Social media is a doorway to making art sales. Short videos can help to bring people through that door, grow your community, and let them have more intimate access to you and your art world. I encourage you to consider creating small videos so art lovers can get to know you and feel more comfortable buying from you.
Why Create Instagram Reels For Your Art Practice?
Almost all social media platforms have a short video component now because it is so popular. Today we’re going to look at Instagram Reels specifically but you can apply a lot of what I’m sharing on your favorite platform.
Instagram Reels lets you create short videos to share your art practice. When you take advantage of using this feature, you’ll likely see an increase in your following.
Instagram doesn’t want you to leave its platform so when you create content that encourages people to stay there longer, you’ll get rewarded by having your posts shown to more people.
According to Sprout SocialSprout Social, 59% of Instagram users log in daily, and “91% of active users watch videos weekly."
The numbers don't lie. If almost all active users watch videos, incorporating a video marketing strategy for your art practice can really help.
What To Say On Your Instagram Reels
As an artist, you have access to so many visual components to illustrate your process. Let’s maximize this opportunity by letting your art shine! You don’t have to do silly dances to create Reels. There are so many other ways to promote your art in this format and here are some ideas to get you started.
Give A Tour Of Your Creative Space
Share as much or as little as you like of where the magic happens. You can show your tabletops or tools, supplies, and materials. People love to see art studios.
Art Journal Flip Throughs
If you sketch or journal, use various clips to show the parts you’re comfortable with sharing. This is a great peek into your creative process.
Share Your Process
Create short video clips that zoom in on your process as you create your piece. If you work with textiles, for example, create clips of you shopping for or sourcing your fabric, selecting swatches to audition them for your piece, mixing adhesives and then applying it to the sculpture or canvas, or framing your piece.
Art Shows & Exhibits
Whether you’re showing your art or supporting other local artists, share the experience with your audience. If your art is on display, zoom in and show the details of your piece. You can also zoom out to show what it looks like on display so your audience can start to envision it in their space.
Your Art Community
If you have human (or animal) studio mates who work alongside you or if you’re meeting up with an art collector, introduce them to your art community through a Reel.
How To Create Instagram Reels
There are four things you need to do to create a Reel:
Plan it.
Record it.
Review and make final edits and additions.
Share it.
Plan It
Use the ideas above to map out a short idea of what you’d like to present. Create several short clip ideas for each element of what you’ll show. You only need a few to fill 15-60 seconds. This short time limit is excellent because it keeps things simple.
I like to map this out on a post-it note that I can hold in my hand as I record or in a note on my phone that I can quickly refer back to in between recording each video segment. I have about 9 segments for each of my videos.
Watching a few Reels will give you tons of ideas about how you’d like to approach creating your own
Then gather anything you’ll need like tools, materials, supplies, props, light, and your art. Get everything set up in one spot where you have decent light to quickly record all that you need.
Record It
Set your phone up to record or plan to hold it by hand. Getting a device to hold your phone like a tripod can be helpful but propping your phone up on a stack of books or against the wall works as well.
Tap on the “+” icon from your profile on Instagram. Then select “Reel.”
Select music from the “music note” icon if you’d like, or you can plan to talk or have the ambient background sounds in your recording.
You can also select how fast you want the video to record. So “1x” means it’ll record in real-time but you can speed it up or slow it down by tapping on the “1x” icon.
There are also options to change your layout. And by tapping on the “timer” icon, it looks like a stopwatch; you can set a time for the whole Reel or segments of it. This is great to track how much time you have left as you record and edit each video clip.
Then record! Do this by pressing the white button with the Instagram icon. Press that same button to stop recording.
You can tap on the back arrow to review, trim, and edit each clip as you record each segment.
Review & Make Final Edits
After you’re done recording, select the “edit” option that appears to the right of your record button. Here you can further trim each video clip or re-order them.
Tap on an individual video clip to add text, stickers, download, music, filters, or draw on it. This part will feel familiar because it looks like it does when you make a non-video post.
When you’re done editing it, select the white “Next” button in the lower right corner and know that you’re getting very close to posting a Reel!
Share It
You’ll know you’re in the right spot to share because it’ll say “Share” at the top of your screen. You can edit the cover image in this spot by selecting a still from the video or by uploading an image from your camera.
You can also write a caption here. I like to copy and paste my captions and hashtags from my phone because it’s easier for me to write them in a note on my keyboard.
If you’re not ready to post, you can click on the “Save Draft” button and return to it later. You can find it under the Reels tab of your profile.
Otherwise, you can click the blue “Share” button!
This is a high-level overview for you. If you’re just starting, follow these basic steps and as your confidence grows, explore other options and features in Reels.
Other Ways To Get Your Art Noticed On Instagram
Reels is an Instagram feature that can help you build an intimate community and connect with your followers. Still not convinced video is for you? In How Can I Promote My Art On Instagram, I share ideas to help you stand out and get extra eyeballs seeing your art. Check it out to keep your inspiration going!