Twitter for Artists & Other Social Networks for Artists

Learn how Twitter for artists makes sense when used properly. You’ll also learn how to use other social networks for artists.

You may be able to attain some remarkable results even when tweeting from a Twitter profile with a small Twitter following. We’ll explore how artist Alex Scott got his ETChster portfolio circulating on Twitter and seen by an extra 600 visitors in a single weekend.

Twitter for Artists

Twitter is one of the more prominent social networks and least likely to disappear. It was founded by Jack Dorsey and just purchased by Elon Musk.

Artists starting an art business should see if they like Twitter’s micro-blog format posting system. It’s free to use and easy to get amplification if you follow the tips in the post.

Your Social Media Marketing Vocabulary Refresher:

• Followers – Other profiles on that platform (Twitter, Facebook, ETChster, etc.) that follow your profile and may see your activity. Keep in mind not all followers are active at all times.
• Reach – The number of unique people that see a particular post.
• Amplification – When other people promote your content (and thus, its reach is greatly expanded).

Wait a second…how did he know he got all of those extra visitors? Remember that your ETChster profile has a built-in traffic tracker. The app shows you how many visitors you are receiving on a monthly basis on both your home screen and when you are looking at your own public profile.

Now let’s talk about how Alex got all those extra visitors and generated some new fans!

Example of How to Use Twitter as an Artist

How It Started

Drawn by my 16 year old son Alex @richarlison97 @Everton @EITC @EFC_FansForum @CalvertLewin14 He is desperate for these to be seen by his hero’s pic.twitter.com/YzjiIhfjLn

— toffeeblueboy68 (@toffeeblueboy68) October 1, 2021

A few points about this tweet:

1. It was about Alex, not Alex tweeting about himself.
2. It included the handles of a number of other profiles with strong followings (for those that don’t know England’s Premier League football, the handles are all related to the Everton professional team).
3. It included a well-cropped photo with good contrast.
4. It included an ask: “He is desperate for these to be seen by his heroes”
5. With the combination of the above elements, it told a story very visually and concisely.

What Happened?

Artist Alex Scott got a ton of new fans, mostly in his home country of England, from a single post.

The tweet resonated with a number of people on Twitter. At time of publication of this article, it shows:

• 61 comments
• 92 retweets
• 1.1k likes

If you want to support Alex, consider retweeting it. You still can!

Luckily, Alex’s father Chris was standing by to answer the responses by telling all of the interested Twitter users where they could find more of Alex’s work. Alex maintains a very well-populated ETChster profile.

Check out his other drawings in his art page.https://t.co/sFTRWPUHEW

— toffeeblueboy68 (@toffeeblueboy68) October 2, 2021

And check out his drawing they did! Over 600 people visited his profile in a single weekend.

They were wildly impressed with his work, and they started tweeting about him as well. He got amplification!

These are superb! C’mon @richarlison97 and @CalvertLewin14 show the kid some love 💙 🙏🏻

— Mrs W (@Gwladys1963) October 2, 2021

You might be thinking all the Twitter love happened because the Tweet came from somebody with a massive following and thus reach. Or maybe someone with a history of using Twitter for artists in their network? A celebrity or pro-athlete? Not true.

Chris’s Twitter profile only has 66 followers:

Takeaways from This Story

What caused all the amplification? Chris was able to quickly tell a story and make an ask of the Twitter community. Chris stressed the importance of having an ETChster profile with lots of public Etchings: “It is good to have a lot of his pics in one place that can be accessed and viewed quickly.“

When people saw Alex’s talent on his ETChster site, they wanted to help. They started retelling the story and it started trending!

It’s About Your Art, Not Yourself

Alex is a really good artist and has very recognizable subject matter. He draws celebrities primarily and has them well-documented with over 100 visible on his webpage.

When the Twitter users clicked over to his ETChster profile, they could immediately see lots of quality photos of his art.

Other People Talking About You Is More Powerful

Bragging about yourself can be off-putting. In this instance, the viral thread started with a Tweet by his dad.

If you haven’t already, reach out to other artists. You post about them. They post about you.

Social media collaboration is easy and free.

Crop Your Photos Correctly and Be Sure Your Webpage Looks Great

If Alex had a poorly formatted artist website, the social media strategy would not have worked.

His photos are all well-lit, cropped correctly, and in uploaded without pixelation.

He’s also started adding video process statements.

Make an Ask that Engages the Audience

As with any marketing or sales approach, you have to tell the other party what you want them to do.

The original Tweet asked other Twitter users to help get Alex’s art seen by his Everton heroes.

Other Social Networks for Artists

The rules of each social network are different. Twitter for artists works, but similar tactics can work in all of them.

While much of what gets posted is just noise, when you take the time to make a quality post with a specific action and direct it to the right audience, you have a great chance of getting amplification.

Choose a Social Network

Many beginning artists and entrepreneurs in general make the mistake of trying to be present on a number of social networks. Do one network really well until you can hire staff to help you in others.

For consideration:

Facebook (owned by Meta)

Instagram (owned by Meta)

Snapchat

Twitter

TikTok

LinkedIn

Your goal on any of these networks is to find fans and drive them down the funnel. Your posts should tell people to leave the social network and visit your webpage, which is 100% about you. Don’t have one why not check out our free artist website page?

ETChster webpages were designed for being a better middle of your funnel, where people buy, not the top of the funnel, where strangers are hanging out.

How Can Artists Have Similar Success on Other Social Networks?

So Twitter for artists works. You can use a similar formula for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or other platforms where posts can generate amplification.

Social Media Platform’s Amplification + ETChster Profile’s Ability to Show an Artist Portfolio

For the post:

1. Decide what it is you want. Something very specific and short-term is better than a broad, long-term goal like “More fans.” A goal like “I want Gallery X to see my work this month” is a good, short-term goal.
2. Decide who can help. Can you find someone to post about you (an advocate)? ETChster makes it easy to find fellow community members near you.
3. Do you have a target audience on social media? The post above was about engaging with professional footballers. Do you want to start a conversation with a gallery? Have your advocate mention them (using their social media handle if they have one) in the post.
4. Include a link that shows your work. There are handy social media sharing buttons on both your profile and each public etching. Be sure your advocate posts a link that automatically shows an image. Posts with images get way more amplification.
5. Be concise. Be sure the story is told in as few words as possible and let your images do the talking.

If you follow this formula, you may have great success starting with a social media profile with relatively little reach because you’re much more likely to get amplification.

Give it a try? You can put together a mini-social media marketing campaign very quickly. Your ETChster profile has all the images you need and makes a great destination. If you don’t have an advocate in mind, you’ll find community members more than willing to help. You might also offer to post about them in exchange!

Once your post(s) go up, take a look at your traffic tracker to see how well you’re doing!

Get started today with Etchster with our free website builder for artists.