Tips to Run a Better Blog Contest
You might have noticed that yesterday I added two pages to the site designed to help increase the success of any contest you might be running or planning.
Both have drawn from my experience blogging about contests on the net, however I am certain that they will not only benefit you in terms of increased contest entrants, buzz and exposure, but also anyone who decides to enter your contest. So check them out.
I have already got some good feedback from a few people, and even some additional tips. One come via email from Steve of McGrath.ca, who had a tip of his own, “don’t make the prize too high”. See he has run two contests on his blog, one for $100, the other for $500. The thing is, the $100 contest got more entrants in less time that the $500 has (it’s still running btw - see below)! What can we draw from that? Either people are afraid the contest is too good to be true (i.e. a scam), or they think the entrant requirements are too high, or they are waiting until the last minute to enter.
I don’t know what the reason is, but perhaps instead of “don’t make the prize too high”, an additional tip would be “establish credibility before upping the value”. This isn’t to say that Steve isn’t credible of course (in ran the $100 contest very successfuly), but perhaps people are asking themselves… “$500, from a blog I don’t really know, is it legit?”. It could be a nasty effect from the Ashwin Khanna scam saga.
Anyway, the good news in this case is that it is legitimate and as you can see there are only eight entrants. So hop to it. If you have any additional tips, stories, or comments about running blog comments then please let me know either via commenting or email.
Hi,
You are right and prefer your credibility angle better.
I should also mention that I did $25, $50 contest before the $100. So, credibility is not an issue in my case. Because it’s for my new business 1Cool File, I should had made it with a “top or known blogger”. This could be harder for a new blog asking for a “top or known blogger”.
Ashwin Khanna scam did not help either but people did not removed their link to his blog so his laughing at them now. At least, the Technorati link is good for 6 months.
Anyway, it will make for a good post after the contest when I analyze the result.
Hi—Matt: I would add that contests are a great way to possibly find new readers as well. I think alot of the success of the contest also has to do with marketing the contest and getting the word out abit, too. Such as with your site and with the other contest bloggers, i had no idea there were a few of you guys. lol.
Also i would tell new bloggers or those looking to have their first contest, to seek out a sponsor. Like ask other bloggers in similar niche, or post that you’re looking for some. You might find one or two. In fact, i think you should create a section somewhere on your blog, maybe front page sidebar, and let people know about Contest Sponsors, i could be one. Folks would pitch their idea to me, and i would have the right whether to sponsor or not. Others who want to sponsor would also be listed in this area.
You should do this. It’s a win-win 4 everyone. Let me know. Missy.
Thanks for the comments Missy, I will definitely take a look into doing that.
Yeah, establishing creditability is very important and also quite hard to achieve. People will want to know they WILL really get what they’re participating for.
Making the prize reasonable and creating average requirements will encourage more people to participate. You can’t expect to get $2,500 for simply linking to a blog like that Ashwin scam you mentioned.
Heh yeah precisely