Thinking of starting an art blog? The process for creating a blog is similar regardless of what industry you’re in. But once you set up your blog, your niche can determine its look, content plan, and marketing strategy. With an art blog, you’ll want your art to be the focus – so what’s the best way to set up your blog to do that? This guide will teach you how to start an art blog that puts your art front and center of your audience.
How to Start an Art Blog That People Want to Read
An art blog can be an excellent way to express your ideas and interests in a new form: Writing! After you figure out what hosting company and blogging platform you want to use, follow these steps to set your blog up for success.
Step 1: Choose the Right Name
A name is a crucial piece of any blog, but it could be a make-it-or-break-it factor for your art blog. What name stands out more: Abigail’s Art or The Art of Fine Art? The latter would probably stick out to people more because it’s pinpointed on a type of art, so an audience will know what it’s about.
As an artist, people expect you to be creative. Naming your blog is no exception. And, with so many types of art blogs on the web, it’s necessary to help yours stick out by denoting what you do or what your art blog’s focus is.
That’s not to say that you can’t use your name for your blog. If you already have somewhat of a presence in the art world, using your name as your blog and domain name can be an excellent way to expand your brand.
Step 2: Pick an Art Niche
Your art blog should have a sub-niche, like fine art in the example above. There are hundreds to thousands of art types, from digital art to abstract art to landscape photography. Finding your spot in the art world will allow your blog to stand out and attract the perfect audience (many types of art are acquired tastes!).
Think about the type of art you create and are interested in. You should be able to not only showcase your artwork and other favorite art but also write with authority in that particular niche.
Step 3: Consider Your Purpose
There are many reasons you might want an art blog, including:
- Journaling about art you love
- Explaining your artwork
- Connecting with other similar artists
- Growing your fan base
- Selling your artwork
Whether you create your art blog as a hobby or you want to monetize it, you’ll want to figure out its purpose now before you create content.
Step 4: Choose the Best Theme for Your Brand
Understanding your blog’s purpose can also assist you in picking the right theme for your blog and brand. Some themes are designed more for journaling, while others have an e-commerce focus that can help you sell your artwork online.
Your blog’s theme is an element that should align with your brand and weave some of your art’s aesthetic into your website. Although there are a lot of free themes for WordPress and other blogging platforms, you might consider paying for a theme that reflects your art or hiring a web designer to capture your art’s personality.
Step 5: Plan and Create Your Content
Now that you’ve set up your blog, you need to plan and create content. Again, the content you create depends on your blog’s purpose. If you’re using your blog for journaling, almost anything can work for content. But if you want to funnel your audience into potential sales, then you’ll need to be a bit more strategic in your content planning.
A content strategy should include landing pages, informative evergreen content, and audience-focused blogs and emails that direct visitors to your artwork. Browsing other art blogs can inspire your content strategy by seeing how other art bloggers use their content to sell. These content curation tools can help you find leading art blogs and content.
Step 6: Establish a Social Media Presence
Connecting with other art influencers on social media can boost your blogging game. A strong network leads to more shares and more opportunities for sponsorships, advertising, and more, all of which relate to more artwork visibility and sales if you play your cards right.
Work on growing one or two social media channels to start. You can always target the others later. Instagram is an especially beneficial platform for art bloggers. Here are some tips to help you figure out your best Instagram posting times.
Step 7: Turn Visitors into Fans
Your visitors becoming fans is the best way to keep them coming back to your blog, checking out your new artwork, and hopefully buying some pieces. Offer an incentive, such as a discount on a purchase if you’re selling products, a free printable, or another offer to encourage visitors to give you their email address to keep hearing more from you.
By doing this, you can create email campaigns that showcase your new pieces, point readers to your blog posts, and offer promotions and discounts to drive sales. Your visitors will no longer be one-time readers; instead, they’ll become long-term fans and shoppers.
Grow Your Art Blog to Success
Growing any blog takes time, but once you have several dedicated readers, they can do some of the legwork for you through sharing. Sharing your content is a way for people to show off what they love or found helpful, and your content might just be right for the job. Our customizable share buttons flow seamlessly into your site’s design to give readers a simple way to share your content with their followers and networks for a hands-off approach to your art blog’s growth. You can install them in just minutes, and they’re totally free to use!
