The Art of Art Giveaways
If anyone had told me that I'd be running giveaways in my creative business I would not have believed them. I've seen giveaways on Instagram, and while many of the art supply giveaways are cool, there are many that look very spammy. I am not spammy. In fact, I am so respectful that I often don’t post enough to make sure you know what’s going on. As a result, I have a significant number of readers tell me they didn't know about a certain offer that had expired. Then I heard that only 6% of our following ever sees our Instagram posts! Only half of my readership opens my newsletter every week, and that's a super high conversion rate.
Therefore, marketing is a struggle for me. That's why it's been really slow growth for me as a teacher on Skillshare since 2016. It took me a long time to realize that my students wanted to hear from me regularly, and that they loved any excitement I could create along the way. Let's face it, I love this when my teachers offer new programs and offers to improve my skills! Sometimes I just really need a fun online interaction to brighten my day and important things to learn to give me hope for my future. If my mentors don't share those things, and frequently, how will I ever access them? How will I remember to purchase them? And most of all, how will I know they're even available?
Swatching of the Original Viviva Colors Colorsheets which has been a popular giveaway prize.
This is a conundrum that faces me each time I go to promote something. I'm learning, but it's a slow go. As I've always been very inexperienced in the methods of the online world, I get help and advice from colleagues that are a bit ahead of me. In doing that, I’ve followed many examples that have either worked, or weren't for me. Trial and error has quite has been great over the years, and I've amassed quite a few new tips and tricks.
The truth is that different audiences respond to different things. On Instagram you can get tons of follows from doing a giveaway, then face just as many unfollows afterwards. I've never been a fan of the follow unfollow trend. It's spammy! When I follow someone I'm truly interested in their content, and when someone follows me I hope the same is true. However, on Skillshare students love giveaways and they go on to become loyal followers. At least that is the case for me. As a result, I've done more giveaways over the last several years than I can count, and my students come back over and over again, while new ones jump on. This is encouraging, because it's so gutting to give something away only to be left empty afterwards. At Skillshare I feel like my students so appreciate the opportunities to win something like a paint set, a 30-minute consultation with me, or even a one-year skillshare membership.
My current giveaway in class Watercolor Mood Boards: Rethink Your Process.
The giveaways also encourage my students to paint and practice their skills. For me this is the biggest win! Nothing I teach is worth much if it's not tried, proven, and practiced. This is where the tire meets the road, and all the magic happens. Plus, the joy of seeing another artist take a project that I've created and put their own spin on it is just amazing. That means I get to see that project come alive in a whole new way, and it's so rewarding. At the same time I know that student is growing and flexing their creative muscles which will better their lives in some small way. I'm so proud to be a part of that!
I have recently added some of my classes to my new online school. That means my giveaways will extend to even more students and motivate them to create projects even if they don't have a Skillshare membership. I've always wanted this option to be available for any student to join, so I'm pretty pumped that it's a live option. I'll be adding more and more classes and courses to my online school going forward. So if you're not a member of Skillshare you'll have lots more available soon! Inside, I also have a watercolor membership for students who want to go deeper and get more one-on-one attention.
An image of my Viviva Colors brand collaboration paint set.
As I write this post, I'm conducting a giveaway for a Viviva Colors watercolor colorsheets set. However, I really like to change up the prizes each time so it's a bit more fun. Next time I will be giving away a 1-year Skillshare membership. Whatever I happen to offer, giveaways are working very well in this online space and I expect to continue them indefinitely.
In fact, I would even go so far to say as I've grown a bit addicted to them. To see the joy on a student's face or read it in their message because they won, is priceless. Some of my students have never won anything in their entire lives, so this means the world to them. This in turn brings me so much joy and I can't wait to do it the next time. That is the power of the random selection process. Anyone can win!
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