Free Ways to Market Yourself as a Lash Artist on Instagram

You’ve probably Googled something like “how to grow on Instagram for free” more than once and hit advice along the lines of “make quality content” and “be yourself.” Thanks, Captain Obvious. We’ll skip the fluff and generic phrases and tell you the things that actually work to find new clients.

Rethink your current Instagram setup

Your bio is the first thing every visitor to your page looks at. A good bio should make it clear who you are and how you can help. If people like what your bio says, they’re more likely to hit “follow.” But if your bio is a total mess, even a viral reel will get you minimal follows.

Be sure to include not just your service but your name and city. It’s also very convenient for clients if you add a link to your online booking service.

Poor bio examples:

Brevity is the soul of wit, but not here. No info about the artist at all.

The first thing that jumps out: no name. Potential clients would want to know exactly who they can book with.

It’s great that the first line, which is searchable, includes both the field and the city. BUT! In this form you’ll be impossible to find in search for a query like “lash extensions denver,” because there’s no space between the words. To Instagram, anything written together is one word.

“Lash wear 3-6 weeks” isn’t the most enticing line, is it? First, that’s too wide a range, and second, nearly every artist has that number. Plus, it’s not clear where the attached link goes.

There’s no point putting the address in the bio either, since there’s a separate field for it in the settings; it shows at the very bottom and is clickable, so you can tap it and see the location on a map. In this case, for some reason, the settings only list the city, while the actual street and number are in the bio.

No artist name and no way to book. Blurry positioning: lashes, lash lifts, and brow shaping. Having varied services isn’t bad in itself, but a successful salon or studio should have a specialty, a signature, a flagship service.

There’s no single rule for the perfect bio, but above you can see a few great examples. They have everything you need: the artist’s name, address, main highlights, and a way to book. Even without a photo, it’s clear this is a professional lash artist’s profile.

Set yourself a comfortable posting schedule

Posting regularly helps you grow your reach and engagement, making your profile more visible and interesting to potential clients. Your followers need to remember you. That’s exactly why an artist’s work doesn’t end with the appointment itself. A great comic on the subject:

But that doesn’t mean you have to post a dozen things a day. No, what matters more is a regular schedule and a purpose. For example, the first Monday of every month you drop your open slots for the month. Or you run an interactive with nice bonuses timed to a holiday. Or maybe once a week you post your before-and-afters. Build a schedule that’s comfortable for you, and above all understand why you’re making each piece of content and what effect you expect from it.

The formula for the perfect post

Post what the client actually needs. The main ingredients of a great post: an eye-catching visual + a useful topic + simple, clear language + a call to action.

Quality, well-edited photos for Instagram

Instagram is first and foremost about visuals and a beautiful cover. The rule “you’re judged by your cover” is truer than ever here! Remember that a quality but poorly-shot piece by a pro can look worse than a mediocre but skillfully-shot piece by a lash newbie. You can learn how to take perfect photos of your work for social media here.

Use stories as a loyalty tool

Stories don’t get you new followers, but they’re a communication channel for talking to those who already come to you and those who followed but never booked. In other words, this is your “warmest” audience, the easiest to convert into a client or a repeat client.

There are no real rules in stories, but there are a few unwritten tips many successful story-makers follow: don’t film everything. Put yourself in the viewer’s shoes, remember what hooks you, and try to repeat it, adapting to yourself. Show yourself not just as an artist but as a person. People come not only for lashes but for a person they like. Talk to your audience, engage them, and ask their opinion.

Use photos of your clients for your Instagram

We mean specifically photos where the face is visible, not just an eye. First, portrait photos show how lashes flatter the whole face. Second, if you post a flattering client photo, they’ll likely reshare it, so their followers see your profile and you get more potential clients. Plus, those people already know their friend was happy with your work, so the level of trust is higher.

Keep in mind that not all clients like being photographed, and even fewer like their photos posted anywhere. So only offer to photograph clients you have the best rapport with. We also recommend getting written consent to avoid conflicts! You can also suggest the client take a selfie herself so she picks the angle that’s perfect for her.

Make content for the client, not for yourself

When Instagram users open your profile, you have mere seconds to hold their attention. How? With a catchy visual and captions! Try to write about what interests your target audience, what they’ll want to save. How do you know what interests them? Analyze your in-person meetings with clients, what they ask about most and what they struggle with. That’s exactly what to reflect in your posts. The client should feel that the artist understands them and can answer any question, even the silliest one.

Engage with influencers to grow on Instagram

A collaboration with an influencer is a great way to boost your profile’s visibility. And working with micro-influencers who have up to 5,000 followers, you can count on a trade. By the way, these accounts’ audiences are usually more loyal and trust the creator and their recommendations more.

But you engage with big bloggers differently! Choose a few, make sure your audiences overlap, and write relevant, witty comments on their content that your potential client might notice. That way you can catch the attention of both the influencer and their sizeable audience! And best of all, for free!

Talk to your audience!

Think of questions your clients would enjoy answering. You can ask them in a lifestyle reel, for example while you’re getting ready for work and chatting to the camera. Make viewers want to share their opinion and join the discussion. What can you ask? What matters more to you: an artist’s experience or their credentials? Why? Which artist would you never book with? Why? Tell us the funniest thing that happened during a lash appointment. And many, many more options!

Use hashtags for organic reach

A hashtag is a word or phrase with the # symbol. All the popular social platforms support hashtags now. Look at which themed hashtags your competitors and clients use. You can do this manually in 10 to 15 minutes at most.

Gather the hashtags into a list and try inserting them in pairs into your posts. Then track performance in each post’s stats. That way you can identify the most useful combos.

For example, if all posts with #3dlashes #2dlashes #4dlashes get more reach than posts with #3dlashextensions #2dlashextensions #4dlashextensions, go with the first set and use it more often! But don’t put the same tags under every photo, Instagram really dislikes that! And don’t use hashtags unrelated to the visual.

Another important concept with hashtags is frequency. Hashtags split into 3 groups: high-frequency (100,000+ posts), medium-frequency (50,000 to 100,000 posts), and low-frequency (under 50,000 posts). High-frequency hashtags aren’t good for growing an account, since they aren’t commercial. They’re usually broad words people don’t search to find products or services.

Medium-frequency tags should be in your posts so Instagram can identify your niche and to attract new followers. Examples of medium-frequency hashtags for lash artists: #cateyelashes #coloredlashextensions.

The remaining low-frequency tags bring not just followers but potential clients. The advantage of these hashtags is that they’re often unique and highly specific, which means the people searching them are exactly the ones interested in the product or service. Examples of low-frequency hashtags: #brooklynlashes #bridallashes.

Tag your location in posts

When you post, don’t forget to add your location by tapping “Add location.” When users open the location tag on Instagram, they can get directions in any navigation app. Plus, if clients start tagging your studio’s location in their own posts after an appointment, they help grow your reach and traffic. You can use location tags not only in posts but in stories and reels.

Live streams are still relevant and boost loyalty

How do you get closer to your followers and add life to your account? Use live streams! Instagram Live is a great channel for attracting new followers, engaging with them, and even selling products and services. Going live on Instagram is one of the best ways to talk to your followers informally and naturally. Instagram Live is an uncensored stream your followers and random users can join.

Importantly, Instagram Live can be a great way to show your personality and humanize your account for your audience and clients. On a live stream you can answer follower questions, talk about yourself, trends, lash aftercare rules, basically anything that inspires you.

You can even do a set live, explaining each step. A great way to show your professionalism and address objections!

Trends help you grow on Instagram

You have to admit it’d be strange to see an account today that looks like it’s from 2014. Photos in frames, lots of loud, obvious filters… It looks out of place and off-putting now.

But there’s another side, short-term trends you can ride for a bit of popularity. Viral audio in reels, popular formats, new Instagram features, all of it helps make a genuinely cool, current account people want to follow.

We recommend using trends only if you personally enjoy following them; otherwise it can be very draining and the result can be awkward. Trends aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay.

What about Reels for marketing?

Reels are one of the few free tools that still work. Thousands of courses have been made about them, and there are millions of opinions on how to shoot them right. What’s the real role of reels in marketing? Is it realistic to shoot reels every day and get a flood of clients?