Read the publication's submission guidelines carefully. Check the publication's website or the publication itself for submission guidelines. Call or email the publication to request the guidelines if you can't find them. Format your poem to meet the submission guidelines exactly, and ask a friend to proofread the poem.
Call or email the publication to ask how visual poems should be structured. Follow the guidelines given for visual poems, and in a note to the publisher or a cover letter, clearly indicate that the formatting is intentional.
Center the poem's title about one-third of the way from the top of the page, Net Poets suggests. On the next line, write your byline: "By" and your name or pen name. Next, skip two lines and then begin the poem, single-spaced with spaces between stanzas, in the center of the page.
Number the pages, and include your name and the title of the poem on each page so the editor can keep the pages in the correct order. For example, you might write, "Smith, Love, Page 2" or "Smith, Page 2 of 3." Place this information in the right-hand side of the header or footer of the page.
Include all information requested in the submission guidelines. Write a cover letter only if you need to explain why your poem does not meet submission guidelines, such as in the case of a visual poem, or to tell the editor about your other publications. Do not write a cover letter that explains the poem or gives your biography unless one is requested. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply.
Submit your poem online by email only if the publication says this is acceptable or preferred. Follow the submission guidelines regarding formatting as well as whether the poem should be pasted in the body of the email or attached, and what file type the attachment should be.