Tiktok is a great platform to show off your work! It’s got the perfect combination of millions of active users and high-quality content. If you’re an artist, post a few videos on Tiktok to build your audience and gain exposure. Here are some ideas for artists on Tiktok:
Behind the scenes
You can give us a glimpse of your life behind the scenes.
We want to see more than just your art, but also the process that went into making it. Show us what you do behind the scenes, and we’ll be impressed.
Perhaps you’ve got an interesting workspace that helps inspire your work, or maybe you like to show off some of your tools for creating art in progress—it doesn’t matter if it’s messy or organized if it’s functional for you! Your process might include anything from putting together new materials (like wood) to writing down ideas and building out from there.
Materials
This is an obvious one, but worth mentioning. If you’re an artist, or even just someone who enjoys creating things, show your audience what materials you use to create your art! It’s almost like the ultimate realism in a sense—showing people how their favorite artists go about their craft can be so satisfying and educational for them. For example, if I had been able to see how Michelangelo used his tools while painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, I might have been more interested in becoming a sculptor myself (instead of becoming a marketer). Plus, it gives viewers something to look forward to seeing as they scroll through their feed—and it may even spark some creativity within themselves!
The process
Show the steps of your process from start to finish. For example, if you draw a landscape, show the outline and then color in the details. If you’re an abstract painter, show how you start with a color and then add more shapes to make it interesting. You may choose to show what materials you use for your art (e.g., pencils or paint).
Display the final product. This is where people can see what they’ll get when they buy a piece of your art! Make sure it’s something that looks good as a poster or wall hanging so that people feel like they actually want to hang it up somewhere in their house or office space.
Time lapses
Time lapses are visual representations of how long it takes to complete a task. For example, you can use a time-lapse video to show the transformation of your workspace over the course of a week.
When you’re starting out, it is best to use a simple camera and tripod. If you want more control over the quality of your time-lapse, you can use an app like Hyperlapse or Framelapse to record your creative process and then speed up the footage in post-editing. These apps have built-in stabilization features so that even if there’s some shaking while taking pictures, they will still be smooth and high-quality when played back at normal speed.
Time lapses can be used in different ways. You can show how your drawing changes with every stroke of a pencil or pen, or you could show what happens when you’re painting one part of a canvas after another.
Your workspace
Take a look at your workspace. Are you feeling inspired? Do you recognize the materials lying around?
If so, then this is an obvious choice for TikTok. Why not show off the tools of your trade? Whether it’s wood, clay or paint—the process behind those materials can be just as interesting as what they create. We love seeing how artists work their magic and how different ideas come together to make something beautiful and unique.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a new platform to share your visual art, Tiktok has a lot of potential. It’s easy to use and has a large audience full of people who are interested in seeing what goes on behind the scenes. You can use it to post behind-the-scenes videos or even highlight your process as an artist!
Losing followers can be tough. It’s hard to know why the numbers are down, but it’s even harder to bounce back from the loss when you don’t know what happened in the first place. But there is a silver lining here: sometimes losing followers can be a good thing! If your follower count is dropping because of bots or ghost followers or if you’re switching up your content, loosing some followers isn’t necessarily bad news. In fact, it might be just what you need to get back on track and engage with new audiences who are interested in what you have to say.
The quality of your followers is more important than the quantity.
If you’re worried that losing followers is a sign of an imminent social media apocalypse, take some comfort in the fact that quality always trumps quantity.
The quality of your followers is more important than the quantity. This can be measured by a variety of factors:
How many people follow your account?
What kind of content do they engage with?
How often are they engaging with it and how much do they engage with it?
Are those engagements positive or negative in nature (i.e., likes and comments versus shares)?
Do people who aren’t following you know about what you have to offer (brand awareness)?
You may have issues with bots following you.
As mentioned above, the standard way to check if you have fake followers is by looking at your Instagram analytics. If you notice an increase in the number of people who are following you or just see that many people are unfollowing you, then it may be time for a little investigating. And it’s not just bots that can cause this issue—bots can also be used to boost your follower count and show more engagement than your audience actually deserves.
If this happens to you, don’t worry too much! We’ll cover how to get rid of them below.
You may have a ghost follower problem.
Ghost followers are accounts that have been inactive for a long time. These follower accounts can be problematic, as they can skew your follower count and even have spammy comments on your posts. The best way to get rid of them is by unfollowing them.
You may lose followers for switching up your content.
You might also see a drop in followers after switching up your content or posting different things. If you’re no longer posting about the things that your followers are interested in, they may decide to stop following you. On the flip side, if you start posting about new topics and get good engagement on these posts, this will encourage people who like what you’re doing to stick around.
Loosing followers isn’t always bad, and in fact could be a good thing if those lost followers are either non-human or not interested in your content
Let’s say you’ve been working hard on your social media strategy, but suddenly your follower count starts to drop. You start to panic. Have you done something wrong? Should you just give up?
Well, maybe not. In fact, losing followers doesn’t always mean that your content isn’t resonating with people—it could also mean that they didn’t click the follow button in the first place because they’re not interested in what you’re posting! That’s why it’s important not to focus on follower growth alone; try looking at engagement rate instead.
Conclusion
I know that it can be frustrating to lose followers, especially when you have worked hard to build up a social media presence. But if you are losing followers because they don’t resonate with your content, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate what kind of account you want to run.
If you’re an artist, Instagram is the perfect place to share your latest work, connect with a supportive community, and gain new fans. But if you’re not sure how to get started making videos (or have only made one or two), I’ve got good news: you don’t have to be an expert filmmaker! All it takes is some creativity and inspiration from other artists who have been at this game for years. That’s why I’ve put together this list of nine content ideas for visual artists on Instagram—each one based on what works for me (and others). They range from simple tips (“Shout out to people in my community”) all the way up to more advanced techniques such as creating an “art tip” series with short videos showing viewers how they can improve their own craft by following along with these step-by-step demonstrations. But regardless of your skill level or comfort level with video technology (or lack thereof), there’s something here that everyone can learn from!
1. How-To Videos
How-to videos are the most popular type of video content for many reasons. They’re easy to follow, helpful for those who are struggling with the same problems you once did, and easy to make.
When making a how-to video, there are two main things to keep in mind: what you’re going to be talking about and how you’re going to talk about it. If it’s your first time making a video like this or even just the first few times making something similar then figuring out what exactly you want your audience members (or viewers) to walk away with is important because that’s what they’ll remember most. And when thinking about how you’ll do this make sure not only does each step have an understandable explanation but also make sure that each step has its own visual element so that there isn’t too much text on the screen at once!
2. Stories from the Studio
Stories from the Studio are an easy way to add personality to your Instagram. They’re a great way to connect with your audience, and they can be as simple as showing off your studio setup or as involved as showing how you work and what inspires you. You can do this by posting photos of projects in progress, works in progress (like sketches), finished pieces of art, or even just the tools and supplies that help you create.
3. Art Tips and Tricks
You can tell your audience how to make their art better with this type of content. Show them how to use different materials, mediums, tools or techniques to create a unique look. If you paint or draw with watercolors, maybe you show them how you create an illustration for a children’s book using that technique. Maybe it’s just something as simple as showing them what brushes you use when creating digital paintings in Photoshop.
4. Artist Q&A
This is a good way to show off your personality and also get some feedback from your followers. You can ask the audience questions about themselves, or you can ask them what they want to see from you.
Ask: What do you want to know about me?
Possible Answers: How long have I been painting? Why did I choose this subject matter? Where do I find inspiration for my work? Which other artists inspire me? What do I like most about being an artist/painter/photographer/etc.? What should I paint next (and why)?”
5. Community shout outs
Shout-outs are a great way to show your community that you appreciate them. If you have a lot of followers, this can be especially effective for getting new followers and growing your audience. You can also use this space to include the artists who inspire you or people that helped contribute to the success of your work.
Shout-outs are similar to giving kudos in person, but they’re less personal so they’re more accessible than if you were actually saying it out loud or writing them into an email (which most people don’t do anymore). You’ll also be able to find those shout-outs easily when searching through Instagram because it will list everything under one hashtag with no need for further explanation like “#shoutout” or “#shoutouts” which means less time spent hunting through comments while still being able to see something important without having go back through all previous posts from each artist involved as well as other content creators who may have been mentioned during those conversations over time.
6. Product Unboxing, Review or Demo
If you’re a visual artist, there’s no better way to show off your work than through the lens of a well-made Instagram Reel. Unboxing videos have become so popular that there are now literally dozens of YouTube channels dedicated to them. Check out @unboxtherapy for some inspiration!
In addition to unboxing and review videos, it’s also possible—and common practice—to create individualized product demos for each item in your shop. For example, if you sell handcrafted jewelry on Etsy or at craft fairs, you could make an individualized demo video showing how to wear the piece and where it would be worn best.
7. What I’m Doing Right Now, or Day in the Life
This is a great way to showcase your creative process, whatever that may look like. If you’re working on a new series, capture images of the pieces as they progress from start to finish. If you are at the point in your career where you have finished work that is available for purchase, include images from your studio wall or from shows where it was displayed.
If you’re a hobbyist and not making any money off of your craft, share photos of things that inspire you or remind of the joys art brings into your life (or just plain make fun stuff).
8. Showcase Your Own Art, Posting a New Piece Every Few Days
This is a simple way to build an Instagram following. Posting a new piece of art every few days, or even once each week, will help you showcase your work and get people interested in your style. If you have multiple pieces that are similar in style and medium, consider posting them all together as one collection. For example, if you’re painting with oils on canvas but also do sculpture work with clay and wire—showcase those different styles all at once!
This strategy works best when combined with other strategies like posting interesting process shots or making behind-the-scenes videos.
Conclusion
We hope this list has helped you get some ideas for your own Instagram reel videos. Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect or polished, it just needs to be honest and authentic. Our goal is always to connect with people on an emotional level and make them feel like they know us personally (or at least get a good chuckle). We hope you can use our tips as a starting point for creating your own content!
Most artists we speak to can’t stand marketing their work. Is this you? Do you hate posting on Facebook and Twitter, talking about your work in detail – to the extent that you even call yourself an anti-marketer? If you think about marketing as the act of selling something or advertising your product or service for promotional purposes, of course it will make you cringe! You put countless hours into your work, and you want to show it off to the world, but how? The following are five reasons why artists hate marketing their art and what you can do about it.
“I’m not a sales person”
This is a common misconception. You are not selling your art, you’re simply sharing and promoting it. The difference between selling and sharing is often in the mindset of the artist.
The best way to change your mindset about marketing is by reminding yourself that it’s not about you as an artist or what you have to say; it’s all about the audience receiving something from you that will aid them in their journey toward making art or becoming more creative themselves.
There are many examples of artists who hated marketing their work at first but eventually saw its value, including Pablo Picasso, who said: “I do not seek, I find.”
“It’s just so awkward”
Artists don’t like to talk about themselves. It feels awkward for them to do so, and they don’t want to be seen as greedy or unappreciative of their work. The irony is that by not marketing their art, artists are actually being unappreciative of it.
The solution? Make marketing your art part of your creative process. Promote your latest piece in a blog post on an artist website, or tweet out pictures from the studio when you’re working on something new! If you can’t bear the thought of talking about yourself, ask someone else close to you (like a friend or partner) if they’d be willing to help out with social media posts and other forms of promotion so that marketing doesn’t feel like such a chore for you.
“I just want to make art and not think about it after that!”
When you’re trying to create art, you’re in a very vulnerable state. You need space and time to focus on your creative process without distraction. You want to put everything into the work itself and not be pulled away by things like marketing or sales.
Artists often feel overwhelmed by “the business” aspect of their work—it can be difficult for them to figure out how best to promote themselves and their art, especially if they haven’t been trained on these skills yet (which many haven’t). This is one reason why many artists choose self-publishing: they enjoy the freedom it provides them with when it comes down to promoting their books independently rather than handing this responsibility over exclusively to a publisher or agent who may or may not have any knowledge about how best promote an author’s book online today.
For some creators, this feeling of being overwhelmed by “the business” goes beyond just creating content—and extends into other areas like making sure there are systems in place so that someone else could take over if something happened unexpectedly during production or distribution processes that could leave everyone involved at risk financially if something went wrong!
“I don’t want to be pushy or aggressive.”
This is a common fear of artists. They don’t want to be pushy or aggressive, because they don’t want to seem like they’re just trying to make a sale. But being authentic is important in marketing your art and yourself as an artist, so it’s important that you find the right balance between being pushy and aggressive, and being personable. You need to be able to sell your art without sounding like you’re just selling “the product.” Instead, focus on who you are as an artist and how your work reflects that identity.
An artist’s identity is important and being an artist is usually not compatible with being an aggressive salesperson.
When you’re an artist, your identity is important. You need to be able to separate yourself from your art so that you can make the most of it. Artists are not salespeople; they have something more important to offer than just a few minutes of entertainment for someone who isn’t interested in it. Your art should speak for itself and have a message that resonates with whoever sees it—it shouldn’t feel like a generic advertisement trying to get someone’s attention (if only because the person who made it would probably be offended by that).
Being an artist does not mean being an aggressive salesperson who forces their work on people indiscriminately, but many artists think they do because they see themselves as having something valuable or meaningful enough that other people should want to buy into it or learn more about it. This perception makes them want to share their work with everyone they meet—and while this may seem like a good idea at first glance, if you’re always pushing yourself on others without taking time away from creating new works or engaging with those who already appreciate what you create, then there’s no room left over for growth or community building!
You know that feeling you get when you’re on the subway, and someone sits down next to you, and you just feel… connected?
You can’t explain it, but suddenly your lives seem to intersect in this weird way. And there’s something really magical about that.
That’s how we felt when we listened to jsin’s music.
It’s music that makes you feel as if you’re on a journey with someone else. It’s reassuring, it’s comforting, and it’s also not afraid to make a statement about the times we live in.
You may have heard of jsin if you live in Toronto—he’s been making big waves in the city lately with his debut album Surrender. But even if you don’t live here, it’s time for you to get familiar.
jsin is a musician, and like many artists and creative entrepreneurs, he’s spent years trying to make it as a musician. But as a performer, he knows that building an audience is all about connection.
So jsin got to work creating social media accounts for his music, but he quickly found that posting on social media had become a chore. He was trying to post at random times throughout the day, whichever stories came to him first, and it wasn’t working.
After tirelessly working on his new EP, jsin wanted to release his music out into the world in a meaningful way. He pulled together music videos, lined up a few media interviews and started working with a major publicist in the music industry. He reached out to The Social Media Artist team for help to manage his Instagram as it was the platform that was the most effective for him and his music.
Problem
jsin wanted to reach more fans through social media and maximize his visibility on Instagram. The visualization of his brand was already in place, but he required help in developing a strategy that would communicate the right messages and reach the right audiences.
The challenges jsin faced included:
Creating a social media strategy for Instagram that included posting for stories, IG reels and posts.
Creating a brand identity on Instagram that matched jsin’s existing music brand.
Finding the balance between personal and promotional posts to keep audiences engaged.
Learning how to manage Instagram independent of a marketing agency.
Solution
Our work with jsin started by establishing his brand voice. It was important that his brand would feel like it fit jsin’s unique way of connecting with the world. We used Canva templates to help maintain consistency for his feed—but we also researched the kinds of hashtags that were trending in the music scene in Toronto. This allowed us to help jsin grow his following by joining in on conversations already taking place among musicians and fans.
We helped him create a posting schedule that would help him grow his audience in a more intentional way. Instead of scrambling to come up with posts on the fly, we came up with a plan together and created content that he could use each week. Our strategies incorporated ideas and images from jsin’s own life so that the posts felt authentic to who he is and what his music represents. We also focused on building trust with his followers by encouraging him to show more of himself behind the scenes—we’re talking childhood posts, mental health awareness and personal stories.
We made sure that each post on Instagram had a distinct purpose: meditative lyrics videos featured jsin’s songs playing over soothing video backgrounds, while we encouraged his followers to play games with him on his stories. In this way, he was able to connect directly with his audience—and it helped him become known as an artist who cared about other people.
Results
Engagement increased by 536.1%!
Followers resonated with jsin’s personal posts and shared their own stories with him
A clear content plan including a content calendar with ideas for Instagram posts and stories as well as video and image templates that jsin can continue to use to connect with his fan base!
Now, jsin has an engaged audience of fans who are excited about his music and are ready for more! Here’s what he had to say about working with us:
“My main challenge was figuring out what/when to post. Lara helped me out with putting a plan together for the month and even created content that was published as per the plan. Lara was curious, thoughtful and thorough in getting to know me as an artist, giving me content ideas to build on and always making sure I was happy with it. Easy and a pleasure to work with.”
jsin, Musician
We are so excited to see what the future holds for jsin! He is a talented artist who is passionate about connecting with his audiences. We have had an amazing time working with him and we can’t wait to hear his new album. Check him out here.
Sometimes as an artist, you may not have the funds to work with a marketing agency – and that’s okay! As long as you have a plan in place and a bit of time each week, you can manage your social media on your own. Let us help you strategize, create templates and take the heavy work off you so you know exactly what to post on social. We’d love to help, tell us about your art here.
What do you love most about the Canadian Winter? Maybe you’re a fan of curling up in a cozy blanket with a book and a hot chocolate… or what about walking through gently falling snow with your fingers slowly freezing as they clutch a refreshingly cold ice cream cone?
No? So you can see how an ice cream store might have a problem here. How do you drive more customers to an Ice Cream Shop in the winter? At the Social Media Artist, we’re a bunch of very outside-the-cone creative thinkers, so we came up with two unique solutions to warm people up to the idea of eating frozen desserts in the cold weather. First, we went visual and turned their Instagram grid into a game. Then, we went experiential and had an ice cream photoshoot in the snow.
Problem:
How do you drive more customers to an Ice Cream Shop in the winter?
Solution One: Gamify It.
We created a holiday themed campaign to roll out over the month of December
We gamified the experience of visiting the Ice Cream Shop’s Instagram page by creating a holiday advent calendar with a new post going up every day. Each post included a short video with a door opening. Behind some of the doors were jokes, while some of them had an announcement for a new giveaway contest followers could enter by commenting on the post. This provided a reason for their Instagram audience to keep going back for more!
Results:
Consumer engagements and profile views soared, as the Instagram audience was excited to check the grid for a new door to open each day, and would comment and tag friends in order to enter the draw on prize days. Before, the client was getting an average of 11 profile visits each day, and after the campaign we saw this increase to an average of 24 visits per day with their engagement rate increasing by 82%.
We tagged the winners on Instagram Stories, and they shared these posts to their own networks which increased followers by 5% as more people found out about the Advent calendar campaign. A direct message with an image of a redeemable coupon was also sent to the winner, and this was the message they were to show at the shop to claim their prize.
Prizes included coupons for BOGO desserts, cake for two, and free ice cream, so winners were encouraged to bring friends along when they claimed their prize. This drove consumer traffic to the store, which created more opportunities for social media posts as winners would post their very Instagrammable desserts and tag the shop to say thank you.
Solution Two: Steer into the Cold.
We came up with a catchy hashtag and created a series of posts about how a “true Canadian” still eats ice cream in the snow, and challenged followers to embrace the cold and tag us in their photos
We planned a photoshoot where the models wore summer clothes while posing in the snow with the client’s ice cream and branding. As a team of artists, we were able to round up a diverse group of models, performers, and dancers, and had a successful winter photoshoot that included both snowball fights and sundresses!
Results:
This campaign launched in February, which was usually a very quiet month at the Ice Cream Shop with less user-generated content to share. These photos provided the client with shareable content of customers enjoying the product and interacting with the brand, so their Instagram feed stayed current and populated with faces during the slower season.
We tagged the models in the new posts, and they were quick to share the posts to their own networks and talk about their experience at the unique photoshoot. This increased engagement and followers, and generated buzz around the campaign and the brand. We also provided each of the models with a few professional photos from their individual shoots so they could post and tag the Ice Cream Shop on their own pages.
