Social media for artists works when people get to know the person and the process behind the work, not just the finished piece. Buyers rarely purchase a painting the first time they see it. They follow, watch it come together, get attached, and buy when the moment is right. Galleries work the same way, with the added job of turning followers into visitors.

This guide is for UK artists, makers and small independent galleries. We cover showing your process, selling work directly, promoting exhibitions, the copyright basics you should know before posting, and how Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest compare for art.

Your process is your best content

A finished painting is one post. The making of it can be twenty. Process content shows the skill and time involved, which helps people understand your prices, and it gives followers a reason to come back.

• Time-lapses of a piece from blank canvas, block or clay to finished work.
• Close-ups of texture: brushstrokes, glaze, stitching, the grain of a print.
• Studio life: your space, your tools, the mess, the dog asleep under the easel.
• Talking about the idea: where a series came from, the place or person behind it, what you were trying to capture.
• Mistakes and changes: a section painted over, a firing that went wrong. People find these more relatable than perfect results.
• Materials and techniques: short explainers that also attract other artists and students.

Film without slowing down

Set up a phone on a tripod or overhead arm and leave it recording while you work. One session can give you a time-lapse, a few close-up clips and a talking-to-camera moment. Natural daylight shows colour most accurately, so photograph finished work by a window and avoid heavy filters that change how it looks in real life. If you’d rather have professional footage of your studio or a new collection, our video production team can help.

Selling work needs a clear path to buy

Lots of artists have engaged followers but few sales, usually because buying isn’t obvious or easy. Make the commercial side clear without turning your feed into a catalogue.

• Say when something is for sale. Put “available” and the price, or a price range, in the caption. Many people won’t ask.
• Show scale. A shot of the piece on a wall, or held by you, answers the question everyone has.
• Offer different price points: originals, limited edition prints, cards, small studies or commissions.
• Link to a shop. Put your shop link in your bio and Stories when you post new work. If you sell physical items through a website, you can set up a shop on Instagram and Facebook and tag products in posts, with checkout taking place on your website.
• Use drops. Announce a new collection date in advance and release work at a set time. It builds anticipation and gives people a deadline.
• Make commissions easy to request with a simple form asking for size, subject, budget and deadline.

Keep a mix. A rough guide is mostly process, personality and ideas, with a smaller share of direct selling posts. If every post is “for sale”, people stop paying attention. A social media management plan can keep that balance steady while you focus on making work.

Related reading: 5 Music Brands and Artists Killing It on Social Media

Exhibitions need a campaign, not a single post

Whether it’s a solo show, an open studio or a gallery’s new season, treat an exhibition as a short campaign with a beginning, middle and end.

1. Announce it four to six weeks ahead with dates, venue and a striking image. Create a Facebook event so people can mark themselves as interested.
2. Build up with sneak peeks of work, the hang, framing and the artist’s story.
3. Invite people personally to the private view through DMs and email, not just posts.
4. Go live or post Stories on opening night so people who couldn’t come feel involved.
5. Keep it going during the run with walk-through videos, visitor reactions (with permission) and “last week to see it” reminders.
6. After it closes, share what sold, thank visitors and point people to the remaining work online.

For galleries

• Introduce your artists with short interviews or studio visits. Tag them so they can share it.
• Post practical information clearly: opening hours, admission, accessibility, parking.
• Show the space as well as the art, so people can imagine visiting.
• Collaborate with nearby cafés, shops and venues on joint events and posts.
• A small, well-targeted ad budget to people within travelling distance can lift visitor numbers during a show.

Know the copyright basics

Posting work online makes it easy to share, and easy to copy. Understanding where you stand helps you act quickly if it happens.

• Copyright is automatic in the UK. You don’t need to register or pay a fee, and there’s no UK copyright register. Your work is protected once you create it.
• It lasts a long time. For artistic works it usually lasts 70 years after the artist’s death. The GOV.UK copyright guidance explains the detail.
• Posting doesn’t give your work away. Under the main platforms’ terms you keep ownership, but you grant the platform a licence to host and display it. Read the terms if you’re concerned.
• Use a © line and watermark if you like. They’re optional and don’t change your legal protection, but a discreet name on the image can deter casual copying and help people find you.
• Post web-sized images rather than full print-quality files.
• Use platform reporting tools. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest all have copyright report forms if someone reposts or sells your work without permission.
• Check your own posts too. Using someone else’s photo, music or artwork in your content needs permission. Use music from the platform’s licensed library for Reels and TikToks.

For anything beyond the basics, such as licensing a design to a business, take proper legal advice.

Credit other people properly

If you share photos taken by a gallery, a photographer or a collector who bought your work, ask first and credit them by tagging. Galleries should agree with artists in advance how their work will be shown and credited online, including on any paid ads.

Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest do different jobs

Platform	Strengths for art	Watch out for
Instagram	The main home for artists and galleries. Grid works as a portfolio, Reels reach new people, DMs suit sales and commissions	Reach depends heavily on video, so a static-only grid can stall
TikTok	Process videos and personality can reach large audiences quickly, even with few followers	Needs regular video and a comfortable presence on camera. Views don’t always turn into buyers
Pinterest	Works like a visual search engine. Pins can drive traffic to your website for months, and suit prints, interiors and wedding or gift buyers	Slower to build. Less about community, more about discovery and clicks
Facebook	Events, local community groups, older collectors and gallery audiences	Organic reach for Pages is limited without ads

Most artists do best with Instagram as their main channel, then either TikTok (if video comes naturally) or Pinterest (if you sell prints or decorative work online). Repurpose the same clips across platforms rather than making everything twice.

Frequently asked questions

How often should artists post on social media?

Two to four posts a week, plus Stories while you work, is realistic for most artists. Consistency over months matters more than bursts of activity.

Should I show my prices on Instagram?

Showing prices, or at least a price range, helps serious buyers decide and saves you answering the same question. “DM for price” puts some people off.

Do I need to register my artwork for copyright?

No. In the UK, copyright is automatic once you create the work, and there’s no official register.

Is TikTok or Instagram better for selling art?

TikTok can grow an audience faster, while Instagram tends to be better for building relationships with buyers. Many artists use TikTok for reach and Instagram for sales.

Get help growing your audience

Delivered Social helps artists, makers and galleries across Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex plan content and grow engaged audiences through our social media management service, and captures studios and exhibitions through our video production team. Contact us to talk about your next collection or show.