Blogger's Guide to Giveaways

Giveaways…they’re everywhere. What started out as a way to reward/incentivize readers and have a little fun on blogs has, in some cases, turned into desperate cries for attention and blog clutter. Here’s a quick introduction video with my perspective on giveaways, hosting giveaways, and what not to do:

And to recap

DO NOT:
Require your readers to do too many things to enter a giveaway – it’s desperate and annoying.

DO:
Ask visitors to sign up for your email list by providing a simple form (I use wufoo.com then I import the emails into MailChimp). Never ask from your visitors more than what you yourself would do to enter a giveaway. And keep in mind that not everyone uses social media – and if they do, they may use it for personal/family stuff and DON’T want it cluttered up with “likes” or “follows” from giveaway entries.

DO NOT:
Post giveaways for free.

DO:
Require a giveaway sponsor to be an advertiser of your blog first. You both benefit from this – they get the added value of a more consistent presence on your site, and you get paid for your time & influence. Alternatively, you can do a product exchange or review; by demanding some sort of payment for posting a giveaway you are COMMANDING respect for yourself, your blog and what you do. You must value your blog and your time first – and then expect others to do the same. If you’re just starting out, approach a brand or boutique you want to work with about sponsoring a giveaway on your blog; do it for free and then use it to prove to them that your site works for them, and enter into a deeper partnership.

DO NOT:
Post giveaways too often. Don’t inundate your regular readers with giveaways all the time; they visit your blog because they appreciate your voice and your content NOT for your giveaways.

DO:
Post giveaways infrequently – and/or only when you want to have some fun on your blog. Giveaways are great for rewarding your visitors and possibly attracting new ones, but only if you don’t do them all the time.

WHY DO GIVEAWAYS?
Nowadays it seems like you HAVE to do giveaways as a blogger, because everyone else is doing them. Really, everyone else is NOT doing them, and you should only post a giveaway on your blog if you can achieve clear, reasonable goals for both yourself and your sponsor. Giveaways are a good way to incentivize regular or new readers to sign-up for your email list – and sometimes they can attract new visitors (if you’re promoting them in the right place).

Giveaways can be a good way to attract new visitors and quickly get a boost in traffic, BUT don’t get sucked in by the numbers. If you’re posting your giveaway to every sweepstakes directory site out there you’re getting traffic, but it’s not quality traffic. Believe me, I’ve done it. In the short term, numbers may mean something (more revenue from google ads), but in the long term it’s the quality of your visitors that matters, not the numbers…

Questions? Comments? Leave them below!!