of sales which never happened) and now I’m freaking out which is also affecting my creativity. Resin is soooo expensive and I’m honestly loosing the passion I had. Thank you for this article. I feel validated.
I just started painting 3 years back. learning now. Completed a few that i am proud of. And i just started following you few days back here in youtube when i was searching for “How to print my art”. and then started perusal all your articles. Such detailed information in your articles. Really appreciate it. have a path to follow now or may be a direction i can look at to start with. The first step is always difficult and some times gives an amazing experience. I shared this article with many of my friends who are mad with IG followers, likes, comments, and views. couldn’t have explained it better than you did. Your paintings are brilliant.
Getting followers is not a problem…it’s the right followers that count as you have shared in this article. I’m constantly weeding my follower count of the spammers and bots who seem to find me. This was a lovely article and you are a lovely young lady with a lot of talent. I’m glad this 70 year old artist has found your website. You inspire me.
I lost around few hundred followers, It’s still around 3k, but I do remember feeling so sad about it.. But after a bit of work on myself I realised these numbers mean absolutely nothing to me and it felt SO freeing. Working on the quality of my art instead of meeting weird trend deadlines made me so much more happier. And looking for people who actually want to work with me has been so so much more fulfilling in every way <3
I’m a creator and photographer. I don’t post content for followers or likes. But I stream on other platforms, but my main focus still needs isn’t making income out of it. If you really want people to follow and know you: you need to be active on other platforms to grow your audience. I’m both a user and a creator, so seeing how drastically a platform changes over the years is annoying in user experience. I’ve always preferred using social media; I only created my accounts to keep in touch with my loved ones and people I know, and it is also a good tool for others to network. A good reminder: posting content on social media is quite similar to TikTok, where content is short, quick, and always available. Also, the followers you get mind not be actual people (instead, they’re bots). And showing your face online only sometimes goes as you expect to some extent. Figure it out in your own peace! <3 You can do it! Thank you, Brooke, for the creative and inspiring article! <3
Thank you for this article. I’m an artist too and Instagram is just….deeply frustrating. I stay at 2900 followers since….months…and I don’t have ANY grow on the 90 past days. I hate this feeling not doing enough good art to grow but….I have my community. And this is the most important. You reminded me that, thank you !
Hi Brooke, I enjoyed this article, and appreciate your time and energy into creating it. I’m so glad this article popped up in my home feed! I think my biggest frustration with Instagram (and I am NOT a professional artist by any stretch of the imagination) are the account hacking attempts and the follows I get by shadow and scam accounts. I probably block at least 3 “followers” a day, and the artists I follow who are trying to make a living frequently get their work stolen and their accounts hijacked. Why does Instagram allow this?? It’s ridiculous. Anyway, thanks for the article, and I look forward to seeing more of your content on Instagram as well as here on YouTube. ❤
I’ve been going down the growing-my-social-media rabbit hole a bit much for my liking recently. I’ve been so caught up trying to get more attention drawn to my art that I haven’t been giving my art the attention in deserves. Thank you for posting this, it helped clarify my direction going forward. #qualityoverquantity
One of the issues with focusing on numbers is that they don’t translate (into money, interaction or whatever, as you said) because people don’t intentionally follow people anymore. It’s not a “do i want to see this persons content/ art regularly and am i actually invested in them” but more “i liked this article i will follow this person assuming they make this kind of article all the time” (hence why a lot of followers are labelled as “followed from reel” in the notifications) of course that isn’t the only reason, but I try to only follow people that i really care about, that have some kind of use for me (ie. inspiration for my own art, enjoyment bc i like their content etc) If more people took their follows more seriously, numbers wouldn’t be so inflated as well 🙂 not the point of the article, just a thought I’ll share :’)♥
Thanks Brooke! It was perfect timing to watch this article 🙂 TODAY I really hated instagram and decided to stop putting so much effort into it because I realized that it was degrading the quality of the old reels I posted. We spend our most valuable asset, our time, on instagram, editing articles, trying to figure out how its algorithm works… and then it easily and disrespectfully destroys those efforts without even notifying the users. It’s really not worth doing all this and feeling stressed about the numbers. I love your artwork and thank you for voicing this concern! <3
What you are saying is spot on! If you sell your art, likes and follows do not necessarily equal sales. I have made a few connections on IG with people that commission drawings regularly, but for the most part I still get business from mostly my email list and gallery partners. I divide my time between Freelancing my work and teaching K-12 art so my time is limited and I am learning that focusing on the work is so important so your skill level increases. I try to worry more about the work than being popular on social media and I am so much happier. Great article!
This is hysterical. I love how you express yourself and how silly you are 🙂 I am an artist myself, and just started a bunch of social media platforms to do exactly what you’ve been doing! I started signing up for art fairs in my state and I’m really glad I found your article – I’ve been mildly stressing out about whatever “boost” posts mean lol. I feel like its a fancy word for “pay to win” haha! Keep it going though! From one artist in training to a master artist like yourself (I LOVE your work btw) I still wish you and you’re wonderful self a WONDERFUL and SUCCESSFUL journey! You got this girl!
Thank you for sharing this. I am an artist who likes to make drawings of different kinds of subjects and styles. In the past I only made a few artworks that I enjoy creating. And sure, I would love to grow as artist, making it part of my living. I thought that having a lot of followers on IG would help me get me there. But because of the algorithm of the socials I had to make more content, which isn’t my strong suit. I’ve been drawing more, but it never felt rewarding like you said. And so I lost sight in what i really mattered: making art should be an enjoyable process, not an exhausting one. Thank you for reminding me that.
This was exactly what I needed, today! I’ve been spending less and less time on Instagram in order to get my mind right – thinking so much about how to get followers/AI “art” disappointments/etc. were draining me of my artistic creativity. Gonna spend more time focusing on finding joy in my art again and creating quality pieces I love. ❤️
Your presentation is hilarious, I love it! You make good points too. We need to collectively start seeing social media for what they are – advertising platforms. It’s no longer a way to connect to an audience but a place to build name recognition and direct those that are interested towards websites and mailing lists. You know; places you actually have ownership of.
Thank you so much for this article. I think I will start focusing more on starting my YouTube website than obsessing over an IG strategy when there aren’t even any monetizing options and it’s more difficult to find the right followers. I’ve actually noticed that the artists I follow closely on IG are the ones I first found on YT and got obsessed with their content. It’s such a better place to build a connection and then people who are interested will find the rest!
This is actually a great piece of advice for a change. Social media has become as toxic as ever due to promoting – no, PUSHING – quantity over quality. So thank you very much for coming forward with such a refreshing perspective. I hope your YouTube journey brings you nothing but joy and artistic growth. Be safe and stay creative!
Wow. This is something I haven’t heard in any of the bunch of articles I;ve watched looking for a solution to sell art. I want to say that I knew in some way but I was afraid of saying, cause YES! now looks like everything reduces to a be sucesfull on instagram. THANK YOU SO MUCH for the article. This is what I needed.
Hey! Congratulations on figuring it out and sharing it with us small artists. I am recently thinking on focusing on the numbers of my very tiny ig art account but this article helps me a lot and made me realize that should focus on the quality of my art. Thank you sooo much! I know that I’m not much of an additional audience but hey, you gained 1 loyal follower, I will follow you until the ends of earth. jk HAHAHAHAHA! More arts to come from us!
You couldn’t be any more accurate! As an artist you’d think id have creative ideas on how to promote myself. yet, it’s the last thing I do 🤦♀ I came across your website while searching, how to photograph my art and your article made me click subscribe and like instantly. You are super calming and your personality is awesome and your work is stunning! Thank you for the tips and wish you nothing less than success with your work!
Thank you so much for making this article! I recently got some advice that encouraged me to make reels everyday and have just been prepping them all week, but while I’m doing it, I’m thinking to myself is this really sustainable? Short answer is no, obviously. I’ve also noticed myself pushing out content just for the sake of it which doesn’t feel great. My goal is to grow my artistic abilities while growing my YouTube website, but than I think to myself, I need to grow on Instagram and Tiktok in order to do that, instead of just enjoying the process and growing at a sustainable pace. It really helps to get these reminders every once in a while, so I really appreciate it! 😊 Also, found you from Kelsey Rodriguez, really enjoyed this article and excited to see more!
I tried to ignore this article so many times it came up but I am glad i clicked ! The right audience is very important,having people count does nothing! And am happy that am not just putting garbage on my page and making high quality art that attracts the right people who are really interested in my artstyle or what I create!
Absolutely LOVED this article Brooke! Definitely will be subscribing. You brought up so many things I dont feel like many artists do (even in articles that talk about these hardships) I was laughing my ass off, like when ppl say your more beautiful than your art 😂 or that you lead ppl from IG to your website in the hopes they buy some artwork so you can keep making the artwork. Seriously so relatable & makes me feel (as a artist just starting out on trying to be professional) less alone on this wacky journey. Take care & thank you! 👏
I am still perusal. But the way you have presented, the matter you have focused upon and everything about this article has made me fall for you again and again . Even though am not having iota of followers you are having right now, but I can actually relate the things which you have mentioned here. Thank you so much for making this article. I just LOVE YOU and will keep loving you.
I like your simplicity of abstract, movement and color combo. I found that I advanced in subject matter in my abstracts when I started reading a lot more great novels. My “focal point” and shapes balance also improved. Great novels by great writers can really open the imagination for greater art. Love your refined and limited brush strokes complimenting flat shapes. Paint Paint Paint, that’s what it’s all about!
Hi Brook, I followed you on Instagram quite few years because your art is great. However I think to be an artist your personality and your story is important too. You are perfect in both. I know that trend with reels on Instagram changed little bit situation. I’m glad you noticed it, because at least I prefer your older style without so many reels. Good luck and keep painting!
Hi Brooke. I don’t have time to read through the 697 previous comments, but I’ll tell you what I think. You didn’t even have to ask me to like or subscribe. You were easy to listen to, you make a lot of sense, and I want to thank you for sharing your insight and experience. Funny thing is, I haven’t even looked around to see any of your art yet. But if you keep posting articles as relatable (is that a cliche now?) as this one, I’ll keep perusal them. One more thing; I appreciated how fluent you are in your speaking. It felt organic without being rehearsed, and you didn’t have fluff filler. If I had any feedback at all for anything I would change, I suppose I would turn down the volume on the music a little to make sure it is just background and not competing with what you have to say.
Soo relatable, made me smile and nod! I’ll be sharing this article in my next newsletter. You perfectly captured the emotional rollercoaster. Love it. I too prefer to spend the energy on the art and nurturing the community. The platforms are just tools, sometimes we need reminders of what to prioritize in our lives as artists. Thanks for the article!
WATERRRRRRRRRRRRR, I DON’T NEEEEDDDD ITTTTTTTTTTTTT. I have been off social media for 1,608 days. It’s been incredible. The whole when people say, that beauty is more impressive I say the same— well why you telling me go tell the universe, god, the divine, anyone besides me. Great articles, love the insight and energy. Stay blessed 🤍🙏🏼🪽
I totally relate with your opinion. I love your 🎨 art work and it is enchanting to look at your paintings 🖼 . The content of your postings are a true sourse inspiration . I have just discovered you and I will definitely follow . I am from Romania 🇷🇴, currently living in the 🇬🇧 UK and I am a self taught artist 🎨. Your art bring value in many ways. Congratulations 🌺 🎉 and success. You 1000% deserve it. And finally i would like to thank you for being a guide ( in your own way), for other artists, who didn’t yet take your steps.
I know you don’t want a comment on your face… But… you look as sleep deprived, burned out, and sleepy, as my perma-eyebag, over-caffeinated, sleepy artist self and I like that. I even have the same slow raspy artist voice (everyone thinks I’m high, just straightedge and zen). The hard work shows in the art, and the artist. 💜
I understand what the shallow-commenters amount, but as I usually say: “beauty attracts; content convinces!”. I’ve just subscribed! (This is the second article I’ve watched; the first one was about loneliness. As I work as home-office artist since 2004, this got my attention.) Thanks for sharing thy experiences, Ms. Cormier! Sincerely, Ace
You spoke what i also went through, in 2021 i set the goal for mofe followers,posted every single dayand got 23k+, in 2022 i didnt post for some days and after that i drastically loose my followers my reach is down, bonus opportunity didn’t work for me, and now 2023., i again thought of giving it a try, posted for a month again but didn’t get any result or, so i diverted my focus on youtube. Now posting here every week but i am happy to post here without any pressure of making quantity articles. Thanks Brooke for this article. I love your paintings so much and i am following you on IG from a very long time and starting following you on YT here now. All the best to your YouTube Journey❤i
I love your articles, they always make me laugh. I’m grateful to Instagram because I discovered your work through the platform. That led me to discovering Tim Packer and taking his course. I think Imsta has some obvious good but I’ve often wondered about how much energy it must take to produce content articles to feed the algorithms. Not something I’ve ever wanted to do. Like you say, it must be very distracting from your paint time.
I’m so happy to discover you on Youtube! All that you say is 100% true. As I have a small account around 1k, the horrible truth is that I only got the 1k after 4 years of posting, adapting withing Instagram trends, rules and all the bazar. This year, I decide to focus only on my art but not on Instagram. Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience with us!:virtualhug::virtualhug::virtualhug:
it’s been all of the above…your natural positive energy made it entertaining, and I agree with the educational aspect, it should be about the art you came out to this world to that you want to have an audience, admirers for vs newbies such like me trying to be new 1 million follower person – as you said, for what? It’s like with real friends, rather have a small circle that appreciates and supports vs. acquaintances that only show up here and there in your life and only stay briefly but not deeply and meaningful. As an artist one thrives on comments, compliments, critique and so it doesn’t matter if you have big numbers in views when only a tiny small amount then actually shares what they see, feel when they look at your creations (had a falling out with a friend who only “thumbed up” my posts on facebook before and I asked why they did that and they had no idea. Good vibes your way, too!!
I’m an aspiring kid lit illustrator, I used to be very active on instagram and would try to promote my products there all the time. At that time I used to get really bad engagement worse is I found my art skills were getting worse and worse and I no longer liked what I was producing and the connection that I had to something that was so personal and deep to me was severed (and I wasn’t even making good money or a lot of followers). I took a loooooong break and it’s been almost three years since I posted there. I by no means stopped making art, in fact I find that the art I’m making now is much much better than my work at the time. I’ve been thinking of getting back into monetizing my art, but this time as an actual illustrator (like actually illustrating books). And! I’ve been thinking about how I could create content that is more meaningful to me. Like talking about my art journey, my inspo, etc..
thanks for this article. I have a small ig art account and when I started it I was doing the same research about how to beat the algorithm and as time goes off I stopped being motivated to gain a large following, doing reels and stuff like that and instead start focusing much more on my art and improvement rather than waste my time on doing reels
I’m so glad I saw this article today. I oscillate between thinking -ok I just need to post anything because frequent consistency will get followers and literally almost never posting because I get hung up in the perfectionism of making a quality post. Thank you for the reminder about quality customers. Now how do you get over the perfectionism?
Thank you for this article! I just started to focus on my insta and Youtube account with the purpose of growing to eventually monetize, but the numbers seem sooo unrealistic and perusal your article about how even reaching those numbers has not made much of a difference… I do wonder, is it even worth it???!!! So much is out of our control…I see accounts that grow to what seems the pinnacle of success only to get hacked or flagged for violating guidelines and then go ‘poof!’ – completely disappear so all that work and effort is lost. Thank you for taking the time to put this article together and speak to what many of us relate to.
I just randomly found your articles again today! I remember Tim Packard mentoring you because I was perusal the articles as they came out, and I had been wondering how things turned out for you. I’m so grateful I found your website, sitting in a library parking lot in Iowa, on a “change-my-life” road-trip, with some of my own art in the trunk 😅 So glad to see you and thank you for the wisdom❤
Interesting point you’ve made. I had to remove and stop posting photos of myself because pervy skeezy people were spending time commenting on how I looked instead of my art. Now I’m ig is bland. It’s like unseasoned soup. I just don’t want dm slides any more. Now I’m stagnant and gain maybe one follower a week. What to do?
I agree with this a million percent. I’ve had the same exact experience. I started losing followers about a month ago, and that’s the first time ever. But I’ve also decided to prioritize other platforms and art making instead of Instagram. It did used to be amazing, and now I’m not sure what it is. Thanks for sharing!
3:33 if only I had spent time painting……this is the best line so Do Art and enjoy the process….forget gaining followers if some one likes your work and follows you that’s worth it. Every one says instagram has changed my opinion why change your life to fit around Instagram instead do the Art work …..
Thanks Brooke for this article…I am Dr in Civil Engineering and finally I have made myself time to start my journey as an “artist” (I had drawn/painted only as a hobby). I have been struggling with social media “pressure” since this is a new world to me. I am now trying to become a children’s book illustrator (I’ve invested a lot of time to be focused on something). Your article helped to think properly about the social media.
yes I agree. If you’re just posting art as a hobby, then obviously you can do whatever you want. But if you’re trying to make it professionally, then putting all your effort into social media can feel like a loosing battle, especially with all of these algorithm changes that are focused on getting you to pay for your content to be seen. A lot of people on social media want free stuff anyway, so I would rather put my focus on getting my art to the people who are actually going to be customers and not just click the follow button and forget about me. I will still market my products on social media, but I am also looking around at retail spaces that host local artists and galleries as well as conventions. Those spaces are more likely to have people who want to see your work and buy it too. Networking is also a big thing I’m getting more into. The more connections you have, the more opportunities. I also agree with the age-old “quality over quantity”. While lots of people like seeing the roughs and the process, in general people prefer seeing something you actually put effort into and not just a quickie that you slapped together to post daily because of the almighty algorithm demands it. So I’m focusing on making product I’m going to sell and also artwork I’m proud of posting.
Brooke, I’ve only just discovered your website, but this article has helped me so much mentally. I recently made the decision of only posting to Instagram (that in itself was to declutter my brain, welp) I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one encountering these problems! Sometimes, it just really helps to know that you’re not alone.
I only came across your website a few days ago, and which I had found it earlier. I have almost entirely abandoned IG, more out of forgetfulness than anything. Like you mentioned, the ‘right kind’ of people follow me here, which is encouraging, so I put most of my effort in on YT. Thanks for sharing your experience on the socials we’ve all come to love and hate! 😀
Thank you. I am at the beginning, and it takes soooooo much time to create a quality content…. I started doubting myself. Hang on out there! I personally watch only those long-time-making articles that you have to wait for, and I don’t care how often do they post. I don’t even keep up with them… BTW why do people go to instagram?
Thank you for this article. I am an abstract artist from Berlin l, currently sitting her trying to figure out what to invest my efforts in to get my work seen by the right people outside of my bubble and it is stressing me tf out 😂. It already took a few years to make work that feels good enough to actually be shown. Now exposure feels like a whole different, giant mountain to surmount.
SOMEONE GIVE A PRIZE TO THIS WOMAN… I relate to this so muuuch… and I used to think I was the only one feeling frustrated towards instagram/tiktok. All I used to see was articles talking about strategies on how to break the algorithm and blablabla, mas we’re artists… its hard to have consistence and and thats true.. insta got so much worse the last months… I used to make reels and it would reach 15k ppl so easy, but now? not even 1k, its ridiculous. Anyway… just wanted to say that your vid really helped me to see that im not alone and made clearer that a lot of content creators has toxic positivity when it comes to instagram growth content lol
I have put in more time and effort in improving the quality of my art. It has paid off, but I havent been able to post regularly on instagram. Thanks to the algorithm, my reach has dropped like anything. Everything you have mentioned here is true. Maybe I am not connected to the right audience. There is a difference between an artist and a content creator. Maybe its time for a break from social media and come back later. I dont even understand what and all content the instagram algorithm pushes in my feed these days. Having a full time job makes it difficult to concentrate both on art and social media. People who watch longer articles on you tube about art have more patience and are looking for quality . Maybe its time to give you tube a chance. Thank you for all the information you have shared 🙂
This is all 100% true, sad, but completely true. I used to get that juicy organic growth years ago, but it really came to a full stop a couple years ago when reelz took over the feed. I have 8,250-8,300 followers and that number hasn’t budged in ages no matter what methods I tried. All that being said, I have come to youtube in order to engage with people than post a photo or a reel into the instagram void aka social media blackhole from hell. Good for you for knowing and understanding that your worth is so much more than instagram followers, even if it took working hard and hitting 250k followers to realize that. Thanks for sharing your story (and YES of course I’ll subscribe!)
I watch a lot of artist content. But I get bored within a couple of weeks of artists that upload daily. I get it, I get their style, I know how they have achieved that style. But the artists that upload weekly, or even monthly, hold onto me. I look forward to that content. I find myself thinking, when are they going to upload. And I ain’t saying I am not going to get bored of their style and content, I will. But it will take years.