This article will discuss tips for starting an art Instagram and some basic things for posting to get you started! (Amateur art aficionado here.)

One of my favorite sections of art blogs is those that feature artists’ social media pages. While it’s more than likely that you’ll develop a social media page eventually, it can be difficult to get started.

Let’s have a look at what you need to know, in order to create your own art Instagram.

1. Get yourself an art Instagram account

You have to choose one, so you might as well make it useful!

Your main goal when you first create your account is to get people to follow you. My tip here is to upload art, even if it’s just a photograph, to get yourself some followers right away.

Think of it like trying to get a job by being unemployed, which also applies to art accounts. It’s best to have a recognizable face, so start with your avatar.

The only way to break this habit is to have your own Instagram and then forget about it, by not uploading any art.

Another way to create followers is to follow other accounts. Get into the habit of making Instagram an everyday experience.

Add accounts to your feed at least twice a week, so that you can really develop an Instagram following from the beginning. Don’t get carried away; you only have 1 chance to make a good impression.

2. Post art every day

The art of getting traffic to your Instagram account is through posting regularly. In order to make your account stand out from all the others, you need to post a lot of art. But don’t overdo it.

The key is to post only when you have new work to post. If you don’t post at least a few times a week, your account will soon become a feed of boring stock images.

Don’t forget to tag your Instagram posts, so you can get the most traffic. Most of the time, Instagram will automatically tag your posts, so just make sure it’s accurate.

It might take time for people to start following you, but if you post art, it’ll definitely get noticed by others!

3. Give people a reason to follow you

When you create an account, a lot of people will be following people they know and know about. You need to convince them to follow you instead of these people.

You might start off by posting a great piece of art and giving a tip, in a long comment, about how great it is. This will have a really great impact on other people.

Whatever you do, do it with a purpose in mind. While getting people to follow you is important, it’s not the main focus of your account. Don’t waste your time and followers’ time by posting boring stock photos.

4. Ask people to follow you

Not everyone is on Instagram, and that’s ok. A lot of people will just not get it. Just because there is no link to your Instagram account does not mean that people cannot find it.

Instagram gives you the opportunity to tag people in your photos and to tag other accounts that you like.

An easy way to start is by asking people to follow you, even if you don’t know them. Say you follow an artist, and you enjoy what they do. So next time they post, just say: “Hey, thanks for creating that great piece of art”. And they will follow you.

You can also tag people you are already following. For example: “Hey, thanks for following me”. As long as your tag contains your username, that person will be able to follow you.

5. Become an influencer

To grow as an artist, you need to be noticed. This is especially important if you want people to follow you. Instagram influencers have a huge impact on getting followers.

If you decide to become an influencer, there are many great tools you can use to help with this. You can create a sponsored post, get a repost or a retweet, or just use ads to promote your Instagram account.

Check out Instagram influencer templates to get started with this strategy.

If you’re looking for something a little more advanced, Instagram has a marketing panel that can give you powerful results. Check it out to find the most valuable strategy for you.

As you can see, Instagram is an amazing way to reach a new audience for your art. But you need to work hard to make it really work for you. Make sure that you post at least once a week, to help your Instagram account grow.

6. Choose a name that reflects your artistic style

This might sound simple, but a name and an art Instagram account do not exist in a vacuum. A quick Google search will tell you that "How to get more followers on Instagram" was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter last week.

Instagram has more than 500 million monthly users, and millennials, in particular, seem to be glued to their phones and pinning art to everything: new phones, flights, makeup products, and yes, even paintings.

Pick a name that reflects your artistic style and use it as the name of your Instagram profile. Do not add any handles to the mix.

If you want to post a link to an art website, you should create a separate Instagram account for it and add that link in a footnote. It's the old-fashioned way of getting around IG's paywall.

It also makes it a little harder for people to tag you in a comment and for your account to be tagged in a comment because they don't know your name.

Another consideration is how you can customize your profile image. While you want it to be easy for anyone to find your account and like and follow you, you do not want it to look like a stock image.

Use your own photos or the photos you find in other artist's portfolios.

7. Be consistent

Your art should look consistent. This is especially important with large bodies of work, like a painting series. If you have three or four different images for your Big Mouth Billy Bass, get rid of at least one of them.

Include the other images in the descriptions, but don't have them appear in your header image. Make sure you use the same color palettes, different frame styles, and sometimes even the same color combo for every piece.

When you post something new, make sure it is the same style, color, and composition as the others. If your images start looking wildly different, you might get bored.

You can even change your wallpaper to different colors every so often and change your entire profile image to a different painting. Make sure that the information about your work is consistent too.

Use your Instagram handle and a short bio in the bio. Don't make people scroll for a long time before you say what you do for a living. You can also tag the work with hashtags, just make sure you tag them in the same way for each piece.