The first 1000 followers: Artist tips for instagram

I started creating digital art in July of 2020, by December 2020 I had reached my page goals of 1000 followers. In hindsight, by taking on some of these tips and tricks sooner I could have met my goal in a much shorter time frame.  Below I will go through the top 10 things that grew my business the fast so that you can grow your too. 

The top 10 ways to grow your art page on Instagram. 

Create an aesthetic for your art page
Create an Instagram feed that is aesthetically consistent. Pick a colour pallet/theme to use in your posts. You can create a colour pallet easily here using coolors co.  Use this colour pallet across your platforms to make your brand easily recognizable. 

Plan how you will post your content
Use a program like later to view what your feed will look like before you post content. Ensure that what your posting matches your colour theme. 

Consistently post content
Decide how many times a week you would like to post. I post about 2-3 times a week depending on my schedule. I usually post 1-2 pieces of art and then a photo of something.  When I am feeling creative I will make multiple drawings and then upload them to later. I then plan when to post my work.  Create a schedule for yourself of when you want to post each week. 

Engage with your followers
Use features such as story polls and questions to engage your followers. Ask questions in the captions of your posts so people comment on them. Comment on other peoples work that you admire. Follow new likeminded artists, artists who are starting out their business are more likely to follow you back, become longtime supporters, and can create great friendship among creators. 

Use your tags appropriately
Use your location, mention, and hashtags to your best advantage. If you created an art piece that in a coffee shop, tag that coffee shop. If an artist inspired you, tag them and write a post about it. If you visited an area that inspired you, tag that location. doing these things creates a virtual "map" filled with your work. 

Don't spend money on Facebook and Instagram ads for your business
Unless you are spending 100's of dollars ads on Instagram and Facebook don't really work for art business that are just starting out. I learned this the hard way. Focus that money into other things, like the step below.  

Create unique giveaways, collaborating with other artists if possible
Currently the Instagram world is filled with give-aways. Make sure yours stands out somehow.  If you collaborate with other artists/businesses for a give away that exposes BOTH of your followers to the give away. 

Research how to Instagram algorithm works
Make sure you understand the algorithm so you can use it to your best advantage. Read this post explaining the algorithm  here.

Post on your reels and IG TV
Videos are the new hot thing on Instagram. Creating video content exposes you to a lot more viewers that wouldn't see your content otherwise. You can make them funny or just make a time-lapse of your art process. 

Make sure your page is authentic to you
Don't forget why you got into this business, its probably because you love to create. Keep that value close to you and keep reminding yourself about why you love art. 

Learn about how to use Later to schedule your posts below!

scheduling posts

Hopefully these tips help. Growth will seem small at the time but if you are constantly persistent you WILL see results. Sign up for my newsletter for more advice, tips, and tricks.