Art giveaways usually follow a simple formula: offer a free print or small original in exchange for something the artist wants—an email address, a social media follow, or foot traffic at an event. The goal is to build awareness, grow a list, or spark engagement by giving people a chance to win something for free.
I’ve seen both individual artists and galleries run these kinds of promotions. And over the years, I’ve observed—and occasionally participated in—these giveaways myself. What I’ve noticed has made me question their effectiveness. They may feel like a quick win, but in most cases, they generate a lot of surface activity and very little substance.
Giveaways Can Attract the Wrong Crowd
When you give away art, you tend to attract people who like free stuff—not necessarily people who are ready to buy. Yes, your email list or follower count might grow, but that growth is often inflated with names that won’t engage with future promotions or ever make a purchase.
A bloated list full of unqualified leads can actually become a liability—costing more to manage and making it harder to interpret your real engagement and performance data.
You May Be Training Your Audience to Expect Free
One of the unintended side effects of frequent giveaways is that you can condition your audience to wait. I’ve heard people say things like, “I’ll hold off and see if I win one,” or “Maybe they’ll do another giveaway soon.” That’s the opposite of what we want buyers thinking.
Over time, these promotions can diminish the perceived value of your work. If you’re offering it for free regularly, how valuable—or exclusive—can it be?
If You Try It, Track It
I’m not suggesting giveaways should be banned from your toolbox entirely. In the right setting—with a high-quality audience—they might generate useful engagement. But if you’re going to run one, track it carefully:
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Who entered?
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Did they stay on your list?
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Did any of them buy something later?
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Was the cost of the giveaway (including your time) justified?
If it doesn’t lead to sales or meaningful interaction, it’s probably not worth repeating.
Better Alternatives for List Growth
Instead of giveaways, consider building your list with value:
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Offer early access to new collections.
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Share behind-the-scenes content or process insights.
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Provide exclusive previews or subscriber-only content.
These approaches may grow your list more slowly, but they tend to attract the kind of people who are genuinely interested in your work—and more likely to become collectors.
Have you tried a giveaway as part of your marketing?
What was the outcome?
Did it result in lasting engagement or sales?
I’d love to hear from those who have found success with giveaways—or who have a different take on their potential. Let me know in the comments.
I don’t believe in EVER giving art away free for any reason, not even to family. I won’t say that in almost 50 years I’ve never done it, because in early days, I did, once or twice. I found it was always a mistake. The phrase I’ve used for decades is this one: “People will value you, and your art, precisely as much as you do.”
If you make that “free”, no-cost, then that’s how they will think of you – as a free, low-rent artist. And you will have one heck of a time changing that opinion.
Value yourself and your art at competitive prices and raise them as you are able. Always treat yourself and your art with the deepest respect. Free is simply not respectful.
Anything that trains the public that original art is free or cheap is troublesome. I refer to charity auctions as well as commercial marketing efforts. It undermines other artists as well as the ones who do it. Make your promotion postcards nice (frameable?) and let the freebie-lovers be satisfied with those.
If you think about it, many people do not have access to original art. When we were young, our art was made up of posters, (though I wish I still had some of my Filmore and Winterland posters of the 60′)s and prints of famous paintings. Most who have not ventured into the art world don’t realize that art can be had for reasonable prices in some cases. Most collectors, at least those I know started out like me, with prints. I think giving someone, a newbie the chance to have a real piece is a great gift to them and your generosity isn’t always forgotten. I have gifted a few small pieces; primarily something that ties to their heritage. I painted a famous monument, an adobe house and gifted it to the great granddaughter. It’s still in the family. So while I agree that your art always has value and also agree that giving it away isn’t always a great career move, it can lead someone on a journey towards the art world and your studio that they may not have taken.
Wow. Bullseye, Jason and Michelle! Yes, I’ve made that mistake, more than I’d care to admit. This is one reason I stay out of the majority of shows. They often pressure artists to donate a piece of art as a door prize or as part of a fundraiser, claiming it will give the artists good “exposure” and that it’s for “a good cause.” Often it leaves an artist feeling guilty or that one’s creation is nothing more than a thrift store bargain. It seems I struggle to find the right audience. So, yes Jason, I’ve also tried giveaways (admittedly with not much enthusiasm). If I got any takers, it did not generate any sales or leads.
I did one giveaway last year in conjunction with the launch of my website. It only generated a few emails for my list, no sales and was a big time sink. Wish I had not done that, and have plans to never do it again.
I recently gave a sculpture of a cellist to her charity auction. It sold for more than I think I could have made otherwise. To me the work was valued, and maybe my art and my name were exposed to people whom I would never have reached otherwise. Could she have obtained that size donation without the art, I don’t know, but it seemed win-win.
Jason, or anyone else reading this, what is your opinion about this idea: Our diocesan Cathedral is doing a multi-year capital campaign to raise funds for renovations. I’ve been thinking about offering a framed painting of the Cathedral for a draw, with ticket sales going to the campaign. I’d be interested in your thoughts on this.
The local art group I am in has an annual show where we can submit framed art but we can also have a box of unframed “studio extras.” My studio extras sell like hot cakes and while I love getting some recognition, these sales never turn into any clients that want the framed work. This year, I decided that I will not put a box of unframed extras out. I’ll see if people will take my framed pieces more seriously. I had decided to do this before I read this article but the article just verified my theory about creating value in my work. I’ll let you know how this turns out.
Hi. I only have offered one giveaway. I was part of a quirky little pop-up show, using some unusual venues. My art hung in a trendy clothing/accessories boutique in Vancouver, BC. It was my first opportunity to show in a big city, the show was quirky anyway. The piece was 8″x10″. A lizard on a rock. Lots of people entered. When the name was drawn, an excited girl about 10 years old. It was her first time winning anything and who knows? Maybe she’s an artist now. Some moments have no market value.
Jason, I agree that freebies hurt our market. But I would be curious to know your opinion about whether artists should consider donating their work to regional / local museums. I’ve fortunately had several paintings purchased at retail prices by state, city and county collections. But I’ve noticed that many even established artists donate their work to these and museum collections, to have the prestige of being in a museum collection. And then their work is featured in catalogues, museum exhibitions etc. Some museums have very limited acquisition budgets. What should our strategy be in this case?
The only piece I gave away was an original painting which I gave to my long time office manager (from my previous career) who retired recently. I do not use give aways as a marketing strategy because it does not work and only cheapens the value of my art. I also do not donate my art to nonprofit auctions. Nothing like donating a $500 painting which ends up being auctioned for $75. Again it cheapens the value of your art. The artist cannot write it off either. The IRS only allows the write off of materials used, not the quoted value of the art.
I’ve seen artists advertise donating a portion of their commission from a show or event to a charity, such as a local animal humane society (because who doesn’t love animals?!?). While this sounds much better than giving away work, I’m not sure how effective it is in driving sales. But at least it isn’t giving work away for free.
Funny, I should see this now.
Just finished attending 2 family reunions.They had always known I was “arty”. It was my goal to uplevel that perception. I created a rather precise biographic piece a few years ago. The intent was to show it, explain a bit about its “story” and offer a print at “extreme family discount”. All that I needed was their email contact and address.
For me, the print was already made because it is digital. I can print on demand for anyone wanting the print at the “family discount” price.
Whatever happens, it’s fine. The reunions were small this year but I got about a dozen sign-ups and one cousin asked, “What if I want the original?” I replied, “We need to talk.” She said, “Let’s do that.”
I have only done a give-away once. I offered a free print of a painting of one of our local landmarks at a Studio Tour with the purchase of a painting. It didn’t bring the desired results so I have never done it again.
I love your alternative suggestions. My problem is finding ways to find collectors. I have had a small group of collectors for years but would love to find new ones. Any suggestions?
My quarterly (once a season) giveaway nearly always results in sales. I think it’s because of how and why I run it. Here’s how that works:
> I dedicate a newsletter to expressing my gratitude to everyone who opens, reads, and responds to my weekly letter. I tell them how these little actions help keep me inspired and motivated, that my art journey is a shared one, and that the giveaway is my way of giving back to those who have stuck by me along the way.
> I include the image of a small 3-4″ miniature original oil painting, the story behind it, and tell them that on the day before my next letter I will draw a name at random from among my subscribers to receive it.
>The following week, I draw a name at random and notify that person via email that they have won and will have 24 hours to respond before I draw another name. If they respond AFTER I have notified the second person, they lose out. I still send them a little packet of stickers or some small consolation prize.
The results:
One woman who originally said she couldn’t afford to buy original art has now bought several small works from me.
New subscribers generally stay subscribed. The tiny few who opt in just for the giveaway, soon lose interest and unsubscribe, so my newsletter list remains somewhat small, but is self-cleaning.
My open rate remains at a consistent 55-65%. I get at least a few responses to nearly every letter. Most of those who won the giveaway have gone on to purchase originals.
One friend asked me to donate something for her charity. I had asked that if the painting did not sell that it be returned to me or purchased at the starting bid I had set for it. When the event was cancelled due to the 2020 Covid shut down, she asked to purchase the painting herself and has purchased several very large works since then.
So you see, giveaways work quite well for me, possibly because it’s limited to my existing audience and these people know I’m doing it to show gratitude without expecting anything in return.
Bottom Line: One way or another, the habit of gratitude pays off.
When I was a painter of nature and street scenes around Oregon I’d make the images into prints and greeting cards, and after I was prolific enough ended up with a bell shaped curve of great sellers, good sellers, average sellers, low sellers, and complete duds. There were also some error printings that were damaged or the colors were off. I’d wait until these periodically accumulated and around Christmas make a “discontinued/FREE” bin of them that I’d bring into the lobby of the aerial arts studio I go to.
They went fast, and I got a spiritual benefit of fall cleansing, that’s about it.