How to promote your poetry on instagram
7 Tips for How to Post Poetry on Instagram
When I was a freshman in college, I was asked to perform an original poem at a fundraiser for a local museum. After performing, I was elated and baffled by the reception from those listening as I recited. I didn’t feel ready for seeking publication through literary journals (and also did not know much about publishing) and wanted my poems to reach a larger audience. Quickly I realized a solution: Instagram poetry. While I no longer post my poetry on Instagram as my relationship and purpose for writing poetry has shifted, I did gather tips for how to post poetry on Instagram.
From using an app to format poems, to finding the best hashtags, here are seven tips for how to post poetry on Instagram.
1. Keep Your Audience and the Purpose of the Platform In Mind
When sharing your writing, remember your work is accessible to both your grandmother (or don’t even dare contemplate the possibility if your content is of the steamy variety) and potential publishers.
The visibility can be a beautiful thing: you are no longer confined to texting new poems to just your social circle or waiting for a reaction from the followers on your private social media accounts. Suddenly, anyone can read your words. Authors such as Rupi Kaur have used Instagram to their advantage by gathering a large and loyal following on social media.
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A post shared by rupi kaur (@rupikaur_)
But it’s also important to realize that some literary journals, magazines, and other publications prefer to accept submissions of poems that have not previously been published. Instagram sometimes, but not always, counts as previous publication. (Check out more about literary magazines versus Instagram here.)
2. Consider Poem Length and Formatting That’s Easy on the Eyes
So your skill with the quill is undeniable, but are you selecting the right poems to share? It’s helpful to choose poems that resonate with others, obviously, but the length of the poem is also a factor.
Because most people won’t want to spend days and days reading through a poem of yours — no matter how stunning — choose wisely. Either a snippet of a longer poem or a short poem itself is the way to go. Then keep the text large enough that no zooming in is necessary for those reading on their phones. The carousal feature in Instagram comes in especially handy for sharing multiple verses without compromising readability.
3. Establish a Consistent Aesthetic (And Use a Handy App)
As you’ve likely noticed, there are certain aesthetic choices poets on Instagram make. Figure out what is both attractive and realistic for you. Do you have beautiful handwriting? Does typewritten text call to you, and do you have access to a typewriter? Do your eyes catch on stanzas presented on a simple background? Are props a yes or a no? Many poets even alternate between a poem in an image, or pair wordless images with writing out the poem in the caption. (Explore some of Book Riot’s favorite Instagram poets for inspiration here.
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Whatever tickles your fancy, choose a certain look and then stick to it with some consistency. When your followers come across one of your posts on their feed, you want them to recognize their favorite poet. For example, with a signature style of scraps of paper with typewritten poems, I can always tell from a quick glance that a post belongs to Tyler Knott Gregson.
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A post shared by Tyler Knott Gregson (@tylerknott)
For those who do not want to write out or print their poems, make the styling process painless with the app Canva. The app is free — except for a few select images/graphics, which require a paying membership — and has templates, free photos, and fun illustrations. The desktop version is especially easy to use.
4. Use the Many Tools Available
Along with using Canva to format your posts, there are many helpful tools out there to help you figure out how to share your poetry with the widest audience possible.
Keep tabs on sources such as Later, which posts updates on Instagram’s algorithm so that you know how to navigate the platform the most efficiently. If you want to keep up on frequent posting but don’t have endless time to spend on your phone, use a publishing tool like Hootsuite to schedule posts.
One tool within Instagram that can prove extremely helpful is hashtagging. Hashtags are a great way for readers to find your content: to find out what’s trending or what’s new in the world, I often find myself searching through a particular city or book genre’s relevant hashtags. The same can be said for discovering poetry. Use a site that, like Best Hashtags, sifts through the most popular hashtags for any particular social media platform and gives you a list.
5. Interact With Your #PoetryCommunity
When I was summing up the courage to create my poetry account, I reached out to other poets I admired. I found encouragement in asking them — particularly poet Alexa Johansen — questions, finding inspiration in their craft, and learning more about their stories as time went on.
I felt like I was part of a virtual community of supportive artists.
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A post shared by Alexa Johansen (@alexajohansen)
My advice is to find and follow other poets and make sure to give them the likes, shares, and comments they deserve. Let them know you are listening and share the poems that are genuinely speaking to you.
On the flipside, and unlike when a poem is printed in a magazine, your readers can comment and interact directly with you. It is so encouraging to find that others are resonating with your dreams and visions. Ask questions in your captions and interact with those who comment to form camaraderie with your followers.
6. Credit Your Work to Keep it Safe
As my artist mother used to say, “Sign your work!” Have you ever watched a reposted video or read a quote that left you wanting more? Perhaps you’re a huge fan of the work, or you want to know what happened next with the singer or writer.
It really throws a wrench in the plan when whoever reposted failed to credit the artist and you have no choice but to go into internet stalking mode.
You also do not want others taking your work as theirs (although putting anything on the internet opens up this possibility). Please, for all that is holy, at least protect your work by marking it as yours! Leave your handle, initials, or name somewhere in the image. Crediting your work can be as easy as signing your work as poet Lang Leav does.
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A post shared by Lang Leav (@langleav)
7. Revel in the Fact That You’re Sharing Your Art
Amidst the busyness of formatting your poems and responding to your followers, don’t forget to enjoy yourself. Creating and sharing art is no easy feat. Make sure you’re finding joy in making this world a brighter and more beautiful place.
Ready to get started after reading all about how to post poetry on Instagram, but looking for even more guidance? Check out What I Learned in 6 Months on Bookstagram.
How to get your poetry noticed on Instagram without having to write tacky one-liners — Sunday Mornings at the River
We have been struggling with the concept of 'pretty art' for a while. It can sometimes be frustrating when you wrote a really profound piece to find people don't pay as much attention to it as one-liners written by she-poets or Rupi Kaur’s menstrual blood. We don't mean to crap on she-poets or two sentence love poems, but just let you know that if you write about politics, or equal rights, or anything else that matters, there is a place for you in this world.
Many readers on Instagram aren't native English speakers, so the small poems may be easier to understand. Web design comes into play too. Websites have become graphically simpler to accommodate small screen sizes. So..
. art meets life? A.C Peterka
Keeping the previous statement in mind, that many of Instagram’s users aren’t native English Speakers (like me) we kind of feel like if we want to tap into that readership, we are in a ‘when you can’t beat them, join them’ pickle. Of course, you don’t have to, but you also want your stuff to be read. In order to be read you have to enter the popular contest, because Instagram will push your poetry out to more accounts. Likes equal exposure.
If you are worried your longer pieces are being overlooked on Instagram, we have some tips on how to get them more exposure.
I love writing longer poems and I know there are readers here who enjoy them and will take the time to read. But I also know how easy it is to succumb to scrolling (I'm sure we all do it) and that sometimes we just want to read something bite sized. Posting excerpts is my go-to for when I want to share something deeper but digestible. Kait Quinn
Post a short(er) Excerpt
Some great poets out there post a picture with just an excerpt.
This way you can have pretty art that catches the eye and could lead to opening up an entirely new readership. You can just post the excerpt and ‘lure’ the readers in to read the full poem in your book or on your blog, or you can post a sentence that you know will catch the eye of a large readership (keep it short and sweet) and post the rest of the poem in the slides that come after it / link to the poem in your book.
Tag your Poems
I was raised with the notion that it was an ugly thing to ask for attention, guess what mum, I am tagging all the big poetry accounts now. When I first started doing this I felt like a spammy little bitch, but now it has become second nature. Huge accounts like @poets and @buttonpoetry can really send a lot of readers your way. Besides tagging big accounts, also make sure you use the right hashtags. You might want to post up to thirty of those in your first comment so that you keep a nice and clean caption. Tips on hashtags can be found on display purposes.
Stop fighting the way things Work
Yes we know, the system sucks, and it was built to suck for most of us. The amount of times I deleted my poetry account just to make a statement... But what did it get me? I can tell you what it didn’t get me: book sales and community spirit. We are using social media for a reason and if you remove your voice or refuse to use tools to make your account grow because you think marketing is disgusting, the medium will be flushed with one-liners and the ‘Atticusses’ of this world. Please don’t let that happen. Thank you.
Use your platform to stay critical, even if you have to:
Use pictures as backdrops for your Poetry
I think art can be pretty and provocative at the same time, like poetry can be short and incisive, long and beautifully presented. Thinking that pretty or short equals fluff is oversimplifying the equation. Mei
Okay we lied, art can be profound and pretty.
We are visual creatures, that’s why there are so many half-dressed women posing for perfume brands. Yes, we still puke inside our mouth every time we see a poem blow up with a picture in the background that didn’t get credited to the rightful owner (so make sure you credit the photographer, even if you use free photo tools like Unsplash). You can also use a picture you love as a cover for your poem and have people swipe to read the poem or excerpt. Pictures attract our attention quicker than words do. Keep in mind that if you use a photo of a photographer without asking, they can get pissed at you and sue you. But that probably hardly ever happens.
Be consistent
People lose their shit when you change the frequency with which you post or when you start using coloured floral backgrounds instead of the black and white ones you have always used. People are hardwired to love structure. We use Planoly to schedule our posts every day. Which brings us to the following:
Interact, read, comment
It’s called social media for a reason.
You will have to spend some time on it in order to build your community. No one likes talking to a wall. If someone comments on your post, they took the time to read your poem and write their thoughts about it. This is a huge privilege. They spent some of their precious time on you. The least you can do is say thank you. If you don’t want to spend half your life on Instagram, you can use Planoly to quickly reply to comments in one go.
I really do feel like the more profound pieces are sometimes overlooked, especially if they're lengthier than the one or two liners that everyone seems drawn to. It can make you feel like your work isn't being appreciated the way it deserves to be. These Framed Thoughts
Post at the best times
There are times more people are scrolling at the same time. Planoly will tell you exactly what those times are for your time zone. You can schedule your posts in advance.
And last but not least:
Don’t give up
Unless you are born into a literary community or with a golden spoon in your mouth, it might take a while to get noticed.
Keep going, keep developing your voice, edit and republish. Change your mind about your chosen format and reinvent your account, but don’t you erase it, we need your voice and your passion. Now get off this blog and start pimping your Instagram. Ours can be found here.
We want to thank our Instagram community for participating in this discussion.
Ideas on how to promote your work as a poet?
I posted my videos on Youtube, Instagram, in social networks, and made a WhatsApp newsletter to my friends. A small snowball has been launched, I hope by the New Year it will already be a decent snowman).
I, as a creative person, a poetess, is concerned about the question of how to convey my creativity to people? I am engaged in writing poetry for the soul, this is my hobby. The work has nothing to do with creativity, it takes a lot of time and does not have its own environment for inspiration at all. I draw it from a trip to the sea, to nature, during a short rest in my garden.
But even during this period of time, composed of inspirations, I have accumulated many poems, I was published in Barnaul by the C-press publishing house. The book "Slice of Mango" is my first collection of poems. I was not engaged in professional promotion of my book, I just made a presentation at a women's club in our city of Shymkent. The media wrote about the presentation and I was invited to the local television Otyrar. Surprisingly, the book entered the top 12 best books in Kazakhstan in 2016. For me, this was good news, quite unexpected. As a businessman, I know that everything needs to be advertised, a product, an artist, poems, music, oneself, and not only to become famous and bathe in the glory, but also to let other people know about creativity. nine0004
I decided to place on the Internet an electronic version of my book "Mango Slice", I found a suitable platform for this, where, in principle, every poet who wrote a book can place his creation, it's easy to do.
Later, various bookstores took it away on their bookshelves, it became available in various applications, it can be read online on the phone, I repeat, these same bookstores and electronic libraries did everything for me, so that you, novice poets, you need to take one small step: collect your poems in a collection, by subject, edit several times and make an electronic version of the book, make a cover and place it on Litress and Samizdat.
And then it will already appear on:
bookz.ru
Rulit
soyuzmagazin
aldebaran
FictionBook.ru
bookin
izdat.net
I did not promote books, I repeat and other libraries! So that you can use my scheme.
I published in various collections and almanacs in Russia, together with musicians and singers I recorded songs to my words, the songs were played on radio stations, I produced the singer and promoted my work in Russia and Ukraine. All this required a lot of money, time and effort. There were no dividends from all my investments. nine0004
I began to look for other ways to promote my poetry, I thought: since I have such experience with singers and their promotion, I'll just use this scheme. But, for this, I myself need to read my poems to the public. It is quite difficult to gather people for this now, people are used to having fun while sitting in a restaurant, to loud music with alcohol and terrible dancing in the center of the hall .
.. who will listen to poetry? We will have to gather people in a quiet place, and this again, you need to organize, invite people, or look for organizers. I found such a place in our city, this is the coffee house "Dana" and we had poetry readings, there was a full house and a lot of people. But, whether these will be regular evenings and whether they will depend on my activity and the owner of the coffee shop, I don’t know. nine0004
I started looking on the Internet for opportunities to promote poetry and accidentally stumbled upon a little-known poetess in Kontakte. When I went to her group, I saw a video, the girl was sitting in a coffee shop and reading poetry. The coffee house was empty, only one waiter flashed by, occasionally there was a noise of an opening door. The video was filmed on the phone, rather poor quality, amateur. Well, I love the scale! I had the experience of promoting an artist ... in general, my brain began to generate ideas, I agreed with the owner of the coffee shop about filming in the hall, asked the administrator at what time they had the least people, so as not to distract me and embarrass me, at least for first time.
nine0004
I called my friend videographer Dmitry Burdygin, I already had experience working with him, he has his own Shymkent channel.
Dmitry and I shot several videos. The first video "I am a woman, an actress .." turned out from the first take.
Then it became more difficult, the visitors came in, they made an order and the barista had to turn on the coffee machine, and the machine was buzzing a lot, we asked to wait a bit with the order and promised to quickly shoot the video, the verse is short and I thought that a couple of minutes would be enough for us for everything, I already entered the role and thought everything would work out from the first take, and it happened, from the first take the video was ready ... but! The visitor has a terrible cough! She coughed so loudly that I didn’t even hear my own voice, although she was sitting in the hall, and I was at the bar. Dmitry offered to reshoot, I agreed.
We waited for the time when there was a lull and started filming .. this terrible cough was heard again, but we shot the video, Dmitry listened and said: “no, I won’t clean it up” ... then the refrigerator started working near the bar, we wanted to pause , but the administrator Takhmina and the waitresses Ulbosyn and Zalina came to the rescue, as well as the newcomer Semyon, they tried their best to provide us with conditions for shooting (they turned off the coffee machine, turned off the refrigerator for a while, did not move and did not utter a word, they carried a cup of coffee and chocolate for me to all the places where the shooting was going on and asked how they could help me). Taking this opportunity, I express my gratitude to them from the bottom of my heart. From the fourth take, this video was filmed, where the cough was not heard, in addition, a musical background was superimposed, which gave a special charm to the video and moved it to France for a moment). nine0004
"Chocolate Slice"
The following videos were already filmed in another hall and passed quickly, we already had a complete understanding with Dmitry and a vision of how it would look like:
"Tired of being strong"
"Miracles"
"What's the weather and what's on the menu today"
I posted my videos on YouTube, Instagram, social networks, sent a WhatsApp message to my friends. Thanks to this, my videos ended up in Israel (an answer came from a friend that Israel is at my feet, I understand, of course, that not all of Israel fell, but still nice), to Germany and Canada, even to Hong Kong was sent by a friend ... Thank you my friends and girlfriends! A small snowball has been launched, I hope by the New Year it will already be a decent snowman).
nine0004
Then I already had an idea to choose a certain day and time when, on the contrary, there will be a lot of people in the coffee shop and I will read my poems at breakfast, over a cup of coffee, I became interested in what would come out of this venture, I wanted to look at the reaction of visitors ). I think I can implement this crazy idea of mine).
If someone has ideas for promoting their poems, please suggest, I will be glad))
And finally, if you liked the article and you found something useful for yourself, put "LIKE" and subscribe to my youtube channel nine0004
it’s not in vain that I got my knowledge through promotion, I want them to be useful)))
40 tips on how to promote your Instagram
, #l4l (Like for like), #tagforlikes and #followback.
2. Like as much as possible. For every 100 likes you give to random photos, you will get an average of 6 new followers.
3. Run contest .
The easiest way to do this is to post a themed picture and ask people to like it so they can participate.
4. Start promoting profile on your pages in other social networks. Write what your blog is about and why people should read it and invite them to join.
5. Be generous with likes and comments - this is the easiest way to attract new subscribers.
6. Use common hashtags so that your photos can be seen in the global search. Among the most popular are #love, #instagood, #fashion and #photooftheday.
@westwingde
7. Time matters. Research has shown that the best time to fast is between 2 pm and 5 pm.
8. Follow people who use popular hashtags (#followme, #likeforlike) because many of them will follow you back.
9. Remember, quality matters , not the number. Monitor your profile and leave only beautiful and high-quality photos.
Believe me, no one is interested in flipping through hundreds of photos of salads.
10. Love the Mayfair filter . Track Maven listed this filter on The Fortune 500 Instagram as the best choice for marketers.
11. Check that you have completed the biography section . Complete it with suitable words and hashtags, and also provide a link to your website. But remember: no spam! Otherwise, subscribers will lose interest in the profile. nine0004
12. Ask questions to subscribers. This is a great way to connect with your target audience.
13. Publish on Sundays . It is on this day that people post photos a little, so your post will be seen by the maximum number of people.
@nastiapoberezhna
14. Be consistent with . Think about who and why you are doing this. The more clearly you answer these questions, the faster you will attract the right audience.
nine0004
15. Call people to action. For example, ask them to write their opinion about your photo in the comments.
16. Don't be afraid to post often. It may seem that the more often the photos flash, the more indifferent the subscribers behave. But according to the Union Metrics program, there is no relationship between posting frequency and audience activity. At least negative.
17. Follow suggested users. Go to settings and select "Find and invite friends" and then "Recommended users". nine0004
18. Set geolocation to . This will be especially useful if you run an Instagram company. So you will have the opportunity to attract new subscribers-neighbors.
19. Schedule publications with the Later program. Consistency never hurt anyone.
20. Agree with popular blogger to advertise your profile or product. So information about you will quickly scatter over the network.
21. Studies have shown that blue images get 24% more likes than orange or red images. Post something blue and see for yourself!
22. Let fasting on Wednesdays become your obligatory ritual. This is because posts get more attention and likes in the middle of the week.
23. Write the word "comment" more often in posts. This encourages your followers to share their opinions and be more willing to join the discussion.
24. Post photos with a face . According to research, such publications are 35% more popular than others.
25. Tag in photos of people. Your post will also be seen by friends of friends.
26. Remember the rule: the more light , the better.
27. If you have a business account, create a branded hashtag . So users will be able to specify it when buying a product. And it will increase your visibility on Instagram several times over.
28. Share live photos. Show that behind the beautiful picture there is living person .
29. Business trick: share photos of your followers mentioning your brand or product. This pleasant step shows that you value each client. In return, they will definitely share your photos in their feed.
30. Brand yourself : use your nickname for more than just your profile. A notebook, a case or a branded sticker on a car will surely attract the attention of potential subscribers.
@romantimo3
31. Invite Facebook friends to follow you. To do this, in the profile settings, select "Find friends on Facebook."
32. People love stories. Share your feelings and thoughts, so you will gain their trust and establish contact. Just remember that the post should be emotional and bright, not snot in sugar.
33. Tag people , even in stories, don't be lazy.
34. Feel free to post ask for likes . As practice has shown, such publications receive 89% more likes.
35. Plan ahead not only the time, but also the content. Prepare your materials and only then start filling out your feed. For example, write posts for a few days in advance, and then publish them gradually. The Instagram filling schedule will help you stay focused on the main topic of the blog.
36. Post a motivating or inspiring quote .
37. Synchronize phone book with your account. Go to settings and select "Contacts" in the "For Subscriptions" section.
38. Be active on profiles with similar topics. Especially if you run a business profile. Chat in the comments , ask questions and let influencers know about you.
39. Collaborate with other users. Find accounts with the same number of followers and invite their owners to arrange a joint promotion.
