Transcripts
1. Introduction: On Instagram, new
followers decide in less than 7 seconds if
they want to follow you. So it's important to make your Instagram profile
work for you as an artist. Your profile setup is one of the few things you
can fully control on this constantly evolving
platform. Hi, I'm Omar. I'm an artist, illustrator, and author with over 180,000 followers on Instagram
when filming this class. I'll be sharing simple
yet effective tips that will help you stand out and ensure your
Instagram profile is concise and working
to support you. Throughout this class,
you'll learn how to make a great first impression to
attract your target audience. We'll break it down into four
key areas profile picture, optimizing your name,
using SEO in your bio, and why you might
want to rethink using Linktree for contact info. Each of these elements
will help you improve your discoverability
and connect you with your ideal
clients or followers. Let's dive straight in.
2. Your Project: For your class project,
follow this simple guide. Take the steps from
the class videos and apply them to your
Instagram profile. Capture a screenshot of your Instagram profile page
before and if you want, after you've made any updates. In your project submission, mention two things
you considered or changed based on the lessons. I'll review your
project and may offer one additional suggestion to
help fine tune your profile. If you'd like more in
depth consultation, feel free to check out my one on one consultation page for personalized advice
and portfolio review. When you're ready to
upload your class project, head over to the
Projects and Resources tab and hit the Create
Project button. Here you can add the
screenshots of your project and say a little bit about what you considered for your profile. First, give your
project cover photo. Here you can add the
contents of your project, including your photos and the text to reflect on the process and what
you found interesting. When you finished, adding
your content, hit publish. Let's quickly look at
the different parts of an Instagram profile so you understand what
I'm talking about. The username, this is
your at or your handle. Here is your profile picture. This part is your profile name, and underneath is the bio. This is the written description. You can also add a location. And there's a space for links. So my username is at Own
Underscore M underscore Win. You can see my profile picture. My profile name is OMA Win. Normally, I would have had artist and
illustrator after it, but I am now meta verified, so I can't add that. My bio reads Burmese UK watercolor
sketchbook artist and author. Food Illustration, top teacher
at Skill Share, YouTube, join My Patrion and the link in the Bo is my Patrion
with three other links.
3. Profile Picture: The First Impression: Profile picture is
the first thing people will notice when
they visit your page, and first impressions matter. Many artists choose
to use a logo or a piece of their artwork
as their profile image. However, research shows
that people are more likely to engage with
profiles that use a clear, well lit photo of a person. And since Instagram is
all about connecting with the audience on a more
personal and visual level, when your friendly face is
the first visual they see, this will help build trust with potential clients and followers. If you haven't
done this already, now's the perfect time to update your profile picture with a friendly headshot
that represents you. Here's a few points to consider. Use the right dimensions. Choose the square image with
at least 320 by 320 pixels. Remember, Instagram will
display this in a circle, so make sure you are
right in the middle. No, selfies, it's best to have a friend take a photo of you looking at the camera or phone, as I think this is better for less blurry pictures at funny angles and don't
forget to look happy. Focus on head and shoulders. Avoid full body photos as details will get lost in
the tiny profile space, and be sure to keep color pictures instead
of black and white. Keep the focus on you. Choose a simple or
neutral background. In my profile picture, it's my living room
wall. Good lighting. Use natural lighting or
stand near a window. Let's take a look at
two profile picks. Originally, artist and
designer Nick Squirrel used a Fox illustration as her profile picture to represent
her brand on Instagram. I suggested that she switched
to a photo of her friendly, welcoming face so people
could easily connect with the person behind the beautiful home
decor and gift designs. This small change helps build a much more personal
connection with her audience. Mel Rising's de grand profile
picture features a relaxed, approachable upper body pose, perfect for her role
as an educator. The soft pale blue background adds a calming
touch whilst making her stand out and keeping the focus on her warm
professional image, which helps build trust
with her audience.
4. Optimising Your Name: Now let's talk about
optimizing your name. This is one of the most
underrated fields on Instagram, but it's incredibly important. Did you know that your name
field is actually searchable? This means you can add
relevant keywords here to increase your visibility when people search for
artists in your niche. To optimize your name, go ahead and use your
first and last name, but consider adding one or two words to describe
what you do. For example, instead
of Jane Smith, at Jane Smith hand
lettering artist. This not only tells people what kind of work
you do at a glance, but also helps you show
up in search results when someone is looking
for those specific skills. It could be anything from children's book
Illustrator to printmaker. You might also choose titles like surface designer, quilter, or art teacher to showcase your expertise and attract
your ideal audience. It's a simple tweak, but it
can have a big impact on how easily potential clients or followers can find
you on the platform. Let's look at two examples. First, we have Karen Gutharn whose profile name
is Scottish Scribe. I advised her to put watercolor artist after her name in the profile name section. So it now reads Karen
Guthar watercolor artist, and that part is now searchable. We also updated her
profile picture and the wording in her bio, which is something I'll
talk about in a little bit. Next up, we have Denise Love, who is an artist and
creative educator. She already had that in her bio, but I told her it
would be better use of her profile name if she added artist and creative educator
in that section there. We also updated and
rearranged her bio. So mentioning at the bottom
the mediums that she used, again, I will talk
more about this later. However, and this is important, you won't be able to add
anything after your name if you are verified with an Instagram
blue badge like I am.
5. Optimising Your Bio with SEO: I the section underneath
your name is your bio. This is the place where you tell people exactly who
you are and what you do and why they should follow you using 150
characters or less. I want to emphasize
that this part of your profile is
prime real estate. Please don't waste
it. You only have three or four lines before folks will have
to click on more. So every word counts, and those first three lines
are really important. SEO is just as important on social media as it
is on websites. So take the time to
ensure your bio includes keywords that your audience
might be searching for. Think about your
target audience. Who are you actually
trying to reach? Is it art directors, potential clients
for art licensing or wanting to build
a Patrion community? To be concise, please
consider what do you do? For example, ceramics. What medium do you use? For example,
procreate or gouache. And the market you work in
or would like to attract, for example, greetings
cards or art galleries. You don't have to write
in full sentences, but you must be concise and clear so that people can quickly understand what
value you offer and make a decision whether
or not to follow. Let's talk through
a few examples. This is Hannah, an artist and
illustrator from Singapore. I asked her to change the
hierarchy or the order of the lines so that we have the most important
thing at the top, which is acrylic and gouache
mixed media paintings. Remember, these are
searchable words. And then next line is urban sketcher and co founder
of Urban Sketch Plus, which is urban
sketching for kids. And I moved the digital
learning experience designer to the very bottom, so it does actually appear after more in this
newer version, it doesn't matter as much
since it is used primarily as an art account and the
important information appears in the top three lines. Next we have Allie Miller. The version on the left is
a slightly older profile, and the one on the right is one that she has updated recently. You can see that she has put map and food Illustrator
in her profile name. And then she goes on to say foodillustrations for cookbooks,
editorial and brands. These are keywords that
can be easily searchable, including things like
illustrated maps. She has also ended with shop and gifts because she wants
to draw attention to that. I also want to mention three points worth
considering Threads. Unless you are very
active on threads, I would disable this badge, togle it off, as it's space you can use for
other aspects of your bio. Do you remember if
there's too much text, you are going to
have to tap more to see what is in the
line underneath. So make sure all the important
information is above it. Location. This could be important if you sell at
local art fairs and markets, so you can include specific locations like
Rananok in West Virginia. Otherwise, you can
keep it general. I just say Burmese UK artist. And please don't just
use a flag because people commonly won't be
searching for flags in Google. Better to use an actual
country like Canada.
6. Contact Info and Link in Bio: Now, let's talk about
how to guide people off Instagram and onto your
website, shop or Patrion. A lot of artists use
their Linktree to organize multiple
links on their bio. The main reason to avoid
using Linktree for Link hosting is its negative
effect on SEO. Social media traffic is
vital for increasing your website's visibility as it shows search engines that
your site is popular. By directing traffic
to Linktree, you're giving them
the SEO benefits that should be going
to your own website. If you do have a website, there's no reason not to
create your own inks page using simple Builders in Squarespace or
something similar. You can customize it
to match your brand, easily edit links, and fix
any problems that come up. I would keep it to the
six most relevant links, otherwise, it could get too
overwhelming for the viewer. However, Instagram now allows you to include up to
five links on your bio. Previously, there was only
a single link option. Your chosen links
could range from your website to
recent blog articles, your online class, or
a YouTube channel. You can always update the links to reflect your
current priorities, whether it's promoting
a new collection, a workshop or your newsletter. A clear caar action like
view my latest YouTube video or Shop My Prince can encourage people to
click those links. This is Geniu who is a graphic
designer and photographer, and these are the links that
she provides to her classes.
7. Final Thoughts: Let's quickly recap. Your profile picture
should be a clear, welcoming headshot to
create connection. Optimize your name
with keywords that reflect what you do and
what you can offer. Tailor your bio with SEO friendly language and words that appeals to
your target audience. And finally, use a direct
link in your bio rather than Link tree to make it easier for people to find and
engage of your work. These small tweaks can make a huge difference
in how you're discovered on Instagram and help you build a
stronger presence. I have one more example for you. It is Sylvia. And originally she wasn't looking
at the camera, so she changed her
profile picture, and I also advised her to put artist and surface designer
in her profile name. She also updated her wording in the bio so that it includes
keywords such as muralist, home decor, and teacher. I can't emphasize enough how
important it is to include keywords in your niche so that people are going to be
able to search for them. You'll notice that she was
using Link tree before, and she has now changed it to something that
is on her website. And if we take a look at it, you'll see that she's
a graphic designer. She also works with
textiles and patterns, and other links lead to her
YouTube channel and classes. Now it's your turn.
Take a few minutes to update your profile
with these tips, and when uploading your project, let me know how it
goes. Bye for now.