Digital Marketing for Creatives

Alright, pull up a chair. Turn off your phone. Take a deep breath. And try not to have a panic attack.

We need to talk about your social media. I know. I can see you wincing. I can see you scrolling through your feed right now, feeling that familiar knot in your stomach, thinking, “Oh god, I’ve been posting for three years and I still have 400 followers. My engagement is dead. My dog has more Instagram clout than I do.”

Here’s the thing. You’re probably doing everything wrong. But that’s okay. Because doing everything wrong is actually easier to fix than doing everything almost right. Almost right is a trap. Wrong is just a starting point.

So let’s do something uncomfortable. Let’s do an audit. Let’s tear down the wallpaper, look at the drywall, and figure out if your foundation is rotting or if you just need to hang a new painting.

Step one: The “Who Are You Talking To?” Reality Check.

Open your Instagram. Look at your last ten posts. Now, I want you to be brutally honest with yourself, and I mean brutal, like “waking up at 3 AM and staring at the ceiling” brutal.

What were you trying to say? Not the caption. The energy. Were you trying to impress other artists? Were you trying to prove you’re serious? Were you trying to sell something without actually saying “buy this”?

Ask yourself: “Would a stranger who has zero context for my work understand what I do from these ten posts?”

If the answer is no, you have a problem. If the answer is “maybe,” you have a bigger problem. Because “maybe” means you’re being vague. And vague is invisible.

Step two: The “Are You Actually Helping Anyone?” Test.

Here’s the question that will save you years of wasted time: “If every single one of my followers disappeared tomorrow, would anyone care?”

I’m serious. Look at your posts. Are you just showing your work? Or are you showing your work in context?

There’s a difference.

Showing your work is: “Here’s a painting I made.”

Showing your work in context is: “Here’s a painting I made because my therapist told me to process my childhood trauma through art. Here’s the moment I almost scraped it. Here’s the weird detail that makes me cry every time I look at it. And here’s why I think you might need to make something ugly today too.”

The first one is a catalog. The second one is a connection.

If your feed looks like a catalog, you’re not building a relationship. You’re building a showroom. And nobody hangs out in a showroom.

Step three: The “Keyword” Search.

Go to your captions. Read them out loud. I know, it’s awkward. But do it.

Are you using words that sound like they were written for a grant application? Words like “juxtaposition,” “deconstruction,” “praxis,” “hegemony,” “liminality”? I talked about this in the last post. Stop it. You’re alienating everyone who isn’t in your MFA program.

Now, go to your Pinterest analytics or your Google search console, if you have one, if you don’t, just use your Instagram insights. Look at the search terms people are using to find you.

Are they searching for “art about loneliness” or are they searching for “postmodern alienation in the digital age”? I guarantee you, it’s the first one.

Here’s the exercise: Take your five favorite posts. The ones with the most engagement. Write down the captions. Now cross out every single “artist language” word. Replace them with simple, human, everyday words.

Instead of “This piece interrogates the fragility of memory,” try “I painted this because I keep forgetting my grandmother’s face.”

That’s not dumbing down. That’s opening the door. You’re letting people in instead of keeping them out.

Step four: The “Are You Connecting the Dots?” Audit.

Here’s the big one. Look at your bio. Look at your Linktree. Look at your latest story highlights.

When someone new stumbles onto your page, someone who has no idea who you are, can they figure out what to do?

I see this all the time. An artist posts a beautiful piece. And then… nothing. No “link in bio.” No “DM me for commissions.” No “check out the full process on my YouTube.” No call to action. No next step.

You’re basically saying: “Here’s my work. Figure it out. I don’t care if you buy it or not.”

Even if that’s not true, that’s what it sounds like. You’re leaving money on the table. You’re leaving connections on the table. You’re making people work to give you their attention. And nobody wants to work for that.

Step five: The “Is This Still You?” Gut Check.

This is the painful one. Look at your feed from the very beginning. Scroll all the way back. I know, it’s cringey. But do it.

What did you care about then? What were you trying to say? Has your work changed? Has your voice changed? Has your audience changed?

Here’s the thing: It’s okay to change. It’s okay to outgrow your old content. But if you’ve changed and your feed hasn’t, you’re lying to your new followers. You’re showing them a version of you that doesn’t exist anymore.

I’m not saying you need to delete everything. I’m saying you need to be honest. Maybe it’s time to archive the old stuff. Maybe it’s time to do a rebrand. Maybe it’s time to post a vulnerable story explaining where you’re at now.

Growth is messy. Audiences understand that. But they don’t understand static.

The “So What Now?” Checklist.

Okay, you’ve done the audit. You’re feeling slightly nauseous. That’s good. That means you’re paying attention.

Here’s your action plan:

1. Audience check: Who are you actually talking to? If it’s other creatives, decide if that’s really where you want to be.
2. Context check: Are you showing your work or are you building connection? Add one vulnerable, personal detail to every post for the next week.
3. Language check: Kill the jargon. Use the words your fans use. Ask five non-artist friends for three-word descriptions of your work and use those words.
4. Next step check: Every single post needs a clear, easy next step. “Link in bio.” “DM me.” “Swipe up.” Make it idiot-proof.
5. Authenticity check: Does this still feel like you? If not, stop doing it. Start over. Be messy. Be real.

This audit isn’t about “growth hacking.” It’s about being heard. It’s about stopping the noise and starting the signal. It’s about looking at your social media and seeing a reflection of who you actually are, not who you think you should be.

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Now look, I know this feels overwhelming. You’re looking at all these steps and thinking, “I don’t have time for this. I just want to make things. I didn’t sign up to be a social media manager.”

I know. I hear you. And that’s exactly why I wrote “Digital Marketing for Creatives.“

This book is not some glossy, soulless “10 ways to grow your Instagram” garbage. This is the guide for people who hate the very concept of marketing but know they need to figure it out. It’s written for overwhelmed painters, exhausted writers, frustrated musicians, and burnt-out makers who just want someone to explain the basics without making them feel stupid or sellout-y. I walk you through the exact audit I just described, plus simple systems for building a workflow that takes ten minutes a day instead of three hours. It’s honest, it’s practical, and it won’t ask you to do anything that makes you cringe at yourself in the mirror.

So stop spiraling. Go grab the book. Do the audit. Burn the bullshit. And start actually reaching the people who need what you make. They’re out there. They’re just waiting for you to speak their language.