Hashtags

You are able to use up to 30 Hashtags, but 3-5 is recommended. For example, #ArtistStudioLondon.

Engage with other accounts who use your hashtags to improve visibility.

Put your hashtags go in the caption box, NOT the comments. 

Make it easy by having a “copy and paste” list of hashtags relevant to you and your practice. 

Highlights

Use highlights on your page to keep stories that demonstrate your work, exhibitions, and show your personal practice. Create recognizable categories, such as: Studio, Exhibitions, and Materials.

Make sure that the cover image looks good, and that the title tells you what is included.

Stories

When posting a new image to your feed, share to stories to increase engagement. 

Share other artists’ work that you admire to your stories. Make sure to @tag those artists to notify them.

Posting

Make sure your content is high quality. The camera on your phone is fine, but make sure the images are in focus. (More information on photographing your work here.)

Post regularly if you can. A good rule of thumb is every other day.

Bio

Your bio should tell people exactly who you are, and why they should be interested in your work.

Examples of what to include are, your Name, location, media, gallery representation, and current exhibition.

Content Suggestions

Film yourself working

Preparatory work, such as canvas sanding, etc.

Views of your studio and materials

Photographs of current and in progress works

Prepare in advance

There’s no getting around it unfortunately; social media is time consuming. However, bulk preparation means that it does not become a distraction throughout the week. While in the studio, film and photograph as much as you can. Save these as draft on your Instagram profile and post them one at a time.

Have a casual, but professional relationship

As well as being time consuming, social media is easily addictive. Keep your time with social media as if it were a meeting: set dates your calendar with both start and stop times.

Reels are your best friend

Reels on Instagram (and videos on TikTok) are one of the fastest growing tools. Utilize your phone while working, and film as much as you can. These videos can be transformed into snappy shorts for your audience to enjoy and help you grow in this popular section of the app.

Engagement is the golden word

Not only do you want lots of followers, you want those followers to be engaging with you, your content, and your practice. The best way to improve your engagement is to practice what you preach. Leave comments under posts, respond to messages and ideas from your community, and share works to your stories. A key to this is creating interactive stories that include questions or polls.

Aesthetic is the other golden word

While people love a “consistent aesthetic” on your feed, it needs to be authentically you.

While beautiful pictures of your sunny studio are going to attract followers; collectors and followers want to see the real behind the scenes of your practice too. If you don’t want to permanently show these elements on your feed, post them to stories!