You’re probably familiar with the platforms that allow NSFW art. From my experience, Twitter has been the friendliest and most fun. There are hurdles to growing an audience from scratch, so here are some tips from my two years on the platform.

Table of Contents

• Twitter and Adult Content
• Make It Easy for People to Follow You
• Post Consistently
• Connect and Network
• Take Note of What You Like, and What Other People Like
• Engage With Your Audience

Twitter and Adult Content

Twitter is quite lenient with NSFW content. However, make sure to be familiar with Twitter’s policies on NSFW content.

For example, it’s essential to mark your profile as sensitive. This won’t shadow ban you, just hide your content from viewers who have mature content hidden. You also can’t show NSFW content on your header and profile picture.

Make It Easy for People to Follow You

People often decide to follow you based on your profile write up and your media tab. It’s best practice to fill up your profile so that what you do as a creator is clear.

Your media tab is automatically filled with images and gifs from your tweets and replies, so try to limit reaction gifs and reposted art. Often when I spot a nice artwork, I check the artist’s media tab, and see nothing except reaction gifs. It makes it really hard to follow them.

For creators who don’t post images often (e.g., voice actors or writers), you can pin a tweet to the top of your profile, introducing visitors to your brand and what you do. Other creators use their pinned tweet to share links and commission sheets, so the info is easily accessed.

Post Consistently

Sometimes, when someone asks, “how do I get more followers?”, I check their profile to see they barely post. While you shouldn’t spam posts for more attention, strive to put out quality content at a reasonable pace.

Consistency also applies to what you post, and how you brand yourself. As an NSFW artist, I wouldn’t post abstract paintings or charcoal portrait drawings (though I do post that to my second Twitter account).

Consistency is important so people will know what to expect from you. You probably have a favorite youtuber who uploads consistently at certain times. It feels like something to look forward to, right? Try and use that strategy when it comes to your own content.

Consistent branding and posts are essential for growing your NSFW Art Twitter Click To Tweet

Creating takes time, so make the most of your works. You could post WIPs, Process Videos, and other extra content instead of just finished works. Finally, use scheduling software like Buffer or Twitter’s built in scheduler so you post at consistent times.

According to Sprout Social, the best time to post to Twitter is Wednesday and Friday 9AM CET. That’s usually when I schedule my artworks to go up, and then a retweet the following morning for extra visibility.

You can also use hashtags to widen your post’s visibility. For example:

• #hentai
• #nsfwart
• #nsfwartist
• #fanart
• #artistsontwitter
• #[fandom name here]

If you want to check a hashtag’s popularity, you can use Hashtagify.

Connect and Network

It’s easier to grow an audience through interaction on Twitter, compared to art focused platforms like Deviantart and Pixiv. When you reply (respond to another tweet), it’ll look like this:

This reply tweet will appear in the notifications of the person you @’d.  It will also appear in the timelines of people who follow both of you.

If you want the tweet to reach max visibility (i.e. you’re posting an art trade), you can add a period before the @. This way, it’ll show up on your followers’ timelines too.

There are lots of ways to connect with other artists and art fans. You can join art shares and show your best pieces. Make sure it’s consistent with your branding and what you’ll be posting in the future. I personally don’t join these, because it clogs your media tab with reposted artworks.

Twitter shines as a social network because other people can retweet your stuff, leading to exponential growth. If you have a favorite artist, or a mutual (someone who follows you back), consider asking them to do an art trade or collaboration. Just remember to do it because you want to, not just for extra followers!

Another way to grow your audience is by holding art raffles. You can require participants to like and retweet the post for a raffle slot. This is a good way to get your art out.

The NSFW Community is very welcoming, and there are different groups like voice actors and OC owners (FFXIV and Skyrim are popular!) who could always use art to complement their content. Consider collaborating or offering art to them.

Take Note of What You like, and What Other People Like

This is a tricky one. You might enjoy a specific style, or only draw original characters. And… no one seems to notice you.

When artists ask, “should I draw fanart?”, they’re really talking about the share-ability of fanart compared to original art. Because people are familiar with characters in fanart, it’s easier to retweet it.  

Original content isn’t high in share-ability, so it’s important you pin down other share-able qualities. Consider artists like Ryou Agawa and Acgats, whose popularity comes from great character designs and stories.

As you post more, pay attention to which of your posts get more attention.

Try making what you like into a part of your branding, so people follow you for it. I brand myself as an OC artist, to the point that my OC content gets more attention and replies than fanart.

Engage with Your Audience

A friend recently told me, “you should have more followers, why are you down here in 3k with me?” Though more followers are always nice, I’ve found it’s more fulfilling to build relationships with your current followers. It’s in your control too, compared to follower count.

Also, how likely are new followers to retweet your posts, or commission you? Compare that to the people who always pop up in your timeline, sometimes even putting your posts on notification. These are the people you want to build a relationship with.

Ever seen a Twitter account that posts artworks without any writeups or descriptions? It’s pretty hard to connect with them, right? Try to include prompts and questions in your posts to encourage engagement.

Start crafting an experience. Do your followers have opportunities to interact with you and your content? Can they send you asks through CuriousCat? Do you invite them to share their thoughts on your characters? These small touches will bring personality into your art, differentiating you from other creators.

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Whatever you post, growing your audience will take time and patience. What’s important is that you establish your brand persona and stay consistent, so you give people a reason to follow you.

Whatever you post, growing an audience will take time and patience. Establish your branding and stay consistent, so you give people a reason to follow you. Click To Tweet

Did the post help you? Which strategies will you start implementing to help grow your NSFW Twitter audience?

If you have any questions, or want some feedback on how you’re growing your audience, feel free to comment or send me a tweet.