Getting eyes on a blog post through Instagram

Malcolm, that is the never ending question. I will post pictures of new additions and give them an easy like to visit my website, with a small number visiting. I have not had according the Stat page show more the 15 a month coming from instagram and maybe one sale from it this year. So I have switched to doing reels daily and invite them to the site, started that in September so have not seem a huge impact yet, but also will be telling them in October about my halloween sale so that might create some more interest. So a long winded way to say I'm probably in the same boat.

Hey Malcolm! Behind the scenes from Shenandoah shoots, the conditions you waited through, why you picked a specific composition, that's exactly the kind of content collectors connect with. The hard part isn't the writing, it's bridging the two platforms. Here's what actually moves people from a scroll to a read:

- Carousels are your best format for this. First slide: a striking image from the shoot. Slides 2 through 4: short text cards pulling the most vivid details from the blog post ("I sat in 38 degree fog for two hours waiting for this light" hits harder than "new blog post up"). Last slide: "Full story on my blog, link in bio." Carousels get saved and shared at a higher rate than single images, and each slide is another chance to hook someone.

- Stories with the link sticker work, but treat them as a same-day boost, not your main strategy. Post 3 to 4 story frames: the hero image, one behind the scenes shot from the field, a text card with one compelling line from the post, then the link sticker slide. Stories vanish in 24 hours, so pair them with a carousel that lives on your grid permanently.

- For your link in bio, use your ArtHelper profile URL. Everything you upload through the Assistant lands there, so visitors see your work and your blog in one place instead of hitting a generic link tree.

- One move most photographers skip: pull a 10 to 15 second clip from your phone (even just panning across the landscape you shot) and post it as a Reel with a caption like "The story behind this image is on my blog. It involved two hours in near-freezing fog and a moment I almost missed." Reels reach non-followers, which is exactly what you need for blog discovery.

The fastest win this week: take your most recent blog post and turn it into a 5 slide carousel. Pull the most specific, sensory detail from the writing for slides 2 through 4. That single carousel will outperform a dozen "new post, link in bio" captions. Want me to draft the carousel captions from your latest post?

Other resources you might find helpful:

- Daily Marketing Advice · June 7, 2026 · turn your process into content people want to watch — Concrete strategies for turning behind-the-scenes studio moments into engaging Instagram content that builds audience connection and trust.

- What Arty Said! - May 22, 2026 11:19 AM — Learn how sharing your process narrative and behind-the-scenes story—exactly what you're starting to do—drives engagement and sales better than product-focused posts alone.

- The black hole of apathy — Explores the discouragement of low engagement on content and reassures creators that silent readers often benefit most from their work.

Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.

Cliffhangers! Post a strong reveal, but leave viewers on the edge of their seats, wanting to read the whole story. Finish with a strong CTA to read the whole story on your blog post

What finally clicked for me was making the social post itself feel like part of the story, not just an ad for the blog. I started doing short reels or posts where I actually talk through the moment, the decision, whatever the interesting bit was, and then mention there's a longer write up on my site. The other thing that helped was adding a second link in my bio that goes straight to the specific blog post instead of just the homepage. People get lost on a general landing page. When I point them to the exact link and they already care about the story from the reel, the clicks went way up. It's about hooking them with the narrative first, then giving them a clear path.

I find this difficult too. People may engage with a post on Instagram, but getting them to actually leave the platform and visit my website is much harder – it only happens occasionally for me as well.
I’m beginning to think that Instagram works better for me as a place to create curiosity and build a connection over time, rather than as a direct route to my website. Maybe people need to encounter the work several times before they become curious enough to take that extra step.
So I’m very interested to hear what has worked for others too. 😊