I have been winning so many wonderful prizes lately and everyone's reaction is how do you get all this stuff that I thought I would write a series on blog giveaways. I will end up on Friday with a review and giveaway of my own. Below is a picture of just a few of the prizes I have won.
This series is just about my experiences and won't guarantee you a win. I am going to let you know up front, right now I have no job and since I am not married or dating, I have a lot of free time so I spend hours (and I do mean hours) entering giveaways. You aren't going to win something every day or even every week if you only enter here or there. But don't be intimidated, you can still win. Every entry has just as much chance of winning as the next person's.
The reason I enter blog giveaways is because they offer fun, unique prizes that I can't buy elsewhere or can't afford. Or I get to try new products as soon as they come out.
Day 1- Blog Winning Etiquette
Day 2- Where to find blog giveaways
Day 3-Means of entry
Some blog winning etiquette.
1. I never enter a blog giveaway for a prize that I don't want or can't use. That's not to say that I don't sometimes give my prize as a gift to a friend. I have seen bloggers who talk about someone winning a prize and then asking them if they can use their picture of the prize to sell it on Ebay or something similar. Personally I think thats wrong. If you can't use the item or don't want it, then don't enter the contest. That way someone who does want the prize will get it.
2. Don't Cheat- I can't stress this enough. If a comment is mandatory before you can click the other ways to enter, then really comment. I see some giveaways where the first mandatory entry is a comment and it will have hundreds of entries and only about 5 comments. If you say you are following then really follow. Blog owners don't just offer these giveaways out of the goodness of their hearts. They get the giveaway offers based on number of followers and visitors. So if you want there to continue to be prizes and bigger and better prizes then follow the rules.
3. When and if you win, thank the person hosting the giveaway. Even if the prize was sponsored, they still took their time to host it. Politeness won't kill you. I like to thank the person when I win and again once I receive the prize.
4. When and if you win, give some form of shout out to the host. If you only win once in a blue moon then do a post with a link back to the host. I keep a giveaway listing on my site that shows what I have won with a link back to the site.
5. Comment on the winning post. I try to always go back to the site and comment and say thanks. This lets them know that you have responded to their email also. You know sometimes mail gets lost in cyberspace.
6. Email when you get the prize. I am sure many folks email complaining that it takes too long to get their prize and the likes. I try to email so the blog owner can know they are completely done with that contest.
7. Wait- some prizes take a while to get to you and some come right away. I have gotten some as soon as 2 days later but most take longer. If its coming from the sponsor, they may have a set schedule for mailing out. I usually wait 30 days. If I haven't gotten the prize or an email from the blog host saying they had an issue then I will send an email to the blog host asking them to please check on the prize. Sometimes things do get lost in the mail.
8. Save all your emails. The one from the host letting you know you won, the ones you sent them. Once I get the prize and have sent my final email then I delete but if there is a problem it helps to have the emails so you can reference them.
1 comments:
When I win, or even when Im just replying as a comment. I treat the host like a friend, cause in the end thats what I hope to do. Kindness is something we should spread, I also speak honestly. I always reply to emails and thank the person . . . a lot.
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