Tattooing gets slow. It’s not personal. It’s cycles, spending patterns, weather patterns, and sometimes the universe is just a little hater. But here’s the part no one likes hearing: sitting in your shop mumbling about how “it’s dead” won’t magically summon clients.
1. Gather Client Info (You Know… Like A Business)
Tattoo artists love saying “I don’t know how to get clients.” Baby, you had them. They literally sat in your chair. You just never… collected their info.
What you need:
• Name
• Email
• Phone
• Birthday
• Interests (tiny multiple-choice works)
• Past tattoos done by you
• What they want next
• Name
• Phone
• Birthday
• Interests (tiny multiple-choice works)
• Past tattoos done by you
• What they want next
What to do with it:
• Email them a quarterly newsletter (offers, new designs, studio updates)
• A “birthday treat” flash discount
• A “Hey, it’s been 6 months, let’s touch up/finish that piece” message
• Email them a quarterly newsletter (offers, new designs, studio updates)
• A “birthday treat” flash discount
• A “Hey, it’s been 6 months, let’s touch up/finish that piece” message
Ways to collect this without feeling like a mall kiosk:
• Add an iPad at checkout with a form
• QR code on your front desk
• Link in your bio for “studio updates + first-to-know drops”
• Run a “Giveaway only for my mailing list” every few months
• Add an iPad at checkout with a form
• QR code on your front desk
• Link in your bio for “studio updates + first-to-know drops”
• Run a “Giveaway only for my mailing list” every few months
People want to be contacted when it’s relevant. Just don’t be weird about it.
2. Fix Your Bio, Link, Highlights, and Grid
Clarity beats aesthetics.
Bio checklist:
• Your city
• Your style
• Your booking link
• A reason to book you
• Your city
• Your style
• Your booking link
• A reason to book you
Highlights:
• Healed work
• Aftercare
• Available flash
• FAQ
• Prices/start rates
• Healed work
• Aftercare
• Available flash
• FAQ
• Prices/start rates
Grid:
Mix of:
• Tattoo photos
• Videos
• Behind the scenes
• Your face
• Healed pieces
• Flash
• Offers
Mix of:
• Tattoo photos
• Videos
• Behind the scenes
• Your face
• Healed pieces
• Flash
• Offers
People can’t book you if they don’t understand you.
3. Make Something. Anything.
Slow season is creation season.
• Draw new flash
• Design a print
• Build a healed gallery
• Reorganize your booking process
• Shoot a “day in the life”
• Try a new cartridge group (Fire will make you feel like a god, by the way)
• Set up retail in your studio (aftercare, prints, merch)
• Test new workflows (Electrum Cleanse instead of harsh soaps)
• Design a print
• Build a healed gallery
• Reorganize your booking process
• Shoot a “day in the life”
• Try a new cartridge group (Fire will make you feel like a god, by the way)
• Set up retail in your studio (aftercare, prints, merch)
• Test new workflows (Electrum Cleanse instead of harsh soaps)
Motion creates momentum.
Momentum creates bookings.
Momentum creates bookings.
4. Email People Back Like It's 2019
You know what clients complain about most?
Artists not replying.
Artists not replying.
Set aside 30 minutes a day.
Answer your emails.
Follow up with old inquiries.
Send price ranges, next steps, and booking instructions.
Answer your emails.
Follow up with old inquiries.
Send price ranges, next steps, and booking instructions.
This isn’t rocket science.
It’s basic professional behaviour.
It’s basic professional behaviour.
5. Build Community Instead of Waiting for One
• Collaborate with a piercer
• Make a “flash Friday” event
• Host a meet-and-draw night
• Ask other local businesses if you can leave cards or stickers
• Donate a gift certificate to a fundraiser
• Ask clients to send healed photos
• Repost every healed photo in a highlight called “Healed”
• Make a “flash Friday” event
• Host a meet-and-draw night
• Ask other local businesses if you can leave cards or stickers
• Donate a gift certificate to a fundraiser
• Ask clients to send healed photos
• Repost every healed photo in a highlight called “Healed”
The artists who stay busy are the ones who stay visible.
6. Make a Website
(Really. 2026 is coming. Be serious.)**
You do not need a masterpiece. You need something functional.
Bare-minimum pages:
• Portfolio
• About you
• Booking form
• Prices or starting rates
• Aftercare
• Shop location + hours
• FAQ
• Portfolio
• About you
• Booking form
• Prices or starting rates
• Aftercare
• Shop location + hours
• FAQ
Easy tools that won’t fry your brain:
• Wix
• Squarespace
• Shopify (if you want to sell prints or merch too)
• Wix
• Squarespace
• Shopify (if you want to sell prints or merch too)
Your Instagram is not your website.
Your booking link is not your portfolio.
Your clients are confused, even if they’re too polite to say it.
Your booking link is not your portfolio.
Your clients are confused, even if they’re too polite to say it.
7. Make Clear Offers
(‘I have flash’ tells me nothing)**
Artists keep posting the same three phrases:
• “Books open”
• “I have flash”
• “DM to book”
• “Books open”
• “I have flash”
• “DM to book”
It’s vague. It’s giving: “please fail me harder.”
Clear, irresistible offers look like:
• “Three palm-sized floral designs available this month, $250 each, colour or black.”
• “One last-minute spot tomorrow 3pm. Pick from these designs.”
• “$100 off multi-session projects booked before Sunday.”
• “These four flash pieces are pre-sized, pre-priced, and ready to go.”
• “Three palm-sized floral designs available this month, $250 each, colour or black.”
• “One last-minute spot tomorrow 3pm. Pick from these designs.”
• “$100 off multi-session projects booked before Sunday.”
• “These four flash pieces are pre-sized, pre-priced, and ready to go.”
Tell people what you want them to buy.
Humans love being explicitly guided.
Humans love being explicitly guided.
8. DM People (And Relax, This Isn’t Begging)
Don’t send “hey do you wanna book?” like some desperate Craigslist ad.
This is how you do it:
Human messages that actually work:
• “Hey, I saw you got your first tattoo recently. How’d it heal?”
• “You liked my post about lettering yesterday. Are you planning something?”
• “Saw your story about your birthday. If you ever want a birthday tattoo, I’d love to design something.”
• “Thanks for following. If you ever need inspo, I’ve got tons saved.”
• “Hey, I saw you got your first tattoo recently. How’d it heal?”
• “You liked my post about lettering yesterday. Are you planning something?”
• “Saw your story about your birthday. If you ever want a birthday tattoo, I’d love to design something.”
• “Thanks for following. If you ever need inspo, I’ve got tons saved.”
You’re not asking for a booking.
You’re building rapport.
You’re building rapport.
People book tattoos with artists who feel like people, not robots holding machines.
9. Post Useful Stuff (Not Just Finished Tattoos)
When it’s slow, educate. Teach. Share knowledge. Post things clients save because it’s useful.
Ideas grounded in actual audience behaviour:
• “Tattoo placement guide for first timers”
• “What to wear for your tattoo appointment”
• “How to choose reference photos”
• “Tattoo pain chart”
• “Healing week by week”
• “Things I wish clients knew before their first big piece”
• “Why good tattoos take time”
• “Tattoo placement guide for first timers”
• “What to wear for your tattoo appointment”
• “How to choose reference photos”
• “Tattoo pain chart”
• “Healing week by week”
• “Things I wish clients knew before their first big piece”
• “Why good tattoos take time”
If you’re constantly delivering value, people don’t forget you.
10. Talk on Camera (Quit Overthinking Your Face)
Video performs better than photos. This isn’t a vibe; it’s every platform’s documented behaviour. But artists avoid video like it’s a hex.
Stuff you can talk about without planning a TED Talk:
• “Here’s a mistake beginners make in tattooing…”
• “Designs I wish clients would ask for”
• “Why artists charge what they charge”
• “How to prep your skin before a tattoo”
• “How lines heal vs how lines look day one”
• “One thing I won’t tattoo anymore and why”
• Time-lapse of a stencil
• Your set-up (bonus points if you show Fire Cartridges, duh)
• “Here’s a mistake beginners make in tattooing…”
• “Designs I wish clients would ask for”
• “Why artists charge what they charge”
• “How to prep your skin before a tattoo”
• “How lines heal vs how lines look day one”
• “One thing I won’t tattoo anymore and why”
• Time-lapse of a stencil
• Your set-up (bonus points if you show Fire Cartridges, duh)
The camera wants your voice, not your perfection.
Slow seasons are inevitable.
What you do during them is optional.
What you do during them is optional.
This industry rewards the artists who act, build, talk, show up, and try.
Not the ones sighing into their coffee.
Not the ones sighing into their coffee.
Now go do literally anything except complain. That’s the whole newsletter.
