How To Sell Art On Instagram: Marketing Tips That Work In 2026

Do you want to know how to sell art on Instagram?

Researching such an opportunity is a smart move on your part. It will lead you on a path where selling your artwork online will become easier.

After all, Instagram is the leader of existing visual search engines online.

Not taking advantage of it to advance your career as an artist will damage the growth potential of your business.

Lots and lots of people spend time on Instagram. According to Statista, the number of active Instagram users is over 1 billion currently.

Can you imagine how many eyeballs your paintings might get once you showcase them on the platform?

Today, I’ll cover everything you need to know about selling art on Instagram:

How can you advance your art business on Instagram?
What is the best way to use Instagram for artists?
Are hashtags for selling art on Instagram helpful?

In addition, this article will show you how to utilize the marketing power of Instagram, attract potential buyers, and turn them into paying customers.

This post contains affiliate links – read my affiliate disclosure for more info.

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How To Sell Art On Instagram For Beginners: Step-By-Step Guide

Alright, here is the deal:

Assuming that most of you are not currently selling art on the platform, it goes without saying that we should start from the basics.

Before we begin with tips and tricks to boost your online sales, we should cover the entire process from start to finish.

There are two main ways to sell art on Instagram and reach a global audience. One is through Instagram Shopping, and the other requires sending your followers to an external online store.

There is no need to choose an option at this stage. Instead, take the necessary time to learn how to sell on Instagram regardless of the type of art you offer.

1) Set Up A Business Instagram Account

The first step toward selling artwork on Instagram is to set up a Business account. Of course, if you already have one, feel free to skip this step when there is no need to switch account type to benefit from Instagram’s features.

By all means, you need to understand that owning an Instagram creator account on the platform is crucial for the success of your art business. Uploading art through a business account allows you to market it to potential clients and art collectors.

Instagram has been vocal about the fact that public figures, content creators, influencers, and artists should have a creator account, not a personal account.

Such an account provides access to the Analytics feature and the opportunity to create promotions and branded content. More importantly, you can set up an Instagram shop and promote your posts.

Consider Adding Products To Facebook Commerce Manager

Everyone knows that Facebook owns Instagram. As a result, new artists can make the best of Instagram if they create a relevant Facebook Page. It’s one of the best practices to follow once you delve into digital marketing on the best social media platforms.

Feel free to use Commerce Manager, one of the new features, to add artwork. The Commerce Manager is a powerful tool to upload titles, descriptions, and product sizes on a regular basis. That way, potential buyers can see your inventory on any given day and invest in your beautiful art.

Does this mean you should also start a Facebook Shop? A lot of artists have done so, and there is a good reason to follow their example:

A Facebook Shop is free to set up. Having one is an easy way for people to display their unique art styles to the target audience of art buyers.

Let’s not forget that both Facebook and Instagram shops can increase your art sales once you decide to take advantage of the Direct Messages feature. That feature is one of the most effective ways to offer different things at various prices and establish genuine connections with potential buyers.

See Also: How To Sell Art On Facebook

2) Brand Your Business Instagram Profile

What does branding your free Instagram business account mean? Think of you as setting up your creator account in a way that pushes your products to the right people and allows you to stand out.

After all, you can only make a first impression once, so it better be a good one! Now, how do you do that?

You don’t have to be a famous artist (yet) to make some noise in the art world on a powerful platform like Instagram. Optimizing your profile to display who you are as an artist and what your business is will do for now.

Use the space your Instagram Bio provides to let users know you sell art online. Including a link to your online shop and adding Highlights are the first things to do when optimizing your professional account.

I suggest choosing a user name that represents your art and uploading a profile photo that does the same. In other words, make the Bio section work for you and your art business!

Adding a personal touch is one of the key elements of that process. Successful artists know how to influence the way people will perceive them, their creative process, and the quality of their artistic skills, regardless of the kind of content and products they offer.

3) Add A Link To Your Website Or Online Shop

If you want to know how to sell art on Instagram, you should take a step back and look at the big picture first. Once you do that, you’ll realize a simple fact:

To have a better chance of selling artwork on Instagram, you should create a website or an online store first. Owning a blog or online shop will provide you with all the creative and marketing control you may need as a business owner.

Shopify is a top-notch e-commerce platform and the right place to build an online store. But if you want to launch your own website, get BigScoots as your hosting provider and go from there.

While both options will do the trick, pick one and add the link to your Instagram bio.

How To Sell Art On Instagram Without A Website

Some of you may wonder – can I sell art on Instagram without a website?
Generally speaking, the short answer to that question is yes.

One way to do that is by creating a store on platforms like Etsy. While setting up an Etsy shop will provide your art with tons of exposure and increase your online presence, it’s not the best business move in the long run:

Etsy will always have the final word – the platform has the ultimate control over your art store. So, if something goes wrong and Etsy decides to close your business, there is little you can do – all your hard work would have been for nothing.

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4) Build Your Following On Instagram

how to sell art on instagram build your following

Let’s go back to how to sell art on Instagram, shall we?

Instagram is a powerful tool for visual artists. Turning active users into followers is one of the best ways to promote your art business on the platform.

Here are a few strategies to build an Instagram following:

Stay Consistent With Your Posting Schedule: As an independent artist, one of the best ways to attract as many people as possible to each piece of artwork is by getting the Instagram algorithm on your side. You can achieve that by posting content on the platform daily. A regular post or Instagram Stories with beautiful images is a great way to keep your followers glued to your original paintings or other art you offer.
Implement The Best Hashtags Available: Hashtags exist for a purpose – using them provides artists with a boost of organic reach and extra engagement to current or previous Instagram posts.
Engage With Users In The Comments Section: Gaining new followers and not engaging with them is not the way to build a successful art account on Instagram. Any profitable business is about building relationships with prospective buyers through meaningful comments.

5) Grow Your Business Instagram Page

Until we’re still on the subject of increasing your following and exposure, let me provide you with a couple of tricks to develop your Instagram profile faster:

Add Instagram Alt Text To Your Images

An Instagram alt text is a text that describes your images. Why is adding alt text necessary?

By all means, not forgetting the alt tags will help your artwork gain a better ranking on Google.

Just because you’re on Instagram, that doesn’t mean that you can’t implement an effective SEO strategy. Instagram may be one of the best social platforms to attract art buyers, but Google is the largest search engine.

Use The Best Hashtags For Selling Your Kind Of Art On Instagram

We already discussed the importance of using hashtags on Instagram. I want to emphasize their importance for attracting interested buyers once again:

Hashtags help users discover your art pieces (and have a closer look at them). More importantly, they will showcase your latest work on the Instagram feed of the right people.

Including any of these hashtags within your next Instagram post is a great idea:

#arts
#instaart
#arte
#artists
#illustrationart
#illustrationartist
#illustrationsketch
#artistonista
#artlover

Feel free to stalk the accounts of other artists and take notes of the hashtags they’re using when posting static or video content.

Give Out Freebies

Another clever way to dominate the art community and market on Instagram is by giving freebies away. Who doesn’t love free stuff in real life?

Depending on the art niche you’re working within, you can think of ideas for freebies to share on your artist page.

A piece of advice:

Don’t forget to add your Instagram username to every freebie you get out there. This way, new potential followers would be able to discover your profile.

The good news is that many different things can become freebies that your Instagram followers will appreciate. I suggest doing research before taking your social media marketing strategy in that direction.

5) Promote And Sell Your Art On Instagram

Naturally, the last stage of learning how to sell art on Instagram is the promotional part.

Without promotion, there would be no sales – that much should be clear by now. Having a creative mind is not enough – you need an effective social media marketing strategy to create profitable and engaging content.

But that’s the beauty of Instagram:

Due to the nature of this visual platform, Instagram will allow you to promote and sell your artwork simultaneously.

Here are the most important things you should be doing to sell art on Instagram:

Provide Social Proof To Your Potential Buyers

By all means, people rarely purchase products or services from brands they don’t trust. The same rule applies to any visual artist as well.

What can you do to gain the trust of your Instagram viewers? Should you try to build meaningful connections in different ways or hope for good luck to make a direct sale?

One thing that always works with no fail is adding positive reviews and feedback to your business. And how can you achieve that? Asking your fans to leave to lend you a hand is a good option.

Think of it this way:
Everything that shows the customer’s joy from your new work will increase your brand awareness and boost your sales.

Make The Best Of Instagram Stories, IGTV, And Reels

Do I even have to stress how essential video content is for the success of your art business? Hopefully, I don’t:

At this point, digital artists should be aware of the impact of live video or video clips (their Instagram Insights will confirm that statement).

These days, various types of video format posts are probably the best way to reach a large enough audience. After all, the Instagram algorithm favors video content over static image posts, even if they contain high-quality images.

Here are a couple of ways to make video content work to your business’s advantage:

Create Reels – During those reels, allow your followers to steal a peek at a work in progress or upcoming art project. Isn’t that a great way to create a personal connection with them?
Promote Special Offers – or discounts – both will do nicely!
Go Live – What better way to announce the birth of your newest painting or another piece of art?

Use Instagram Shopping And Advertising

how to sell art on instagram use stories and reels

Let me ask those of you who still have no clear idea about how to sell art on Instagram:

Can you imagine a more efficient way to increase your art sales than Instagram ads? While there are other ways to achieve the same goal, implementing Instagram ads in your selling strategy is not something you should underestimate.

After all, ads are capable of reaching niche-specific audiences. That’s how they operate!

Now, you can choose from plenty of Instagram advertisement options:

Stories Ads
Photo Ads
Videos Ads
Carousel Ads
Slideshow Ads
Ads In Explore

Pick the type of ad that will best serve the needs of your shoppable posts. An easy way to fully leverage these creative tools is to implement a few (if you can afford it).

Collaborate With Influencers To Promote Your Art Further

Chances are, you already know that millions of people follow popular influencers on Instagram. Collaborating with an influencer is a great way to increase brand awareness and boost your sales.

Is there an influencer who lives nearby? Then, invite that person to witness your work process and share it with their audience.

What about collaborating with an influencer who also has an artist’s journey? Working together to create the best art possible for both brands is a strategy to consider.

Other Platforms To Promote And Sell Your Art:

How To Sell Art On Instagram FAQs

How Do You Sell Art On Instagram In 2026?

Selling art on Instagram in 2026 requires posting high-quality images, branding your artist account, writing engaging captions, and using product tags.

Implement these strategies to sell art on a social network like Instagram.

How Do I Get My Art Seen On Instagram?

You can do many things to promote your art on Instagram, such as collaborating with influencers, investing in Instagram ads, and leveraging high-quality user-generated content.

Additionally, artists can gain extra exposure by collaborating with other creatives and getting their products featured on Instagram Art Sharing Pages (or Dedicated Pages).

How Can I Sell My Art On Instagram Without A Website?

Selling art on Instagram is possible even if you don’t own a blog or a site.
However, you must add an online order form to your Instagram bio to sell artwork without a website.

When Should I Post My Art On Instagram?

Generally speaking, you can post images of your artwork on Instagram at any time you like.

Still, the best time to post is when most users are active on the platform -at lunchtime (11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.) and evenings (7:00 to 9:00 P.M.).

Do I Need A Business License To Sell Art On Instagram?

While you don’t need a business license to sell art on Instagram, you might need one when setting up an Instagram Shopping Account.

Time To Wrap

OK, this is all I have for you today – how to sell art on Instagram is a topic that is never over, though. There is always something I can add to the subject.

Instagram is changing and evolving constantly. So, rest assured that I’ll keep updating this article with more up-to-date information shortly.

Until then, the word is yours:

What are your tips and tricks for selling artwork on Instagram? Is there anything you would like to share about it?

Feel free to do so in the comments section below, and I’ll get back to you ASAP!

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