Best Places to Sell and Promote Your Digital Artwork

Best Places to Sell and Promote Your Digital Artwork

For digital artists, identifying great places to sell and showcase your work online is essential for profiting from your craft. With countless sites competing for attention, determining which platforms best fit your work and goals can feel overwhelming.

This guide will explore top websites, print-on-demand services, NFT marketplaces, and social media platforms for selling and promoting your digital illustrations, designs, photography, 3D models, animations, and more. You’ll learn how each option works, key features, ideal user base, and tips for success.

Follow this blueprint of the most effective platforms and marketing tactics, and you will be well on your way to reaching collectors, buyers, and fans eager to pay for your creative digital artwork.

Why Showcasing Your Art Online Matters

First, let’s look at the key benefits of promoting your art through online platforms and communities:

Broadens Your Reach Exponentially

Digital platforms give your work visibility to huge active audiences you could never access locally. Expand your market globally.

Lowers Barriers for Collectors

Viewers anywhere can discover and purchase your art with just a click, without the friction of physical visits. Convenience drives sales.

Provides Income Stability

Consistent online sales provide reliable income beyond relying just on local exhibits or seasonal art fairs. Gain income stability.

Maximizes Sales of Digital Files

Digital art is inherently optimized for online distribution at low marginal cost compared to physical works. Take advantage.

Facilitates Print Fulfilment

Many sites integrate with print-on-demand partners, creating new product options. Upload designs and keep them perpetually available for print ordering.

Enables Passive Promotion

Platforms allow sharing your portfolio widely for ongoing passive promotion. Attract new collectors automatically.

Creates Direct Relationships

Sell directly to collectors rather than waiting for gallery representation. Forge direct relationships with your audience.

Provides Data and Feedback

Sales data, likes, and comments give invaluable feedback on what works. Continue improving based on what sells.

Tapping into the power and reach of digital platforms is transformative for creators. Now let’s explore top online art marketplaces.

Top Online Marketplaces for Selling Digital Art

Many marketplaces exist for selling creative digital works. Here are leading options:

Etsy

Popular handmade and vintage online marketplace. Huge buyer base seeking quality digital art and illustrations especially in nerdy, quirky, and pop culture themes.

Redbubble

Top print-on-demand site where you upload designs for application to 70+ products. Keep a steady passive income stream.

Society6

Upload unique art for sale on over 70 products. Has a tightly curated collection and very trendy vibe. Big Instagram presence drives buyers.

FineArtAmerica

Long-running fine art specialist supporting digital prints, canvas, posters, apparel, and more. Clean site design matches art gallery aesthetic.

ArtPal

Affordable marketplace for original art and photography. Gives artists great control over storefront design and product pricing.

INPRNT

Leading gallery for art prints and posters. Well-curated collections and quality focused. Competitive payouts to artists.

Pixels

Photo-centric platform where photographers can sell prints, magnets, cards, and more showcasing their best shots. Clean, magazine-like style.

ImageKind

Artist-focused company offering archival printing for selling limited edition prints in various sizes and framed options.

Zazzle

Top customizable products site where artists can upload patterns, illustrations, and photos for application to gifts, apparel, and accessories.

Each major platform offers unique advantages and buyer demographics. Assess which best align to your work and business goals.

Key Platform Features for Digital Creators

When evaluating potential platforms, look for these features:

Print on Demand Fulfilment

The site handles production and shipping of print orders so you simply provide digital files. This saves inventory costs.

Proofing and Quality Controls

The ability to order product samples to ensure print quality meets your standards before selling. Ensure accuracy.

Automated Calculators

Built-in tools that automatically calculate recommended prices for your pieces based on size, print quality, framing, etc. removes guesswork.

Promotional Tools

Marketing tools to help promote your pieces like coupons, product personalization, expanded distribution to additional sites, and gift options.

SEO Optimization

Platforms that optimize piece pages and descriptions for search visibility to attract buyer searches.

Social Sharing

Easy social sharing integration helps collectors spread your work virally to their networks. Expand reach.

Sales Analytics

Robust statistics on sales volumes, revenues, popular pieces, referral sources, customer details, and trends to refine your approach.

Stylish Portfolio Options

Beautiful portfolio themes and customization so you control how your pieces are displayed online.

Maximize control and earnings by selecting marketplaces that give creators robust features and favorable terms.

Choosing the Right Products to Offer

Most print-on-demand platforms allow selling your designs across dozens of potential products. Strategically choose products that:

Complement Your Artwork

Select products like smartphone cases, mugs, or shirts that pair naturally with your illustrations, photos, or graphic art style for a cohesive look.

Carry Perceived Value

Canvas prints, metal prints, and framed prints come across as more premium than basic photo mugs and t-shirts. Take perceived value into account.

Appeal to Your Target Collector

Know your audience. Anime fans may love phone cases over wall art. Nature photographers can emphasize canvas prints. Match products to collector preferences.

Drive Optimal Margin

Review profit margins across products when setting prices. Focus on promoting products with higher margins.

Produce Well Digitally

Test how your art reproduces on products digitally first. Ensure your images and designs enlarge cleanly for large prints and translate well to different form factors.

Require Minimal Effort

Passive income products like wall art that require no maintenance from you are ideal for leveraging your time. Avoid overly labor-intensive items.

Choosing the right mix of products boosts sales and profitability simultaneously.

Setting Optimal Pricing for Digital Creations

Pricing art work appropriately is part science, part art. Keep these tips in mind:

Know Your Worth

Have confidence putting a premium price on work you spent significant time creating or that required hard to obtain technical skills. Don’t undervalue your worth.

Compare Similar Pieces

Browse pricing for similar pieces on a platform in terms of size, medium, coloration, subject matter, and artist reputation to inform competitive pricing.

Consider Market Perceptions

Pieces priced very low can actually deter collectors who associate higher prices with higher quality art and exclusivity.

Increase Prices Over Time

As you build a fan base and reputation, gradually increase prices, introduce limited editions, and offer premium framing/printing to elevate market positioning.

Offer Bundled Deals

Provide bundled pricing on packages like multiple print sizes or products to increase average order value. This also markets your versatility.

Run Promotions and Sales

Timed discounts, coupon codes, and sales create short-term urgency to convert interested buyers and lift slumping sales.

Consider Production Costs and Fees

When pricing, factor in print production costs, platform commissions, and shipping fees so your net profit meets targets.

Optimizing Titles, Descriptions and Keywords

Writing compelling titles, descriptions and keywords that make pieces discoverable in search is equally important. Best practices include:

lead with core keywords

Start titles with main search keywords buyers use like “Wolf Photography” instead of “My Latest Photograph”. Optimize for SEO.

Use conversational descriptions

Share backstories, inspiration, creation details, and emotions pieces evoke in descriptive yet friendly blocks of text. Avoid keyword stuffing.

Include medium and process details

Specify details like printing method, paper type, camera used, editing techniques, and software. Collectors find this valuable.

Get keyword ideas from analytics

Review keyword drivers from sales analytics and A/B test titles and descriptions optimized with top performing terms.

Ensure consistency

Reuse core title keywords across print sizes, products, and related pieces for consolidated search visibility.

Create unique titles

Give each individual piece a unique descriptive title, don’t just number them “Piece #1, Piece #2”. Make them stand out.

Highlight dimensions

Note pieces’ size and dimensions. Collectors rely on this info to assess fit for intended wall spaces, tabletops, etc.

Promoting Art Through Social Media

Social platforms provide invaluable exposure. Actively share your art through:

Instagram

Use Instagram to post portfolio previews, work-in-progress sneak peeks, limited edition release announcements, and sale promotions. Add relevant hashtags.

TikTok

Post speed edits of you creating pieces from concept to completion set to trending music. The algorithm rewards and spreads engaging artist videos.

Pinterest

Pin finished works along with related mood boards, color palettes, concepts, and workspaces. Pinterest drives massive visual search traffic.

Twitter

Share quick reflections on inspiration for pieces and engage in conversations around creative processes to connect with art communities.

Facebook

Facebook’s large reach suits promoting new pieces, sales, exhibiting at local shows, and website traffic campaigns targeting art buyers.

Behance

Build a polished portfolio onleading creative platform Behance. Follow and engage with art influencers and peers for promotion.

ArtStation

Showcase entire portfolio to gaming, entertainment, and tech art communities on this site. Great for critiques and collaborations.

DeviantArt

One of the oldest and most popular social art communities. Connect with fandom-focused buyers through groups and thought-provoking work.

Cross-promoting across platforms expands your reach exponentially. Now let’s examine leveraging NFT technology.

Selling Artwork as NFTs

NFTs present a new opportunity for profiting from digital art. Minting artwork into non-fungible tokens allows selling limited edition originals with ownership secured on the blockchain. Top NFT marketplaces include:

OpenSea

The largest NFT marketplace across art, collectibles, photography, music, and more. List pieces for fixed prices or auctions. Low fees.

Rarible

Leading community-owned platform for minting and selling digital collectibles, artworks, and creations. Known for experimental artists.

SuperRare

Focused exclusively on single edition digital art NFTs. Carefully curated collections and pedigree.

Nifty Gateway

Top “art gallery meets auction house” platform for buying and selling digital art NFTs from leading creators. Owned by Gemini.

Foundation

Hand-picked digital art platform and creator community driving development of new models for digital art ownership and patronage.

MakersPlace

Premier destination for rare and truly unique digital art NFTs, photography, and collectibles. Beautiful galleries.

As the NFT market evolves, new opportunities arise to profit from direct digital creation sales leveraging blockchain verification and cryptocurrencies. Definitely worth testing as an additional sales channel.

Developing a Consistent Brand Identity

As you market your art across platforms, ensure:

Consistent Profile Images

Use the same profile photo across sites to strengthen branding. Appear approachable and professional.

Branded Color Scheme

Establish a color palette for your website, packaging, logos, and product mockups. Use colors consistently in promotions.

Owned Domain

Direct social media, marketplaces, and NFT profiles to your creatordomain for professionalism. Ex: yourname.com/art

Unified Styling

Post on platforms using common fonts, filters, graphics, frames, and editing style for cohesive visual storytelling.

Responsive Communication

Adopt friendly, timely conversational tones when interacting on social media, marketplace comments, and email. Build relationships.

Transparent Backstories

Openly share your creative journey, inspiration sources, artistic vision, and biography consistently across platforms. Build authenticity.

Clear Value Proposition

Distill what makes your art and creative process unique. Craft a compelling brand story that sets you apart.

Consistent personal branding earns fans’ trust to become lifelong supporters of your artistic career.

Key Takeaways for Digital Art Entrepreneurs

The strategies covered in this guide include:

• Sell specialized digital art, illustrations, photos, animations, and designs through leading online art marketplaces like Etsy, Redbubble, and FineArtAmerica.
• Analyze site features like built-in calculators, SEO, promo tools, and analytics to maximize sales and reach.
• Promote actively on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter using videos, timelapses, special offers, and previews to attract collectors.
• Consider emergent NFT platforms like OpenSea and Rarible to sell exclusive original digital artworks as blockchain-verified pieces.
• Price premium for quality creations reflecting their intrinsic worth and your expertise. Run promotions and sales strategically.
• Write compelling titles, descriptions, and keywords to make pieces discoverable by collectors searching marketplaces.
• Develop a consistent personal branding across platforms through style, communication, backstories, and clear value propositions.
• Continually test new products, platforms, pricing, promotions, and marketing strategies based on performance data. Optimize and evolve approaches over time.

Today’s digital landscape provides phenomenal exposure opportunities for creators to profit from their art on their own terms. As you build your online presence and sales, stay mission focused on the craft. Let genuine passion lead and finances will follow.

Reward loyal collectors with surprise promotions. Share your artistic journey transparently to foster human connections. With consistent effort, your artwork purchases can transform from side hobby to full-time livelihood.

Dream big, start small, and grow strategically. The platforms explored above empower you to turn creativity into a thriving business. Time to show the world what you’re capable of!

FAQ: Best Places to Sell and Promote Your Digital Artwork

Why Showcasing Your Art Online Matters

Q: Why is it important for digital artists to showcase their work online?
A: Showcasing digital art online broadens your reach exponentially, lowers barriers for collectors, provides income stability, maximizes sales of digital files, facilitates print fulfillment, enables passive promotion, creates direct relationships with collectors, and provides valuable data and feedback for improvement.

Top Online Marketplaces for Selling Digital Art

Q: What are some leading platforms for selling digital artwork?
A: Leading platforms for selling digital artwork include Etsy, Redbubble, Society6, FineArtAmerica, ArtPal, INPRNT, Pixels, ImageKind, and Zazzle. Each platform offers unique advantages and caters to different buyer demographics.

Key Platform Features for Digital Creators

Q: What features should digital creators look for when evaluating online marketplaces?
A: When evaluating online marketplaces, digital creators should look for features such as print-on-demand fulfillment, proofing and quality controls, automated calculators, promotional tools, SEO optimization, social sharing integration, sales analytics, stylish portfolio options, and more.

Choosing the Right Products to Offer

Q: How should digital creators choose the products to offer on print-on-demand platforms?
A: Digital creators should strategically choose products that complement their artwork, carry perceived value, appeal to their target collectors, drive optimal margin, reproduce well digitally, and require minimal effort to maintain.

Setting Optimal Pricing for Digital Creations

Q: What are some tips for setting optimal pricing for digital artwork?
A: Some tips for setting optimal pricing for digital artwork include knowing your worth, comparing similar pieces, considering market perceptions, increasing prices over time, offering bundled deals, running promotions and sales, and considering production costs and fees.

Optimizing Titles, Descriptions and Keywords

Q: How can digital creators optimize titles, descriptions, and keywords to make their artwork more discoverable?
A: Digital creators can optimize titles, descriptions, and keywords by leading with core keywords, using conversational descriptions, including medium and process details, getting keyword ideas from analytics, ensuring consistency, creating unique titles, highlighting dimensions, and more.

Promoting Art Through Social Media

Q: What are some effective strategies for promoting digital art through social media?
A: Effective strategies for promoting digital art through social media include using Instagram for portfolio previews and announcements, posting speed edits on TikTok, pinning works on Pinterest, sharing reflections on Twitter, utilizing Facebook for sales and promotions, building a portfolio on Behance, ArtStation, and DeviantArt, and cross-promoting across platforms.

Selling Artwork as NFTs

Q: How can digital creators leverage NFT technology to sell their artwork?
A: Digital creators can leverage NFT technology to sell their artwork by minting pieces into non-fungible tokens and listing them on NFT marketplaces such as OpenSea, Rarible, SuperRare, Nifty Gateway, Foundation, and MakersPlace.

Developing a Consistent Brand Identity

Q: Why is it important for digital creators to develop a consistent brand identity across platforms?
A: Developing a consistent brand identity across platforms helps digital creators strengthen their branding, appear approachable and professional, establish a branded color scheme, use a unified styling, maintain responsive communication, share transparent backstories, and convey a clear value proposition.

Key Takeaways for Digital Art Entrepreneurs

Q: What are the key strategies for success in selling and promoting digital artwork online?
A: Key strategies for success in selling and promoting digital artwork online include selling specialized digital art on leading online marketplaces, analyzing site features to maximize sales and reach, promoting actively on social media, considering emergent NFT platforms, pricing premium for quality creations, writing compelling titles, descriptions, and keywords, developing a consistent personal branding, and continually testing and optimizing approaches over time.