Giveaways. Everyone loves free stuff, right?
Sure, I do too.
But lately I've been finding myself completely turned off by giveaways.
So today I thought I would share what I feel to be a good guideline for running a giveaway.
Now, don't go thinking I'm trying to order you around and make you run your giveaways differently. This is just how I run giveaways, and how I contribute to giveaways.
1. Set a reasonable minimum offering.
It's simple enough, I think. Plus it works both ways. As the person who is donating something to a giveaway, you want to offer something substantial enough to interest people into looking at what you have available as a whole. As a blog owner, you want to make sure you set your minimum high enough to provide a substantial product to the giveaway, but low enough that pretty much anyone would be able to contribute. Mine is set at $15.
2. Price-Splitting; the Do's and Don't's.
Price-splitting is one of the biggest annoyances I have with giveaways. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this.
Don't: price-split if the minimum is low. People may not list it as a requirement, but for me it is. When I see people offering $5 Starbucks cards and $10 Ad Spaces, I get angry. I feel like it's disrespectful to be so cheap, especially since the amount of time it takes to work on sponsorship duties is next to nothing compared to the time it takes to craft something, or to mail someone a gift certificate that's actually worth something. I gave away a couple of Ad Spaces in a price-split before and I realized quite quickly that I didn't enjoy doing that, and I didn't get nearly as many participants as I had in other, more substantial giveaways. So, like I said, don't price-split a low dollar amount because it makes you look cheap.
Do: price-split if it's a higher amount, like above $30. Give away a $15 gift card to Starbucks, that way I can get 3 drinks, or a drink and a coffee cake, or buy a drink for a friend, or husband, then give away some other product that's $15 dollars. Make it worthwhile to me and I will undoubtedly take the time to get to know you and what you have to offer.
3. Don't make me pay.
Seriously. How simple is it? DON'T MAKE ME PAY. It's a GIVEAWAY. Don't offer me a $15 shop credit and not have a single item that is $15 or less. I'm not entering a Discount contest. I lose interest instantly if I find that I will have to pay for part of the product or shipping, because it makes me feel like the person is desperate for any kind of cash and not truly interested in gaining loyal readers/buyers. If you aren't willing to give something that is completely free, then don't give anything at all.
4. Give away something new.
Lately all I have seen are giveaways for ten tons of Ad Space. BORING. I won't enter giveaways that offer over 25% Ad Space. I also won't allow that much Ad Space to be given away at once. Variety is the spice of life, and that goes for giveaways too. If you want to get noticed, ask the person who is hosting the giveaway what other people are offering so you don't double up. Do you have a brand new product? Offer that instead! Or offer an old favorite that's been collecting a little dust. I get excited when I see cool new things, or when I see something that I've stared at lustfully for a long time wishing I could afford it. That'll get me signed up and pimping you out in a hurry.
5. Announce your winner and email them.
I get so annoyed at people who post the winners on their blog and then say they need to contact them within 48 hours to claim the prize. I get even more annoyed at people who don't even bother to announce a winner at all. One, did you forget you were hosting a giveaway? Two, do you not care about the people who are trying really hard to win? Three, are you just picking a friend to win? If I notice that trend on your blog, I will not enter your giveaway, and I will let my friends know not to bother with it either. Also, it drives me crazy when I have to get in touch with someone after winning to claim my prize. People say it's because they want "true" readers to win, but a lot of times, people just don't get online to read all their blogs every day. I certainly don't. Sometimes I may not read for a week, because I'm busy or something. That doesn't make me a giveaway stalker who isn't interested in you. Save yourself some grief and just send the winner an email. Be done with it! If they stop following you afterward, just remember that for the next giveaway.
6. Treat participants and winners with respect.
If you are giving something away, don't act like the people receiving the products aren't as important as buyers. Whatever policies you have in place in your shop apply to your winners, so get the product to them in the time frame you allot to paying customers, with the same packaging and care you give to them as well. Giveaway winners are far more likely to give you a shout-out for your awesome work than buyers, so treat them well. One time a lady failed to send me my winnings, and when I asked her about it she lied to me repeatedly. When I called her on it, she treated me horribly and then refused to send me anything at all. I will never ever give that person my business, and have told everyone I know to spread the word. Not cool.
I love to give things away. I really do. I love the exposure and I love making people happy with what I have to offer. I've gained quite a few sales simply because winners told their friends how awesome I was to work with, and that makes me feel good. I want my offerings to be worthwhile to you, so I do my best to provide unique gifts that I can get to you quickly and make it look pretty. I also almost always provide products that are above a blog's minimum value, because I want to stand out against the other offerings. Hell, I even gave away a custom vector portrait that is worth $70, because I want people to love what I'm doing, because I love what I do.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on giveaways. What makes you squeal with delight to enter and what turns you off completely?
