Gaining Exposure
Poetry is a form of expression that is often overlooked and undervalued, and so new and established poets may need to explore ways to promote their work that may otherwise be overlooked. One of the most effective ways to do this is through gaining exposure for your work, especially in the digital space. Digital platforms such as social media, personal websites, and blog networks can provide a space for poets to share their work and be discovered. Platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and even LinkedIn are ideal for sharing short and sweet poetry snippets, that can build your platform over time. If you’re not the most tech-savvy, there are plenty of user-friendly content management systems and blogs where you can create a space to showcase your work. For example, WordPress and Wix are great platforms to start with, even without coding or design experience.
Networking
Networking is key when it comes to gaining recognition for your poetry. Being able to connect with other poets will create opportunities to collaborate on projects, as well as create a supportive network to learn from each other. Community driven platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can provide the space to start meaningful conversations with established poets. Joining associations, attending workshops and symposiums, and pitching your work to established outlets are all ways to create a supportive network for yourself.
Self Promotion
Although gaining exposure is a great avenue for promoting your poetry, it can be a tedious task. It’s important to be mindful of the ‘quality over quantity’ approach when self-promoting. This may mean spending more time perfecting your content, coming up with unique concepts, and staying creative in the process. Releasing collections and anthologies, featuring regional talent and freelancing for digital outlets can be sources of creating a professional online identity. Being active on digital and print markets to share your work, as well as crafting e-newsletters are some of the best ways to promote your work. It’s important to be selective with your content, while engaging in conversations with other creatives and enthusiasts.
Team Up with Local Talent
The best way to promote your work is to team up with other poets in your area or city. Collaborating with other poets or creatives expands your platform and may introduce you to new contacts and readers. Hosting a poetry reading, performing at a theatre, or launching a local magazine or platform to promote the talent around you can truly make a difference.
Leverage Events and Conferences
Attending events and conferences are great ways to find potential readers. Tapping into these spaces and expanding one’s network is an effective approach to not only discover new talents, but also stand out in the crowded industry. Making sure that your work is distributed and discussed in these spaces gives potential fans and industry personnel the chance to experience your work and create a more global connection.
Partner with Reading Series
Partnering with reading series can be incredibly beneficial to poet’s promotion. Working with reading series or open mic nights in your local area or locations further away allows you to create a consistent yet diverse presence in the poetry space. Reading series or open mic nights are great places to build your following, as well as finding new collaborators.
Marketing Yourself and Your Work
Having a professional presence online is important when it comes to marketing yourself and your work. This may mean crafting concise biographies, setting up a distinctive website, and investing in a professional media kit. Investing in yourself is essential when it comes to getting your work out there and gaining recognition. Utilising the plug and play approach and arranging collaborations with other creatives and outlets, to getting creative with packaging, can all generate maximum exposure for your work.
Target Outlets and Secure Reviews
When promoting your work, it’s important to consider the outlets that align with your creative vision. Reaching out to magazines, journals, blog networks and radio stations are great ways to reach potential readers, as well as gaining interest from the press. Crafting pitches and commissioning reviews or interviews with journalists or poets is also a great way to gain credibility and recognition. With the right information packaged and an engaging pitch, there is the potential to launch your work onto the international stage.
Embrace the Power of Social Media
Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr can be incredibly powerful tools when it comes to marketing yourself and your work. Using hashtags, or starting conversations with other creatives, or even engaging in spoken word battles online can help to increase your visibility and recognition. Utilising the power of social media when engaging with potential readers and clients can truly help to grow your platform.
Attend Events and Conferences
Events and conferences such as festivals, international poetry nights, and book fairs can present opportunities to grow your fan base and network with other professionals. Having an open mind when it comes to attending events and performing at different spaces can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to promoting your work. Attending book launches, poetry nights or even listening in on industry panel talks or discussions can be a great way to learn new strategies and connect with other poets.
Merchandise
Producing merchandise such as postcards, chapbooks, t-shirts and mugs can provide a unique way for you to showcase your work and gain revenue. Producing merchandise often requires an initial financial investment upfront. However, having physical products to sell at events, as well as having digital products such as PDFs, can generate more income and expand the scope of people who experience your work.
Go Au Fait
It’s important to stay up to date with the latest trends in the industry and the movements gaining momentum, in order for poets to stay ahead of the rest. It’s beneficial to research different marketing strategies and approaches that other poets are using, as this will give you a good indication as to what’s working and what’s not. One of the most important lessons to remember is to make sure your content stands out. Crafting unique concepts and engaging visuals, such as taking the less is more approach, can help your work stand out and propel the success of your platforms.
Do Your Research
Doing your research pays dividends when it comes to finding new avenues to promote your work. Researching potential publishing outlets, short story competitions and anthologies, as well as looking for writing residencies and digital opportunities, is a great way to weigh up the pros and cons of self-promotion and artistic collaborations. Additionally, setting digital goals and keeping track of your submissions in a spreadsheet or document can help you stay organised and motivated.
Utilise Technology
Utilising technology to promote your work is an effective tool to reach global audiences. Technology and digital trends are constantly evolving, so having an understanding of how these digital trends can be utilised to your benefit is essential. Digital tools such as audio and video technologies, as well as virtual gatherings like Zoom can harness the power of reaching wider audiences and even help with networking.
Engage Communities
It’s important to remember that success can’t be built overnight, and so it’s important to engage communities within your circles or those outside of your regular audiences. Contributing to online forums and discussions on LinkedIn, Medium, and other platforms, attracts readers and opens the door to collaborations too. Engaging with communities allows your work to be experienced by others and opens the door to new opportunities and potential collaborations.
