Giveaway Etiquette

Okay so I run a lot of giveaways on my blog but I also do enter giveaways on other blogs, when I get the chance!  So this post on Giveaway Etiquette is both specific to my blog and in general to giveaways on blogs.

Thank You

First off, always say “Thank You” when you win something.  I cannot tell you how many times I receive the winner’s information and that’s it, no thank you or any other comment.  Not to sound bitchy but I work my butt off not only getting giveaways to post but all the work that goes into running them (approving comments, picking a winner, emailing the sponsor…) that a thank you is just common courtesy.

Follow Directions

Next, make sure when you enter the giveaway, you are following the directions.  For example, most blogs have a Mandatory Entry and then Bonus Entries.  On my blog the Mandatory Entry is usually visiting the company’s website and commenting on another product you like or something you learned from the site – sponsors want you to check out their website and that is the least giveaway participants can do to show that they do want to win and appreciate the prize!  I get a lot of Mandatory comments that have nothing to do with what I asked (For example, the main entry is “Leave a comment on another product from Sears you’d like” and the comment is “My husband would really love this prize!” – sorry that doesn’t count and I would have to re-draw if you won)

Bonus Entries

For the Bonus Entries, please don’t lie and said you did something if you didn’t.  If you say you subscribed, make sure you actually confirmed your subscription or just followed through with whatever you said you did.  Also, don’t just do the bonus entries and not the main entry!  I just had to re-draw a winner because she didn’t do the main entry!

Winning

When filling out the information for winning a prize, make sure you fill out all your information.  I get a lot of winner submissions where the person just sends me their address and not their name!  Read the winner email completely and reply back or fill out the Google Form (which is a lifesaver for me) with the requested information.  I personally don’t have time to keep emailing people back and forth for missing information.

Responding

On that note, make sure you are submitting your winner’s information within the allotted time.  Some blogs say within 24 hours, while others are longer (mine is 48 hours) and it is because sponsors want that information asap to get the prizes out and closed out.  I also don’t email winner’s more than once usually because I don’t have time and get busy so please check your emails regularly and respond right away!

Waiting for Prize

Sometimes prizes are shipped out by bloggers (I send out some prizes myself but of course I prefer the company to do it) but most of the time we bloggers email the winner’s information to PR reps who then compile lists or order the prizes directly.  Please wait at least 4 weeks (if not 6 weeks) to email the blogger and say you haven’t received your prize yet.  As a blogger I don’t necessarily send out your information as soon as you send it to me and then the PR person has to send it out (maybe they were busy or on vacation) so it does take some time.  Don’t get me wrong, some prizes go out immediately but usually they take a few weeks if not up to 6 weeks.  I have received emails before from winner’s who said they haven’t received their prize yet and it has only been a week or less!  Also, don’t wait too long to say you are missing a prize – one winner of mine emailed me almost six months after the fact and by then it was hard to get the sponsor to send out a replacement prize.  I think six weeks is a good amount of time, but if you’re anxious then wait at least 4 weeks and follow up.

Questions

If you have questions about how to enter a giveaway or about the entries, don’t hesitate to email the blogger.  I have no problem answering emails on how to enter my giveaways, as I’d rather you do it right and get the most entries you can, then do it wrong and miss out!

Finding Winners

I know not all blogs do this, but I do post my Winners on my blog.  I do this about once a week when I have gathered enough winners to make the post worth it.  You can always find my winners here:  https://momandmore.com/category/winners

For Other Bloggers

This is a mention for bloggers specifically that run contests, but please post a link to the prize when you send out the prize email.  I hate when I receive an email that I won something and I have to then Google the blog and prize to see what I actually won or if I need to pick out a specific product as a prize it is easier if I have a direct link to that too!  I appreciate winning but I think it is no extra effort to put in a link to the original giveaway post so the winner can easily check back on what they won (or I like to see how many entries there were to see what my chances were of winning.)

Sorry if I sound like I am complaining or ranting, but giveaways really are hard work and while I really do appreciate all my readers and the opportunities with companies, I also want to make sure everyone understands how to enter and win!