Many artists graduate from formal art programs adept in color theory, brush techniques, and composition—but don’t know the first thing about business. How can artists sell art and paintings online? How will they market themselves? Making a living as a career artist means understanding how to build an audience, how to price art products, and the unique requirements for shipping art. It means thinking like an entrepreneur.

It would take a lot more than 280 characters to cover all the ways selling on Twitter is different from selling on Facebook or Instagram. The “blue bird” has long been a dark horse among social media marketing channels. While brands like @Wendys have famously managed to make it work for awareness, PR, and community building, Twitter was mostly built for conversations, not conversions.