How social media is finding new audiences for poetry

27th September 2023

Don’t overlook poetry, when building a book range for your retail offering. Social media is boosting its popularity and creating a space for new poets to emerge.

For many people, poetry can be something they leave behind at school. Memories of being force fed lines from Yeats or Rabbie Burns don’t always set people up with a great relationship with this literary genre.

But social media is connecting audiences with a new generation of poet. And it has been Instagram, a platform usually associated with aspirational photography, that has been leading the way for uncovering new poetry voices. Often dubbed Insta Poets, many of these writers have achieved mainstream popularity with their relatable observations on the complexities of life.

Online fame

One of the best-known poets to emerge from social media is Rupi Kaur, whose debut collection Milk and Honey sold more than 2.5 million copies in 25 languages. Kaur rose to fame on Instagram attracting an audience of millions with her words of empowerment. Her celebrity status regularly draws large crowds for live performances of her work.

Other poets to achieve online fame include Nikita Gill, Hollie McNish, Warsan Shire, and Brian Bilston, whose wry observations of contemporary UK life have earned him the title of Twitter’s unofficial Poet Laureate.

Broadening access

TikTok is also beginning to boost the profile of poetry. Budding poets regularly share short, straightforward verses on the platform. The #poetsoftiktok community has had about 698m views, so TikTok’s own Rupi Kaur or Nikita Gill may not be too far away.

But while social media platforms are making poetry more accessible for creators and consumers, the critical reception to these new poets has not always been positive. Removing the gatekeepers found in traditional poetry publishing, has opened the new “Instapoetry” genre up to accusations of plagiarism and criticisms of appealing to instant gratification with its simplicity. Some critics have accused this social media trend of “ruining poetry.”

Sales boost

However, the criticisms aren’t deterring sales. Online poetry translates well into physical book form and social media followers do convert to book buyers, as sales experienced by Nikita Gill, Rupi Kaur or Hollie McNish demonstrate. But not only that, more traditional contemporary poets are seeing an increase in sales too, with some cultural commentators claiming that Insta poetry is a gateway to the genre more broadly.

Prior to the emergence of social media poets, sales of poetry books had been stagnant. But since 2013, poetry book sales have been growing*. Increasingly, poems are popping up in popular culture too, such as fashion shows or advertising. Beyonce’s Lemonade album featured readings from Warsan Shire, an award-winning poet who built a substantial following on Twitter before releasing a full poetry collection.

A source of comfort

Poetry has found a home at the nexus between technological creativity and the collective anxiety emerging around ongoing global challenges. Poetry has had a long tradition of helping individuals, communities and societies make sense of difficult times but social media has a reach to achieve this on a bigger scale than was previously possible.

That’s why poetry can work so well for the gift retail market. It gives us the tools to make sense of what we feel about ourselves, others, or the world we live in. And that can be powerful to share.

Recommended poetry

If you are inspired to introduce poetry books to your product ranges, browse our poetry collection online or take a look at some of these recommended titles.