Are you having a difficult time driving traffic to your artist website? In this post, I will share with you some tips on how to write list posts that generate traffic to your site so you can sell more art.
How To Write List Posts That Generate Traffic
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking on an affiliate link, Nevue Fine Art Marketing may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, Skimlinks, SareASale and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy
Original Pastel Painting by Dave Nevue
PRINTS AVAILABLE
By the end of this post, you will know…
- What Is A List Post
- Plan Before You Write Your Blog Post
- Create An Outline For Your List Post
- Flow
- List Post Structure
How can you grow a loyal following blogging?
You might have heard that blogging is an excellent way for you to grow your audience online, and it is if done correctly.
Your artist blog has the potential to be your business’s most significant asset for attracting potential art collectors to your online art gallery.
Companies that published 16+ blog posts per month got about 4.5X more leads than companies that published 0-4 monthly posts. (Resource: HubSpot)
This statistic shows you that you have the potential to make 4.5x more just by blogging 4x a week.
That is not a bad investment. The only thing it will cost you is your time.
What should you write about to build brand awareness?
Succesful art blog posts provide value to the reader.
If you want to separate yourself from all of the other artists online, write posts that solve a problem.
For example, you might want to write a post that explains how to frame a new painting or the best way to clean a painting.
Below are some different types of blog posts that generate traffic:
How to posts (how to paint, how to draw, how to protect your paintings, etc.)
List Posts (5 ways to display your art, 7 Paintings that would look great in your kitchen)
Review Posts (Review your favorite art supplies)
[click_to_tweet tweet=” Statistics show you that you have the potential to make 4.5x more just by blogging 4x a week.” quote=”Statistics show you that you have the potential to make 4.5x more just by blogging 4x a week.” theme=”style3″]
List posts have been shown to deliver exceptional results and are relatively easy to write.
For example, 15 Places to Sell Art Online and Make Money is a list post that was written in 2016 and still generates between 6,000 and 8,000 page views a month.
Even though list posts tend to generate a lot of traffic, you will still want to incorporate different post styles for your regular readers.
Here are some examples of different types of blog posts that have done exceptionally well for me:
Art That Sells – What Artists Need to Know
How To Sell Paintings And Make Money
What Is A List Post
Even though you will want to write different types of posts, today, I want to focus on list posts because they are relatively easy to write, and they do tend to perform very well.
A list post is an article written in a list format.
The post will list several tips, trends, ways, methods, or reasons.
People enjoy reading list posts because they know exactly what they are going to receive, and it is easy to digest.
Many people do not have a great deal of time to get involved with a long text article.
Sometimes they are just interested in learning some facts that will help them with a problem that they are having.
List posts are a great way to provide value that is straight to the point.
In between the list posts, you might want to consider publishing “How To” posts and more niche related posts to attract your target audience to your site.
Below are the steps I take, which allows me to write lists posts in no time.
Plan Before You Write Your Blog Post
Decide how many topics you will be addressing with your post.
When you are thinking of numbers, remember that numbers have different effects on people.
People are attracted to round numbered posts. Round numbers give them the impression of authority such as 10, 20, and 100.
Odd numbers give the impression that a post is not complete.
An example is 9.
- 9 Drawing Tips For Beginners
- 10 Drawing Tips For Beginners
When you look at the titles above, which one are you more attracted too?
Doesn’t the second title look more exciting and complete?
Some bloggers create a list post with only nine ideas listed and ask the reader to finish the list.
Many times the reader will feel encouraged to write their thoughts in the comment section, which helps to build engagement with a post.
Try different strategies to see what produces the best results.
Create An Outline For Your List Post
When you are designing the outline for a list post, come up with as many ideas that you can write about for the specific topic you are discussing.
When you have completed the list, go through the ideas and pick out the most relevant points that support the topic you are writing about.
It is easier to cut than it is to add when you are writing list posts.
If you find yourself in a position where you need one or two more topics to write about, you might find that they are not as in-depth as the previous topics.
You do not want to leave the impression that you are writing fillers.
This will discourage readers from reading further posts.
Flow
Having a blueprint for your posts is essential.
You will want to keep your ideas flowing from one to another.
An excellent way to create flow is to have each topic built off of each other.
If the ideas are random, you will confuse the reader and lose their interest.
Example:
Let’s say that you want to write list posts about supplies that a graphite artist needs.
10 Must-Have Supplies That a Graphite Artist Needs
1 – Pencils
2 – Erasers
3 – Ruler
4- Sketchpad
5 -Bristol board
You can see that with this example, when you write about one item, the next item goes well with the previous one. The list makes it easy for the artist to know what they will need to purchase and the description will explain why they will need those specific supplies.
You can also write list posts for your “How to” posts.
- 10 Steps To Draw A Rose
- 20 Steps To Make Your Drawing More Realistic
When you are writing “How to” posts be very specific.
The reader might be a beginner and excited to learn your technique.
The smallest details will be beneficial for them, even if they seem elementary to you.
Explain your thoughts as if the reader has never drawn before.
If the reader is an intermediate artist, they will skim over what they already know and focus on the new material.
List Post Structure
Develop a structure for your posts. You will notice that depending on the type of post you are writing, you will need to develop a different structure for each.
For example, a review post will have a different layout than a list post.
Structured posts will make a better reading experience for your loyal followers. They will get used to your style and look forward to your future posts.
The structure of your posts and your writing style will separate you from the other artists blogging.
list post example:
This is an example of how you could structure your list posts. It contains all of the important sections that you win need for your list posts.
You can modify it to your liking.
When you have a set blueprint of how you would like your list posts to be, stay constant with it.
Not only will you be building your brand, but it will also be quicker for you to write them as time goes by.
Intro
The intro paragraph is something that catches the reader’s attention and will describe what the reader should expect in the post.
Why
The next paragraph will explain why the post is essential for the reader to continue reading.
List
Your list section will be your topics separated in a numbered list.
Conclusion
End the post with a summary of what the reader read, highlighting the important facts of the post.
Conclusion:
Art blogs are an excellent tool for artists to build brand awareness online.
Spend some time every week to learn how to become an expert content marketer.
Related art blog resource:
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists eBook
USE COUPON CODE – 28DAY to save $10 off 28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists eBook.
Popular Art Marketing And Sales Tutorials
Below are some of the most famous art marketing courses that will grow your online art business:
Most Popular – How to Make a Living Selling What You Make by Megan Auman
Most Popular – Build a Successful Creative Blog by April Bowles-Olin
How to Build a Business While Learning Your Craft by Megan Auman
Pinterest Marketing for Makers & Designers by Megan Auman
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
Are you ready to start building an online presence?
Available on Amazon or Download your copy today.
The Productive Artist How to Live Your Dreams
The right mindset and time management skills are essential for any business. These topics are often not talked about but are critical elements for your success. You will learn how to have a winning mindset and time management skills necessary for operating a successful art business.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
Get More Done in Less Time The Part-time Artist
Proven strategies that will help you to get more work done in less time so you can sell more art and earn more money.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
Did you enjoy this article? Don’t forget to sign up for my free weekly newsletter.
You can also join me on:
Learn how to start, grow, and monetize your online art business.
Art Business eBooks
Art Business Workbooks
Art Business Planners
