What Platform Should You Put Your Art On?

What platform should I put my art on?

I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count over the last 10 years. And right now, with more people online than ever and more noise than ever, it feels bigger and more pressing than it’s ever been.

So let me share how I actually think about it. Because the answer isn’t Instagram or Substack or Facebook. The answer starts somewhere else entirely.

What’s The Point Of It?

Before you choose a platform, ask yourself what the point of it is.

What do you want this platform to become known for? Who do you want to attract? What are you actually trying to do there?

Most people skip this step and go straight to choosing the platform, then wonder why it doesn’t feel right or isn’t working. But the purpose has to come first. Everything else flows from that.

When I think about United ArtSpace, the purpose is clear. It’s to reach artists, create content that inspires them, and help them grow confidence in themselves and their work. That clarity makes every platform decision easier because I’m always asking, does this serve that purpose? Are my people actually here?

And when I started thinking about setting up a separate platform for my own art, I went through the same process from scratch. What’s the point of it? What will it become known for? Who do I want there? Those questions led me to Substack, which I’m planning to set up later this year, because when I mapped out what I wanted to create, it kept coming up as the right fit.

Two Options, Or A Bit Of Both

The way I think about platforms, there are really two routes. Your own platform, the place that is yours, where you build relationships and people come to find you. Or other people’s platforms, places that already exist and already have your people on them.

For United ArtSpace, our own platform is primarily Instagram. That’s where we build relationships, have conversations and be present consistently. We use Facebook and YouTube for live content because the engagement there is brilliant. And I have a website, but that’s for information, not relationship building. Those are very different purposes and it’s worth being clear which one a platform is for.

The second route, being on other people’s platforms, can be really powerful too. Think galleries, YouTube channels, other social media accounts that already have access to your audience. The thing to watch with big online galleries is that they can feel appealing but often they’re so broad that you get lost. You want to find platforms where your specific people already are, not just any people.

If You Hate It, Get Off It

One of the most important things I consider when choosing a platform is whether I actually enjoy using it.

It sounds obvious. But I see it constantly. Artists forcing themselves onto platforms they hate, showing up half heartedly, and then wondering why nothing is connecting. That reluctance comes across in everything you post.

So pick something you genuinely want to use. That enjoyment, that natural curiosity about the platform, makes such a difference to the energy you bring to it.

The World Has Changed And Our Platforms Need To Reflect That

Something has changed significantly over the last few years that I think a lot of artists haven’t fully reckoned with yet.

We are living in a period of real distrust online. AI generated content, fake accounts, endless ads. People are wary in a way they simply weren’t a few years ago. During the pandemic there was a boom in online buying, a real openness and trust in spending online. That world is gone.

Now people are only stopping for things that feel genuinely human and real. And that means your platform can no longer just be a place where you share your work. It has to be a place where connection happens. Two way conversations. Real relationships. People feeling like they actually know you.

Sharing a beautiful image is a starting point. The conversation around it is what actually builds trust.

One Platform, Done Properly

If you’re just starting out, my honest advice is to pick one platform and focus there entirely. Not two, not three. One.

United ArtSpace is across multiple platforms now, but we’ve been going for 10 years. If I was starting again today, I’d go to Instagram only, build there, get known there, and not think about anything else until that was working.

And before you do anything, create a profile of the person you want to attract. Get specific. Name them. And speak to that person in everything you create. It works every single time. The right people start gravitating towards you because what you’re putting out is genuinely speaking to them.

Your platform is your art village. Build it like one. A place where the right people gather, conversations happen, and real connections are made over time.

Let us know what platform you’re on and what’s been working for you. I’d love to know!

>> LEAVE A COMMENT HERE ON WHAT PLATFORM YOU’RE ON <<

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Have a great week & take care,

Michelle xo