Art Business Info. for Artists
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    • How to write an Artist's Statement >
      • What is an Artist Statement?
      • Why you need an Artist's Statement
      • TIPS How to write an artist statement
      • The Language of an Artist's Statement
      • What an artist statement should contain
      • Examples of Artists Statements
    • How to write an Artist's Resume or CV >
      • Social Media summaries
      • CV for Artists
      • Resume for Artists
      • Biography for Artists
    • How to sign a painting, drawing or fine art print
    • Business Cards for Artists
    • How to write a press release for an artist
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      • Why websites matter
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    • Trading Law & Regulations for Artists (UK)
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    • Art Exhibitions & Competitions >
      • Juried Exhibitions & Art Competitions
      • Juried Art Exhibition Checklist for Artists
      • How to cost a juried exhibition entry
      • How to make labels for an art exhibition
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    • A Guide to Art Agents and Consultants
    • A Guide to Art Dealers & Galleries >
      • How to find the right gallery
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      • How to pack and ship pastel paintings
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Social Media Summaries

How do you describe yourself as an artist on social media?
​

More and more artists are learning about
how to use social media to promote their art and themselves as an artist


Don't leave a gap where the bio should be because you don't know where to start - read on!

Key Points
​

Three factors influence whether or not people follow you:
  • Your social media bio
  • Your profile and banner pics
  • Your content

When constructing a social media bio you need to:
  • be very brief - this is akin to the perfect one sentence 'about you' when you meet somebody at a private view. 
  • don't neglect it -  Saying something real about you helps make your art more accessible
  • be authentic and distinctive - what makes you unique and different is not using the same words as every other artist. 
  • generate a hook  - say something which makes people follow you. Read around, see which short bios on Facebook and Twitter appeal to you - it gives you ideas.
  • no need to be grammatical - You can use single words or short descriptive phrases. Verbs are often absent! Be consistent with separators - commas, colons or full stops.
  • favour 1st rather than 3rd person - when using your real name - this is YOU speaking 
  • do be professional if you are promoting your art
  • be consistent - between social channels - this is a branding exercise for your art business!
  • don't be pretentious / don't use artspeak - enough said? (No? More on ArtSpeak)
  • avoid cliché - overuse of certain phrases on social media can be very boring. (Do read other people's bios before developing your own - and you will see what I mean)
  • ​avoid politics, religion or sexuality - unless this is a strong focus of your art
  • never ever promise to follow people back - you're no longer a teen!
  • use a good image for your profile photo - make it distinctive - this is often how people recognise you. No need to reveal all of your face and you can use a symbol or artwork - but a friendly pic does help make you real. (see below for dimension details)
  • make your cover (banner) photo say something about you - No image says images don't interest you! They can be difficult to get right. Use a panoramic image that works within the format constraints (see below for dimensions)
  • keep in mind "shorter takes longer". It's not easy writing a great summary in a few words. You are allowed to go back and tweak! It took me a few goes to get it right.

Benefits of working on social media bios
​

One of the BIG benefits at working on your social media bio is you get very much better at describing yourself when you meet people face to face.

If you write a good social media bio you are also much more likely to get followers than if you write one that could be absolutely anybody's.
Picture
My Twitter Page associated with my blog 'Making A Mark'. I used to use a lot of numbers in a past life.....

Tips about social media summaries
​

  • How to write the perfect social media bio - five tips 
  • About.me used to be a very useful way of identifying all the places you can be found online - on one page.  Then they changed it - so now mine provides a way of getting people to where they need to be to find out more This is mine.
  • This is a useful tool I use when I'm trying to get tweak what I'm saying in a limited number of characters - it counts as you type!  (It's actually for writing the description for webpages i.e. what you see when people come across your website when doing a search)

Facebook

Twitter

Personal profiles are for non-commercial use and represent individual people. You can follow profiles to see public updates from people you're interested in but aren't friends with. Pages look similar to personal profiles, but they offer unique tools for businesses, brands and organizations. Pages are managed by people who have personal profiles. ​
Your summary on Facebook is:
  • the 'About' section on your Facebook Page - which allows commercial use e.g. the promotion of your art
  • it asks you for a mission - say what you are about in one sentence.
  • don't forget to include links to your webbsite and blog
  • You can also say a lot about who you are through the cover photo you choose to use. Share what interests you or appeals to you. People love images! (see dimensions below)
  • you can view what your 'About' section looks like to a visitor by clicking the three dots to the right of the menu line (just to the right of "share")

REFERENCE
  • Facebook: About Profile Picture and Cover Photo

​Instagram

  • be brief - you have just 150 characters
  • don't be cute - use the name you use for your art business
  • don't be formal - Instagram is an informal platform so try and make your description accessible to all
  • link to your website - the only place you can place a live URL is in your bio so show them your art business
REFERENCE
  • How to Write Instagram Bios for Businesses | sproutsocial 
  • be brief - You have 160 characters to describe yourself - and no more. 
  • do be sure to include a link to where they can find out more about you and/or your main website or blog
​
REFERENCE
  • Twitter: Customising your Profile
  • Twitter bios and what they really say | New York Times
  • How to write a Rock Star Twitter Bio | Mashable
  • How To Write A Follow-Worthy Twitter Bio In 4 Easy Steps | Social Media Today

YouTube

If you're not camera shy, one of the best ways to introduce who you are is to make a mini-video of yourself explaining who you are, what you do and the purpose of your channel.

Tips about Images (Dimensions)
​

In creating social media profiles I used to find few things more irritating than uploading an image to social media and finding that it doesn't look anything like you intended - because of the constraints on the pixels and picture ratio.  

​That's why I now have a yellow post it note on the desktop of my computer which has the optimal sizes for the images used by different parts of social media. 

In this section I'll list some of the detailed constraints and measurements.
​
Note they are in PIXELS and you need an image editor that can crop in pixels.
See also Image Sizes for Social Media Sites

​
Facebook
  • Official Facebook cover photo size: 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall
  • Group Banner  801 x 250 pixels
  • Event    1920 x 1080 pixel image (16:9 aspect ratio)
YouTube
  • Official YouTube Channel Art 2560px x 1440px
Twitter
  • Official Twitter header 1500 x 500 pixels
  • Official Twitter profile 400 x 400 pixels
  • Official minimum image dimension: 720 pixels wide
  • Profile icon size: 160 x 160 pixels, with a minimum image upload size of 180 x 180 pixels
  • Profile icon cut-out: 168 pixels wide by 103 pixels tall, spaced 24 pixels from the left edge of the cover photo

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GO TOCOMMUNICATION
  • How to Write and Artist's Statement
  • How to Write an Artist's Resume or CV
  • How to write a press release for an artist
  • Websites for Artists
  • Blogging for Artists​

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ABOUT ART BUSINESS INFO. FOR ARTISTS  -  Please read "PLEASE NOTE"
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It helps artists learn how to do better at being business-like, marketing and selling their art and looking after their financial security.
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  • Home
    • Art Business Information Index
  • NEWS
  • PRACTICE
    • Starting Out - Tips
    • Being a Professional artist >
      • Working Lives of Professional Artists
      • Artists' Side Hustles
      • Artists' Residencies
      • Artists Unions
    • Business Management for Artists >
      • Setting Up & Running A Business
      • Risk Management for Artists
      • How to spot Art Scams / Fraud
      • Life in an Art Market Recession
      • Coronavirus COVID-19 and Art
    • Best Art Business Books
    • Learning Opportunities >
      • Art Schools in the UK
      • Art Business Courses
    • Image Management for Artists >
      • How to photograph art
      • How To Scan Artwork
      • How to back up image files
    • Law for Artists >
      • Legal Matters
      • Money Laundering in the Art Market
      • Data Protection for Art and Artists
      • Brexit Guidance for Art and Artists
  • MARKETING
    • How to write an Artist's Statement >
      • What is an Artist Statement?
      • Why you need an Artist's Statement
      • TIPS How to write an artist statement
      • The Language of an Artist's Statement
      • What an artist statement should contain
      • Examples of Artists Statements
    • How to write an Artist's Resume or CV >
      • Social Media summaries
      • CV for Artists
      • Resume for Artists
      • Biography for Artists
    • How to sign a painting, drawing or fine art print
    • Business Cards for Artists
    • How to write a press release for an artist
    • The Private View Invitation
    • Publicity for Juried Exhibitions
    • Websites for Artists >
      • Why websites matter
      • Options for Websites
      • Web content for Artists
      • Web design for artists
      • Keeping Google Happy
      • Writing for the Web
    • Image & Video sizes for Social Media Sites
    • How to be mobile-friendly
  • SELL ART
    • Trading Law & Regulations for Artists (UK)
    • E-commerce for artists
    • Art Exhibitions & Competitions >
      • Juried Exhibitions & Art Competitions
      • Juried Art Exhibition Checklist for Artists
      • How to cost a juried exhibition entry
      • How to make labels for an art exhibition
      • Alternative Options for Exhibitions
    • A Guide to Art Agents and Consultants
    • A Guide to Art Dealers & Galleries >
      • How to find the right gallery
    • The Artist-run Gallery
    • The Vanity Gallery
    • Art Fairs
    • How to Sell Art from Home
    • Open Studios
  • FRAME ART
    • List of Recommended Picture Framers
    • Conservation Products
    • Framing for open exhibitions and art competitions
    • Framing Videos
    • How to hang a picture
  • SHIP ART
    • How to pack artwork >
      • How to pack and ship pastel paintings
    • Packaging materials
    • How to ship art internationally >
      • Rules of Origin
      • Export Licences for Cultural Goods
    • How to ship art to exhibitions
    • How to mail art - Post & Parcel Services
    • UK & Ireland: Art Transport Services
    • USA Art Transport Services
  • COPYRIGHT
    • Copyright and artists' rights
    • BASICS: Copyright Infringement and Fair Use
    • How to protect artwork online
    • How to do a reverse image search
    • What to do about copyright infringement - for artists
    • Global Conventions on copyright >
      • Copyright in the UK
      • Copyright in the USA
      • Copyright in Canada
      • Copyright in Australia
  • MONEY & TAX
    • How to work out profit from an art sale
    • How to Price Your Art >
      • How important is price when buying art?
      • Options for Pricing Art
      • Terminology and Formulas for Pricing Art
      • Art Experts on Pricing Art
      • How artists price their art
      • The price of affordable art
    • Payments to Artists >
      • Paying Artists
      • How to create an Invoice
    • VAT for Artists
    • Tax Tips for Artists >
      • Tax on prize money
      • UK Tax Tips for Artists
      • UK: Self-Assessment Video Tips
      • USA Tax Tips for Artists
      • Ireland: Tax for Artists
      • Australia: Tax Tips for Artists
    • Insurance for Art and Artists >
      • Insurance for Art Teachers
      • UK Insurance Policies for art and artists
      • USA & Canada: Insurance Policies for Art and Artists
    • Artists' Grants & Scholarships
    • Retirement and Pensions for Artists
    • The Art Legacy >
      • Estate Planning for Artists
      • Estate Planning for Art Collectors
      • Famous Artists Estates
      • Artwork Inventory
      • After the Death of an Artist
      • Copyright and Resale Rights after Death
      • Art and Inheritance Tax
  • About + Help
    • Would you like me to help?
    • Privacy & Cookies Policy
    • Contact
  • BANKING