Why should I focus so much on building an email list when I need to actually sell art?

Building an email list is fundamental to selling art over the long term. Without email addresses, you have no opportunity to tell your story, no way for prospects to get to know you, and no ability to continue marketing to them as you create new work in the years to come. Without a way to contact them, visitors are gone and likely not coming back. An email list you own gives you the ability to tell stories to your audience, romance that audience, show them ads, and sell art directly to them for the rest of your artistic career. You need to be in this game for the long run - patience, persistence, and a strategic plan. Think of it this way: you can’t go fishing for a good time without first throwing in your line. Email addresses are your fishing line for long-term success.

---

Asked by an artist questioning the value of email versus direct sales · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2017-11-07