Should I Share My Poems Online?
Quick answer: Should I share my poems online? Yes, with one caveat: most journals treat public posts as prior publication. How to share smartly and protect your best work.
Yes, share your poems online if you want readers, feedback and a community, because nothing builds a writing life faster than an audience. The one serious caveat: most literary journals and many contests treat anything posted publicly, including Instagram and personal blogs, as previously published, which can make those poems ineligible for submission later. So the real question is not whether to share, but which poems to share.
Plenty of poets have built entire careers in public. Rupi Kaur found millions of readers on Instagram before any publisher called. But an equal number of poets keep their strongest work offline precisely so that journals, anthologies and prize juries can have first look. Both paths work; mixing them carelessly is what stings.
What sharing online actually gets you
Readers, first of all, and readers change how you write. Knowing a poem will be seen tomorrow forces decisions that a drawer never demands. Online sharing also builds the habit of finishing, attracts fellow poets who become your first honest critics, and leaves a public trail of growth you can look back on. For poets far from any literary scene, the internet is the workshop.
The prior publication problem
Editors define 'published' broadly: if the public could read it, it counts. A poem on your blog, a public Facebook post, even a piece shared in a large open forum can disqualify that poem from journals that ask for unpublished work. Private critique groups and password-protected spaces are usually fine, but check each journal's wording.
A simple system solves this. Keep two piles: poems you release to the internet freely, and poems you are saving for submission. Decide which pile a poem belongs to when you finish it, not after you have posted it in a weak moment.
Will someone steal my poem?
Outright theft is rarer than beginners fear, and you hold copyright automatically from the moment you write the poem. What does happen is uncredited screenshots and quote accounts stripping your name off. Watermark images if that bothers you, keep dated drafts as proof of authorship, and remember that being copied is an annoyance while being unread is the actual career risk.
What poets can take from this
- Decide before posting: is this a 'public' poem or a 'submission' poem?
- Read a journal's definition of previously published before you assume anything.
- Post your name on the image itself, not just the caption, to survive screenshots.
- Use private or password-protected groups for feedback on submission poems.
- Keep dated files of every draft as easy proof of authorship.
Try it yourself
Write a poem you would be happy for a stranger to screenshot: eight lines or fewer, no context needed, complete in one glance.
Questions
Does posting a poem on Instagram count as published?
For most journals and contests, yes. If the public could read it without a password, editors generally treat it as prior publication. Some venues are lenient about social media, but never assume; check the guidelines.
Can I delete a post and then submit the poem as unpublished?
Deleting does not undo publication, and cached copies can surface. If a journal asks for unpublished work, honesty is safer than hoping nobody notices, because a discovered breach can burn the relationship.
Where is the best place to share poems online?
Instagram suits short visual poems, a blog suits longer work and archives, and workshop communities suit poems you want criticised rather than applauded. Pick the platform that matches what you want back: applause, readers or honest notes.
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working poets. Updated July 2026.
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