How to actually sell prints through Instagram

Instagram is where art buyers are. Over 70% of online collectors discover new artists there, and nearly 50% make direct purchases right from their feed.

Yet, most photographers struggle to sell prints. Why does this happen?

Today, I’m sharing how to sell more prints on Instagram - using the same sales strategies that helped me generate 5-figure months selling digital art. While my sales came from digital work, the same approach applies to selling physical prints.

Let’s dive in.

Story > Photos

Story of your art is more important than the art itself.

Yep, I said it.

This is why many "random or "not so beautiful" paintings sell for a high amount - there's a story behind that piece. The same thing applies to photography.

Imagine if you were looking at 2 identical images, A and B. And then, I'd tell you the photograph A was made by me hiking in a snowstorm, fearing of freezing to death, and just getting back alive... and the fact I was bullied inspired me to make this "inspiring" photo - while photograph B I could just drive with my car to that spot and take the photo.

Which photo is better now?

The photo A, right?

So it's not that you need to be an amazing photographer to sell prints.

You must be an amazing storyteller.

Tell why you made the photograph.

Tell the process.

This is what will get people to connect with your art - and with you as an artist.

And this will lead to more sales.

Premium prints > Cheap prints

The biggest mistake you can do is to sell prints at $10-$50.

Most photographers do that - and they wonder why they're not making much money.

Let's do some basic math, shall we?

Say you wanted to make $3,000 a month with prints, and you sold prints $20.

This means you'd need to make 150 sales to make that amount.

But what if you sold a print at $1,000?

You'd only need 3 sales.

What if you sold a print at $3,000?

You'd only need 1 sale.

This is the same exact thing I talked on ​this​ issue how I've built $10,000 months.

Yes, some people CAN make 150 sales to make $3,000 a month.

But you'll need an insane amount of traffic to get to those amounts.

And even then, you'll make more money by selling premium prints.

So, make your prints as expensive as humanly possible.

This will also get your profit margins to be higher, leading to a better business.

Using automation

If you're not using automations on your Instagram to sell prints, you're making a huge mistake.

You'll get 70% more people to visit your store by sending a link to them via DM compared to saying "click on my bio".

You might have seen me or other creators say "Comment the word X and I'll send you Y." - that's (often) automation.

Using this not only gets you more sales, but people will also leave more comments and engaging more - leading to you get more reach - and that turns into more sales again.

Use ManyChat to automate things.

Build a personal brand and share your story

If you're not making print sales, you probably don't have a good enough of a personal brand yet.

This comes back to the story. Every photo has one, and it matters you communicate it.

But have you shared your story?

Your story matters even more.

And when you build a personal brand online, people will learn what you're about, and they'll understand why you made a photograph pretty well before you even tell about it.

And most importantly, they will connect with you as a person.

Connection with your potential customers is a huge advantage in business. It makes people so much more likely to buy from you.

So, build a personal brand before everyone has one.

You'll stand out, and be able to sell prints with more ease when you do.

This is what I did to achieve my first €13,000 in 3 weeks when I was 18 years old.

I had built my personal brand on Twitter, and I shared what made me craft a collection - and that separated me from the crowd.

If you're not sure how to start yourself, and what exactly to do to build your personal brand, and make sales through Instagram...

I'm confident I can help you do the same.

DM me on Instagram @hugoraphy with “Coach” - and let's chat can I help you.

Best,

Hugo

P.S. If you're not sure what's keeping your Instagram stuck, take ​this​ quiz to find out.