29 Jul, 2019
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So you want to get the word out about your art and you’ve decided to use Instagram as your primary marketing channel. Great choice! With over 1 billion active users per month and a focus visual content, Instagram is one of the best platforms to display your art.
With that being said, it’s not as easy as uploading a painting or two and waiting for your account to go viral. Using Instagram to market yourself isn’t a “Set it and forget it” type deal. You’ll need to have a marketing strategy for your art account if you want it to thrive.
One of the best things you can do to get your content in front of the most eyes is to apply art hashtags relevant to your pieces. Using the correct hashtags will help direct your content right the people most likely to enjoy it and follow you.
All hashtags aren’t created equally though, and it’s important to know which ones to use, how to use them, and when to use them.
But don’t worry, we’re going to cover all of that below so you can take actionable steps and build your following today. Read on for some hand-picked art hashtags and info on how to use them to make the most out of your artist Instagram account.
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If you’re thinking of using Instagram or are already on the platform then you probably have some idea of the value of hashtags.
How to use them is a different beast, though. When used correctly, you’ll notice a night and day difference to the activity your account receives. But use them wrong or in unintended ways and you’ll very likely find your content getting fewer views than before.
Here’s how to determine the best ways to use these popular art hashtags on your account.
When you choose an art hashtag, it’s going to funnel your content alongside similar types of posts. And if you’ve chosen the right ones, people will already be waiting, searching those channels actively looking for art just like yours.
While it’s fine to use #art regardless of your specialty, it’s a little general with more than 500 million competing posts – many of which won’t even relate to your content. Instead, choose a tag specific to your niche, like #painting or #digitalart.
You’ll still have other posts to compete with, but you’ll have reached a more refined audience looking specifically for your type of content. And chances are, your posts won’t get buried too quickly, either.
Speaking of your posts getting buried, you need to make sure your content is in a good position to compete for the hashtag you’re using. It sounds counter-intuitive, but aiming for the most popular hashtag isn’t always the best option. In fact, it’s very likely to do more harm than good if your post can’t compete with the hashtags it’s trying to target.
You’ll find that the most popular art hashtags are continuously getting updated with new content. It’s basically a revolving door of content as people upload over 40,000 photos to Instagram per minute! And because IG’s algorithm favors accounts that already have high engagement, smaller or medium-sized profiles don’t stand a chance when using those hashtags.
When trying to choose an appropriate art hashtag, you’ll generally want to pick ones that have 1000x the number of likes your content usually gets. A tag like this will ensure that your content is seen by a wider audience without being so competitive that it disappears before anyone is able to engage with it.
Now that you know to align your Instagram art hashtags with your niche and pick ones that can compete for, the only thing left to do is dig through some hashtags and find the ones that will work for you.
Let’s get started!
This is definitely one of the most competitive art hashtags you’ll find. It’s worth exploring even if your account isn’t big enough to post here just yet, if only to get a feel for how accounts are using it correctly
Still a lot of competing posts, but this one a far cry from #art’s 500 million. If you’re feeling adventurous go for it but you’ll also want to add in a few more hashtags that are easier to target.
We love any “of the day” hashtag because it encourages current and aspiring influencers to keep releasing content on a daily basis. This is a good one to use if you have regular content to go out. But don’t worry, you can still use it even if you upload weekly as it’s still great for highlighting your current work.
Don’t let the name fool you – you don’t have to have a piece in a gallery to use this art hashtag (though it won’t hurt if you do). Think of this art tag as a virtual gallery you can share your best pieces.
Hashtags that end in “of Instagram” are always a popular choice. Want to highlight your work and your personal skills? This art hashtag is the way to go.
This tag is pretty self-explanatory and is a great place for both artists and fans to hang out.
Art is life and the artists who use this tag live and breathe by their pieces. Good news if that’s you because 6 million posts is a lot less competitive than we’ve been seeing so far.
The beauty of art is that it’s not bound by language. This art hashtag is in Spanish, and you’ll find that a lot of the content comes from Spanish speaking artists. Still, it’s a popular and thriving tag that’s worth a try. Plus, the competition will be low for other English language posts here.
We love this hashtag because it’s another opportunity to show off your work in a sort of virtual studio.
This art tag is awesome for showing off your more serene or cathartic pieces. Plus, at 2 million competing posts it’s definitely worth adding to your list of general art hashtags.
#Design is a good choice for graphic designers and you can also double-dip into other general design work with it as well.
This is a pretty general digital art hashtag that also covers a range of niches in itself.
If you have specific art skills in Photoshop, definitely don’t skimp out on using this hashtag! It’s also a nice opportunity to network with other artists who use the platform and maybe work out some collaborations!
If you specialty is painting digitally, this is a tag you’ll want to use. Remember, it’s a good idea to get your art hashtags as narrow as you can.
Just like the previous tag, this is perfect for people who do digital sketch work. Like #photoshop, use this art hashtag if you use an iPad as your preferred medium.
If drawing is your art style of choice, this is the art tag for you. But you’ll have to have a pretty large following if you want your content to rank here.
Got a quick sketch you want to show off? This is the perfect art hashtag to use.
If illustration and cartoon scenery are more your style, your content should live here. Plus, this is another good place to network with like-minded artists.
Perfect if you specialize in designing characters!
What’s this? Another opportunity to share your drawing content every day!
Use this general painting art tag to promote any kind of painting you do. Make sure to do it in conjunction with other tags since this one will be hard to rank for.
We can’t speak highly enough of specialty art hashtags. Use this one if your art is watercolor paint.
This is another broad tag, but much more manageable when it comes to competition. Anything you create on canvas can be shared here.
What were we saying about specifics? Share your acrylic painting content here.
It may be unreasonable to assume you’re cranking out a brand-new painting each day. Just use this hashtag each time you post a new painting.
We can’t help but highlight the most popular abstract art hashtag. Just remember to use it alongside other tags.
Modern art and abstract go hand and hand so feel free to utilize this tag for your abstract art as well
Getting specific with your abstract art? This hashtag has every inch of you and your expressive pieces covered.
If you’re drawing inspiration from the father of abstract art himself, use #pablopicasso as one of your art hashtags!
We love this one because it highlights your abstract art in a fairly low-competition space.
If you create 3D art you’ll want to use this art hashtag. But do keep in mind it may feature other 3D content aside from art.
Got a passion for creating 3D digital art? Tag your content here.
We love this hashtag because the word “Blender” may not first come to mind when you think art, but it’s a popular choice for 3D pieces that many artists not know about.
If you’re a master of clay or carving this art tag is invaluable to have in your arsenal.
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s a good art hashtag to use when you want to stray away from highly competitive ones.
If you want to both showcase and get feedback on your art, try #arts_help.
Proudly display your best artwork no matter how long you’ve been at it!
If you’re trying to become an art influencer, offering advice is an awesome way to build a following by providing educational content. Use this art hashtag when you have content to teach budding artists!
We all start somewhere. This hashtag is a change to share your art with other beginners and start to build a following.
Practice makes perfect! Use this tag when comparing how far you’ve come with your art skills.
Use this hashtag for your drawing or sketching when your engagement is in the low thousands.
We love this tag because it gives artists a chance to create work in their unique style. Plus it opens the door for collaborations and bundling with other relevant hashtags related to the piece.
When your illustration account is starting to draw a good amount of engagement and followers, this is a nice hashtag to keep on hand.
This hashtag is a goldmine because you’ll find some truly amazing art but with less competition compared to the others. Definitely use this tag if you specialize in realism.
Another great specific hashtag that you can compete for pretty easily.
We love this art hashtag if your medium is digital art and you’re just starting your IG account.
When you’re first starting to build followers, updating a piece a day using a low competition hashtag is a great way to build some momentum.
Keep this art tag when first launching your painting account.
New to digital art? Keep this hashtag in your back pocket!
If you don’t have a lot of followers and your goal is to promote your art, use this hashtag.
Remember that you’re using these art tags as part of your marketing strategy. That means there’s a rhyme and reason to how you’ll go about implementing them to ensure you get the best results.
By the way, you’ll want to make sure you’ve optimized your account and are ready to hit the ground running when you kick off your strategy. When it’s finally time to start posting or scheduling your posts out, keep these rules in mind:
Remember that Instagram posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than posts without. Are you utilizing art hashtags as well as you could be?
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