Shameless Selling

Sales techniques for the shameless promotion box.

The shameless promotion box on AP is an excellent way to promote your work without having to spend too many points.  You find it by clicking "shameless" under the "Misc" heading.  The poet pays 20 points to place an item in the list, and it remains there until enough people have used the box after you, and you drop off the end of the list.

However, a problem with shameless is that each poet can choose what information to put in the list.  And, to be honest, it's clear just looking at the words people choose to use that they're not very knowledgable about basic sales techniques or advertising.  I have done some sales before, so I've come up with some points that may allow more effective use of the shameless promotion box.

1) Information.

When you post a poem to shameless, two things and only two things become viewable to the potential readers.  The two-line description that is chosen when the poem is written, and the information that you choose to give the reader.  The title is not given.  The potential reader also cannot tell whether the item is a poem, or column, or contest, or what category it's been placed in.

Those readers who customize their page to automatically view the shameless box see nothing except the description given by the poet.

That means that it's vital for there to be some indication of the item itself in the description.  Is it a descriptive poem, does it deal with emotions?  Does it follow a set form?  It's all very well to promise to return all comments, but I, for one, don't want to comment on a poem that I don't like.  The ever-present "Would like some feedback" is also ambiguous.  After all, on AP there are several types of feedback which may or may not be acceptable: indescriminate praise, honest feedback, and truly critical comments are just a handful of them.  Personally, I have no desire to offer the time and effort on a critical comment if the poet is going to be rude in return.

Before you decide what to place in the description box, think back to your two line description, and try to imagine what the potential reader will need to know, apart from that.  This is especially important for those who do not put anything in the description.

2)  Audience

When settling on a description, it helps to try and work out what section of the AP community you would like to read your poem, and target them specifically.

If you're looking for general praise, you may be looking for the teenage section of AP.  In that case, a lack of care in grammar and spelling and am abundance of punctuation marks is appropriate.  However, these things will tend to discourage people who give more honest and detailed critiques.  If you want an honest critique, then proper English is recommended.

If you want to attract people who have an interest in form or rhyming poetry, then you should mention the form that your poem takes.  Always be clear about the type of critique you're looking for -- it saves a lot of heartache.

Speaking for myself, I will always avoid any piece that claims to be "very personal".  My reasoning is that there's nothing constructive one can say to a personal piece without risking the poet's wrath.  Beyond that, a personal piece is written for the poet, not the reader, and unless I already know you, your innermost thoughts aren't all that interesting to me.  It has a feeling of voyeurism that I find distasteful.

3)  Selling the poem

Right.  So you're in the list, and people are browsing, looking for something to read.  Why should they read yours?

This is where you have to make clear the strengths of the poem.  You're selling it to the potential reader, asking for him or her to give up some time and thought for your benefit.  In return, you're offering your work for their entertainment.  Before they will agree to such a contract, they will want to know what they're getting.

Consider the high points of the poem.  Do you think it's a rich, descriptive poem?  Is it a story told in poem form?  What is it that makes your poem unique, special?  Now, use that in your description.  You're a poet, aren't you?  Then use those language skills to draw in the readers!

If you don't think there are any good points to the poem, maybe it needs more work.

4) Examples

These are the kinds of descriptions I'd like to see more of in the shameless box.

"A flowing, rhyming, children's tale that deals with the fantastic in a clear and humourous manner.  Critical review preferred and all comments returned."

"A twisting horror tale in free verse, seething with drama.  Read it... if you dare!"

"Erotic writing at its most intense; elegant and impeccably phrased.  All comments returned."

They sound like comments from the back cover of books, which is exactly why that's best.  Why do you think a publisher will put such comments there?