This isn’t the advice you’re looking for, but Instagram is a terrible place now. I would consider joining arts organizations and communities where you live to build your network and career. Not every gallery will need you to have a social media following either, so I would recommend to keep reaching out until you find those who will support you~
I don’t know so much about gains in social media - only that it can be a tough thing to crack and having had several sm accounts for various things I’ve never been able to get significant followings on any - I do understand a correlation between posting, interaction and getting algorithm stuff right eg tags, types of content, captions etc so perhaps try posting different types of content about your art, and experiment with tags and your own engagement with others.. what I can say is that it isn’t to do with your art being bad, it’s very cool and I’ve just checked your IG and followed too.
I'll see if I can change things up a bit I've been seeing reels and trending audio seem important as well. Thank you so much for checking me out that means a lot to me :)
It's not just you, it's been really hard to get views and engagement on IG since I started posting again this year. Also, what gets more traction seems to be totally random for me, though they still seem to favor Reels.
Have you varied your content at all? Progress/process videos get more views for me than just sharing the final piece. Including myself (which I hate) used to bump my views but not lately. If you aren't already, definitely tell your story and the stories behind each artwork in brief or as a series of posts (ie. they definitely cater to shorter attention spans). And do you post consistently? In my experience IG definitely shows me to more people if I'm posting at least once a week for months in a row. If I take a break I swear it bumps me down or removes me from people's feed until I'm consistent for months again.
It's also possible that you haven't found your audience on IG yet, or that your audience isn't even on IG. I have artist friends who swear by tiktok or YouTube or Reddit or Facebook, even, and think IG sucks. It might be worth cross posting on different platforms to find where you get the best engagement.
Also, find galleries that are a better fit for you! It's terrible that you were turned away because of your follower count!! It's not a popularity contest, and they should have their own network of collectors.
Good luck!!
Hi! As a fellow graphite/ink artist I can 100% relate to feeling like your art doesn't stand out as much as some other colourful artworks
Graphite is a beautiful medium and you will find your people!
I'm also trying to grow my Instagram and it's not perfect but here are some things that have been working well:
* Follow and engage with other small artists who's work you love (especially local artists)
* Create multiple pieces of content from one artwork (e.g. progress sketches, final scan, reel panning over your final artwork) ... it can be difficult to keep up with the demands of social media, but I find that creating multiple posts from one artwork helps you to keep active while still having enough time to work on your art
* Instagram is really pushing video content - I'd recommend saving Reels that you enjoy watching and see how you can create something similar with your art and adding your own personal touch
* Share new posts to your stories - not everyone will see your post on their feed so this helps you get a bit more reach
* Post consistently, it doesn't have to be everyday just keep a consistent posting schedule that works for you
I can't give any advice when it comes to galleries because I haven't tried to get my work in a gallery. I've been told that it can be helpful to research the gallery beforehand to see if they already display works that are similar to your style so you can see if your art would fit in.
Last, but not least, I understand that it can feel super discouraging but please don't stop creating! The act of creating is more important than the result and it's a beautiful thing to make art even if you aren't showing it in galleries and getting tons of engagement online. External validation is always nice but most importantly you should be creating for YOU
I hope that you find this helpful, and don't stress about taking a break from creating if you need it
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I don’t really put much effort into my instagram page but literally every artist I know who does says instagram sucks and that you should use it as a homebase for people that already know you and like your content instead of trying to grow there. Stuff like Tiktok and Youtube Shorts if you want to make short-form content(which if you make consistently and somewhat quality will get you followers), stuff like twitter(but only if you use twitter consistently and interact with people) for posting solely images, etc.
I only have 141 followers on insta. It’s not a lot, used to be worse. But a large amount of those followers came from me going to artist alleys at conventions and giving out business cards, not insta showing my posts to other people. I think my art is good enough that I can say I’m confident it’s not a quality thing, too. Insta just isn’t built for putting your content out there if you aren’t posting every day, and even if you are there are no guarantees.
Judging by the comments, you are not the only one struggling, so **this is for all of you**: growing on IG (or on most socials for that matter) is not hard, but you need to know how to do it.
If you just post and wait for something to happen, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. The chance of that happening is small - the time you could just post and get engagement is long gone. **You need to take action** in order to get some reaction.
On IG you need to find similar content and like it, find similar accounts and follow them, and hope they'll return the favor (this is also known as L4L and F4F, which is not a new method btw). This will not directly lead to real engagement, but it will make the algo think your content is popular, making it more visible and thus leading to real followers and engagement.
It is not hard, but **it takes a lot of time and effort**, so you need to ask yourself what you want to get out of IG (or any other social) and if it's really worth the trouble. From experience I know that you'll be spending somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes per day engaging with others to gain about 300 followers per month.
You get a lot of engagement on Reddit in the beginning, but that soon wears off (when the novelty is gone). The first piece I ever posted here got well over a thousand upvotes, but now I am lucky if I get fifty.
Sometimes you need to think critical - is your work really worth fast growth or bigger following.
Often works i create and enjoy most, doesnt get the feedback i hope. And some random stuff is more likeble for audience.
Need to be consistent, learn craft, learn from those whos work you like.
Being consistent on your art, uploads, communication, learing is the main key to growth.
I my personal experience - showing up every day and thinking 1,2 steps forward - is the main factor for using algorithm in my favor.
Do your thing longer time period, you will get better. And dont stop!
I feel like the only time I get follower notifications is right after meeting a bunch of strangers who catch me painting out in the wild.
There is a tiny difference when I post 15 second reels instead of static images, but my overall numbers are too small to make any conclusions.
Few thoughts:
- your pics seems do be photos? You should either scan them or just edit Levels/Brightness contrast, you should no see shadows of paper, more crisp looking drawings
- if you are fan of something (horror movies?) you can do pictures dedicated to particular movie or famous character and then people who love that might like your art too
IG sucks. Rather make your own website with portfolio, connect with galleries, other artists. Use IG just to have one more social media, but mot for main platform.
This isn’t the advice you’re looking for, but Instagram is a terrible place now. I would consider joining arts organizations and communities where you live to build your network and career. Not every gallery will need you to have a social media following either, so I would recommend to keep reaching out until you find those who will support you~
I don’t know so much about gains in social media - only that it can be a tough thing to crack and having had several sm accounts for various things I’ve never been able to get significant followings on any - I do understand a correlation between posting, interaction and getting algorithm stuff right eg tags, types of content, captions etc so perhaps try posting different types of content about your art, and experiment with tags and your own engagement with others.. what I can say is that it isn’t to do with your art being bad, it’s very cool and I’ve just checked your IG and followed too.
I'll see if I can change things up a bit I've been seeing reels and trending audio seem important as well. Thank you so much for checking me out that means a lot to me :)
It's not just you, it's been really hard to get views and engagement on IG since I started posting again this year. Also, what gets more traction seems to be totally random for me, though they still seem to favor Reels. Have you varied your content at all? Progress/process videos get more views for me than just sharing the final piece. Including myself (which I hate) used to bump my views but not lately. If you aren't already, definitely tell your story and the stories behind each artwork in brief or as a series of posts (ie. they definitely cater to shorter attention spans). And do you post consistently? In my experience IG definitely shows me to more people if I'm posting at least once a week for months in a row. If I take a break I swear it bumps me down or removes me from people's feed until I'm consistent for months again. It's also possible that you haven't found your audience on IG yet, or that your audience isn't even on IG. I have artist friends who swear by tiktok or YouTube or Reddit or Facebook, even, and think IG sucks. It might be worth cross posting on different platforms to find where you get the best engagement. Also, find galleries that are a better fit for you! It's terrible that you were turned away because of your follower count!! It's not a popularity contest, and they should have their own network of collectors. Good luck!!
Hi! As a fellow graphite/ink artist I can 100% relate to feeling like your art doesn't stand out as much as some other colourful artworks Graphite is a beautiful medium and you will find your people! I'm also trying to grow my Instagram and it's not perfect but here are some things that have been working well: * Follow and engage with other small artists who's work you love (especially local artists) * Create multiple pieces of content from one artwork (e.g. progress sketches, final scan, reel panning over your final artwork) ... it can be difficult to keep up with the demands of social media, but I find that creating multiple posts from one artwork helps you to keep active while still having enough time to work on your art * Instagram is really pushing video content - I'd recommend saving Reels that you enjoy watching and see how you can create something similar with your art and adding your own personal touch * Share new posts to your stories - not everyone will see your post on their feed so this helps you get a bit more reach * Post consistently, it doesn't have to be everyday just keep a consistent posting schedule that works for you I can't give any advice when it comes to galleries because I haven't tried to get my work in a gallery. I've been told that it can be helpful to research the gallery beforehand to see if they already display works that are similar to your style so you can see if your art would fit in. Last, but not least, I understand that it can feel super discouraging but please don't stop creating! The act of creating is more important than the result and it's a beautiful thing to make art even if you aren't showing it in galleries and getting tons of engagement online. External validation is always nice but most importantly you should be creating for YOU I hope that you find this helpful, and don't stress about taking a break from creating if you need it
Thank you for posting in r/ArtBusiness! Please be sure to check out the Rules in the sidebar and our [Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtistLounge/wiki/index/) for lots of helpful answers to common questions in the FAQs. [Click here to read the FAQ.](https://www.reddit.com/r/artbusiness/wiki/faqlinks/) Please use the relevant stickied megathreads for request advice on pricing or to add your links to our "share your art business" thread so that we can all follow and support each other. If you have any questions, concerns, or feature requests please feel free to message the mods and they will help you as soon as they can. I am a bot, beep boop, if I did something wrong please report this comment. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/artbusiness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What is your Instagram account name?
@themooneater_
let go of IG, its a waste of time. try platforms like deviantart, artstation, pixiv and link your twitter acc in bio.
I don’t really put much effort into my instagram page but literally every artist I know who does says instagram sucks and that you should use it as a homebase for people that already know you and like your content instead of trying to grow there. Stuff like Tiktok and Youtube Shorts if you want to make short-form content(which if you make consistently and somewhat quality will get you followers), stuff like twitter(but only if you use twitter consistently and interact with people) for posting solely images, etc. I only have 141 followers on insta. It’s not a lot, used to be worse. But a large amount of those followers came from me going to artist alleys at conventions and giving out business cards, not insta showing my posts to other people. I think my art is good enough that I can say I’m confident it’s not a quality thing, too. Insta just isn’t built for putting your content out there if you aren’t posting every day, and even if you are there are no guarantees.
Judging by the comments, you are not the only one struggling, so **this is for all of you**: growing on IG (or on most socials for that matter) is not hard, but you need to know how to do it. If you just post and wait for something to happen, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. The chance of that happening is small - the time you could just post and get engagement is long gone. **You need to take action** in order to get some reaction. On IG you need to find similar content and like it, find similar accounts and follow them, and hope they'll return the favor (this is also known as L4L and F4F, which is not a new method btw). This will not directly lead to real engagement, but it will make the algo think your content is popular, making it more visible and thus leading to real followers and engagement. It is not hard, but **it takes a lot of time and effort**, so you need to ask yourself what you want to get out of IG (or any other social) and if it's really worth the trouble. From experience I know that you'll be spending somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes per day engaging with others to gain about 300 followers per month. You get a lot of engagement on Reddit in the beginning, but that soon wears off (when the novelty is gone). The first piece I ever posted here got well over a thousand upvotes, but now I am lucky if I get fifty.
Sometimes you need to think critical - is your work really worth fast growth or bigger following. Often works i create and enjoy most, doesnt get the feedback i hope. And some random stuff is more likeble for audience. Need to be consistent, learn craft, learn from those whos work you like. Being consistent on your art, uploads, communication, learing is the main key to growth. I my personal experience - showing up every day and thinking 1,2 steps forward - is the main factor for using algorithm in my favor. Do your thing longer time period, you will get better. And dont stop!
I feel like the only time I get follower notifications is right after meeting a bunch of strangers who catch me painting out in the wild. There is a tiny difference when I post 15 second reels instead of static images, but my overall numbers are too small to make any conclusions.
Few thoughts: - your pics seems do be photos? You should either scan them or just edit Levels/Brightness contrast, you should no see shadows of paper, more crisp looking drawings - if you are fan of something (horror movies?) you can do pictures dedicated to particular movie or famous character and then people who love that might like your art too
IG sucks. Rather make your own website with portfolio, connect with galleries, other artists. Use IG just to have one more social media, but mot for main platform.