Many of the same rules that apply to becoming a successful artist in the traditional art world apply to the digital art world. There are many angles you can take to become a successful NFT artist. As with anything new, you’ll need to learn several other skills that you might not have yet, such as setting up a crypto wallet or engaging on Twitter with the NFT community. 

Below we cover the 10 most important things you can do to become a successful NFT artist. 

Choose Your Art Niche

If you haven’t discovered your art niche, this is a great first step before stepping into the world of marketing and selling your art. It’s important to know your personal style and stand out from the rest. Know your brand, message, and style.

Generally speaking, digital art is what most NFT artists sell. However, you can sell both physical and digital art as an NFT. You will need to take high-quality photographs of your physical art to mint as an NFT. 

Whether you’re a digital artist,  physical artist, or both, you need to decide what your niche is. Perhaps it is portraits of sports stars, anime, psychedelic art, or a specific abstract art style. Knowing your strengths, interests, and niche, will help you market your art and collectors will have a clear picture of what type of artist you are and what your unique creations are. 

The Technical Part of NFTs

If you’re ready to start selling NFT art, you’ll need to get acquainted with the tech part of crypto wallets and minting NFTs. The process is fairly simple; the only tiresome part is setting up a crypto wallet, which may prove difficult for artists in parts of the world where many cryptocurrency exchanges are banned. 

But there are two steps to take before you create your first NFT: buying crypto, and downloading a crypto wallet such as MetaMask to get connected to NFT marketplaces. 

You can read the full step-by-step guide here on how to create and sell NFTs. 

Choose an NFT Marketplace

There are two types of NFT stores: one is a general NFT store where anyone can sell their artwork, and the other is a curated store where artists have to be approved. Both have their pros and cons; what is best for you will depend on your goals and preferences. Most blockchains have their own selection of NFT marketplaces. The most popular and respected NFT art marketplaces are on the Ethereum blockchain. 

You can see our in-depth guide on NFT marketplaces in the link below. Depending on what type of NFT art you’re trying to sell, the lists below will help you choose which one is the most appropriate for you:

A Comprehensive Guide to the Best NFT Art Marketplaces

Create a Collection

It’s a good idea to start with selling a collection of your artworks, anywhere between three to eight pieces. The collection should have a theme and a story. This way, collectors are encouraged to buy more than one piece from you since it is always nice to have the entire series.

Price Your Artworks

When pricing your artworks, keep in mind that you will have to pay for minting and gas fees (unless you use OpenSea’s gasless minting option). If you pay for minting and gas, you’ll spend anywhere between $50-$80 per piece, so your art would have to be priced significantly higher for you to make a decent profit. 

If you have done little to nothing to build your personal brand, you may get lucky in making a couple of sales, but your career is likely to be short-lived. Price your art properly. Just because somebody else sold their CryptoArt for 1 ETH, doesn’t mean you will. You need to build your brand, and it takes time and effort.

Don’t try to sell the same NFT on multiple platforms for different prices, collectors will find out, and it will ruin your reputation. Start with reasonable prices (of course, don’t undersell either) and keep working on your art and brand. 

Build a Community

Building a community is one of the most critical aspects of becoming a successful NFT artist; this will be part of building your brand. Just as in the traditional art world, you need to get the attention of buyers and collectors and make connections; you need to do the same in the NFT space. The sales will not come rolling in just because you made an NFT. It’s important to establish relations with others. 

Take a look at the artists on marketplaces like KnownOrigin or MakersPlace, and follow the ones you resonate with on Twitter. From there, you will quickly dive into the rabbit hole through other people’s retweets and tags. Remember, talk to the people! Engage with the artists, fans, and collectors and build meaningful relationships. Join some podcasts and Twitter Spaces talks, and support other artists’ work. Comment on the artists’ works you like, share your ideas, and ask for feedback. Most of all, be nice and avoid the drama! 

Build a Social Media Following

If you’re not leveraging social media yet, you’ll need to start getting active on there and build a following, especially on Twitter. Twitter is where most of the action happens, as well as on Discord groups and some relatively small communities on Facebook. Twitter is easier to start with and connect with others, and through Twitter, you can find which Discord groups to join. You can also join some Discord groups such as SuperRare, KnownOrigin, or Foundation, where you can meet other artists and ask questions.

Social media is a beast of its own but one of the best ways to get your art out there. Start with posting one to two posts every day and commenting on other people’s posts and asking for feedback. Some popular hashtags you can use are:

#NFT

#NFTs

#Ethereum

#NFTart

#NFTartist

#NFTcommunity

#NFTcollector

Creating your website is also a must so people can easily go and read more about your projects, art, and story. Creating a blog can also help with SEO and generating organic traffic. Adding links to the NFT marketplaces you sell your art on will also help people find your NFTs easier. 

One way not to market yourself is by spamming links to your CryptoArt in a direct message; it’s lazy and will probably work against you. If you’re going to send a message to somebody about your art, engage with them. Personalize your message. Copying and pasting the same message without any personalization is also not good practice, as is relentlessly tagging prominent collectors or brands in your public posts.

Be Persistent, Be Consistent

Remember that the CryptoArt scene, and NFTs in general, are very new. Don’t get disheartened if you’re not successful right away or as quickly as you expected you would be. The community is very welcoming and eager to help each others ucceed. Keep creating, connecting, and showing your art to the world. Make changes where necessary, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Stay true to your style and what you love creating, and don’t get discouraged when you see others making sales when you haven’t. Your turn will come!

Create Value for Collectors

The NFT art space is flooded with short-term, quick-flip projects that won’t have much value in the future. There is no straightforward answer to what collectors and investors want, but it’s safe to say they want to buy from artists who can market themselves and grow in the space and those who will be around long-term.

It’s always a good idea to create value and interest by doing something special for long-term holders, such as special drops. Collectors also love scarcity and exclusivity, like knowing that they own a 1 out of 1 edition or a rare artwork that only has ten editions.

Some artists add utility to their NFTs by giving owners access to a metaverse event or a whitelist spot for another project. Another way of creating value is to share your knowledge and post interesting and helpful content for your followers, who will be happy to share it with others.

Take Advantage of the Metaverse

Once you’re more acquainted with the CryptoArt scene, you can start exploring the metaverses; CryptoVoxels and Decentraland. There are virtual galleries in these metaverses that host art shows each week. The metaverse is a great way of promoting your work and meeting new people, as well as potentially doing some interviews.

You can follow the Twitter account of these metaverses; they regularly retweet about the latest builds and exhibitions happening so you can connect with the people who own the galleries and set up an exhibition. 

We also have our own Metaverse Residence program for artists here on NFT Plazas, which you can contact us about to participate.