Are Art Marketing Courses a Scam?
If you are an artist on Instagram or Facebook you have likely come across someone in your feed that captures your attention with the promise of giving you art marketing secrets. They mention a pain point or frustration that you have and how by signing up for their course you can make thousands of dollars a month (just like them) from being an artist. Sounds great right? Well, not always.
In this blog post we're going to explore what to look for in these courses, how to know if one is right for you and red flags to look out for.
If you're anything like me and have an interest in this topic, then the algorithm is likely throwing this content your way at a somewhat annoying rate. I'm not naive to think that social media isn't being used as a marketing tool for many but, I feel like sometimes I see more of that than anything else. Again, probably the algorithm. You only have to click on one or two of these things for it to change your whole feed quite rapidly.
Artists Helping Artists
So what's the problem with artists trying to help other artists? Isn't that a good thing? The short answer is yes it is, but not all of these courses are created equal. Some of them come at a high price filled with information you can literally Google. Sure, they've put it together all in one place for you, but are they offering any first-hand experience to back that up?
One of the comments I keep seeing consistently on Instagram is how someone has spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on a program only to feel like they haven't gotten anywhere. While there are various factors for this, which we will explore later, the truth is it's also very common.
The allure of learning from how to be successful from an artist with thousands of followers and no day job is intoxicating. They've seemingly cracked the code and are generous enough to share it with you for the low low cost of whatever arbitrary price point they have come up with.
Now, as someone who also sells courses and products to help artists, I'm not saying they are all scammers. I have taken some courses that I've paid very little for as well as some high-ticket courses that were super valuable and worth every penny.
Some artists are genuinely trying to help the creative community by sharing their knowledge. Their goal is to show how we can all be profitable and squash the myth of being a starving artist. One of the best ways to do that is by diversifying your income streams.
In saying that, you have to be aware that anyone, including myself, who is selling you a product or course is doing exactly that – diversifying their income. Diversification is the best way to ensure that you always have some money coming in, even when one of your sources of income is slow or for some reason stops altogether. This is a best practice that most small business entrepreneurs engage in and is smart from a financial perspective.
The Truth About Course Creation
When the pandemic hit, online courses skyrocketed in revenue. For many this was a lifeline when galleries shut down, in-person workshops were cancelled and no one was attending art fairs. Artists found themselves scrambling to figure out how they could pivot in their businesses to be able to pay their bills when these other profitable streams had suddenly halted.
This burst of interest and demand for online courses allowed many artists to reach a global audience, and in some cases, at a price point that was more affordable for their students than in-person events. This was a win-win for everyone involved. Coming out of the pandemic, the demand for this stayed steady and they found more success at it than they previously had with their other methods. The best part? They only had to do the work once and could continue to profit from it.
From this came the onslaught of the very meta "course on how to make and sell a course" experts. They teach a formulaic approach to creating a course right down the language you need to use. Once again promising you financial freedom. It sounds great, and honestly, who wouldn't want to have a stable income without having to work as hard?
Course platforms have a cost and so does editing software and all of the other things that go along with it. I'm not blaming anyone for wanting to charge for what they're trying to share. You deserve to be paid for your time and effort no matter what it is that you are doing. Many people also tend to value things more when they pay for them.
Where this all gets questionable is when the person selling an art marketing course is seemingly preying on someone's desperation, insecurities and lack of knowledge in that area to make a profit.
The Science of Marketing & Scarcity
As I mentioned earlier, there is a proven formula to how courses are marketed. You may find yourself signing up for a free webinar only to shell out hundreds of dollars for a course you didn't intend to purchase going in. When it's done right, this is all designed to make you feel like this is THE answer to all of your problems. Plus, who can resist the hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars of freebies you'll also get by "SIGNING UP TODAY!"
Scarcity marketing is also a part of this marketing tactic and it's highly effective. In most cases it's done to encourage an impulse purchase while you're still engaged and excited about it. Plus FOMO is very real for a lot of people and the thought of missing out on a great deal that is "only available now" is hard to pass up.
I understand the effectiveness of this and at times have used it myself. Those that are confident in their choice and aren't worried about the cost of something will have no trouble making the decision. For others, there is an increased sense of anxiety as they weigh the decision to purchase against whether they can really afford it or not.
I can tell you from experience that if you are the second person in this scenario, you shouldn't make an impulse purchase. I don't care how much they have scared you into thinking you are missing out on the deal of a lifetime. Don't do it.
One of the things that I liked about the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program, for example, was that they encourage people to sign up for a waiting list at the end of their free webinars rather than push people into making a now very expensive decision on the spot.
By getting on their waitlist you also get a series of emails leading up to the day when enrollment opens. This allows you to learn even more about the program, what they offer, and consider whether it's right for you or not. While this is still a marketing tactic, it's effective because it doesn't pressure you into joining on the spot and it likely weeds out any tire kickers. It also gives you time to research them and talk to people who have taken the program, which I highly recommend doing.
While this method might not work for every course creator, as someone who has taken a lot of free webinars in research over the years, this was super effective to me. I also believe that people who are willing to give really good information away for free or low cost are typically giving even more value in their paid products.
How To Know If A Course Is Right For You
Not every course is created equal. Here are some tips on how to access whether an art marketing course is right for you:
You like and respect the artists' body of work and you have similar goals for your work or art career
They are willing to share the good and the bad sides of the art marketing and business
They offer one-on-one or group mentorship opportunities
You have little to no hesitation about the financial investment
You can commit to the time that is needed to do the course
The course creator offers free resources that allow you to test drive their expertise before purchasing
The course content as a whole offers what you are looking for or solves a problem you have
You can find others who have successfully taken the course with good results outside of the testimonials on the course website*
*This is important because much like most products people tend to cherry-pick positive reviews. That doesn't mean the product is actually bad but try to find a balanced perspective. If a former student's full name or social media handle is visible try to track them down and see if they are willing to share their unfiltered experience with you. This applies mostly to high-ticket courses where you are investing a large sum of money.
Art Marketing Course Red Flags
Here are some of the red flags I have come across for online courses that are not necessarily scams but may mean it's not a good fit for you:
You sign up for a free webinar only to find that the information they originally drew you in with is only available in their paid-for course. A webinar, for example, promising you 3 tips on how to better streamline your workflow should deliver on that. It's fine if their paid-for course goes into more detail but the basic information should be in the webinar.
They aggressively push you into paying for the course before the webinar is over. This is only a red flag if you feel like it's more than you can comfortably afford and there isn't an ironclad money-back guarantee within a certain time period. I don't care what anyone says, don't gamble your mortgage payment over a course promising to solve your problems. Save up if necessary if you really want to take the course.
You can't find any evidence that they had a successful business before selling their course. This is important for artists looking for someone to effectively help them sell their artwork. Did they make a great living as an artist before selling this course or are they making a great living BECAUSE of this course? Some people need to shift priorities in their business for various reasons, but be wary of anyone promising you how to become a financially successful artist who didn't do it before they had a course about it.
The information they are promising can be found in a quick Google search. Some people will like that someone has done the research for them, but I personally wouldn't pay someone for information that can be found easily in under 30 minutes for free. Look for someone who can offer in-depth insights on a topic, a unique take, or personal experience that can't be found anywhere else.
Things To Consider With Art Marketing Courses
It would be irresponsible to write this post about whether art marketing courses are a scam or not without addressing a very important factor in why some people don't succeed after taking them. For one, some will sign up for the course and not be able to commit the time and energy it takes to really see results. Marketing yourself as an artist and finding success is not something that happens overnight. Many artists would benefit more from one-on-one mentorship with someone who is a good fit for their work and goals as opposed to a generic course meant to help many.
For the select few that happen to go viral on social media there are countless others that make great art that will never attain the same result. Success as an artists depends on so many factors including the quality of your work, the consistently at which you make it, your overall brand presence and much more. For some it can take many years to build this up to a place that can deemed as successful.
This is not to say that there aren't other artists out there that can show you the way, because there are. But what that path looks like for you is not a blueprint that everyone can follow. There are best practices and advice that will help you grow, but ultimately you have to put in the time, work and patience to make it happen.
Be skeptical of anyone promising you guaranteed results in a short time frame. Find proof that their claims are true, if so. Above all, don't be afraid to invest in yourself and your art business. Just don't be fooled by someone who may be trying to just profit off of the promise of your dreams.