WFMW: Bloggy Giveaway Carnival Preparations

Works For Me Wednesday: Bloggy Giveaway Carnival Preparations

I am sure most of you are aware of what this carnival is, if not be sure to read the guidelines before January 28!

With that said, I have participated in the last two carnivals as a host and registrant, and I have figured out a few things to make the process easier. If you have any additional suggestions, I would love to read them in the comments!

As a Giveaway Host:

1. Write your drafts early, so that on the morning of the 28th, all you have to do is publish, link up with Shannon, and you are ready to go. This also gives you time to think about what you want to include. If you are new to this, be prepared, there are hundreds of giveaways, so you will want to be brief, but hit the key points, so that people can quickly and easily play along.

2. Be sure to included a deadline to enter, and any rules that you require, where they can be easily seen and not misunderstood. Also indicate early on if you are willing to ship internationally, US only, etc. If you only ship to the US, you don't want to frustrate international readers and waste their time.

3. This is a great way to introduce people to your blog and increase your readership. If you include subscription buttons, such as RSS and email, at the top of your sidebar where it can easily be found, you will probably gain new readers. People may not have time to read your back posts during this week, but if they can subscribe to you, they might visit again!

As a Participant:

1. It is helpful to go into the dashboard area of your blog host, and include an email address and your web page in your profiles ahead of time. This will save you time when entering contests, and if you win, it will help the giveaway host contact you to let you know. I cannot tell you how many people enter my contests, get drawn by the random number generator, and then there is no way to contact them! In one of my 16 giveaways last time, I had to draw 14 numbers before I finally found one with valid contact information. If you need to, go to hotmail, yahoo, gmail, etc and set up a generic account just for this so (be sure to check it though!) so you don't have to worry about spam.

2. Get a notepad and pen ready so you can take notes, if needed. Some hosts hold contests throughout the week, and it is helpful to note which ones you will be interested in and on what days so you can check back. I used to bookmark them, but with so many other things going on, I often didn't get back to them. With a notepad, it was in front of me to remind me.

3. Set up a bookmark file for blogs you might want to visit again, or subscribe to their RSS or email subscription. Give it time to see if you like it. If so, comment and tell them. If not, its ok. Every blog is not a match for everyone all the time. At least you gave them a shot.

4. Please be willing to provide a shipping address for any contests you enter. Just as in suggestion #1, it is frustrating to a host to select a winner and notify them, only to have them say that they aren't comfortable giving you a shipping address. I understand safety concerns, but if you are entering to win a physical gift, the only way to receive that gift is to provide a shipping address.

5. Be sure to stock up on drinks, snacks, etc and to clear as much time as possible during this week, because there will be a LOT of contests for you to look at and decide if you want to enter!