When an art gallery opens your portfolio or checks out your social media profile, you have a brief window to ‘wow’ them. Within seconds, they’ll decide whether to stay and see more – or look elsewhere. Here’s how to make a brilliant first impression and present your work online impactfully and professionally…
Your portfolio is your way in
Your portfolio is your first key to getting through doors. That’s why (obvious as it may sound) it’s important to put your best work in your portfolio.
Start with a bang and leave them wanting more
When displaying your work, a good trick is to use an ‘A, C, B’ or ‘B, C, A’ sequence:
- Your grade A material is your absolute best.
- Your B material is your second favourite.
- Your C material is work you know is good, but not your best.
The reason you start with A or B material is to win people over instantly – it’s your big moment to sell yourself. Then sandwich C in the middle and finish with either A or B. Comedians always start with their best joke and end with their second-best – to go out on a high note.
Show extra work on your website
If people like your portfolio, they may go to your website to see more. So rather than duplicate your portfolio, it’s good to show an extended range of your work on your website. Obviously, only put good stuff on your site – don’t pad it out with anything that lets you down.
Format matters
Here are some suggestions to help you create a winning portfolio:
Use a PDF format unless galleries specify something else. Check any instructions and follow them accurately: if a gallery asks for a PDF and you send a JPG, they may not even open it. (If the first impression you give is of someone who can’t follow simple instructions, this doesn’t augur well.)
Include two images per page so the images are large enough for people to see any fine details. Don’t put ten artworks on one page, (they’ll look like postage stamps). On the other hand, a single image per page looks a bit clunky. That’s why two per page is ideal. If your work comes in threes, display it in threes. It’s all about showing your work off to its best advantage.
Keep text to the minimum. Your work ought really to speak for itself but if it needs an explanation, add a sentence of text. Otherwise, just give the titles and dates of your artworks. Don’t include your life story in your portfolio (unless it’s inextricably linked to your work).
Give your contact information. Put your name in the PDF title, and also your name and contact details in the portfolio. (If you just call it ‘Portfolio’ and someone loses your email, they won’t be able to trace your work back to you.)
Include price points. If you’re applying to sell your work, knowing your pricing is useful information for a gallery as it helps them determine whether you’re a good fit for them.
Include the gallery’s name in your file title. When you apply to a specific gallery, it’s a nice touch to put their name in the title of your PDF file – as this shows you care enough about their company to make a file just for them.
Instagram is your shop window
Many galleries scout for artists on Instagram to find new talent, so it’s a good idea to have an account and post on it regularly. The more you post, the greater your chance of being discovered.
Saying that, it’s still worth having Instagram even if you don’t use it very much (as a way of helping people find you). Think of it as your shop window: you can control what and when you post and you can curate your feed so it acts as an at-a-glance, quick portfolio.
Keep it professional
Ideally, you should have a separate account for your professional career, exclusively showcasing your art. An Instagram business account lets you add your contact information to your profile so potential clients can get in touch (e.g. by phone or email). It also comes with analytics tools to give you insights into your posts’ performance and audience.
If you choose to just have one Instagram account, make sure it has an 80/20 professional/personal split so it’s mostly business-related. You may want to let your followers know who you are and reveal the person behind the work – if so, you can use your stories as a space to do this.
Do followers matter?
Having lots of followers on Instagram won’t alter whether a gallery likes your work or not. But it does show that you’re popular and that you have your finger-on-the-pulse in your field – so it could potentially help to land you a lucky break.
Your website is your business card
The main thing you need to know about websites is: have one. Even if it’s not much more than a page that houses links to other places where people can find you.
The most important thing to include on your website is your email address so you are easily reachable. Don’t fob people off with a contact form. If a client wants to reach out to you, why put a hurdle in the way? Many people won’t bother completing a contact form because a) it’s time-consuming, b) it’s a one-sided conversation and c) they may doubt it will ever reach you.
Think of your website as an online business card that helps people get in touch.
TikTok is your stage
TikTok is great for artists (fashion designers, architects, etc.), especially for showing your artistic process with time-lapse photography etc. But give careful thought to your professional-versus-fun ratio. Will your work contacts care how cute your cat is or how cool your breakdancing is? Will the crazy stuff drive business away – or potentially pull it in? It’s your call.
TikTok is the best social media platform for going viral overnight. You don’t need to have followers for a video to explode. But you do need to be captivating, entertaining and different.
Twitter is your noticeboard
Twitter is great for sharing links and announcing events – like upcoming exhibitions. Word on the street is that some artists are moving over to Twitter because Instagram is getting ‘flooded’. However, it’s fiddly for posting pics of your art – and it’s unlikely that anything will become ‘the next Instagram’ for artists.
LinkedIn is your rendezvous
Although it may not feel like a very creative space, LinkedIn is great for reaching out to people. It lets you connect via email and include links to other places you can be found. It’s also ideal for announcing your latest project, artwork or something that’s in a show.
This how-to guide was inspired by one of our Zoom Dives with Verity Babbs, Artist Liaison at Rise Art online gallery.
Our Zoom Dive events are deep-delving discussions between our founder, Carolyn Dailey, and a handpicked creative business expert. You can listen to Carolyn and Verity’s full discussion here.
Fancy catching our next Zoom Dive, live? See our Events calendar and sign up for free.
Meanwhile, feel free to browse our Knowledge bank for more advice and learning resources for artists, architects and photographers.