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!
Elizabeth says
Hello It’s my first time I’ve entered a giveaway and it’s in a country other than mine. So here’s the question: Do I have to pay any money to receive my prize? Nothing about it was mentioned when I entered and I don’t know the rules.
Patricia wright says
I always say thanks to the person having the contest and I let them know when I get it. I waited 4 weeks for one prize I won but it didn’t come. I let the person know and she contacted the company but I never got it. Told her again and she said oh well.
Jessi Housel says
One thing I lije to do if I win is try to post a pic and tag a blogger and sponsor in a post in social media. I figure it is a great way to express gratitude and acknowledge them in a way that helps both the blogger and sponsor in advertising.
Angie Bailey says
These are great tips. I ALWAYS say thank you when I’m notified about winning a prize and I also let them know when I received the prize and thank them again. I’m also a blogger and do giveaways. Most people do say thank you but not all and that is really annoying. Very few let me know that they received their prize. It’s not a huge deal but I do like knowing whether the sponsor came through or not. I have a lot of people enter my giveaways and not follow the rules but I always verify these types of entries and delete them accordingly.
Selene Montgomery says
Thank you for all of the information you shared. And, thank you for hosting giveaways. I understand all of the work involved.
Robin S. says
I completely agree, but I actually posted from the other side about this, on my Instagram page. I’ve won from bloggers a few times. Never heard from them, months went by, they ignore my emails. Things happen, I completely get it. But it’s happened to me several times. I won on Instagram, and the person picked two people by accident, deleted her giveaway post, gave the prize to the other person, and ignored me, as if she never had the giveaway! Um, no. I contacted another blogger associated with the giveaway, and she made it right. I always look at both sides, and can understand what you’re saying. But companies and bloggers need to have etiquette too. When this happens, it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I appreciate a giveaway, but I don’t appreciate being ignored. It definitely causes me to look away from their products and business – big AND small – the next time I shop.
Terumi pailey says
Wher do I sign up for mom and me
Imaginarion says
I always try to say thank you & direct my friends to the site I won at. This could apply to some bloggers as well. I have had a negative experience as a winner on two different blogs. One it is the prize fulfillments fault & that blogger is great but the other…
Robin S. says
And one other thing worth mentioning – so many bloggers do not and will not post winners. I know many people who simply won’t enter these, including myself. Unfortunately, as generous as some people are (including you!), there are a few who simply want the “likes” on their page or post, and have no intention of giving anything away. So if there is no winner mentioned anywhere, and they ignore you when you ask about a winner, I stay away from those.
Terri Irvin says
Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate it. There was lots I didn’t know about including waiting for the prize and how long it took. Also the idea of someone winning a prize and not saying a simple thank you is appalling. I am surprised but I guess I shouldn’t be.
Brooke C says
I horrible that people don’t say thank you when they win. This should be common courtesy and shouldn’t need to be reminded. I am not a blogger but I do enter a lot of giveaways. I always thank the blogger and also send a email once the product has arrived letting them know that I received it.
I also make sure to follow all the directions for that entry and if I am not sure on how to do it, then I just don’t leave that entry. Never thought of emailing the blogger for clarification on directions. Thanks for the tip.
Diane says
I always include the link to the giveaway post so the person can remember what they won when I send out the winners email.
I myself am guilty of getting an email from blogs saying I won a giveaway and having to google to see what it is I actually won. I enter a lot of giveaways so sometimes It is hard to remember which ones I entered
and to Pauline Milner yes WordPress tells me I enter too fast too! A lot of blogs i frequent regularly so I already follow on GFC, Networked blogs, Twitter and facebook so once I do the mandatory entry I just start entering all my extra entries and it ALWAYS tells me I am going to fast. Usually I just open another window and do something else inbetween or check my email : )
Carrie Phelps says
I can’t imagine not thanking someone that has worked hard to create a giveaway! Let me send thank you to you for those that so rudely didn’t! Not only do I thank my sponsoring blog but I also let them know when my “prize” has arrived!!
[email protected]
Terry says
Thanks formthis helpful hints. I have just started and sometimes didn’t enter. Because not sure of all the rules. Somthanks for your honesty.
Shelly says
I completely agree with you! Over on our blog we have been ranting about cheaters who come in the last 24 hours of the giveaway and never do the mandatory entries at all! I guess they think we won’t check and we do because we moderate our comments so we know if they didn’t do the mandatory. Note to all blog owners, please and I mean please…validate those entries especially those that come in during the last 24 hours. We had a big giveaway close last night and had 9 different cheaters come in last night not completing mandatory entries or they stated they were following sponsor on FB or Twitter and they weren’t. I am tired of those folks cheating! It isn’t fair to the honest people who enter our giveaways if we let the cheaters slide in!
Another thing I wanted to add…don’t wait 2, 3 or even 4 months to tell us you didn’t get your prize from a sponsor as there is little we can do when it months after the fact.
Kari says
All great tips! I agree with you, it’s very frustrating when you run a giveaway and your winner never says thank you or even lets you know that they received the prize.
Rachel R. says
I try to do all of the above, as both someone who enters and runs giveaways. I remember once I notified someone of winning the prize, and they just emailed me back a name and address. No ‘hi’ or even ‘thanks’. Plus they couldn’t even be bothered to format their address correctly, so I had to retype it. I felt it was so rude to not even say thanks…I’m a real person running these giveaways, not a robot!
I also had a winner email me to complain about a handmade purse, to say they hated the design and were very upset with it. The etsy owner was kind enough to ship it worldwide and the winner lived somewhere in Eastern Europe – I can understand not loving the print, but I can’t believe she felt she had to email me sounding very irritated when it was a FREE prize shipped around the world!
Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox 🙂 The world of giveaways would definitely be nicer if everyone followed your pointers.
GL says
I agree with these completely! It makes me steaming mad when people don’t say “thank you”!!!
Pauline Milner says
Thanks for the great tips.
I like to enter blog giveaways and always follow the rules.
My one and only beef is that Word Press always tells me I am posting entries too fast. I am a fast typer, I cannot help it.
It is so frustrating to sit and wait until enough time passes for me to push the comment button again.
I know there is a program that bloggers can use that will fix this issue, but I am yet to run across a blogger that uses it.
At least with bloggers who use Google or Rafflecopter, I can go as fast as I want.
I would be interested to hear if other people who entered giveaways are bothered by this.
Thanks for listening. ~Pauline ([email protected])
Stacie says
Its the Check Comment Disable Flood plugin (something like that not sure exactly). I had it on my site but it kept crashing my server so I can’t use it.
Kimberly says
Good, helpful information. Thank you!
Londia says
Thank you is a must. I also like to thank the blogger once i receive the prize. As i know it is nice to hear that the winner got there prize.
Thanks for sharing this information
lace says
That’s some great information for everyone involved on both ends of blog giveaways. Thanks.
I think the most important point is to be thankful to the host and the sponsor.
Whitney says
Thanks for this informative post! I always be sure to express my gratitude to all parties involved when I win anything, because I do sincerely appreciate it. I am new to blogging and hoping to start giveaways soon…this is a wonderful post to refer back to, thank you.
Whit
Whitney says
What a great and informative post! I always am so appreciative any time I win anything and always make sure to express that to all parties involved. I am new to blogging and hope to start doing giveaways soon so this is a valuable post to refer back to, thanks.
Whit
Tara @ The Fabulous Shopping Mom says
I loved when my winners reply with a thank you. It makes me feel like the appreciate the time I put into setting the giveaway up. I recently had a hash of fake giveaway entries and people not following directions. I used to email people when they did not follow the directions, but I Do not have the time anymore and have laid my giveaways out simply. If someone does not follow the main entry- the rest are deleted.