The Artist's No-Excuse Weekly Self-Promotion Routine

The new edition of I'd Rather Be in the Studio has launched. Here I am with signed copies ready to be stuffed and mailed to their new homes.

On the inside front flap of the 2011 edition of I’d Rather Be in the Studio is a No-Excuse Weekly Self-Promotion Routine.

My wish for you is that you develop a routine that becomes second nature. You don’t balk or make excuses. You do the work because it’s ingrained as part of the art career you are building.
Here’s the checklist that appears on the book flap:

☑ Review marketing plan and create the week’s strategy
☑ Send thank-you notes
☑ Update art inventory database
☑ Add names of new contacts to database
☑ Mail 5 postcards to people you need to stay in touch with
☑ Recommend someone on LinkedIn
☑ Call or send a personal email to someone you haven’t spoken with in a while
☑ Attend an art opening or gallery talk (introduce yourself!)
☑ Carry a stash of flyers or postcards wherever you go
☑ Post two or three times to your blog
☑ Comment on five other blogs
☑ Add new images to Flickr or Facebook
☑ Engage fans on Facebook page
☑ Tweet something nice about 7 people on Twitter
☑ Follow up with leads and opportunities
☑ Stay on top of finances
☑ Check in with the Art Biz Incubator [updated]

My list is general and could be adapted to any art business or career. Customize the above items to fit your needs.
Unless the self-promotions tasks work for you, you won’t do them and you will never develop a routine.
What does your routine look like?

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11 thoughts on “The Artist's No-Excuse Weekly Self-Promotion Routine”

  1. Great wake up call. I worked with you several years ago and gained so much, but looks like it’s time to take a few more steps. Thanks

  2. I’m looking forward to receiving my copy of “I’d Rather Be in the Studio!” Although I don’t paint full time at this point, I’m working toward that goal. This book will be a big part of my plan to market my watercolor paintings. Thanks so much for tirelessly sharing your considerable knowledge in art marketing.

  3. thanks for that list …and inspiration. I only do a few on there…i have to get better. but one i will add from your e-course “blast-off” that i took a few years ago that i do every day…write out 5 gratitudes every morning. that has changed my life a lot!!

  4. Kelly Fitzgerald

    Congrats on the new edition Alyson! Thank you for sharing this checklist. Lots of good stuff! I just applied some of the tasks to my marketing routine today. :o) Cheers!

  5. Alyson, this is an awesome image of “Shipping It”.
    Text -> PDF -> Product… As artists & business owners we need a daily reminder of this – and you placed it front and center on the flap. Most authors dig in to write it, but then miss how this is when the work begins.
    Thanks for the vivid reminder,
    -Steve

  6. Honestly, reading this list I feel overstrained. Already one point only, 2 to 3 blogposts a week means 2 to 3 times about 2 or 3 hours of work – taking pics, editing, writing a decent text, uploading all of this, formatting layout, posting … together with all the rest, consuming too much time.

  7. Some great pointers here, but this is a pretty busy week before even getting down to putting brush to canvas!
    Still, it’s good to set goals and I’m all for checklists (it’s the only way I manage to get everything done without getting distracted – especially when I’m on the computer!)
    One blog comment complete … what was next?

  8. Pingback: Optimize Your Time — Art Biz Blog

  9. Pingback: Make It Happen – Like Santa — Art Biz Blog

  10. Pingback: Choosing to Live Excuse-Free — Art Biz Blog

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Get a transcript of episode 182 of The Art Biz (Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists) followed by a 3-page worksheet to evaluate the overall health and usage of the 3 types of artist lists.

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