Blogger blogs have the most issues, but they are fairly easy to resolve.
If a blog is set up so that when I try to comment in order to enter the giveaway and it takes me to an entirely different screen from the original post, chances are the first entry will also be my last. Since I am trying to enter so many I don't really want to spend time hitting the back button each time to see how many entries I get for following, what your twitter id is or whatnot.
Also, I understand spam filters have their place. Please change the settings so that the filter shows up at the same time as my comment. It is very time consuming to send my comment only to see my page load and have to enter a silly word then wait for it to load again. In this situation I'll still stick around to enter but I probably won't take advantage of every single extra entry.
Extra entries - wow! I think it is very generous to offer readers 3 entries for following, 4 for voting for the blog and 10 for blogging. But honestly, one extra entry for each thing suffices and saves me time. I have learned the art of copying and pasting (which on wordpress blogs gives me the warning "slow down, you are going too fast! and cracks me up) but even with copying and pasting I would rather have 1 entry for each extra thing I do.
One thing I won't do as a required entry is sign up for a company's newsletter. I prefer not to receive information I am not interested in, so I just won't enter.
Also, please don't require me to check back on your blog in order to claim my prize. I will leave my email address in the comment. I just can't keep track of all the giveaways I am entering so I won't know to check back to your blog.
I have heard this tip from a few other bloggers: Please make it obvious that the contest is closed by either turning the comments off or posting in bold text at the top "Closed! Congrats to our winner." This saves me time from entering a closed giveaway (that has happened, sorry to say)
The last suggestion I have for running a giveaway is layout. If I can't read the instructions easily I won't stick around. There have been one or two blogs where the words are so close together and lines were squished that I just entered once and left, reading was a headache.
That is all! They are all pretty simple fixes and I hope they help a few other mama bloggers out there!
16 comments:
You've prety much covered the ones that bug me a bit too. I won't enter giveaways that have captacha, google spreadsheet forms or pop up comments. It's just too time consuming.
My most favorite ones are like this one here, you see where you type the comments RIGHT below the post? I can't stand the popup ones. 97% of the contests I entered this weekend were captcha and popups. DRIVES ME NUTS!
I agree on your suggestions for sure!
I think this post is relevant because people want people to enter their contests. they're gonna find a lot less entries if they make too many hoops.
Okay I'm confused though. I had my comments set up so they could be left directly below the giveaway, but the day we critiqued eachothers blog everyone told me to make my comments a pop up window. So which is better?
By the way, I am considering making each extra entry just worth ONE point.
Okay, I'm gonna add one. LOL. I am a lazy Tweeter. If the giveaway person has the tweet they want provided, I will copy and paste it. I cringe when I see the extra entry is a tweet "and make sure it includes #giveaway, #(blog), #(sponsor), #(clothdiapering, toys, or whatever the object of the giveaway is). Geesh, if they are going to take the time to type all that they might as well type a tweet. LOL.
Another one: please post the winner's name when the contest is over too. I like to know who the lucky person was so I can congratulate them if I follow their blog or follow them on Twitter. By the way are you the Annie S that won on Take Time Smell the Rose? Way to follow directions! ;o) And why am I not following you on Twitter?! (I am now!)
I had to laugh because some of the same things have happened to me (slow down and entered a closed giveaway. Totally agree with Tracey, I wonder if they just want to see who comes up with the most creative tweets with all their qualifiers.
Loving your new look too! I stopped by to get your button yesterday and saw you had made a few more changes. Thanks for the kind words.
I agree!!
I like the pop up screen it makes it so much easier to enter.
I also agree about the extra entries. I'm trying to figure out how to go about extra entries since I'm going back to comments.
totally agree with all these! Im pretty sure my giveaways dont do any of these. hehe please tell me if they do :)
Great tips.
My favorites are to close comments at the end of a give-away. Why keep them open for give-away posts?
And I will not enter blog contests that require me to check back. if a blog has time to e-mail companies for items, they have time to e-mail me a nice little note saying YOU WON!
I like to know these things LOL! Because my giveaways are for my readers I like to know why or why not they enter and to make it good for them, me and the sponsor!
I don't enter contests where I'm required to follow/subscribe to a blog to enter. I think it's extortion and I won't stand for it :)
I won't vote for a blog somewhere in some contest as an entry for a giveaway. Chances are I haven't been reading the blog long enough to know if I want to vote for them or not, and if I HAVE, I've already voted or decided not to. Bribing me to vote with extra entries just annoys me and makes me want to avoid that blog in the future.
Oh and sorry to say but I'm another who likes the little pop-out comments box better too. I move it over the sidebar so I can reread the rules with one eye while I type my entries in the pop up box. Maybe silly but it works for me.
These and more are what bugs me too.
I do like the pop up window. That way I can enter while reading the rules etc.
And also I hate scrolling all the way to the bottom of a lonnnnng page to enter so pop up helps.
I like when blogs at the pre tweet too . Saves time. Or just add retweet button or something!
Love this. So how do I link your post to my blog? I'm so clueless on how to use the create a link thingmajig.
Great tips. I do like the pop up window, but not the new window option. That is just me, though.
I also offer my readers lots of ways to enter, but it's really something extra I do for them. I feel like if someone is going to get emails daily for subscribing to me, or blog about my giveaway, that they deserve more than one entry.
I changed mine to the pop up window because that is my favorite way. That way I can move the bottom screen to what the entries are and have both screens ready.
I create the tweet for my readers because I like when I have those options.
I changed all my extra entries to only one for each because it is easier for them. I offer enough extras that only getting one for something really shouldn't be a big deal.
I don't do captcha because they drive me crazy! I hate the ones that pop up after I hit submit. ugh!
Oh, and the newsletters... those are often a request from the sponsor. I add them when asked but I never expect someone to sign up if they don't want to.
Great post... :)
(I am talking about my review blog at www.ithodeyouso.com)
Oh, and since I have the chance, I love when giveaways that require you to leave the blog to visit the sponsor have it coded that it opens in a new page! (simple coding makes all the difference!)
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