You promised a newsletter . . . you started a blog . . . now you have to write something. You need content! Your art will always be the main reason for your newsletter or blog, but it doesn’t have to take up all of the space.
One thing you can do to make fast friends and increase your online traffic is to shine the spotlight on someone else, which also gives you fresh content. Here are three ways to do that for a blog or newsletter.
 |
| Deedee Hampton, Root, Bloom. Mixed media, 24 x 24 inches. ©The Artist |
1. Host a guest writer.
Guest writers give you the gift of effortless content because, in theory, all you have to do is copy and paste their articles into your newsletter or blog and add a few links and an image.
The content might reflect the author’s expertise in a certain area, or it could be an alternative viewpoint to something you’ve written. A guest writer would want to link to the article from their blog, tweet about it, and send traffic your way.
If the article is sent in an email newsletter, the guest writer could forward it to his or her list. Voilà ! You’ve instantly expanded your audience.
2. Interview someone.
Ask artists you admire if they would like to be featured.
You could also interview gallery dealers, curators, arts writers, or anyone associated with your niche market. Devise four or five brief questions and send via email.
If you need to edit the responses heavily, run the edits by your subjects to get their approval before you publish. Ask how they would like to be credited.
3. Write a glowing review.
Love someone else’s work?
Write about what attracts you to the work, and how it is similar or different to your own. Quote from their artist statement or other text they have written. Use an image and give complete credit (along with © notice) just as I do with images in this newsletter.
KNOW THIS———-~> Featuring someone else in your newsletter or on your blog gives you fresh content and builds online relationships.
THINK ABOUT THIS—~> Wouldn’t you be happy with additional visitors to your blog or website?
DO THIS————~> Shine the spotlight on someone else. Writing about yourself all of the time gets tiresome. Connect with people and make some new friends in the process!
Set up an interview, ask someone to redo (slightly) or expand one of their blog posts for your newsletter, or just write nice things about an artist you admire. Any of these actions will add variety to your content and build stronger relationships. They’ll also increase your traffic since your subjects are likely to send their community your way.
PODCAST
The podcast is an audio version of this content.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
6 thoughts on “Art Marketing Action: Shine the Spotlight on Someone Else”
Great post Alyson! This is about much more than increasing visitors to your website or blog, it’s about creating or expanding our communities. I like that. I’m a writer and dancer, not a visual artist, but I’m learning so much about marketing from your blog and newsletter. And I look forward to seeing the new chairs 😉
Kathleen: I always love to hear when non-visual artists are helped by my articles. Just learned that one of my posts (that had been translated into Hebrew) is going to be reposted on another Israeli site–for Veterans of the Israeli armed forces!!!
So an artist wouldn’t mind if I posted an image of their work on my blog (in a post about their work) as long as I credit them and note the copyright of the work is theirs? It seems like a legal gray area, like I wouldn’t be able to put an mp3 of a Depeche Mode song on my blog when talking about how much they inspire me if I simply add a copyright symbol by it.
Lesley, I’m going to pull this out and make a new blog post out of it. It seems to warrant extra attention. Thanks.
Pingback: Using other artists’ images on your blog — Art Biz Blog
Im in the process of updating my website and creating a newsletter and looooove the idea of featuring artists whose work I admire. I believe you’re either expanding or contracting and thats definitely expanding. Also a section featuring info from galleries and / or gallery owners sounds appropriate as well for a host of reasons. Thank you!
Cheryl