Can the back of your painting be a marketing tool? Should you really sell your paintings? Eric Rhoads answers in this Art Marketing Minute Podcast.

In the Art Marketing Minute Podcast, you’ll learn how to sell your art, how to market your paintings, and everything else you need to know in order to have a successful art career. Each episode answers questions from artists by host Eric Rhoads, author of “Make More Money Selling Your Art,” publisher of several art magazines and newsletters, and author of ArtMarketing.com. 

Listen to the Art Marketing Minute Podcast: Episode 92 >

Submit Your Art Marketing Question:

What questions do you have about selling your art? Email Eric today at [email protected] (include your name and where you’re from) to hear your question answered on an upcoming Art Marketing Minute Podcast.

FULL TRANSCRIPT of the Art Marketing Minute:
DISCLAIMER: The following is the output of a transcription from an audio recording of the Art Marketing Minute. Although the transcription is mostly correct, in some cases it is slightly inaccurate due to the recording and/or software transcription.

Announcer:
This is the Art Marketing Minute with Eric Rhoads, author of the Amazon best-selling book, “Make More Money Selling Your Art.” In the marketing minute we answer your questions to help your art career brought to you by artmarketing.com, the place to go to learn more about marketing. Now, here’s your host, arts magazine publisher, Eric Rhoads.

Eric Rhoads:
This is a question that came across the transom in my art marketing in a box. It’s a private group. It’s a product that we have. And it basically helps people market gets all this stuff kind of done for him. And people are having a lot of success with it. But we have this anonymous group and we trade questions and stuff. And I’m always answering questions there. So I’m not going to say the name on this one. But this person said, Eric, you once mentioned that the back of your painting is a valuable marketing tool. Can you explain this? Well, what I mean by that is, the back of your painting is a great opportunity because somebody is buying your painting. And so what’s on the back really matters. First, your back of your painting needs to look highly professional, I think I like to see a brief bio on the painter can’t be too large, especially on small paintings, but a bio. And that a place to learn more about the painter, which is your website, and your contact information. Now your gallery may or may not like this. But if you have a good valid agreement with them, where you say, Look, I’m not going to violate anything, I’m not going to sell direct, they shouldn’t be have a problem with it. I like to put the story in the painting if you have room, and of course your copyright. And then I like to put something else on there like a little message that says to the buyer of this painting, I have a gift for you email me at, you know, Eric at plein air magazine, for instance. And I’ll send you a gift and then you send them some gift cards, they get your address, you get their address, and you send them some gift cards with their painting on it. And it says from the collection of the collectors name, and then it gives them something to brag about gives them some nice coat postcards, they’re going to remember you it’s going to be different than anybody else ever did for him. And there’s also the law of reciprocity, which means they may want to do business with you again in the future because you gave them something nice. So that’s something I like to do on the back of my paintings. And it’s something I don’t always get done, but I try.

Here’s a note from Amanda berry in Columbia city, Indiana. That’s my old stomping grounds. As a matter of fact, my grandmother used to live there. Amanda says, You talk a lot about selling your work, so much so that I feel a little pressured. Oh, I’m sorry. She said I never really planned on selling my work. But now I’m starting to think maybe I should be considering it. Well, Amanda, you don’t have to consider it. The answer to your question is no, no, no, you don’t have to sell your paintings. And no, I talked a lot about marketing because there’s a lot of people who want to sell their paintings. Painting is a hobby is what most painters do. And they don’t have to sell or don’t even need to sell their paintings. And if you’re not needing to, if you don’t make a living off of it, you don’t need to make a living. If you’re not looking for a little extra income, then you don’t need to feel obligated to sell your paintings. Now, last fall a fall color week, I had a couple of painters tell me that they wanted some advice on selling their paintings. And I sat down with them one at a time. I said, Well, why do you want to sell your paintings? I said, Do you want it for the money? No, I’ve got plenty of money. Both of them said that. I said, Do you want it for the recognition? They say yeah, I’d like a little recognition. So I said to him, Well, why do it? Why sell them? If it’s not about the money, why sell them? Why not just enjoy your life as a painter take the pressure off and get your recognition through donations to to charity organizations or gifts to friends or something like that you don’t you know, you don’t have to sell it. Now if you want to be in a plein air event, you know, maybe that’s another way to get some recognition. But again, it’s not necessarily about you have to make a living. So don’t feel pressured. Selling is not necessary, unless it becomes important to you.

Well, this has been the art marketing minute with me. Eric Rhoads. My goal in life is to eliminate the idea of the starving artist to help your dreams actually come true. So if you want to submit questions, simply email [email protected]. And to learn more about marketing ideas, you can visit Artmarketing.com. Thanks for listening.

How to Submit Your Art Marketing Questions: What questions do you have about selling your art? Email Eric today at [email protected] (include your name and where you’re from) to hear your question answered on an upcoming Art Marketing Minute Podcast.