It occurred to us that our artists emails cater to multiple distinct audiences including friends, collectors, curators, dealers, and the press. This becomes particularly important because curators and dealers can have very different interests; curators focus on cultural relevancy, while dealers are concerned with the marketability of your work.

We consulted six art world professionals about how they like to receive artist email blasts. The data shows that it might be worth segmenting your email lists between General, Curators, and Dealers.

NOTE: this is a small sample and there are exceptions to every rule.

GENERAL TAKEAWAYS : TLDR

SIGN-UPS: If someone is a public art world professional and their email is readily available, you can sign people up without their express permission, but be cautious. They might unsubscribe, and too many unsubscribes or unopened emails can flag your remaining emails as spam.
OUR METHOD: Before signing someone up for an email blast send them a personal email introducing yourself and inviting them to something exciting. You are much more likely to get a real connection.
FREQUENCY: These art world professionals receive fewer emails than one might expect. There is a balance between updates and spam. Most pro’s seem to expect multiple emails if you are actually doing something of note, so if you are having a big show, they are okay with an invite, a middle of show event, and a closing email with any press or experience update. If this is a regional show that’s not in their region, only send one email.
RELEVANCY: These professionals are more likely to accept unsolicited emails if:

The work is culturally relevant to current events.
The artist is sufficiently advanced in their career to be noteworthy.
The artist works in a specific field that the professional is interested in.

BREVITY OR CONTEXT: Dealers prefer succinct emails with a glossy image; curators appreciate more contextual information.

INTERVIEW SUMMARY
WITH ART WORLD PROFESSIONALS

LARGE MUSEUM CURATOR

Email Volume: Receives many artist emails weekly.
Reaction to Unsolicited Emails: Response depends on relevance and presentation.
Email Management: May unsubscribe or ignore based on content relevance.
Preferred Frequency: Monthly or quarterly; dislikes frequent reminders.
Content Preferences: Prefers a balance of text and images; dislikes large attachments.

MEDIUM SIZE MUSEUM CURATOR

Email Volume: Over 30 emails per week.
Reaction to Unsolicited Emails: Takes a quick look to assess relevance to her focused mission. Frequently asks “why are you sending this to ME”
Email Management: Generally ignores, especially frequent reminder emails.
Preferred Frequency: Quarterly emails are most effective.
Content Preferences: Enjoys substantive content; invites to collaborate are preferred over large project introductions. “Introduce me to your work, but let the curator curate”

HIGH END ART PRESS EDITOR

Email Volume: Receives 3-5 artist email blasts per week.
Reaction to Unsolicited Emails: Interest depends on content, not the sender; irrelevant content leads to frustration.
Email Management: Ignores generally; unsubscribes if content is especially irrelevant.
Preferred Frequency: Prefers monthly updates or emails tied to significant events.
Content Preferences: Favors emails that combine an event notice with an image.

SMALL TIME ARTIST CURATOR

Email Volume: Receives about 20 emails per week.
Reaction to Unsolicited Emails: Silent deletion.
Preferred Frequency: Quarterly is best; monthly acceptable but not more frequent.
Content Preferences: Prefers brief introductions, relevant images, and additional writing if it tells an interesting story.

MID RANGE ART ADVISOR / DEALER (10k works)

Preferred Frequency: Likes monthly updates; finds quarterly too jumbled.
Email Management: Unsubscribes from unsolicited blasts to avoid spam flags.
Content Preferences: Prefers emails to be more image-heavy and less text-heavy.

BLUE CHIP Gallerist

Email Volume: Receives about a dozen emails per week from unknown senders.
Reaction to Unsolicited Emails: Does not read emails from unknown senders.
Preferred Frequency: Quarterly, depending on how fresh the information is.
Content Preferences: Emphasizes the importance of placing engaging content at the top of the email; prefers a mix of context, one striking image, and additional text.