How to Promote Your Art Online

Co-authored by Natasha Dikareva, MFA

Last Updated: January 23, 2024

Thanks to the meteoric rise of social media, promoting your art online is more important than ever. Though advertising your work on the web may seem complicated or unnerving, especially if you're a more traditional artist, actually doing it is a fun and engaging process.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Increasing Your Online Presence

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Create an online portfolio to showcase your best work.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Natasha Dikareva, MFA
Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor

Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.} Your online portfolio should show off 10 to 15 of your best works of art. Try to pick pieces that give a good sense of your style and technique, and make sure to include relevant information like each piece's title, description, medium, and size.^{[2]
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- Some artists create unique portfolio websites using services like Squarespace and Wix. Others host their portfolio on free sites like Behance.
- Make sure to upload high-resolution versions of your art so people can see all the details.
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Start an art blog to drive traffic to your portfolio. In addition to your portfolio, consider starting an online blog to keep people updated on your life and work. Online search results rely primarily on text, so posting on your blog regularly will help direct people to your main portfolio.
- If you really enjoy writing, you can also use your blog as a platform to discuss your artistic inspirations, favorite creators, and anything else you're passionate about.
- Some popular blogging services you can sign up for include Blogger, Wordpress, and Medium.
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Create social media accounts to reach new fans. To give yourself a real online presence, sign up for a variety of social media services. Posting on these platforms regularly will allow you to connect with new fans and keep people interested in your work over long periods of time.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Natasha Dikareva, MFA
Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor

Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.}
- Post your art on social media so people can share it around. If you're lucky, 1 of your pieces will go viral and direct lots of potential fans back to you.
- Some great social media platforms for artists include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest.
- Issue a press release. Hire a press release agency to write an article about you and your art. Press release agencies usually publish articles on hundreds of news sites with the potential of reaching millions of viewers. This can be an effective method to get your brand and your art out there.
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Put your work on specialty websites to reach people interested in art. Unlike standard social media networks, specialty art websites can give you access to people who understand and appreciate the craft itself. Upload your work to as many of these sites as possible so your art has the greatest amount of reach.^{[4]
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- Search online for websites related to your style or medium of choice.
- Some websites to consider uploading to include DeviantArt, Artstation, 500px, CGSociety, and ConceptArt.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Networking

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Join online art communities to find other creators. Perhaps the easiest way to connect with artists online is by joining and actively posting in art forums and social media groups.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Natasha Dikareva, MFA
Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor

Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.} There are thousands of different communities on the web, so search around to find ones that appeal to you.^{[6]
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- Different communities have different membership guidelines, so read through a forum or social media group's rules before joining.
- Large communities are best for getting ideas and promoting your work. Small communities are best for meeting new people.
- Some popular online communities include the WetCanvas forums, the Artist Daily forums, and Facebook's Artists Trying to Make a Living Creating Art group.
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Comment on and share other people's work to build goodwill. When you come across an awesome piece of art on a social media network or specialty art website, take a few moments and leave a comment explaining what you like about it. Then, consider sharing it with others through your social media accounts. Not only does this promote the overall community, but it will make the artist feel good and can help you foster a professional relationship with them.
- If you really like a piece of art, consider remaking it or transforming it into something new. Doing this will bring attention to both yourself and the other artist.
- Try making fan art of your favorite creators and sending it to them. Many artists will share this type of content, and a few may even start following your work after.
- In addition to promoting their work, consider reaching out to artists directly on social media.
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Participate in community projects to meet new people and gain exposure. In real life, artists get together to participate in things like gallery openings and street shows. In the same way, online artists often work together to create artwork compilations, fan magazines, and similar things. Though these projects rarely pay anything, they're a great way to meet other artists and get your work in front of new people.^{[7]
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- Participate in projects that match your style or center around subjects you enjoy.
- These projects are often poorly advertised, so the best way to find them is by following your favorite artists on social media and keeping an eye out for any announcements they share.
4
Submit your work to online competitions for publicity. Enter your art in as many online contests as you can. Whenever you win, you'll expose a whole new group of people to your art. However, even if you lose most of them, you'll still make the contest's promoters and judges aware of your work.^{[8]
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- If a judge or promoter liked your submission, they may start tracking your work. This can lead to jobs and publicity down the road.
- Some online contests give out monetary prizes, though most simply offer feature spots or other forms of exposure.
- Websites like Fine Art America and Artists Network host a number of competitions throughout the year.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Creating Online Content

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Upload lots of different art pieces to engage more people. When promoting yourself online, the key is quantity. The more artwork you put up, the higher chance you'll have of attracting new fans and keeping your current fans happy. These pieces don't need to have the same level of detail as a gallery submission, but they should still be clean and relatively polished.^{[9]
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- Try to make at least 1 art-related post every day.
- Put up 2 or 3 unfinished versions of each piece in addition to the final product. This will help you turn a single work of art into multiple online posts.
- You can also upload content that isn't your art. Share photos of other art that you like, images that showcase something that inspires you, or other related content that can help people understand who you are as an artist.^{[10]
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  Expert Source
  
  Natasha Dikareva, MFA
  Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.}
2
Create artwork based around popular topics to help people find you. Even if your art is jaw-droppingly beautiful, most people won't be able to find any of it until you gain more popularity. However, if you create small, topical pieces and post them online, people may stumble across them during their normal browsing sessions. Then, they can follow the piece back to your social media accounts.
- Try making pieces based on popular movies, TV shows, video games, and musicians.
- Pay attention to the trending sections of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Doing so will show you what's popular on any given day.
- Make sure to tag your pieces so that they show up in people's search results.
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Make content that shows off your personality to develop a supportive fanbase. When promoting your work online, your personality is just as important as the art itself. People like to support creators that are honest and engaging, so try to make pieces of content that showcase your unique perspectives and opinions.
- Share posts on social media that show your studio space, your inspirations, and the process behind creating artworks. This helps to understand how you work and is a very interesting glimpse into the life of an artist.^{[11]
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  Expert Source
  
  Natasha Dikareva, MFA
  Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.}
- If you have a camera, record yourself talking about the things you're interested in. These types of videos, known as vlogs, are incredibly popular and will make people feel closer to you.
- If you have a webcam and computer, try hosting creative livestreams on sites like YouTube and Twitch. Doing this will allow you to show off your personality while working on your art.

Expert Q&A

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What types of posts should I share to promote my art on social media?

Natasha Dikareva, MFA
Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor
Natasha Dikareva is a San Francisco, California based sculptor, and installation artist. With over 25 years of ceramics, sculpting, and installation experience, Natasha also teaches a ceramic sculpture workshop titled "Adventures in Clay" covering concept development, hand-building techniques, texture, and glazing techniques. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Bloomington Center for the Arts, Maria Kravetz Gallery, and the American Museum of Ceramic Art. She has taught at the University of Minnesota and the American Indian OIC School. She has been awarded the Excellence Award at the 1st World Teapot Competition, Best in Show at the 4th Clay & Glass Biennial Competition, and a Grand Prize at the American Museum of Ceramic Art. Natasha holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota and a BFA from Kiev Fine Arts College.

Natasha Dikareva, MFA

Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor

Expert Answer

In addition to high quality photos of your art, it is also helpful to share pictures of your work space or studio and other content related to your inspirations, like other art by artists you like or something you read recently.

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Tips

If you're worried about people stealing your art, use a graphic editing program to add a personal watermark to everything.

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