HEADS UP!
Hello! If you're seeing this page and you're interested in getting started selling your art online, we're doing something slightly different for the first half of 2023. Read more at this page.
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A few months ago, Alex got a big break in her art career.
She was featured in the New York Times, and the great reviews gave her a huge, unexpected publicity boost.
Her big break created a lot of potential fans for Alex. Practically overnight, she gained thousands of new Facebook followers.
Now she has become well known in the art world, and has received numerous awards for her paintings. Other artists know and respect her, and a few of her fellow artists have even cited her as an influence for their own work.
But despite the publicity and accolades, Alex is still having problems making consistent money as an artist. She sells pieces occasionally, but her art business income is very sporadic. She has no idea when the next sale will come, and she’s not sure how to maximize the press she’s getting.
Alex is at a total loss about how to turn her inconsistent sales into a steady flow of profits that will make it possible for her to continue creating art and live the life she truly wants to live.
The Problem with Building Momentum in Your Art Business
Perhaps you’re in the same situation.
You’ve got a completely unpredictable art business – and you’re sick and tired of inconsistent sales.
You have long, agonizing dry spells, where you don’t sell anything at all….
Then you have periods when you’re hustling and filling tons of orders, which means you neglect your marketing and don’t have any time to create new inventory…so you end up with another dry spell on the other side of that flurry of activity.
You get noticed and get some attention, but within a month or two that publicity dies down, and you’re back where you started.
You know your art is great, and receive regular praise from your peers, and from buyers – but you’re not sure how to translate that excitement and praise into a steady, consistent art business.
You’re trying to market yourself using social media, but you’re not getting sales from it. You’re liking, commenting, following and sharing, but you’re not bringing in traffic to your website, and no one is buying. You don’t understand why you have thousands of Facebook or Instagram followers, and still don’t bring in regular sales of your work.
You might have a mailing list of subscribers who have signed up with you over the years, but you feel like they rarely buy from you…or perhaps you don’t have a mailing list at all.
You constantly feel like you don’t have enough time to do everything you need to do to make your art business succeed. Maybe you’ve got a day job that you’d love to quit, but your sales aren’t consistent enough for you to make the leap….or if you are already running your art business full time, you feel like marketing takes up too much of your time, and you don’t have enough time to make art.
….all this results in stress, overwhelm, fatigue, and money problems. You’ve got a business that is stressful, impossible to predict, and nerve-wracking – and you’re wondering where the JOY in your art business has gone.
Don’t Give Up! There Is a Solution.
Trying to sell your art can be frustrating – but there is hope.
Imagine what it would feel like if you could:
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Bring in consistent sales
No more wondering when the next sale will come.
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Make the most of media coverage and publicity
instead of getting a rush of traffic that disappears after a month.
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Consistently turn website visitors and social media followers into buyers.
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Set up an automated sales funnel
so when someone comes to your website, they can find out more about you, form an emotional connection with you and your work, and start becoming fans.
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Put in place a regular follow-up system
so you touch base with your new fans on a regular basis and turn them into buyers (and then repeat collectors!)
As it turns out, there is a way to escape the boom and bust cycle of your art business, and start bringing in consistent, steady income you can count on – year after year. For many artists, this is already a reality.
Why You Can Trust Me to Help You Sell Your Art Online
I’m Cory Huff, and I’m a business coach for artists. I’ve been helping artists sell art online since 2009, and I’ve helped hundreds of artists just like you figure out how to navigate the hidden path of the fine art career.
I literally wrote the book on selling art online. Harper Collins published my book, How to Sell Art Online: Live a Creative Life on Your Own Terms, in the summer of 2016. I’ve done guest lectures on marketing at schools like Southern Methodist University, Pacific Northwest College of Art, and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
My mission is not only to teach talented artists to sell their art online, but to dispel the “starving artist myth” forever. It is possible to make the art you want to create, live the creative life you want to lead, and make good money doing it.
There is no reason artists need to take a vow of a poverty in order to create their art – it is possible to be an artist who makes regular, consistent sales by using the Web to sell directly to your fans.
Want to know how big you can go, with this approach? Just to give you a little taste:
Some of my artist clients have sold their work online for $20,000 or more.
When another client first started working with me, she had over a million followers on Instagram, and wasn’t making any money from her art business. I worked with her on making some strategic changes to her business, and she went from selling nothing to shipping art every day.
The Real Secret to Making Consistent Art Sales
Many artists think that simply surviving the “feast or famine” sale cycle is the only way to run a business….or they think that they can only make sales when they meet potential buyers at galleries, exhibitions, and art shows.
The truth is, neither of those things is true.
So how do you start making consistent sales for your art business?
The key is creating automated, scalable sales funnels that sell your art consistently, so your art business can grow and expand in the long term.
Setting up an automated sales funnel is just like having a conversation with a potential buyer at a gallery – except you can have a conversation with hundreds of people at one time, without feeling stressed out or overwhelmed.
A sales funnel is simply a marketing system. The most important function of your sales funnel is to take people who are curious about what you do, and turn them into raving fans.
Want to know how sales funnels work? Here are the basics:
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When you have a sales funnel set up,
you’ve got a systematic way to bring in consistent, repeatable art sales.
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A sales funnel can be a mostly automated process,
so you can continually attract attention, develop relationships with leads, convert people into customers, and invite your customers to become repeat buyers.
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Your sales funnel keeps working day and night,
continuously reaching out to your audience with valuable content and relevant offers.
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An effective sales funnel works for you whether you’re creating, eating, sleeping, or walking the dog.
Your funnel never gets tired, and it never gives up.
What Previous Students Are Saying
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"I just had my best month ever in November making almost twelve thousand dollars in gross sales. I quit my job. The class, and the help of the Facebook group was one of the best investments I have ever made."
Adam Hall
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"I’ve made sales of originals I almost painted over because they’d sat around for sooo long. I love seeing many bucks flowing into my bank account! I’d say close to 10K from painting and sculpture sales."
Angela Treat Lyon
Introducing How to Sell Your Art Online 201:
How to Sell Your Art Online 201 is a 4-week, multimedia online training that teaches you to break the “feast or famine” artist cycle, and start bringing consistent, predictable sales from your art business.
Here’s how it works:
As soon as you join the course, you’ll get a series of video lessons, transcripts, a workbook, and other resources to help you create – and grow – a successful online art business.
You ALSO get access to our group coaching calls. The calls are scheduled for:
Mondays, October 21, 28, November 4, 11 and 18 at 1 PM Pacific Time. All calls are recorded, and you can also ask questions in advance. We also have occasional supplemental calls at other hours to communicate with our other coaching clients, and students can join those as well.
By the end of this training, you’ll know how to:
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Create a system for your art business
so your sales can grow and expand in the long term.
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Make the most of the media coverage and publicity
you get as an artist, instead of getting a rush of traffic that disappears after a month.
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Design incredible customer experiences
that turn one-time buyers into superfans.
When you join the course, you’ll get a series of video lessons, transcripts, workbooks, and other resources to help you create automated, scalable systems for your art business, so you can start making money consistently and be able to live the life you want.
Here's a complete breakdown of what you'll learn in each module...
What’s Inside How to Sell Your Art Online 201
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Module 1 How to Use Blogging to Communicate Your Ideas and Connect with Potential Buyers
Do you hate the idea of writing a blog? Even if you fear writing, you can still write about your art. Blogging is an opportunity for you to talk directly to your potential buyers about your ideas, how those ideas show up in your art, and how you respond to the world around you. I’ll teach you to create blog posts that are fun to write, and create an emotional connection with your prospective buyers. You’ll also discover how to create compelling blog post headlines, make your content visually interesting, and optimize your posts for the search engines. We’ll also explore different ways of blogging that aren’t quite as focused on writing (including creative ways to use audio and video).
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Module 3 Creating Experiences for Collectors
Beyond creating content, how can you activate your fans and collectors and turn them into super collectors or true fans? I’ll teach you how to create powerful experiences for your fans, so you can transform people who know and like you into evangelists who can’t wait to tell the world about you and your work. In this module, I’ll share stories of artists who have activated armies of fans to rally around causes, do good deeds for people, or to have a hilarious time – and during those fan experiences, they are selling their art and bringing in consistent income.
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Module 2 An Artist’s Guide to Email Marketing
In Module 2, you’ll learn how to successfully use email marketing to market your art business. You’ll learn how to build a simple sales funnel, including how to invite people to your list, introduce them to you and your story, and invite them to purchase a piece. We’ll also talk about how to create an emotional connection with your subscribers, and how you can offer them an opportunity to buy your work.
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Module 4 Lead Generation
In this module, I'll walk you through the step-by-step process of using your newly created sales funnel to automate the process of taking someone from the "I've never heard of you" stage to becoming a collector who buys from you again and again. The emphasis here is that we are automating your existing sales process, so that it repeats and scales up to a bigger business. We’ll also cover how to repurpose your content for your blog, email messages, and social media updates, so you don’t have to re-invent the wheel every time you need to publish a message online. You’ll discover how to create a marketing concept, then use that idea in different ways on various online channels.
More Feedback From Students
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In 2015 my sales increased by about 50 % versus 2014. 2016 sales are on their way to double 2015.
Frederic Lecut
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"I sold $100 worth of art before the class was over. I really enjoyed the step by step instruction on how to actually DO the THINGS! Plus we had the added benefit of getting help from the group which was awesome. I learned so much! I'm still working through the course, it's just packed with information. I will recommend this to others, its awesome.”
AnneMarie Talon
When You Enroll Today, You’ll Also Get…
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BONUS #1: Access to Coaching Calls
These calls are designed to help you with any specific questions you might have as you’re attracting your first online sale, or working on doubling your online sales. Got a question like, “I do lots of different kinds of art. How should I focus my marketing message from Module 4”? You can get feedback and answers from me every week for the four weeks of the course. If you’re stuck on a particular homework assignment, this is the perfect place to get unstuck – you can pick my brain about any of the content or assignments from the course, or about any overall art marketing question you may be wrestling with. If you can’t attend the coaching calls live, that’s no problem! All the calls will be recorded. You can email me your question in advance, and I’ll answer it on the call – then you can access the recording later. All calls are recorded and you can ask questions in advance.
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BONUS #2: 1 Year Membership in The Abundant Artist Association, a Private Online Community
Launching (and growing) an online art business can be really lonely, and I often hear from my clients that they feel really alone when they’re trying to build their online audience and connect with potential buyers. When you’re on your own, you’ve got no one to turn to for support and advice if you get stuck or need advice on what your next step should be. That’s why I’ve put together The Abundant Artist Association community, where you can connect with a vibrant and active community of like-minded artists. In this group, you’ll be able to talk with other artists, ask questions, get ideas for areas where you’re stuck, build friendships with your classmates, and celebrate your successes.
Once You Finish the Four Core Modules, Here’s How to Take Your Business Further…
After your four core module training is complete, you might be wondering, “What else can I do to increase my online art sales?”
That’s when you can dig into these exclusive bonuses:
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BONUS #3: Facebook Ads for Artists
You get access to our Facebook Ads for Artists course, which will guide you through your first paid ads campaign for Facebook and Instagram.
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BONUS #4: Successful Artist Interviews
Get over 10 hours of recorded video and audio interviews with successful artists, writers, and other creatives who are making a living from selling their work online. This interview series includes conversations with Owen Garratt, Kelly Rae Roberts, Gwenn Seemel, and more – they’ll talk about their work, their online strategies, and how they make a living from their work.
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BONUS #5: The Great Clutterbust
Discover how to fall in love with your studio (or other art creation space) and fire up your creative joy with Melissa Dinwiddie’s Great Clutterbust course. Melissa is an artist, Happiness Catalyst and Creativity Instigator who helps people turn their creative taps to “on.” She will walk you through the step-by-step process of decluttering your space, creating order out of chaos, and making room for creating your art.
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BONUS #6: The Abundant Artist’s Art Marketing Checklist
This step-by-step, printable marketing checklist gives you the exact steps you can follow to market your art online and start making sales. You can use this checklist as you create each new piece of art, to document your creation process and tell your story online.
More testimonials
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"My work was featured in the Topeka Kansas Journal."
Michelle Leivan
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"Yes! I sent a newsletter with a call to action advertising an Open House for my new studio and classes (limited to 8 students) and had a great turn out. I sold prints, filled my classes, increased my email list and had a few prospective buyers. I also sold a painting online with the shopping cart which totally surprised me! Very pleased - this would not have happened without your help turning the social media switch on - thank you."
Anne Kindl
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"I sold $100 worth of art before the class was over. I really enjoyed the step by step instruction on how to actually DO the THINGS! Plus we had the added benefit of getting help from the group which was awesome. I learned so much! I'm still working through the course, it's just packed with information. I will recommend this to others, its awesome.”
Anne Marie Talon
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My first ever art calendar print run has sold out. We got it together and printed whilst I was doing the Content Marketing course. We made a few hundred euros! Think doing the course gave me a bit of a boost to get it out there.
Gill
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$77.72 has been transferred to your account. I know it is a little bit, but it was a little bit that required NO effort on my part. THANKS Cory and class for the kick in the pants. I am expecting this trickle to be the beginning as I tighten up my website and supporting social media.
Gwen
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"The biggest thing I took away from the class and I guess the most useful was the research methods and tools for figuring out where to look to promote my art."
Aron Johnston
Join How to Sell Your Art Online Today and Get:
All of these bonuses are included when you sign up for How to Sell Your Art Online!
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The full How to Sell Your Art Online 201 program
including 4 information-packed modules.
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Short, focused videos and lessons you can watch on any device,
so you can go through the lessons a little bit at a time.
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Lifetime access to the entire course,
so you can re-watch the videos or refer back to the worksheets, tools, and resources at any time.
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Easy, actionable steps you can use to create immediate changes
and start bringing in more sales as soon as possible.
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Access to Coaching Calls
with me and other artists taking the HTSYAO courses.
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1 Year in The Abundant Artist Association
where you can connect with other artists and gain access to monthly challenges, legal assistance, and group health insurance.
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All the additional learning bonuses,
including the Email Templates, the Artist Interviews, the Great Clutterbust program, the Abundant Artist’s Art Marketing Checklist, and more!
Which option works best for you?
Access to our members-only community, The Association, for one year
Monthly art business challenges & strategy calls
Lifetime access to How to Sell Your Art Online 201
One Year access to How to Sell Your Art Online 101 and 301
Access to our paid Facebook and Instagram training after the course is over
Artist Websites That Sell Course
Legal clinics & consultations
My Guarantee: Start Making Consistent Art Sales, or Your Money Back.
I’m confident the How to Sell Your Art Online 201 course will help you reach your art marketing goals. If you’re not happy with the course, or you’re not making real progress toward making consistent art sales, I will personally get on the phone with you and help you figure out your next steps.
If you’ve done the work from the course and you’re not satisfied with the program after that call, just let me know, and I’ll happily refund your full purchase price.
Access to our members-only community, The Association, for one year
Monthly art business challenges & strategy calls
Lifetime access to How to Sell Your Art Online 201
One Year access to How to Sell Your Art Online 101 and 301
Access to our paid Facebook and Instagram training after the course is over
Artist Websites That Sell Course
Legal clinics & consultations
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve been a getting a lot of questions about How to Sell Your Art Online 201, so I thought I’d take a minute to answer the most common ones right now.
Question #1: “What is the difference between this course and How to Sell Your Art Online 101?”
HTSYAO 101 was primarily a course for people who hadn’t made their first online art sale. It was designed for the artists who wanted to learn how to tell effectively tell their stories to their potential buyers.
How to Sell Your Art Online 201 is for artists who are already making sales, but want to create systems to start getting steady income from their art businesses.
You don’t need to have completed HTSYAO 101 to sign up for this course, however – if you feel like you’re ready to create sales funnels for your business, we’ll welcome you with open arms!
Question #2: “Will this course work for my style of art?”
We've had artists from many different styles and mediums succeed with this class. Digital art, sculpture, jewelry, fiber art, encaustic and of course oils, watercolors and other styles of painting.
Styles have also ranged the gamut from realism to abstract to tribal.
There are a few things that tend to not work well for this class. If you make the kind of art that requires huge sums of public funding, or art that is overtly political around a specific contemporary event, then this course may not be a good fit. Otherwise, this class will definitely work for your style of art.
Question #3: “What do I need, in terms of my website and online presence, to take this course?”
You will need a website that will allow you to integrate with an email marketing service provider like ConvertKit or Mailchimp. Website services with integrated email marketing features like FASO will work, but you may be limited in what you’re able to do without the ability to segment your list and/or create a series of auto responder emails.
Marketplace services where you have a single page on someone else’s website, like Etsy or Fine Art America, will not work for this course. You won’t be able to integrate with an email service provider, or embed things on your page. If you don’t have your own website yet, please take a look at our Artist Websites That Sell course.
Question #4: “I hate sending emails, and I don’t want to spam people. Can I set up a sales funnel using email that doesn’t make me feel sleazy?”
Yes! You’ll be telling your story and sending emails that connect with your prospects in a genuine, authentic way – and while you will be using emails, you won’t be spamming people or sending anything they haven’t enthusiastically signed up for.
You’ll feel proud of every email you send – and you’ll be amazed at the response you get from your new fans, too!
Question #5: “How long is the course going to take?”
The whole course takes about 10 hours of work, or about one hour a day for two weeks. If you have a day job, we totally get it – the course is completely self-paced, so you can break it down into tiny chunks and do the work a little bit at a time.
You get lifetime access to all the materials, so you can go through the materials at any time, and learn at your own pace.
If you can devote at least 10 hours of work to this course, we can help you set up a basic sales funnel that start bringing in consistent sales from buyers who love your work.