Here is an interesting question for you. When was the last time you heard of ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ by Vermeer or for that matter Claude Monet’s ‘haystacks in a field’ from his Grainstack series?
Recently, incidents of vandalism by climate activists have done more to promote art than the combined effort of all museums around the world.
Although this statement sounds far-fetched, it cannot be denied that the images and video clips of paintings smeared with tomato juice or mashed potato have certainly gone viral on social media.
The point we’re trying to make is simple, with the right strategy, you too can use YouTube to promote your art online.
YouTube is the ideal platform for artists. It’s the most popular search engine only next to Google. Plus, it has millions of visitors per week and the platform provides the right tools to showcase your art and talent.
We don’t want to overwhelm you with ideas and tips. After months of research on the platform, we have narrowed down to 4 ideas on how to use YouTube to promote your art online.
Use one or more of these tips, create content that provides value to the viewers, persist with the effort, and soon you’ll join the list of successful artists on YouTube.
Tips to Use YouTube to Promote Your Art
1. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Let Your Personality Shine Through
Many artists are introverts who internalize issues and experiences and use art as an outlet to express themselves. But to shine on YouTube you need to shed some of the self-isolationist characteristics. You’ll have to face the audience and open up your heart to let your personality shine through.
The first strategy is more about connecting with the viewers than promoting your art. This will allow the audience to know you before they know your art which is not a bad thing.
If you’re an introvert, it’s time to get out of your comfort zone. This is a great opportunity to connect with friends and fans.
Artists are highly tuned to listening and observing. During interactive videos, you can rely on these skills to observe the viewers and absorb those little elements from the audience that you can use to promote yourself and your art.
If you’re doubtful of your performance before the camera, then bear in mind, you can try a dozen times before uploading a video online.
Even music artists with thousands of subscribers and millions of views now, took some time to generate interest among the public.
On the other hand, outgoing, social, and passionate artists can have a ball of a time discussing their journey as an artist with the audience.
2. Share Your Art Techniques and Artistic Knowledge
Admirers and would-be buyers of art appreciate the techniques involved in drawing, painting, etc. They would very much want to learn these techniques so they could value the art and admire the artist better.
You can also promote yourself by teaching various painting or drawing techniques to beginners. Art workshops could be an opportunity to share your techniques, ideas, and approach with others.
You don’t need to be a teacher to conduct workshops. Artists who are good at what they do can share their knowledge with others.
Plus, you don’t need an elaborate setup for the workshop. Record a video of your drawing or painting routine, from start to finish.
You can guide the viewers through the process with a commentary or record the commentary separately and insert the sound file into the video.
If this sounds technical, seek the assistance of video editing services to cover the editing needs of your YouTube channel.
Teaching others will make you a better artist. That’s because art workshops or tutorials also present the artists with an opportunity to examine their technique and approach.
3. Communicate the Message in Your Art
Two paintings by two different artists on the same subject will never be the same. Surprisingly, two paintings by the same artists on a single subject may not be the same. Paintings are the outward expression of an artist’s inner thoughts, mood, philosophy, and a lot more.
Use YouTube to share your unique art process. Through YouTube videos, you can attract the attention of people who share your philosophy, ideas, and passion.
The Fearless Girl statue is a good example of how the right messaging can help a campaign go viral.
A large asset management company, State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) commissioned a bronze sculpture to advertise an index fund. Through the statue, the company wanted to highlight that the fund had a large number of women in leadership positions.
A day ahead of International Women’s Day 2017, the sculpture was placed in front of the charging bull statue.
Photos and videos of both sculptures went viral and the message of female empowerment reached far and wide.
Although the Fearless Girl sculpture was later relocated, the buzz that the message of a girl facing the charging bull created helped win several international awards. It’s also estimated that SSGA received free publicity worth $7.4 million.
4. Become an Art Critique or Discuss Art with the Viewers
This last idea could be a great crowd-puller if used right. Everyone has an opinion, but only an artist with a trained eye that has the ability to see through the art into the soul of the creator can become an art critic.
There is an endless supply of paintings, sculptures, etc. to review and you can make it a weekly series. This is also a great opportunity for you to become an art expert.
Art reviews need not be a one-sided affair. YouTube provides tools to conduct live sessions where you can open up the topic and invite comments and opinions from the audience.
In addition, you don’t have to restrict the discussion to art alone. You can review art events, galleries, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Use YouTube to Promote Art Online?
If the sheer volume of YouTube channels and the number of videos uploaded each day are preventing you from going all out, then here are points that’ll convince you.
- Other media hosting platforms have their good points but most of them provide their best features only to premium members. In contrast, YouTube is free and you can be pretty sure your target audience watches YouTube. Plus, most of the features are free.
- It’s easy to graduate from a spectator to a content creator on YouTube. Create, customize, and market your channel in minutes. The platform allows you to add tags, categories, and custom thumbnails, to make your videos easily discoverable.
- YouTube provides the ideal features to promote art online. Make use of 360-degree videos to give the audience a glimpse of your art gallery. Use Live Chat to connect and interact with the viewers in real-time.
- One of the biggest advantages of using YouTube is the flexibility the platform offers. The video content could be short (2-3 minutes) or long (more than an hour). No other social media platform with more than a billion users provides such flexibility.
What Equipment Do I Need to Make YouTube Videos?
Want to promote your art online? Make the YouTube videos professional and nice. You might have heard people say that a smartphone is enough to record videos. It’s true, but you need a few more YouTube equipment pieces to make the videos look professional.
Cameras: Artists with limited budgets can make use of their smartphones. If you value quality more than cost, then DSLR cameras are a good option for high-quality photos and videos.
Lighting Tools: The most important element in video production, especially for artists. You can make the room bright either with natural light or pocket LEDs, ring lights, or LED tube lights. Ideally, you need to have three points of light to create the best setting for recording videos.
Sound Tools: The smartphone mic or shotgun mic is the cheapest option. But, they capture wind, reverb noise, etc. An external recorder, although expensive and adds to your workload in the post-production stage, provides the best quality sound for YouTube videos.
Camera Support: There are plenty of options to choose from. If you walk around the art studio or gallery then a stabilizer is a must. Or, if you’re recording videos from fixed angles, then go for a sturdy tripod stand.
How Often Should I Post Videos on YouTube?
It takes time to spread awareness, expand your reach, and make your presence felt on YouTube. Creating a successful YouTube channel is a long-term commitment. Hence, posting videos consistently is the key to success.
Upload at least two videos to your YouTube channel a week. Make it three if the videos are short. Artists who have a busy schedule can create a bunch of videos when they find time and schedule the content so that there is a steady stream of content to attract and engage the audience.
How to Promote My YouTube Art Channel?
Use your YouTube channel to promote your art and not as a platform to advertise art or art merchandise. Although your end goal is to sell your art, your videos must aim to provide value to the audience.
Aim to create a small art community for yourself on YouTube. You can achieve this using the following marketing strategies:
- Research your niche, audience, and competitors to come up with the most profitable keywords. Use the keywords in the titles and descriptions of the video content.
- In the description box and video, include a link to your art website. Use call-to-action to guide the viewers to visit your website.
- Email marketing, for small business or small-time artists, is a great technique to stay in touch with leads after the initial connection.
- Develop a long-term relationship with art patrons by constantly creating content that’ll keep them interested in your YouTube art channel.
How to Make YouTube Video Production Affordable?
Using royalty music or high-end video transitions, and special effects can increase the cost of video production. You could get into legal trouble if copyrighted music is used in your videos.
With a little effort, you can find plenty of free transitions and special effects libraries online. Plus, you don’t have to look beyond the free YouTube audio library for music and sound effects.
If you’re running out of ideas for your YouTube channel, then invite guest artists to discuss their work. If you invite other artists and help them promote their art, then in the future they might do the same for you.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re an emerging talent or a professional artist, these tips can help you reach new viewers, interact with your fans, and find buyers and collectors.
You can also build a community where you can teach painting techniques, share your story, and even mentor new artists. The ways to expand your sphere of influence are many on YouTube.
Art contains a deeply spiritual and philosophical message and artists won’t find a better platform than YouTube to whisper this deep meaning to the public. Use this little guide to connect, convey, and promote your art to the right audience on YouTube.
This article was provided by Cristian Stanciu who is a freelance video editor, owner and post-production coordinator of Veedyou Media – a company offering video animation services to marketing agencies, video production studios and brands all over the globe. You can catch up with him on his blog or on LinkedIn.
