🖤 42,000 tattoo artists in the US (and not enough clients for all of them)

Hey, it's Matt.

You've probably heard it. "The tattoo industry is dying." Artists saying it in comment sections, at conventions, in group chats.

But is it actually dying? Or is something else going on?

This week I looked at the data. And the answer is more interesting than the doomer takes suggest.

👀 ICYMI

🗞️ Industry News

Want your work featured next week? Reply to this email with a link to your Instagram post. I might pick yours. 😊

Got 30 minutes?

If you want more bookings, your Instagram profile is the first place to fix.

I audited 100+ tattoo artist profiles and built a step-by-step guide around what I found. Most fixes take under 5 minutes each.

[Fix Your Instagram Profile in 30 Minutes →]

You hear it everywhere lately. Artists complaining bookings are slow. Studios closing. "The industry isn't what it used to be."

And honestly? They're not wrong that something has shifted. But most people are misreading what's actually happening.

Let me show you the real picture.

Google Trends data for the search term "tattoo" in the US tells a clear story. Interest exploded around 2011-2012.

And since then? It's been slowly declining and plateauing at a lower baseline.

People are still searching for tattoos. But noticeably less than at the peak. The era of explosive mainstream growth is over.

Now look at the number of tattoo artists in the US. In 2008 there were roughly 20,000 working artists. By 2017 that number had more than doubled to over 46,000. It dropped during COVID, then recovered. Right now we're sitting at around 42,000.

Source.

Think about that. Twice as many artists. Chasing the same pool of clients. A pool that's actually shrinking compared to the peak.

That's not a dying industry. That's an oversaturated one.

The industry isn't dying. The easy years are dying.

From 2010 to 2017, tattoos went fully mainstream. Everyone wanted one.

A half-decent Instagram page and a chair in a decent location was enough to stay booked. The market did the work for you.

That era is gone.

Now the clients are still there.

Millions of them.

But they have more choices than ever. More artists to pick from. More styles to choose from. More ways to find someone online.

The artists who are struggling aren't struggling because clients disappeared. They're struggling because they never had to compete before. And now they do.

The floor has dropped. The average artist is finding it harder. But the ceiling hasn't moved.

Artists who are visible, who have a clear identity, who actively market themselves? They're still fully booked. Some are raising prices. Some have waitlists.

The difference between them and everyone else isn't talent. It's not even style. It's that they treat their business like a business.

They show up consistently online. They have a profile that converts visitors into inquiries. They collect reviews. They know who their ideal client is and they speak directly to that person.

That's it. That's the whole secret.

Don't sit still and wait for things to go back to how they were.

They won't.

The artists who survive the next few years are the ones who adapt now. That means getting serious about your online presence.

Your Instagram. Your Google profile.

The way you present yourself to someone who's never heard of you before.

The market has matured. That's actually good news if you're willing to put in the work. Because most artists aren't. And that's your opportunity.

Hit reply and tell me: how does the state of the industry feel from where you're sitting right now? Are bookings strong? Slower than before?

I read every reply and I'd genuinely love to hear what you're seeing on the ground.

That's a wrap for this week.

The industry isn't dying. But it is changing.

And the artists who treat that as a wake-up call instead of an excuse are the ones who'll come out ahead.

As always, hit reply and tell me what you think. I read everything.

See you next week.