I consider it my good fortune when I find them from one of my students or clients, and am equally happy when the story appears from beyond my immediate circle.

But I know there are hundreds and thousands of more stories out there that are waiting to be told. Not just to this podcast and blog, although that would be lovely, but to other podcasts, blogs, and media.

Make The Argument

I’m not crazy about the word “pitch” but I’m going with it. I use it in the sense that you are making an argument for something. You’re making an argument that I should pay attention to who you are and the art you make.

I specifically say “pitching your story” rather than “pitching your art” because most artists could benefit from massaging the stories they tell about themselves. You might not call it that, but it’s something that you’re constantly doing.

I’m more likely to pay attention to your art if you have a compelling story than if you ask me to buy, buy, buy. You’re pitching your story when:

• You post about your art on social media.
• You send an email to your list.
• You submit to an exhibition.
• You ask for gallery representation.

And take a minute to let this sink in. You’re (hopefully) pitching your story when you tell anyone you’re an artist. Anyone. At any point.

What I’m sharing will not only help you get featured on the Art Biz Podcast, but will also serve you when you pitch to other podcasts, bloggers, writers, and publications.

The more interviews you do and the more experience you get, the better you become at telling your story. You will also grow your audience and maybe even sell some art or attract new students and social media followers. You never know who is listening.

Listen

Music by Wildermiss.

Asbestos Mining and A Pitch Gone Wrong

I get all kinds of pitches from people who want to be on the podcast to those who want to write guest posts on my blog. The potential podcast guests usually come from an agency someone hired to get them publicity.

One particular example should serve as a warning for hiring any agency to do your bidding.

I’ve been following you for days now and I find your podcast show a very promising one! I have watched one of your episodes with Lynn Goldstein, Debate on the Dregs of Asbestos Mining, I must admit that it is worthy to listen to! Just in time, I am searching for podcasts for to appear on and I think he would be a good fit for your podcast.

This is what you’re up against. Truly clueless PR people.

Now, normally, if I respond at all, I just reply with a simple No because I know that an agency will follow up if I don’t respond. This was an opportunity too good to resist.

I replied:

While I appreciate that you have to send a lot of these out, you CLEARLY have not “watched” any of my episodes as they are all audio only and I interview artists (including Lynn Goldstein) who aren’t usually experts on asbestos mining.

Normally I wouldn’t bother replying to such an email, but I feel like you should know that this landed with a thud.

I think you should remove me from your list.

Here’s the thing. You pretty much get 1 chance to pique my (or someone else’s) interest in your story. If you don’t do your homework and if you aren’t careful about what you’re writing, you are just wasting your time.

5 Steps to Pitch Your Story to Me

1. Listen to my podcast and read my blog.

I can tell if you actually listen to my podcast because I describe exactly the people I select to be my guests: visual artists with a dedicated studio practice and a business lesson to share. I do not interview experts in asbestos mining. Ever. For any reason.

2. Research.

Look me up. Show that you respect me and the work I’m doing and I am much more likely to listen to your pitch. Here are a few highlights I think you should know about before coming on this show:

• I live in Colorado, but my listeners are all over the world.
• I’ve been helping artists figure out this crazy thing called a business since 2002.
• Before that I was a museum curator and educator for 10 years. I have a master’s degree in art history.
• I wrote a book that is now in its 4th printing and has been on artists’ shelves around the world since 2008.
• I created the Art Career Success System to give artists the foundational training they need to run a profitable art business. I also lead live workshops and small-group masterminds.

3. Figure out what business lesson you have to share with my listeners.

I’ll give you some ideas in just a minute. You want to make it easy for me to envision the story and say Yes.

4. Include a link.

If you have been a guest on other podcasts or shared your story in a video, share that link with me. Not everyone makes a good podcast guest. It’s reassuring if I can see or hear you speak. You don’t have to be brilliant, but a little experience helps.

5. Submit your pitch.

I’ve made it easy for you. All you have to do is complete the form on this page.

Now, about #3 … here are some angles for you.

Business Story Angles

Tell me about your big success.

• Lynn Goldstein (#58) didn’t discuss asbestos mining on the Art Biz Podcast, but she did share how she implemented e-commerce on her site and sold 18 original paintings in 3 months.
• Sean VanderVliet (#31) partnered with local chefs to create signature dinnerware for their tables and has much bigger plans for the future.
• Adele Sypesteyn (#36) pulled her art out of all her galleries so she could lower the prices, sell directly to collectors, and keep more money in her pocket. Ali Cavanaugh (#33) has a similar story.

I really want to hear about your struggles. We all do—because we all encounter challenges and learn more from struggles than from successes. Jan Heaton discusses working throughout the long illness and eventual passing of her daughter in episode #52.

Did you have an exhibition that nobody came to or a workshop that nobody signed up for? If you analyzed it afterward, there’s plenty to take away from the experience that could help others.

Maybe you had a low open rate on your email newsletters, and can tell us how you are now getting better results.

Maybe you have something to share about organizing your life and business.

• Daryl Johnson (#49) spent a year cleaning out her life to prepare for a big move and sold a lot of work in the process. Fiona Valentine also gave organizing tips in episode #38, and Heather Powers way back in #10.

Perhaps you can discuss how you create balance, how you get stuff done, or about the tools and technology you use. Or how meditation helps you stay focused in the studio.

Or even WHY you are working the way you are right now.

• Suzanne Gibbs (#40) shared how she spent a year focusing on making work that matters to her.
• Jan Carson (#23) talked about how she took a leap of faith to move away from a safe income from production work to a less certain fine art direction.

You Have a Unique Experience to Share

After all of those examples, you might assume, incorrectly, that it’s all been said before. That’s simply not true.

As you can see just from those examples alone, I’ve done 3 episodes on getting organized and 2 on leaving your galleries. And they’re completely different from one another because each individual artist has a unique experience with the topic.

You have followed a path all your own. You have unique experiences that are worth sharing.

My listeners want to hear from you. When you’re ready, re-read those 5 steps above and submit your pitch here.

Listen

Music by Wildermiss.

The post The Art Biz ep. 63: Pitching Your Story to My Podcast or Anyone Else’s appeared first on Art Biz Success.

The post 22 Social Media Updates About Your Show That Won’t Bore Your Followers appeared first on Art Biz Success.

If you are struggling with the thought of marketing your art – if it seems unnatural to you – I’m going to relieve some of the pressure for you right now.

Stop thinking about selling so much!

Adopt a healthier mindset when you’re trying to build your professional reputation as an artist or make a living from your work.

You don’t have to be a salesperson or do anything that isn’t natural. All you have to be is confident in your work and enthusiastic about sharing it with others.

You have to believe that what you have is of value to others, even if the value is pure delight.

Selling Suggests Pressure

Think of all the anxiety around sales and selling:

• The pressure to “close the sale.”
• The pressure to say the right thing.
• The pressure to approach the potential buyer at the perfect time.
• The pressure to wear appropriate clothing and get your makeup and hairdo just so.

These stresses are enough to send any artist to the Sales & Marketing section of a bookstore and, after reading a ton of conflicting advice, to the funny farm.

In contrast, consider what it means to share.

Sharing = Generosity

Sharing means you have something that other people find useful and interesting. It implies that you have abundance and are willing to divide it up among others who want what you have.

Sharing is authentic and comes from your heart.

You share recipes and recommendations for books and movies. You share interesting posts you find on Facebook. You share information that you think might be helpful to a friend.

Not sharing might be regarded as a form of selfishness. Why are you keeping your art, your talents, and your abundance to yourself?

I want you to be so excited about your work that you can’t wait to get up in the morning and ask yourself, “Who can I share my art with today?” Can you do that?

Share, don’t sell.

Somebody, somewhere is waiting for your art to delight them.

What could be more natural than sharing what you have?

The post Art Marketing Tip: Share, Don’t Sell appeared first on Art Biz Success.

Locate the Leaks

Is your contact list updated and backed up? Most importantly, are you using it?
Are there images of your art on every page of your website?
Are your images organized so that they make sense?
Are there images of your art near the top of your blog and illustrating most of your blog posts?
If I met you at an art opening and asked you what you did, could you pique my interest with your response in 10 seconds or less?
If I read your artist statement, would it compel me to look back at your art?
If I visited your website, would I know what city or town you lived in?
If I received an email from you, would I be able to see your art by clicking a link in your signature block?
If I went to your website or blog, could I quickly find your social media sites?
If I went to your Facebook page or Twitter account, would I be able to click through to your website or blog?
If I became friends with you on Facebook, would I know you had a Facebook business page as well?
If I re-pinned an image of your art on your Pinterest board, would the description include a full credit line (©your name, title, media, dimensions)?
If your email bounced back to me because your inbox was full, would I be able to find a phone number to call you?
Are you sending thank-you notes in the mail to collectors and others for whom you’re grateful?
Take an hour out of your schedule this week to appraise the marketing tools you have in place. Are they connected? Are they sending a consistent message? Are they being used?
If you can repair the leaks quickly, do it! If you need more time, add it to your task list to tackle in the future.

The post Repair the Leaks in Your Marketing appeared first on Art Biz Success.

1. No one can promote your art more effectively than you. No one knows it better than you and no one cares about your success more than you.

2. If you don’t believe it can happen, it won’t.

3. You have 24 hours in a day – same as everyone else on the planet, including World leaders, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and other artists. How you choose to use your precious time is up to you.

4. You need to learn to work smarter, not harder. Get help. Get organized. Establish trusted systems to help your business run smoothly.

5. Planning your day ahead of time will increase your productivity exponentially.

6. Planning your year will rock your world.

7. I share rules all the time, but the truth is that there are no rules. There used to be rules. But the rules for selling your art are changing every day. Make it up!

8. The more people you meet, the more people there are to buy your art. Ergo, get out there meet more people. The people you know are the most valuable asset for your success.

9. You can’t do it alone. No one has ever achieved a high level of success on their own. You need support systems to prop you up and keep you going.
10. Seeing art online is not the same as experiencing it in person.

11. If people don’t see your art, they won’t buy it. Get your art out of the studio and in front of potential buyers!

12. You can’t do it all. Learn to say “No, that’s not for me.” You have to prioritize.

13. Follow-through is everything. You can have the best art, the best ideas, and the best intentions in the world, but none of it matters if they remain incomplete.

The post 13 Truths About Marketing Your Art appeared first on Art Biz Success.

1. A Website Is Not Enough

You need more than a website for your marketing plan. This may seem obvious, but I have come across quite a few people who, when their website was complete, assumed that suddenly they would receive visitors to their site.
How will they know about your website unless they hear about you first?
In business, the rule of thumb is that people need to hear about you more than 5 times before even thinking about making a purchase. Considering those terms, the more you do, the greater the chance people will hear about you and think, “Hey, I’ve heard of that guy/gal before – they must be worth checking out.”

2. The Best Marketing is a Collaboration

If one person had been in the park handing out cards in a bodysuit I think I would have been a little skeptical and creeped out. The fact that there were many of them immediately made me realize something was going on and I wanted to know what.
Just as they had a team of people working towards the same goal, it takes multiple avenues of marketing to promote your work and get out there. For little to no cost, you can use online tools like social media, blogging, email marketing, entering online competitions, adding your work to art directories, and online advertising.
But don’t stop with the online tools. Boost their effectiveness by combining them with offline marketing such as showing in galleries and at art shows/fairs, partnering with other artists and/or local businesses for an event or fundraiser, etc.

3. Be Creative

Obviously what I experienced was a far more creative way to promote something than conventional advertising. It obliterated the 5X rule and enticed me to learning more because it was so unique.
I’m not saying you should do something as extreme as put on a beige bodysuit and walk around the city handing out prints of your artwork. But if you don’t have gallery representation and need to promote yourself to get the word out, creative ideas that are different from the “norm” may help you stand out and be noticed.
But . . .

4. Make Sure Your Website Delivers

When I looked up the website address after receiving the card in a London park, I was more confused than ever.
They had such a creative way to pique my interest, but their website lacked information to the degree that I could not figure out what the whole thing was about. It was missing the same creativity that I found in the performance in the park.
More importantly, I had no idea what they wanted from me when I landed on their site. Were they promoting an event, a product or something else? I couldn’t even find contact information to inquire.
The business card ended up in the trash and confirmed how important it is to have a good website in place before marketing.

About Our Guest Blogger

Leah Markham provides Web design and marketing services for artists and businesses, and helps her husband with the business and promotional aspects of his art career. She created a video series for artists at Artist’s Websites, which walks you through setting up your own website and shows you how to promote your artwork online.

I’m an affiliate for Artist’s Websites and have reviewed a few of the videos, which I found helpful and well done.
 

The post 4 Lessons from Naked Marketers appeared first on Art Biz Success.

• Teaching classes and workshops
• Accepting commissioned work such as portraits or custom jewelry
• Competing for public art projects

Testimonials are valuable in these three areas because they are heavily weighted toward service to someone or something else. You need to please people in order to succeed in these areas.

There are correct and incorrect ways to ask for testimonials. Let’s look at both using teaching as an example. For our purposes, we’re asking for the testimonial in an  email.

Ineffective Way to Ask for Testimonials for Your Art Workshops

Dear xxx,
I’m happy you attended my class last weekend. I enjoyed meeting you and seeing your work. I hope it was time well spent for you, and that you learned something you could use right away.
Would you be willing to give me a testimonial for my website?
Thank you for your consideration,
yyy

This is incorrect because it puts the recipient on the spot. She must either answer Yes or No or ignore your question and wait to hear from you again.

From any aspect, it’s uncomfortable for all involved, especially when the other person isn’t feeling all warm and fuzzy about your experience together.

There’s a better way.

An Effective Way to Ask for Testimonials

Dear xxx,

I’m happy you attended my class last weekend. I enjoyed meeting you and seeing your work. I hope it was time well spent for you, and that you learned something you could implement right away.

If you enjoyed the class and found value in the content, I would love hearing from you. Testimonials from satisfied students are a powerful way for me to attract new teaching opportunities. The best testimonials are those that mention a specific problem or concern that I helped solve. A one or two sentence testimonial would be appreciated, and I would need permission to mention your name.

Please only share a testimonial if you are so inclined and it feels authentic.

Thank you for your consideration,
yyy

See the difference? The recipient doesn’t feel pressured in the second example. You know that whatever testimonials result from this message will be from the heart.

Listen to the audio version of this post.

See the follow-up to this post: Collecting Testimonials for Your Art Workshops

The post Increase Business with Testimonials appeared first on Art Biz Success.

Tune in to this week’s Art Marketing Action podcast–an audio version of the newsletter/post of the same title. Prefer to read? Click here.

[powerpress url=”http://artbizsuccess.com/audio/testimonials.mp3″]

Related: Collecting Testimonials for Your Art Workshops

The last episode of the Art Marketing Action podcast was November 22, 2010. You can listen to or download any episode here.

The post Art Marketing Action Podcast: Increase Business with Testimonials appeared first on Art Biz Success.

Peggy Klaus is the author of Brag! How to Toot Your Own Horn Without Blowing It, which I recommend for every artist. I was thrilled to interview her about this book back in 2008 since it’s a topic artists struggle with: bragging about themselves and their accomplishments.

Klaus says brag is not a four-letter word: “Remaining quiet about your successes only leads to being underappreciated and overlooked.”

On her book website, Klaus offers a free questionnaire to help you brag better. I’ve adapted her questions here for your use. The answers you construct will help you write a better bio, media release, blog post, or brochure. I’ve also noted uses for your responses alongside some of the questions.

Your Bragging Questionnaire

1. What would you and others say are five of your personality pluses? [Your responses will come in handy when you’re interviewed for a job, workshop appointment, or any position that requires working with others.]

2. What are the ten most interesting things you have done or that have happened to you that have contributed to your art career?

3. How did you end up becoming an artist? [This is a frequent topic of conversation. Be prepared to respond with a good story.]

4. What do you like/love about being an artist? [Substitute the specific medium if you prefer: What do you like/love about being a sculptor, painter, fiber artist, metalsmith, photographer, etc.?]

5. What projects are you working on right now, and why are you enthusiastic about them?

6. What career successes (education, exhibitions, collections, . . . ) are you most proud of having accomplished?

7. What new art or business skills have you learned in the last year? [This is something you’ll want to document if you’re an instructor in any capacity.]

8. What professional and personal obstacles have you overcome to get where you are today? What essential lessons have you learned from any mistakes?

9. What training/education have you completed, and what did you gain from those experiences? [Include self-education. How have you taught yourself? Also include non-art training/education that contributes to your worldview.]

10. What organizations are you associated with and in what ways? (member, officer, founder) How does each organization contribute to your art career or personal development?

11. How do you spend your time outside of the studio, including hobbies, interests, sports, family, and volunteer activities? [This kind of information can spice up anyone’s biography.]

12. In what ways are you making a difference in people’s lives?

FINAL WORD: Brag better about your art by spending time reviewing your accomplishments. If you can’t stand the word “brag,” just think of it as truth-telling. You’re not going to embellish or lie about what you’ve been up to. You’re just going to be able to provide a more coherent response that doesn’t beat around the bush.

Listen to my interview with Peggy Klaus with my compliments.

 

Catch an audio version of this post.

The post Brag Better About Your Art, About You appeared first on Art Biz Success.

Now, let’s talk about why I sent you there.

I used to teach an online class called Shameless Self-Promotion. I also used to have a workshop with the same title. As it turns out, it’s a good title–so good that the folks organizing my upcoming workshop in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware have chosen to call their workshop Shameless Self-Promotion.

Nathan Hangen speaks for himself in his blog post, so allow me to give you my side.

The word “shameless” doesn’t mean shameful. It means lack of shame. Shameless Self-Promotion, therefore, implies pride–pride in your work, your art, your ideas, and your accomplishments. You don’t lie, you don’t embellish. Instead, you tell the truth with “lack of shame.” You don’t apologize for your good ideas. You hold your head high while you give an enthusiastic plug for what gets you excited about them.

There’s an entire chapter in my book called “Share, Don’t Sell.” This is how I want you to think. Don’t look for the latest sales speak or closing techniques. Instead of worrying about selling, get excited about sharing your art.

Until you are excited about sharing your art, how can you expect us to be overly eager about looking at it or buying it? Our level of fired-up-ness will never exceed your own. There is a direct correlation between your energy surrounding your art and our response to it.

There’s something else to think about that relates to your personal well-being.

You’ll have a hard time promoting your art until you are uber excited about it. You’ll whine, you’ll complain, and you’ll make excuses. Just don’t let me be within earshot of any of these time-wasting activities. They are unproductive and will suck the life out of you, your art, and everyone around you.

I will tell you the same thing I say in my book, in my classes, and in my workshops.

You should be so excited about sharing your art with the world that you can’t wait to get out of bed!

Are you there yet?

The post Sharing Your Art and Ideas through Shameless Self-Promotion appeared first on Art Biz Success.