Instagram Tips for Calligraphers: How to Show Up (Without the Overwhelm)
Instagram is still one of the best free tools we can use as calligraphers to market our work, connect with potential clients, and build trust with our audience. However, it’s easy to fall into the scroll-and-stress cycle - looking at other people’s content and wondering how we’ll ever keep up, let alone stand out.
After years of using Instagram to grow my own calligraphy business - and teaching other artists do the same - I’ve learned that visibility doesn’t require daily posting or perfectly curated feeds. It starts with clarity, consistency, and a plan that actually fits your life.
Whether you're a wedding calligrapher, a live event artist, or somewhere in between, these Instagram tips are designed to help you show up with less pressure and more purpose. And if you want to go deeper into how to consistently attract the right clients, I cover all of this and more in my free masterclass, 3 Steps to Booking Your Dream Wedding Clients.
Let’s dive in!
1. Optimize your bio
Your bio is the first thing people see when they land on your page, and it’s searchable. What you put in your bio is a major part of how easy it is for people to find you. Make sure your bio clearly communicates who you are, what you offer, and where you're located.
Use the name field to boost your discoverability, and include a clear call to action with a link to your services, shop, or contact form.
2. Plan — don’t just post
Most calligraphers don’t have a background in marketing, so when it comes to posting, you do what’s easy - open the app, scroll for a photo that looks decent, type up a caption, and hit publish. And while it technically counts as marketing, it doesn’t always feel like it’s doing much. That’s because when you’re posting reactively, it’s hard to stay consistent or intentional. You’re not thinking about what your audience needs to hear; you’re just making sure you have recent posts.
Planning your content even a week or two in advance changes everything! It gives you space to show up consistently, tie your posts to what you’re offering, and stay visible even when you're knee deep in client work or prepping for your next event.
Not sure where to start? Use my EPIC Methodology to rotate through making content that:
Educates
Promotes
Inspires
Creates Connection
Examples of the EPIC Methodology at play
You don’t need to post every day for Instagram to bring in new clients. You just need to be intentional about what you share, and planning in advance makes that so much easier!
3. Instagram wants you to post video
Instagram prioritizes video more than ever, which is great for us! We’re lucky to have such a visual craft. Reels, Stories, even quick behind-the-scenes clips of your process - every aspect of creating a piece for clients can become your content. And people want to see what you do!
Use video on Instagram to:
Show your work before sending it off - We can’t always rely on getting video from the client, so make sure to take both video clips and photos before shipping it off.
Show people’s reactions - Sometimes it’s nice to have people do the talking for you. Show their reactions to your pieces at weddings or live events.
Show your face - Clients want to work with someone they feel a connection with.
Show your process - A simple clip of you sketching or lettering helps build trust and makes people feel more connected to you. It also helps to educate your audience about all the work it takes to get to the finished piece that they see!
There are so many creative options. But I know a lot of calligraphers hesitate to post video - or even photos - they take themselves, because we’re used to seeing work that’s beautifully captured by a professional photographer. When that becomes the standard we measure against, it’s easy to think that if something isn’t perfectly lit, styled, or edited, it could make clients not want to hire us. But not every piece of content you post needs to look polished to be effective. It just needs to show what you do and help people understand the value behind it.
I used to worry about this too until I recently interviewed video expert, Natasha Pierre, on my podcast. One of my favorite takeaways from our conversation was this reminder: “Content flops all the time… You become a better video creator when you take the pressure off every piece of content to perform well.”
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is visibility, connection, and trust. In order to be visible, you need to play along with what the algorithm wants - and right now, that’s video. So, post those homemade Reels and Stories between your perfectly polished photos! It will not ruin your feed, it will show that you’re authentic, and that’s something people are craving in this digital and AI-driven age. Give yourself permission to just show up.
Listen to Calligraphy Biz Corner, Episode 32: Creating Video Content that Connects and Converts: Reels, YouTube, and Showing Up with Confidence with Shine with Natasha
4. Borrow other people’s audiences
If you're already posting your work, don’t forget to maximize its reach by tapping into other people’s audiences. This is one of the easiest ways to build visibility, especially if you’re just getting started.
Whenever you post work from a wedding, styled shoot, or live event, tag everyone involved: the planner, photographer, florist, venue, and the couple (if they’re okay with it). Not only does this ensure the vendors get credit for their work, but increases the chances that they’ll share your post with their audience. Even better, if you’re sharing a Reel or carousel, ask a vendor to be a collaborator so the post shows up on both of your feeds. That one small action can put your work in front of hundreds or even thousands of new eyes, especially if it’s a vendor whose audience overlaps with your ideal client.
This also works for live events. Tagging clients who are excited about your work gives them the chance to reshare it and puts your name in front of their followers, some of whom may be planning an event of their own. It helps build trust and shows potential clients that your work is in demand.
5. Collaborate with planners, vendors, and even other calligraphers
Collaboration doesn’t have to be formal. In fact, some of the most effective ways to grow your audience and build community are through simple, low-lift collaborations that help both parties.
In the early years of my business, giveaways with other vendors were a great way to build my audience. We’d team up on a shared prize, and each person’s followers had to follow all of the vendors to enter. It was a win-win: people discovered new businesses they might love, and we all gained fresh eyes on our work. Just be sure that you choose collaborators who share your ideal client, so your new followers will be in your target audience.
Getting in on styled shoots is another great way to collaborate. As each vendor posts photos from the shoot, they usually list everyone involved. Make sure you’re on the vendor list so you get properly credited and tagged when the images are shared. And when it comes to real wedding work, don’t be afraid to follow up with the planner or photographer afterward and ask for a few images of your pieces.
6. Repurpose, repost, and reduce your work
I get that marketing your calligraphy on Instagram can feel like an endless chore. I love the app as a tool for connecting with vendors and clients, but the posting part isn’t my favorite part of owning my own business either. The good news? You don’t need to constantly create new content to stay visible - you just need to use what you already have more effectively.
In fact, most people following you haven’t seen your best posts...and the algorithm won’t show them unless you keep resurfacing them. Repurpose past content by turning it into a new post. For instance, turning a photo post into a carousel, a caption into a Reel voiceover, or a client question into an Instagram Story. Repost your own best-performing content every few months (slightly refreshed if you want), and reduce the pressure to constantly reinvent your strategy.
If you're feeling stuck, scroll back through your own feed or stories. There’s likely a ton you can reuse and your future self will thank you for keeping things simple.
Bonus tip: Don’t forget to connect your Instagram to Facebook! A lot of people still share vendor recommendations and wedding inspiration in wedding Facebook groups, and having your content show up there can be an easy way to extend your reach without doing any extra work.
Instagram is a key part in getting more calligraphy clients
You don’t need to do all the things I mentioned perfectly. You don’t need to post every day. And you definitely don’t need to be a marketing expert to make Instagram work for your calligraphy business. With a little intention and a simple system, Instagram really can become a tool that works for your calligraphy business, not one that drains your time or energy.
The truth is, Instagram is just one piece of the puzzle. Let’s make sure you’re using it alongside the other strategies that help your business grow. If this was helpful, you’ll love my free masterclass 3 Steps to Booking Your Dream Wedding Clients, where I walk you through how to build visibility in a way that actually leads to bookings - without relying on social media alone.
