December 15th, 2007How Not To Advertise A Blog Contest
Believe it or not, for the last two weeks I’ve been running a contest on this site. The idea was rather simple, I thought. I wanted to have 1000 comments in time for the new year, there were 250 to go an 33 days to get them. That equates to less than 10 comments a day. There were three prizes to win, too, all of which were $25 CDN paid via Paypal. Anyone could enter, and only a relevant comment was necessary. (Complete details can be found at the contest site).
Pretty simple, I thought.
However, unlike the pros, I did not put a huge amount of advertising into the contest. Perhaps if I had requested that people write a post about it as well as leave a comment …. Oh well, too late to change the rules, and I’m pretty happy with the number of blog contest sites that are linking back here. That, and Google might consider a mandatory blog entry to be “buying links” 
But, on a positive note, the low turnout means that there’s more opportunity for the current contestants to win. Since November 27th, there have been a total of 21 new commenters on this site and I see that as a great start for this blog’s 2nd year. In the next few weeks there will be some decent posts polished up and released which should (I hope) entice some more comments and, if all else fails, I’ll consider posting a Christmas card where my body is covered only by a conveniently placed Canadian maple leaf. I’m sure that’ll earn at least 20 “lol” comments and maybe even something on one or more social media sites. I can already see the headline: “Pasty white guy poses nude - Put those Photoshop skills to use!”
Well … maybe not. But it’d be funny.
I’m also thinking about another contest in the not-so-near future as my novel continues to grow. Should I ever have the luxury of finishing it, I’ll be giving away a few signed copies on here. Chances are that it will be one of those “self-published” books … which means crappy cover art and limited editing, but darn it, it’ll be my book!
That said, I’m sliding off topic. Just remember that when you host a contest of your own, be sure to at least make a graphic link to it and have it displayed near the top of your site. Go around to all your favourite blogs and try to get the word out as much as possible (within reason, though). Then, when you’ve done all that you can do for promotion, be sure to follow up on the payouts when you promised. Otherwise, the reaction from the blogosphere will be quick and severe. I’ve not yet made this mistake, nor do I plan to.
As of this post, there are 801 comments and 460 (including this one) posts. Only 199 to go!
I love running contests and giving things away. I usually don’t make writing a blog post a requirement but I do make it an option.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to reading yoru book and here’s hoping to see a strategicly placed Maple Leaf some time before Christmas!
We all make mistakes, especially the first time through. It’s encouraging to hear that I’m not the only struggling blog out there. Thanks for sharing your struggles and good luck on getting 1000 comments! And now that I read this post, I know what NOT to do, and what I SHOULD do in the future if I hold a blogging contest. Thanks!
i am holding a comment contest too and its worked quite well on my blog, but end of the day it comes down to $$, if the moneys right people will follow, i also submitted my contest to many contest blogs too
BTW, what is your novel about?
It’s about the Great American Dream and beautiful Californian people. About a simpler time, when nuclear energy was a good thing, and every home had a flag. It’s about apple pie ….
Have you rolled your eyes, yet? Hehehe
It’s about identity and mortality, but wrapped in a story of discovery. How long is too long? Do we lose ourself in time? Stuff like that. But it’s not a techno-babble book. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll stay vague with it.
That said, I did write a little more about it back in November
Hey, sorry I haven’t been commenting on your site more. I’ve been reading everything through the feed reader and not commenting as much as usual.
I can’t wait to read your novel! Make sure to send me a copy.
It’s all good. But now that you mention the RSS thing, I’m surprised by the number of people that are right now spending hundreds on custom redesigns of their site. I’ll need to put some more thought into how to phrase the question, but it’s a little food for thought.
How much of a site redesign is for regular visitors, and how much of it is to hold on to new visitors?
Hmm …
[...] thing is not something new and is not just from this week, but Jason reminded us that he has a promotion running till the end of the year in an effort to increase his comment count. It’s simple to enter and the prize is worthwhile [...]
Here is a friendly comment
If I win you can pass the money to the charity.
Cheers
Here’s a comment! You’re doing great!
Thanks Bloggrrl. There’s lots of things I still need to learn about hosting successful contests, but I’ll be sure to learn from the mistakes made here
Don’t be discouraged by the turnout, the contest was still a good idea. Just be sure to do a little more promotion next time. Good Luck!