Getting Ready for Your Giveaway
You've decided to run a contest—before you do, let's go over just what needs to get done for the giveaway
Photo by Kristina Evstifeeva on unplash.com
Contests are a fantastic way to generate a bigger fan base and drive traffic to your blog. But if you’ve never run one before, it’s a little more complicated than just giving away a prize to a winner. If you’re organized, your contest can be a huge success, as well as a strategic cost-effective marketing tool that will benefit your business.
Prize to give away
In your industry of choice, you’ve probably made a few contacts with suppliers and manufacturers. And your suppliers are always looking for a cost-effective way to get the word out about their business/product. Ask them if they would be interested in supplying a prize in return for mentions on your blog and social media accounts. That way, you get a free grand prize and the company gets low-cost advertising—everyone wins! Make sure that the value of the prize offered is enticing enough to get people to enter.
Test it out
Everyone is looking for reviews of products they are interested in. You’ll need the supplier/manufacturer to send an extra product to you to test (and most are happy to do this). This gives you a chance to take pictures or make a video and assemble it to make sure it works properly, and if all goes well, you can recommend it to others. If it’s a great product, then you can tie the positive review into your giveaway.
Rules and regulations
Legally, there are certain things you need to list in order to cover your butt during a contest. That way, if someone calls foul, you’ve got iron-clad rules to back you up. These should include prize value, the dates the contest is running, who can enter and how the winner is chosen. Make sure that the rules and regulations are found with the contest post or there’s a link to the rules page within the post.
How to enter
On your blog post, it should be clear how visitors can enter your contest. A “How To Enter” subhead should be highlighted in big, bold letters, followed by clear instructions on how people can enter. The easier it is for people to enter, the more entries you’ll receive. If it’s too confusing, readers will get frustrated and leave your site.
We also wanted you to share this Giveaway Checklist that will ensure that you’ve covered all your bases (and your butt) while you’re running your contest. Check them off during the start and duration of the contest.
Giveaway Checklist
Editorial Calendar
Product arrival, testing, notes, instruction, assembly
Photography and video are needed for the contest post
Write post
Pick tags, edit, preview, publish
Social media share
Email sponsor with the link, tag them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Last chance to enter giveaway share
Test all links
Select Winner
Contact winner
Forward address to the sponsor
Announce on your website blog or social media accounts
Thank sponsor
Sounds complicated? We can help. Contact us today.