The importance of high-quality promo images

In this digital age, your promo images will form your first impression in many scenarios

We all like to think that the content of our poems matters more than anything else. And ultimately, it does. But the reality is that we have to jump through all manner of hoops for people to consume our poems properly, and having high-quality promo images is vital to that.

One major advantage of our smartphone-driven era is that many people carry 50-megapixel cameras in their pockets. By now, they’re probably even better than 50MP, I’m just basing that on my current Samsung.

Either way, you don’t necessarily need access to a professional photographer with a DSLR to get high-quality promo images. And I stress that point because I don’t want to put too many financial barriers in place: poetry should be accessible to as many people as possible and not everybody can afford a few hundred quid for a professional-standard photoshoot.

I have a fairly unique perspective on this because as well as being a poet, I’m also an event producer and have been programming spoken word poetry events for over a decade. Through doing this, I’ve been responsible for designing hundreds and hundreds of digital assets across all social media platforms.

So, firstly, I’ve been exposed to thousands of promo images over the years. And, secondly, I know which kinds of images are easy for promoters to work with; which stand out; and which have stayed in my memory.

It’s not that you need to look sexy or cool to get a gig. That couldn’t be further from what I’m saying. But promo images are important (a) because they can alter people’s perception of you as a poet and, unfortunately, that does go a long way these days and (b) they can help to establish your identity as a poet.

They’re an extension of the persona that you’re creating through writing and performing poetry in the first place. We’re not talking about marketing, here. We’re talking about artistic expression. And at the end of the day, it’s an opportunity to make an impression and communicate effectively while trying to establish yourself on a thriving scene.

So, here are some tips for achieving those high-quality promo images.