THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: Most artists think holiday marketing means slashing prices on Black Friday and calling it a day. But here’s what I’ve learned. After decades of selling, art doesn’t always work, especially for luxury buyers. They’re suspicious when prices are low. Why is this being slashed in half? Has it been sitting in her garage for six months? You don’t want people to start wondering that.
Speaker 2: It’s The Inspiration Place podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to the The Inspiration Place podcast, an Art World insider podcast for artists by an artist, where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host, Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman: Hey friend, it’s Miriam Schulman here, your curator of inspiration and welcome to The Inspiration Place podcast. Today we are talking about the ultimate guide to selling more art in this holiday season, so that you can have your biggest Q4 quarter for ever. Now, if you’re waiting for December or even Black Friday to start planning your holiday marketing strategy, you’re already behind. Which is why I planned this episode to come out now in the beginning of October. Trust me, I used to be that artist too. I didn’t even think about the holidays until I started receiving emails from other creators and artists with their Black Friday plans. I was like, oops, maybe I should do that too. So then I would scramble. I would throw something together, like some last minute promotion didn’t work out so well for me. Here’s what I didn’t understand back then. Most major brands start planning their holidays in June June. So while I was still thinking about summer art fairs or going to Wellfleet with my family, or back to school shopping or whatever, the retailers were already mapping out their fourth quarter strategy. Placing orders and booking their holiday advertising spots. Now, before you panic, if you’re listening to this in October and you’re thinking you’ve missed the boat, let me stop you right there. While the big brands might start in June, you’re not a big brand. You’re an artist. And that actually works in your favor. You can pivot faster, be more personal, and create authentic connections that no corporate marketing team can replicate.
Miriam Schulman: October is actually the perfect time to start planning your holiday season so you’re not too late. You’re right on time for what I call the artist holiday advantage. While those big brands are locked into campaigns they plan months ago, you can still capture the holiday spirit. You can still tap into real time trends and create marketing that feels fresh and genuine. So in case we haven’t met yet, I’m Miriam Schulman and over the past 25 years of selling art and coaching literally thousands of artists, I’ve learned that the holidays can make or break the entire year. This is the season when people are actively buying, not just browsing. They’re buying. Their credit cards are out there buying with emotion. They want gifts that tell stories. They want art that creates memories and pieces that show that they put real thought into their choices. So today, you’re going to get my step by step marketing roadmap to help you turn this quarter into your strongest quarter yet, even if you’re starting your planning right now. Step one start early and plan for the holiday shopper. Here’s a statistic that might shock you. Nearly 60% of holiday shoppers begin their purchasing before October even arrives, and some start as early as July or August. Now, while you are enjoying your summer or trying to stay cool in the air conditioning, your ideal collectors were already thinking about their holiday gift lists.
Miriam Schulman: This completely changed how I approach my business calendar. I used to think September was too early to mention the holidays, but now I know that’s exactly when I need to start positioning myself for serious buyers. Now, here’s what I want you to understand about portrait commissions and custom work. If you wait until November to start promoting holiday commissions, you’re essentially telling your customers, here’s a rushed gift idea. Instead, you need to be talking about the holiday portraits well before Halloween. I learned this from years of painting children’s portraits. The parents, who I contacted in September and October with a clear follow through plan, were always my best clients. I helped them get organized with a clear vision of what they wanted, and because of that, they were willing to pay premium prices because they valued that planning process. These early bird customers became my most serious collectors. Now compare that to the frantic calls I’d get in December. Can you paint my three kids before Christmas? Those customers were stressed, price sensitive, and often had unrealistic expectations about timing. The early planners, on the other hand, understood they were commissioning something special. That takes time to create properly. So let’s think about it from your collector’s perspective. Somebody planning a meaningful holiday gift in September has a completely different mindset than somebody who’s scrambling in December. The September Planner sees your art as an investment in showing someone they care.
Miriam Schulman: The December Scrambler sees your art as a last resort solution to a problem. Which customer would you rather work with? Okay, the holiday season is here, and if you’re still waiting for Instagram to bless you with visibility, you’re already falling behind. Collectors are shopping now. Now the question is, will they find you? I’m Miriam Schulman, author of Artpreneur and host of The Inspiration Place podcast, and for over 25 years I’ve sold art successfully through holiday shows, online launches, commissions and more. And I’ve taught thousands of artists to do the same without chasing likes or going viral. Inside my free masterclass how to sell more art without being Insta Famous. I’ll show you exactly what you might be doing wrong and what you need to do instead, so you can turn this season into your most profitable one yet. You’ll learn how to attract serious buyers and close more sales without dancing on reels or burning out. So to join us, go to SchulmanArt.com/sellmoreart to register now. Your art deserves to be under someone’s tree this year. Let’s make it happen. Step two organize your shop and back end. Now I like to say a confused mind never buys. When I review artists websites, sometimes I have trouble finding out how to actually buy their art. Now, if a tech savvy person like me, you know I actually went to MIT. If I have trouble navigating your website, imagine what the average buyer will experience.
Miriam Schulman: So here’s the truth. During the holiday season, people are shopping with urgency. They don’t have the patience for websites that load slowly. Check out processes that require creating accounts or policies buried in fine print. That’s not even the worst of it. If your site isn’t optimized, or if you expect shoppers to contact you to find out how much shipping costs, you’re putting obstacles between customers and their wallets. Let me tell you what happened when I helped one of my clients audit her website. She was getting lots of traffic, but very few sales within five minutes of clicking through her site. I noticed a few things. Her checkout process had seven steps requiring account creation and didn’t clearly create the shipping costs. Like I said, this is one of those people. And if this is you, this is very common. It’s a big no no. But I see lots of artists do this. They want their customers to contact them to find out how shipping costs. Customers don’t have the patience for that. So what you need to do instead is streamline it to a one step process and make sure your shipping costs are clearly shown before they even reach that step. Or better yet, offer free domestic shipping. Since we made those changes, her conversion rates doubled within a month. Now your e-commerce platform needs to be fast, it needs to be mobile friendly, and it needs to be easy to navigate. Remember, over 50% of online shopping now happens on mobile devices, and holiday shoppers are often browsing on their phones between other activities.
Miriam Schulman: If your site takes more than three seconds, yeah, that’s it. Three seconds to load or if the checkout button is hard to find on the phone screen. They’ve moved on. So here’s your checklist. Number one audit your checkout flow. Can someone complete a purchase in under two minutes? Do they know exactly what shipping will cost before they start entering their payment information. And can they check out as a guest? Or are you forcing them to create an account? Next, be crystal clear about your shipping policies and cutoff dates. I learned this the hard way when international orders were pouring in during my first successful holiday season, and I hadn’t thought through international shipping, and I ended up with, yeah, an angry customer who’s gifted and arrive on time. So now I prominently display shipping cutoff dates on my home page starting in November, and I tell all my clients to do the same. Also, make sure if you have commissions, you have cutoff dates for that as well. Another thing that is crucial is preparing your stock. Know which pieces are your best sellers and have backup plans. During the supply chain disruptions of recent years, I watched artists scramble when their usual suppliers couldn’t deliver. Plan for delays, order supplies early and communicate realistic timelines to your customers. I always tell my coaching clients, make it easy for people to pay you.
Miriam Schulman: Your website should have clearly defined prices and a built in shopping cart. Don’t annoy people by putting obstacles in the way of an impulse purchase. They should not have to contact you to learn basic information like pricing and shipping. The goal is to make buying from you feel as smooth as ordering from Amazon, but with the personal touch that only artists like you can provide. Step three. Harness the power of key shopping days. Most artists think holiday marketing means slashing prices on Black Friday and calling it a day. But here’s what I’ve learned after decades of selling art. Discounting your work doesn’t always work, especially for luxury buyers. They’re serious, and they’re suspicious when prices are low. Why is this being slashed in half? Has it been sitting in her garage for six months? You don’t want people to start wondering that now. When I first started selling portraits, I made the mistake of crowdsourcing my prices. I would look at what other portrait artists were charging, and I noticed somebody was charging $300 per child. And because I was just starting out, I priced mine less. I priced mine at $200. Big mistake. Big mistake. So Meredith came to me, and she ended up buying portraits of both of her kids, asking for three paintings of each child. In other words, spending $600 per child. So what did I do after I was. You know, I honored my prices with Meredith, but then I raised my prices $600 per child.
Miriam Schulman: That’s what it is. You don’t need to be painting the same child three times unless they’re paying you a lot more. Okay, now, don’t assume people want the cheapest option. Think creatively about how to tie in key shopping dates without devaluing your work. So beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday, here are some other several strategic dates that artists like you can leverage. First of all, there’s Singles Day on November 11th. Yeah, 1111. Isn’t that cute? 1111. That’s becoming a global phenomenon. Originally a Chinese holiday celebrating being single, it’s now one of the world’s biggest shopping days. Use this day to promote self gifting or treating yourself to art that makes you happy. Next date on the calendar is Small Business Saturday. That’s on November 30th and that is perfect for artists because it specifically highlights handmade and unique items. So instead of offering discounts, use this day to tell stories about your process and emphasize what makes original art different from the kind of mass produced decor that they can pick up at Target or Home Goods. Remember, people pay more when they feel a connection to the maker, and they know that they’re getting something special that nobody else has. Another great date to take advantage of is Green Monday. That’s December 8th, and it’s one of the biggest e-commerce sale days of the year. This is when people who missed Black Friday are making their final online purchases.
Miriam Schulman: So we have Super Saturday. Oh, and one more. One more is Super Saturday, December 20th. And that’s the one to capture. Last minute gift buyers. But here’s something interesting Christmas Eve and Boxing Day both see huge spikes in self giving people treating themselves after the stress of the gift giving season. So for each of these days, instead of defaulting to discounts, consider other ways that you can capture the emotional resonance that is tied to each of those dates. Offer free shipping. Include a handwritten note. Provide first access to new collections or bundle. I learned this approach by studying luxury brands you don’t see. Tiffany’s slashing prices on Black Friday. Instead, they create exclusive experiences and limited time offerings that make customers feel special for choosing them. And your art isn’t a commodity. It is a luxury that deserves to be positioned as such. Even during the holiday shopping frenzy. Hey, if you’ve been thinking, okay, I get it, emotional storytelling sells art, but I have no idea how to talk about my art that way. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. You feel it when others do it well. But when it comes to your own message. Well, are you freezing? Do you overthink? Do you draw a blank? I’m Miriam Schulman. I’m author of the book Artpreneur. I’m host of The Inspiration Place podcast, and I’ve coached thousands of artists just like you transform their jumbled, awkward messaging into confident stories that sell without sounding fake, without sounding pushy, or, worse, like a robot wrote it.
Miriam Schulman: That’s exactly what you’ll get if you work with me with the Artpreneur Messaging Intensive and Vault, this is a one on one strategy to get to the soul of your work. It’s therapy for your message. So if you’re ready to stop hiding behind vague captions and start telling powerful stories that connect and convert. Go to SchulmanArt.com/VAULT. Your voice is part of your art. Let’s make it resonate. Gift with purchase and bundles. The cosmetic industry has mastered something that artists often overlook the power of the bonus gift. Eft. If you walk into any Sephora during the holidays, you’ll see gift with purchase offers everywhere. I remember that I used to always wait until Lancome or Clinique would offer their gift with purchase, and I wouldn’t buy my makeup until they were having that. This strategy works and Sephora its buy this palette. Get a free makeup bag, purchase over $50, receive deluxe samples. They understand that people love getting something extra, even if it’s small. Now I started borrowing the strategy after watching how excited my collectors become when I started gifting them with note cards that matched their art. So this wasn’t just a nice touch, it created a way for them to easily share my art and generate referrals. When someone used those note cards, they were essentially doing my marketing for me. So you can think about this strategy as A subsidized marketing.
Miriam Schulman: Now, I apply the same principle during the holidays. Instead of discounting art, I offer bonus items. For a limited time. I might bundle a framed print with a matching notecard set or an original painting with a matching ornament. See how this works? The key is making these bonuses feel special and limited and not afterthoughts. And this is critical during the holidays because gift buyers are often overwhelmed. They want something that feels thoughtfully curated, not something they have to figure out themselves. So when you bundle items together, it’s not just about increasing the average order value. It’s also solving a problem for stressed out holiday shoppers who want to give something special but don’t have time to coordinate multiple purchases. So you can position these bundles as ready to give Of solutions like the art collector set, the art lovers package, the Creative Spirit bundle. Give them names that make the buyer feel sophisticated and special for choosing them. Storytelling and emotional marketing. Holiday buyers aren’t just shopping, they’re seeking meaning and connection. People buy art for the same reasons they buy gourmet food, luxury cars and expensive homes. Art reminds people of their true values every day. They’re not just filling a blank wall. They’re investing in how they want to feel in their space. This becomes even more powerful during the holidays because gift giving is inherently emotional. When someone buys art as a gift, they’re not just purchasing an object.
Miriam Schulman: They’re choosing how they want the recipient to feel, and they’re investing in a relationship. I learned this when I sold a $400 pig painting to a woman who wanted to be the kind of aunt who treats her niece to original art. She wasn’t buying a pig painting. She was buying an identity. She wanted to see herself as cultured, generous, and thoughtful. And the art allowed her to express those values. Your holiday marketing should tell authentic stories about why your collections matter to you, and how art creates these kinds of memories, these joys, these moments of self care. When I share the story behind a painting, maybe it was because it was inspired by watching my daughter play her cello, or painted during a particularly challenging time when I needed to create something beautiful. Collectors connect with that, authentically emphasize these personalizations and thoughtful. Giving commissions aren’t just custom art. They’re proof that someone cared enough to have something made specifically for their loved one. So custom photo art could be a way to preserve precious memories. Personalized color palettes show you understand that their space and their style. And here’s something I’ve noticed about the younger generations, especially like my daughter and my son and my daughter in law. They’re much more comfortable with self-giving and self care narratives. So the treat yourself mentality. It’s not selfish to them. It’s necessary. So when marketing to these younger buyers emphasize how collecting art is an investment in their own well-being, their own space, their own identity.
Miriam Schulman: Remember what Maya Angelou said, that people will forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. During the holiday season, when emotions run high, people are thinking about the relationships that matter most to them, and your job is to help them imagine how your art will make them or their gift recipient feel. Don’t just tell them about your technique or your materials. Help them envision unwrapping your art on Christmas morning or the smile on someone’s face when they see their portrait for the first time, or the daily joy they’ll feel walking past your painting in their hallway. That’s what selling art during the holidays is like. You’re selling not features, but those feelings. Links. Hey, if you’ve outgrown the version of yourself that your website is still talking about, or maybe your art has evolved, but when someone lands on your about page or asks what your work is about, you’re freezing. I’m Miriam Schulman, I’m author of Artpreneur and I’m host of The Inspiration Place podcast, and I’ve helped artists just like you go from vague, outdated bios to bold, magnetic messages that actually reflect who they’ve become messages rooted in truth, not templates. But even more importantly, messages that drive sales. If you meet with me inside the Artpreneur messaging intensive, we’ll uncover the soul of your art and translate it into the words that sell without sounding salesy.
Miriam Schulman: This isn’t plug and play, it’s custom Some strategy to help you feel proud about what your words say about you and what you create. You’ll walk away with a reusable message vault you can use in your emails, your press pitches, your website, and more. Go to SchulmanArt.com/VAULT to book your session. Because your art is a masterpiece and your message should be as well. We’re up to step six. Mark it with intention. Here’s where most artists get it wrong during the holidays. They think posting more on Instagram or TikTok will magically translate to sales. But here’s a reality check. Here’s a reality check. Organic posts on Instagram have an engagement rate of only 0.36% 0.36%. That means you can have 10,000 Instagram gram followers. And maybe, maybe 36 people will check out your holiday promotion. But email marketing has a 24% open rate. But let’s be honest, even when Instagram was good, it’s still never delivered the way that email marketing does. I learned this the hard way when I first launched online art classes. I naively thought posting about my new class on social media would fill it up, but all I got was crickets. It wasn’t until I built an email list and started nurturing those relationships that my classes started selling consistently. So don’t just post email. Your email list is the most reliable way for your messages to reach people who actually want to hear from you during the holidays. You can even use countdown timers in your emails to create urgency.
Miriam Schulman: Of course, you can use subject lines like three days left. Last chance, final hours. But the ones that are going to resonate the most are the emails that only you can send out. So here’s what’s critical about aligning your marketing with your audience. If you’re selling lower priced items to younger buyers. Yeah. Short form videos on TikTok and Instagram makes sense. They’re scrolling. They’re impulse buying. They respond to quick, engaging content. But if you’re selling higher ticket art or high end jewelry or coaching packages, something to a serious buyer or a serious collector, the people who can afford to invest in original work, you need to meet them where they actually are. And these buyers, they check their email multiple times a day. They’re on LinkedIn and they watch longer form content on YouTube, and they’re still attending in person events. They’re not making $1,000 art purchases based on a 15 second TikTok. I want to now share another case study. I want to tell you about my client, Elizabeth, a wildlife artist who was working full time while building her art business, and she could have spent hours creating social media content, but instead she focused on publicity and email marketing. One single campaign resulted in $9,500 in sales, as well as a repeat collector who invested $29,000 in art sales. So this is what’s key. She didn’t just blast out a promotional email. She spent weeks nurturing her list with stories about her process, her inspiration, and when she finally made her offers, her subscribers felt like they knew her and understood why her art mattered.
Miriam Schulman: So what’s the lesson here? Stop chasing vanity metrics like likes and follows, and start building real relationships through email marketing and align your strategy with where actual buyers spend their time and their money. Now we’re ready for step seven, your holiday marketing calendar. All right, my friend, let me give you the exact timeline to follow. This is from years of scrambling and missed opportunities. This calendar assumes you’re planning for optimal results. But remember, even if you’re starting late, you can still adapt this to wherever you are right now. Okay, so September is your foundational month. This is when you finalize any holiday collections. Prep your website for traffic order supplies, make sure you have frames, packing materials, all those things because you never know when a supply chain issue is going to derail your sales. I once ordered earrings from an artist and had to wait weeks for those backings to arrive. And so what happened? I couldn’t gift them to my daughter and that was a huge disappointment. September is usually when I photograph all my holiday inventory and write product descriptions. So when October hits, I’m ready to sell. Now, if you’re listening to this in October, don’t worry, but this is your catch up plan. Be ready to sell. Not still scrambling to get basic systems in place.
Miriam Schulman: Now, October is your tease and launch month. Start your holiday email teasers. These are not full promotions. Not yet. You’re building anticipation. This is when you can promote Remote early bird commissions to your serious collectors. Remember, your best customers are willing to invest in quality and are willing to invest early. When you give them more time, they have time to make a thoughtful decision. Now make sure you look around now for those holiday in-person events. Sometimes you’ll have a client who will buy something very small from you the first time they meet you. But every year they’ll escalate the purchases. I wrote about this in my book Artpreneur. Anne and David became repeat collectors after starting with a small purchase from me at a holiday boutique. That first year they bought, like, this $30 hand-painted box I made. But by year three they were buying original art. Holiday shows are where you can nurture those relationships that will pay off for years to come because they meet you in person. They already have a real world connection to you. Next on your calendar is November. This is your prime selling month. So yes, run a Black Friday promotion, small business Saturday campaigns. But remember what I said earlier don’t default to discounting. You can focus more on storytelling and emotional connection and that will make what you are selling stand out. November buyers are gift focused, so emphasize how your creations create meaning and memories.
Miriam Schulman: Now December is your final push month, but don’t worry, you don’t have to be pushy. Here’s what you should be talking about with your email subscribers. Ready to give solutions like bundles? And don’t forget self gifting messaging. After all the stress of buying for others, people love to treat themselves in December. Remember. So the key insight from my years of selling art is this each month attracts a different type of buyer with different motivations. September and October buyers are planners and serious collectors, and November buyers are thoughtful gift givers. December buyers are either procrastinators looking for quick solutions or self gifters ready to treat themselves. Your messaging and your offers should reflect these different mindsets throughout the season. Okay, let’s wrap up. The holiday season is not luck, it’s strategy. After more than two decades of selling art and coaching thousands of artists, I can tell you that the creators who thrive during this time are the ones who plan intentionally Only and execute consistently. So here are your bite sized takeaways to make this your strongest quarter yet. Number one start early. 60% of holiday shoppers begin before October. Your serious collectors are planning in September, not scrambling in December. Promote commissions well before Halloween to attract the buyers who value quality and planning. Two optimize ruthlessly. A confused mind never buys. Make your website fast, mobile friendly and frictionless. Clear shipping policies one page checkout and prominent cut off dates to eliminate obstacles between customers and sales.
Miriam Schulman: Number three think beyond Black Friday, Singles Day, Small Business Saturday, Green Monday. Each offers opportunities to connect without defaulting to discounts. Remember, luxury buyers are suspicious of low prices. Next bundle. Strategically. Next. Lead with emotion. Email. Don’t just post match strategy to audience. Follow the calendar. Artists who make Q4 their strongest quarter. Understand that success comes from treating your creativity like the valuable business that it is. Your art matters. Your story matters. And with the right strategy, your holiday sales will reflect that value. So stop waiting for the perfect moment and start planning your best holiday season yet. And if you need my help, whether it’s one on one or inside the Artist Incubator, I would love to help you. Artist Incubator members get templates for Black Friday emails that they can plug and play. People who work with me inside the Artpreneur messaging vault. They learn how to customize these to create the messaging that is truly authentic and unique to them, with words that resonate with their collectors. I would love to help you get more sales this holiday season. All right, my friend, thanks so much for joining me here today. I love spending this time with you. Don’t forget to hit subscribe. Share this with another friend. They will thank you for this and I will see you the same time, same place next week. Until then, stay inspired. Bye for now.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to the Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook, at Facebook.com/SchulmanArt, on Instagram, @SchulmanArt and of course on SchulmanArt.com.
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