In a sea of 100+ million blogs, how does a blogger get over the initial hurdles of getting started? One of the best ways to draw attention to a blog is to host a viral giveaway. As two fellow bloggers, we know that a viral giveaway can be one of the most effective tools to boost your SEO, build your email list, gain more followers on social media, and, most importantly, drive people to your blog.
The only problem is many bloggers fail to execute giveaways properly and, therefore, only scratch the surface of what is possible. If you’ve already done a sweepstakes, didn’t see results, can’t get momentum for your blog, and feel like quitting blogging, don’t!
Sweepstakes Mama, founded by two bloggers, is here to help make your blog a success. In this article, you’ll learn the Four Parts of Successful Giveaway Campaigns.
Launch Fast with a Sweepstakes Program that Handles the Fine Print
Getting a giveaway launched can be fairly simple. It’s true! You choose an item to give away, such as a product, gift card, or some cool swag, and let a program handle the rest! Programs not only host your giveaway, but they also handle logistics, legal fine print, and compliance terms of service. That means setting up sweepstakes is as simple as answering a few questions. If you’ve got a timely idea tied to a current event, you can make it happen.
Design a Sweepstakes that Actually Drives Engagement and New Readers
You may have seen sweepstakes online that are relatively simple, such as “join our email list for a chance to win a gift card.” However, what makes viral sweepstakes so powerful is driving social media engagement and new users with contestants’ bonus entries.
The most common additional actions are following the host on social media or referring friends and family to the sweep, but that only scratches the surface of what is possible. You can award bonus actions for sharing your blog posts on social media, watching a Youtube video, or downloading a guide or e-book. You are only limited by your imagination.
Leverage 200 Sweepstakes Websites for Additional Results
The promotion isn’t limited to just contestant shares to their friends and family. Don’t worry. Sweepstakes Mama handles all the coordination for you to raise awareness of your blog. You’ll be in front of 300,000+ people in no time. By listing your sweepstakes on these sites, you are also building excellent links back to your website, boosting your short and long term SEO ranking. It’s a triple threat!
Pick a Newsworthy Prize for Editorial Coverage
If your giveaway prize is of sufficient value, ties into a trend or pop culture, it may be worthy of media coverage. If so, issue a press release, or pitch your media contacts directly to create even more awareness and backlinks for your business.
While beyond most bloggers’ budgets, the latest Hotels.com sweepstakes riding the Bridgerton popularity train provides excellent creative inspiration. “Since the Duke & Duchess won’t be promenading across our screens for some time, we’re searching for our very own royal duo. The first IRL couple named Simon & Daphne to get married before season 2 will be crowned w/ a $15K honeymoon.