Do you want to know how to sell art on Instagram?
Selling art isn’t for the faint of heart.
From positioning yourself as a professional to targeting the right audience, selling art is … well, an art form in and of itself.
But, what if there were ways to remove some of the barriers to entry artists have faced for centuries? What if there was a way to build your own audience without worrying about getting lost in the shuffle?
Luckily, there is.
Enter Instagram — and the beauty of social selling.
There are many benefits of Instagram such as the ability to sell art on this popular social media site.
To sell art on Instagram, all you need is a professional Instagram business account, a killer bio, and the right marketing strategies.
If you’re ready to take your art from passion to profit, we’ve got a treat in store for you today.
In today’s article, we’ll teach you how to sell art on Instagram in three simple steps.
Ready to learn more?
Let’s begin to discover how to sell art on Instagram.
1. Create a professional Instagram business account
Before you can learn how to sell art on Instagram, you need to create a professional business account.
To create a business account, Instagram requires that you start with a personal account and then switch over to a professional account:
There are also a few other things you need to take care of before Instagram will approve your professional account.
Instagram’s commerce eligibility requirements are as follows:
- You need to comply with all of Facebook’s and Instagram’s policies.
- You need to have your own website domain (you may need to complete a domain verification process).
- Your website needs to have product listings with products that shoppers can purchase directly on your site.
- Your professional Facebook Page or Instagram account must include product listings available for direct purchase from your site — both accounts must be located in supported markets.
- Your professional accounts must demonstrate trustworthiness, through an authentic, established presence. You may also need to have a “sufficient” Instagram follower base, though the number of followers isn’t disclosed.
- All product information listed on Facebook or Instagram must contain accurate pricing and availability information.
- You need to make sure your refund and return policies are clearly displayed and accessible from Facebook or Instagram — or from your site.
Once you’ve met eligibility requirements, follow the rest of these steps:
Link your Facebook business page
Since Facebook owns Instagram, you’ll need to connect your Facebook Business Page with Instagram to get the most out of Instagram’s business tools.
Follow these instructions to link your Facebook Business Page to your Instagram business account.
Add your products
Open Commerce Manager and add all of your products on Facebook and Instagram.
If you use an ecommerce platform, like Shopify, you can automate this process — otherwise, you’ll need to take care of it manually. Or, you can upload products directly from a spreadsheet if you have one.
When adding products, you’ll need to include:
- The title of each piece/product
- The size and dimensions of each product
- Product descriptions
- Product cost
- Product images
Note: Don’t forget to update your product catalog when you sell something or if a product goes out of stock (these figures don’t update on their own).
Link your checkout site
Choose where your customers will check out.
You can choose:
- Your website
- In-app (if you’re in the US)
- A marketplace you’re currently using, such as Etsy
- A commerce site (like Shopify or other approved platforms where you already sell your art)
Wait for approval
After setting up your product catalog, submit your business account for review.
You may need to wait a few days before getting approved, so be sure to keep your eye out for a notification from Instagram. ✅
After Instagram approves your business account, you can officially turn on Instagram shopping and add your product tags within your Instagram Posts and Stories! It’s time to start making money. 💰
2. Perfect your profile
Once you’ve set up your shop and received approval, it’s time to perfect your profile.
To become a magnetic powerhouse for your ideal customers, follow these simple tips:
Create an irresistible bio
When a prospective buyer sees your Instagram bio, you need to hook them immediately.
That’s why it’s essential to create a clear and engaging value statement — just make sure it’s 150 characters or less.
Here’s a handy template you can use:
“I (what you do) for (who you serve). Ask for a quote: (your business email address). Check out my product catalog here ⬇️” (link to website using the built-in bio form field).
For instance, if you sell custom wall art, your bio might look like this:
“I create custom wall art for retailers and luxury hotels. Get a custom quote here: info@wallartco.com. Check out my product catalog here ⬇️” (link to website using the built-in bio form field).
As far as your bio photo goes, you can feature a professional image of yourself, showcase one of your most popular pieces, or use your professional logo.
If you running out of ideas to find a bio that reflects your personality as an artist you can always check out these great bio ideas
Keep your backgrounds consistent
One fundamental tip for selling art on Instagram is to keep your backgrounds clean and consistent so your products look professional and stand out.
When taking pictures of your art, make sure each photo is high quality and free of clutter and distractions.
Choose a solid colored backdrop during your photo shoots or opt to remove the background from the pictures later on in the editing stage.
Create branded highlight covers
Head to Canva or Etsy and get your hands on some Instagram highlight covers that match your branding. You can also design the covers yourself if you have graphic design experience or hire a designer.
When you post your art in Instagram Stories, make sure to save them in appropriate highlights.
For instance, you might have:
- A watercolor-dedicated highlight
- An oil-dedicated highlight
- A pastel-dedicated highlight
Make each Story and highlight button shoppable by including appropriate product tags and shopping links!
Post consistently
Build and nurture your audience by showing up online consistently.
Aim to post once a day if possible, basing each post on a carefully thought-out strategy.
How?
Uncover your target audience’s core needs and pain points so you can craft posts with them in mind.
For instance, if you make custom jewelry for luxury jewelers, your clients may:
- Need help understanding how the commissioned art process works
- Have been burned in the past with poor jewelry and steep prices
- Be in a time crunch and need a product before the holidays begin
- Struggle to understand what kind of jewelry to choose or commission
- Need help envisioning the process, from art creation to installation to everyday care
In this case, you can craft posts helping your audience understand how your processes work, why your products are worth the cost, how to choose or commission appropriate art, and how your shipping and turnaround times work.
If you’re worried about crafting the right caption or which hashtags to choose, consider taking free online copywriting and hashtag courses or linking arms with an experienced Instagram copywriter.
And don’t forget to take advantage of viral Instagram marketing strategies, too, like Reels marketing!
We have one more strategy to teach you how to sell art on Instagram.
3. Stay innovative by expanding your offers
As amazing as your current offers may be, staying innovative is essential to growing your art business.
Here are a few ideas you can use to expand your offers:
Convert your digital art into vector art
Do you sell digital art?
Consider converting your digital artwork into vector art to expand your digital product offerings.
And bonus! You can also market your vector art to digital asset brands or stock agencies to further diversify your income streams.
Create themed art/product bundles
Group your ready-made art by category and create relevant product bundles or themed art sets.
For instance, if you sell graphic tees, you might group them like this:
- Family bundle tee set (XL, L, M, S, and XS t-shirt bundle)
- Pet set graphic tees
- Custom restaurant set graphic tees
- Custom baseball team set graphic tees
- School set graphic tees
Or, if you sell stationery sets with creative watercolor covers and inserts, then you might put together the following bundles:
- Student bundle stationery set in assorted colors and styles
- Office stationery set for nature lovers
- Office stationery set for travel enthusiasts
- Office stationery set in a Bohemian theme
- Wedding stationery set in classic white
- Wedding stationery set in assorted colors and styles
- Correspondences stationery set in assorted colors and styles
- Thank you card stationery set in a blue and white color palette
- Thank you card stationery set in a black and gold color palette
Offer commissioned art pieces
Give your audience the chance of a lifetime by offering them the opportunity to create a custom art piece with you.
If you decide to take advantage of this tip, consider segmenting your posts by audience type.
For instance, you might offer custom pieces for consumers, such as commissioned pieces of their dogs or families to display in their homes.
And you might offer custom pieces for businesses, such as commissioned pieces of architecture or landscapes they can feature in their offices and waiting rooms.
Crafting each post with a specific audience segment in mind helps prospects feel seen and understood — as if you’re speaking directly to them. This is gold, people!
How to Sell Art on Instagram: FAQ
What is the best way to sell art on Instagram?
Create a professional Instagram account, perfect your Instagram profile, and stay innovative by expanding your offers
Wrap-Up: How to Sell Art on Instagram
By now you know that selling art is an art form just as much as making it is.
But with Instagram on your side (and the right strategies in tow) you can turn your passion and side hustle into a thriving, profitable business.
If you’re ready to turn your dream into a reality, we hope today’s article has inspired you to take the final leap toward your goals.
And that’s it for today, friends.
Now you know how to sell art on Instagram.
Here’s to making great art and building a loyal, engaged audience along the way.
To your success!
Readers, please these strategies so artists and social media marketers discover how to sell art on Instagram.
I look forward to your views in the comments section. Do you have more ideas about how to sell art on Instagram?
Author Bio: Ioana Wilkinson
Ioana is a freelance content writer and SEO strategist for B2B and B2C brands specializing in Business, Digital Marketing, SaaS, Tech, and Mental Health. Born in Transylvania, raised in Texas, and transplanted to Barcelona and Mexico, Ioana’s most recent move has taken her to windy Oklahoma City.
