10 Selling Art Online Tips: Easy Tricks To Reach New Clients

Many selling art online tips and tricks can benefit your business. Which ones are you supposed to be following?

Well, I can’t answer that for you. You’ll have to figure it out on your own!

What I can do, though, is share my blueprint for selling art online. Today, I have a lot to tell you on the topic of strategies to market your art online:

Selling art online for beginners – valuable tips and ideas.
Can you sell art online for free?
How can I sell paintings to galleries?
Should you sell art on products?

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my affiliate disclaimer when you have a second.

The Best Way To Start Selling Art Online For Beginners

First and foremost, there is no such thing as the best way to sell art online.

Furthermore, there isn’t just one answer capable of covering that question.

Why could that be?

Think about it for a minute:

Are two art businesses online the same? Do they operate identically?

Of course not!

Therefore, nobody can show you the best way to sell art online in 2024 and beyond.

After all, that depends on so many factors!

10 simple selling art online tips and ideas

For instance, does the person behind the business have enormous art experience and expertise? How long is that person in the game of selling art on the web?

Also, what marketing strategies does an art business owner rely on to sell their work from home and reach a wider audience? Ask ten artists selling paintings online, and you’ll get ten different answers.

To sum up, you’ll have to use your judgment when you decide which selling art online tips and ideas to follow. More importantly, you have to make the time for research:

That’s the only way to learn the craft behind selling art online when you’re just starting.

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My Top Selling Art Online Tips And Tricks

Before I go any further, a quick clarification is in order:

By all means, I don’t consider myself the biggest expert on selling artwork on the web. Be that as it may, I know how to sell art online and make money.

As you can see on my Instagram Profile, I’m already enjoying online sales. And now, so can you:

1) Choose A Niche

OK, do I even have to mention how important working in a specific art niche is Assuming that many newbies are reading this article, I probably do.

Here is the deal:

If you want to sell art online and earn a full-time income from your art, you’ll need to pick a niche. While your artistic abilities may go above and beyond, you should narrow them to just one niche.

Why does choosing an art niche matter?

It will allow your unique style as an artist to shine – and that will help you stand out from the competition.
Having a niche will help you become an expert in it faster.
Working in just one art niche will assist you with finding the right buyers (your target audience).

2) Understand The Business Side Of Your New Art Venture

Let’s get something straight from the get-go:

Creating art for yourself and creating art for customers are two different things.

When you paint for yourself, you can do whatever your art soul prompts. But when you start an original artwork to sell it, you’ll have to approach it differently.

That artwork will eventually have a price on it. So, what are you planning to do about that?

Will you try to sell it to family and friends? Maybe you’re ready to find out how to sell your art locally. Or your main goal is to offer your painting to the whole world?

Great, then where will you list that work for sale? Should you upload it on your own website, e-commerce store, or a well-known art gallery?

These are all valid questions. And you can’t start building a successful art business before you know their answers.

3) Decide How To Sell Art Online And Make Money

Without a doubt, that’s one of the most important selling art online tips in this post.

Deciding the nature of your art online business is not something you should do lightly. Subsequently, you can’t afford to rush it!

To avoid confusing you with tons of business talk, allow me to simplify the matter:

Once you decide to sell art for a living, you must find the right online marketplace. Down the line, you can sell artwork to multiple marketplaces. Right now, though, you have to start from somewhere.

These are the most popular options:

Selling art online sites
Online art galleries
Your own online store/website
Social Media platforms
Print-On-Demand platforms

4) Launch A Website

No matter which online art marketplace you choose to sell your original work on, you should start a website, too. Why do you have to launch an art website?

Firstly, having a website will provide you with a platform. Developing that platform further will expand your reach and boost your online presence. Also, it will give you all the creative control you’ll need as a business owner.

Secondly, owning a website will help you find a larger audience. Writing and publishing articles that rank on search engines will place your art in front of thousands of potential customers.

Lastly, you can make money from your art in other ways. Promoting your own art online course, coaching, or a similar service is possible when you have a blog.

These days, you can launch a website for a few dollars with BigScoots as your hosting provider. The company has outstanding customer support, and its services are top-notch.

smart selling art online tips use Social Media

Say what you will about Social Media:

You may not be its biggest fan in your day-to-day life, but you shouldn’t underestimate its power to advance your business and increase your online art sales.

Starting an art business online is not enough. You’ll have to promote it heavily to build customer bases and reach potential clients.

And what better way to do that than creating Social Media accounts for your artwork?

Begin your quest for Social Media domination with Instagram and Pinterest. Both visual search engines will do wonders for your business once you learn to use them efficiently.

No matter what type of art you sell, promoting it on Social Media is a great way to showcase your unique artistic style and reach a global audience.

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6) Always Add Keywords To Your Artwork Descriptions

Until we’re still on the subject of search engines, let me share with you one of my favorite selling art online tips:

Writing descriptions while uploading artwork online will go a long way. To clarify, by effective descriptions, I mean descriptions that are rich in relevant keywords.

Whether you’re writing posts to rank on Google or pinning pins on Pinterest, don’t forget to do the necessary keyword research first. Adding keywords to the descriptions of your paintings will help potential buyers find them more easily.

Do I have to mention that this will help you sell more art pieces?

Newbie independent artists might not be familiar with SEO yet. The first step they should take to conquer the art world is learning the basics and gaining the necessary knowledge about website builders and email marketing.

7) Submit Your Art To Online Galleries

Earlier, I mentioned that joining art galleries to help you sell your work is one of the essential selling art online tips. Well, it is:

By all means, not taking advantage of everything an online gallery can do for your art business would be a dumb move on your part.

Most of these galleries have already established audiences. In other words, their platforms get thousands of views every month.

Regardless of how well your business is doing, working with an online art gallery will boost it further.

What if you want to promote your art in physical locations? Then, you can submit your best pieces at art fairs, art shows, coffee shops, and auction houses.

Popular Art Galleries To Submit Artwork:

8) Consider Selling Print-On-Demand Products

Now, you may want to keep your talent strictly on a painting. But why would you when you can use print-on-demand services to make more sales?

Most successful artists sell more than physical art. They offer digital downloads like art prints and other digital files.

The Print-On-Demand (POD) business model will allow you to transform your own work into a design that goes on different products. That business model is a good option to earn if you’re a graphic designer or professional photographer.

Choosing the right printing company is the most important thing when starting a POD business. Pick a POD partner that offers great customer service and makes the creative process easier.

Selling products via POD is a great opportunity for digital artists (that includes graphic artists and even interior designers). The best places to sell digital prints are Etsy, Zazzle, and Redbubble.

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9) Price Your Art Accordingly

Choosing the correct prices is a great place to start when building an online art store. Being smart about that is one of the most valuable selling art online tips I can give you.

Above all, knowing your art’s worth and its proper retail price is the most effective way to develop a successful business while staying true to your artist statement.

Don’t list your art for sale on online platforms for a price that doesn’t even cover your shipping costs. What about your expenses for advertisement and marketing materials?

After all, the bubble wrap you probably use to protect your paintings costs money. So, how do you go about that to secure a higher price point and profit?

Doing in-depth research is a good way to start moving in the right direction. The good news is you can easily see the price of similar work currently selling online.

10) Give It Time

This last piece of advice is redundant when you think about it.

Starting an art business may take you less than an hour. Turning that business into a profitable one takes time, effort, and hard work.

If you’re serious about earning a full-time income by selling art online, you should be in it for the long haul. Therefore, giving up when you don’t see instant results must not be an option!

Selling Art Online Tips Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Sell My Art Successfully? – The best way to sell art online is on your platform. You’ll need to launch a website or start an e-commerce store. Also, use platforms like Etsy or Facebook Groups that assist artists with selling their work.
Is Selling Art Online Profitable? – Yes, it is – if you put enough time and effort into making your art business work. Many artists earn a full-time income from their art, some make even more than that!
How Do Beginner Artists Make Money? – There are many ways to make money by selling art online. For example, you can start by offering your art on Instagram or joining the best online art galleries.
What Kind Of Art Makes The Most Money? – According to the statistics, landscapes and abstract paintings are selling at a higher price. But you can earn well from selling any art once you learn the business side of this online career.

Time To Wrap

Quite frankly, I don’t want to wrap this article up:

There is always something else we can say about selling art online tips. Here we are, though:

Sooner or later, everything must come to an end. I’m giving the word to you:

What are your tips for selling art online? Do you have a personal experience or a story you want to share?

Feel free to do that in the comments section below!

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