#4, SEPTEMBER 2020
Contents:
- Promote THE ARTIST!
- Insta Top Tip: FEATURE ACCOUNTS
- Great ILLUSTRATION PODCASTS
As always:
- PLEASE share our community with other artists!
- We welcome new ideas on how to make the community better!
GROUP FEATURE: HELP PROMOTE THIS ARTIST!
PLEASE support your fellow SWB member by publishing ONE SIMPLE STORY with THIS WEEK'S ARTIST on your instagram page. It can be as simple as the one shown here:
This week's featured artist is @marisunrise_art! Marisol does wonderful digital illustrations from Mexico, and we are so proud to have her positive energy in the group! Please keep inspiring us Marisol, we look forward to seeing more of your work!
Every week we will choose one artist the whole group can promote, from the artists that posted in the group that week! Participating is good for you (you create content for your followers to interact with, which Instagram loves!) and is of course great for the artist!
As always a BIG THANK YOU to the panel that is helping to select which artist to feature this month! They are big contributors to group posts and very helpful to the SWB community. Check out their work!
Chedi: @chedi_mhenni
Shivika: @artbyshivika
Rad: @radrad
INSTAGRAM TOP TIP: TARGETING FEATURE ACCOUNTS
I have mentioned feature accounts in the Whatsapp group before, and I thought I'd try and draw some more attention to it. Feature accounts are like using someone else's megaphone to attract attention to your work: they can dramatically increase the number of eyeballs on your work. Some of them can be even more targeted than paid promotions through Instagram. Best of all, many are free! Are you interacting with them? Here is a short explanation and my own list which you might find useful.
You’ve seen feature accounts by now:
- They group very targeted content that comes from different accounts all over the world, like @illustration_best
- They generally only post other people’s work
- Usually invite you to tag their account hastag (e.g. #artfeaturepro) or DM them for a chance to be featured
They have enormous reach on Instagram:
- They have tens or hundreds of thousands of followers
- Through their use of #s they tap into an even bigger community that sees what they post
- They are very active and so loved by the IG algorithm and prioritised in feeds
If they post your content, they can give you a massive boost in reach!
However, they receive A LOT of requests for posts, so it is worth being specific in the ones that you approach.
Here’s how to get the best out of feature accounts: Interact with them!
1. Pick 1 or 2 feature accounts that match your style and content. Be realistic: your stickmen won’t be featured on a Van Gogh Fine Art Enthusiasts feature
2. Don’t be shy. Reach out to them by DM to understand how they select content to be published
3. If you are useful to them for marketing their own brand, you can only help your chances of attracting their attention:
a. Follow them
b. Use their branded hashtag on your posts. Remember, like with any other hashtag, if they have a hundreds of thousands of posts, they are unlikely to see you post (and a DM is a more reliable way to reach them)
c. Mention their “@artfeaturepro” page on your posts or Stories
4. Though many are free, some accounts offer to post your work for a fee – if so, they will let you know when you DM them
Here are the feature accounts that I follow. Why not build your own list of feature accounts relevant to your work?
No. of Followers
Feature Name How to get featured Posts
@watercolor_guide DM 900k
@watercolor.illustrations DM 787k
@watercolor.blog #waterblog 625k
@watercolor_daily #watercolor_daily 500k
@tempuradesign #tempuradesign 275k
@watercolor #watercolor 200k
@rtistic_feature #rtistic_feature 190k
@watercolor_guild #watercolor_guide 168k
@watercolor.zone #watercolor_zone 128k
@childrensillustrators #childrensillustrators 70k
@watercolor.best #watercolor_best 52k
@childrensillustratorsart #childrensillustratorsart 40k
@arts_feature_ #artfeaturehelp 37k
@watercolour_channel #watercolour_channel 10k
@Watercolor_4you #watercolor_4you 6k
@modernwatercolour #modern_watercolor 5k
@childrens_illustrators @childrens_illustrators
@art._.feature 1k
@amazing_watercolors #bsbm_amazing_watercolors 100
Bookmark this list for future reference!
Share this with a friend whose work deserves to be featured!
MASTERS ART CONTENT OF THE WEEK: PODCASTS
I want to share two of my favourite art podcasts with you: perfect inspiration for when you are on the train, in the gym, or walking the dog (my personal favourite!). Both are available on most platforms like Spotify, Youtube etc - I really recommend you check them out!
Illustration Hour: Julia Dufossé speaks to professional illustrators. Here you will see how even talented, successful illustrators have been where you are, and continue to face the issues you face. It is informative and inspiring - and you WILL discover illustrators you love.
3-Point Perspective: Expert illustrators and art professors Will Terry, Lee White and Jake Parker talk about ideas, tools, best practice, tips, and all things illustration!
THANK YOU AND ARRIVEDERCI
Please continue to send us your suggestions, support and artist friends, and we will continue to work to make this group a valuable resource for you!
Keep in touch, and keep creating.
- Dario