Giveaways can feel like a silly waste of resources if they aren’t planned strategically. Use these steps to make sure your giveaway packs a punch.
Be strategic
What are your goals? To get subscribers on a newsletter list? To introduce a new product? To boost follower count on social media?
Make sure that there is a specific goal in mind for your giveaway and then design the giveaway to accomplish that.
Use a tool
Widgets like Rafflecopter or Giveaway Tools enhance the experience both for you and for your entrants. It will choose winners randomly, it manages the email addresses and entries, and it is easy to edit on the fly without changing your coding.
Make it shareable
Reward those who spread the word about your giveaway with extra entries. (Be aware that every social media platform has different rules about how they can be used in promotions like this. Always read the terms of service and comply.)
Be clear
Specify all the details such as when the giveaway ends (including time zone), how the winner will be notified, how long the winner has to respond to an address request before you choose another winner, and any terms and conditions such as where you will and will not ship the product.
Be generous
Offer a valuable prize that will generate excitement over entering and a willingness to share the giveaway.
It’s always smart to add a caveat to the giveaway — if you buy the product and win the giveaway, we’ll refund your money. That helps relieve that hesitancy to buy in hopes of winning the prize.
Once you have your winner’s email or shipping address, send it out quickly so the winner isn’t left with a negative impression.
Maximize it
When you ship it, send along your social media information in hopes that the winner will share it on social media. Sometimes a small reminder is all it takes.
Giveaways with iHN reviews
If you work with iHN on a review or sponsored post campaign, we can help you manage a giveaway that is published on all your blog review posts to reach a broad audience. We create the widget for you based on your goals and send the winners’ necessary information to you when the giveaway is over.
Extras
Want to access the email addresses of everyone who enters your giveaway? Just let us know in the planning stages of your campaign and we can add a disclosure to the giveaway. Then at the close of the event, we can send you a CSV file of all entrants to upload to your own email service provider.
Have a follow up plan
If you are uploading addresses from the CSV file, be sure to follow up quickly after the giveaway ends. Let the recipients know how you got their email and what to expect from being on your list. And, of course, provide an easy way to unsubscribe right off the bat to reduce any spam reports on your message. Funneling those new subscribers into an autoresponder series which educates them about your product, provides discounts or specials, and integrates them into any communities you have (such as Facebook groups).
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