Social Media Etiquette for Sharing Artist Content
So you found a really cool photo on Pinterest and it perfectly matches your brand and your feed. How serendipitous! As a fellow creator and a brand manager, it’s extremely important that you follow social media etiquette when reposting art (yes, it’s art).
Why?
First, it’s the ethical thing to do. You don’t take someone else’s property without asking for permission, correct? Just because a photo is available on the internet does NOT mean you are free to use it. It’s not fair use either!
By law, according to the US Copyright Office, copyright is automatically awarded to whoever created the work. In the case of a photographer, it’s typically the person who pressed the shutter, unless of course it’s a collaborative work or work made for hire.
So what should you do when reposting another creator’s work? Read below!
4 Social Media Etiquette Rules for Sharing Content
1. Contact the creator and ask for permission prior to posting.
Tagging and mentioning the creator is no longer acceptable. Before using the work, be sure to reach out to the creator first and seek permission. Even if the creator tagged your brand or used your hashtag, it doesn’t mean you are entitled to use the photo nor the creator implicitly provided consent.
2. Always give credit.
Found the image on Pinterest and the author wasn’t credited. Is it acceptable to just say “source: Pinterest“? NO. There are several apps now that allow you to upload photos and the system will search the interwebs for the source. Make an effort to trace the origins of the work. Reverse Image Search exists! It’s literally not that hard.
3. Tag and mention the creator.
As soon as you get the creator’s consent, make sure to mention them in the description. If they have a social media account, make sure to mention the right handle. You’re using their work to further your brand, so it’s only right that your audience is introduced to the artist. The best practice is to mention them at the beginning. Don’t bury the credit at the very end of your post or deep within the hashtags. Don’t just tag in the image either, people don’t check them!
4. Don’t crop or edit without permission.
This is something I was also guilty of until a fellow creator called me out on it and it absolutely makes sense! Creators put a lot of work into their art, to leave them as they are is respecting their skill and effort. You are also misrepresenting their work by altering it. So unless you have their permission, do not add filters or crop the image.
Listen, I used to manage a number of brand pages and definitely made some mistakes, and that’s okay! As long as the mistake is corrected and you use it as a learning experience. As a brand, you also want to be known as somebody who respects artists, and following these simple social media etiquette tips is a great way to support their work. After all, without the work itself, you have nothing to post 🙂
If you’re a creator or new photographer about to start your business, it’s important that you know your rights.
Do you have more to add to the list? Let me know in the comments!