Are blog giveaways a good idea?
I hope you can excuse my relative newby status when it comes to blogging and some of its conventions. I’m forever learning new tricks of the trade, but I haven’t entirely decided what I think about giveaways. Are they a good idea? What purpose do they serve? I mean, I’m not on the brink of existential crisis, but I’m feeling inquisitive . . .
Blog giveaways that have caught my eye recently:
- Consciously Frugal gave away a reusable water bottle as a way to promote the cause of reducing garbage–particularly of the plastic variety.
- Joyful at Snap that, Penny gave away some Olympic memorabilia from her home town of Vancouver, a fun way to thank readers and include them in the Olympic spirit.
- At Wake up to Frugality, JN Urbansky gave away a t-shirt made of cotton from the US, an intriguing reminder of the importance of scrutinizing where our “stuff” comes from.
- Young and Thrifty, who aims to generation Y through better financial planning just gave away a copy of One Up on Wall Street.
- Mrs. Money at the Ultimate Money Blog is giving away $100. Actually, you can still enter that giveaway until April 15th.
Blog giveaways: What’s the point?
Since I’m conveniently located in France, I watch most giveaways from the sidelines. I don’t expect anyone to send a ‘prize’ overseas, after all. And to date, I have yet to think of something related to my blog that I’d like to give away. Which leaves me to wonder about the whole idea of giveaways on blogs. I have yet to draw a conclusion as to what I think.
To my beginner’s mind, it would seem that the reasons for hosting a blog giveaway are:
- Showing appreciating and recognition for readers–particularly those who participate in discussions
- Pure, simple fun
- Drawing attention to a cause or event
- Inspiring others to change their habits
- ‘meeting’ new readers or increasing subscriptions
- ???
Do you participate in blog giveaways?
What’s your take on this phenomenon? If you have a blog, do you host giveaways? Why or why not? Have you ever entered a giveaway or won a giveaway on another blog?
Oops! and for full disclosure. . .
I just realized I should add 2 things. First of all, by blogging about Mrs. Money’s giveaway, I’m technically fulfilling on of the terms for entering the giveaway. But like I said, I think there are actually legal concerns with sending money overseas (even in card form) and just cost issues with sending giveaway items to France.
AND–I’ve just made one exception to my own general rule of not joining in giveaways. I’ve offered to pay shipping expenses at Fake Plastic Fish for a book she’s giving away on how to turn old plastic into art projects–it’s a perfect teaching tool for my husband who is a primary teacher who loves science but struggles to find good art projects. If I don’t win, I may just buy him a copy. I love the idea.
So there you have it: my own stumbling and newbie participation in blog giveaways. As you can see, I have yet to form a coherent opinion!
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks but never commented before. I am an italian mom living in France and I love your blog.
I think there is another reason for hosting a giveaway: driving traffic to one’s blog. Many bloggers ask their readers to link to their blog as a condition to enter the giveaway.
I usually do not participate to this kind of giveaways.
I have hosted some on my blog. I gave away a copy of my e-book, a handmade baby carrier and a book I accidentally ordered twice on Amazon. I just wanted to share something with my readers.
I have entered a giveaway on Renaissance Mama and I won. The lovely Dawn sent the package to me, even if I was in France. It was great to receive a gift from the other side of the world!
Who doesn’t like free things? Especially if it’s money! =) I assume the giveaways are to attract more readers.
In my opinion, it is somewhat hypocritical if someone’s blog is all about minimalism but decides to give away some type of object. Or, if someone mainly writes about how to be environmentally friendly but gives away something that has to be shipped long distances… But in the end, it is up to the individual to decide what they want to do.
I’ve looked into them. What I’ve found seems to be that giveaways don’t bring people who are actually in interested in the content of a site but more interested in winning a giveaway.
Actually I find a fair number of my give-a-ways cost me nothing but postage. I’ve been given copies of tax software, review copies of books (publishers send me for free in exchange for a review)…there is a lot of marketing stuff that is just given away to drum up intrest in things.
The only thing I really pay for it my annual blog birthday prizes (usually a gift card) which is paid for via ad venue. It’s just my way of saying ‘thanks for reading and being part of this blog.’
Just my experience,
Tim
Tree–not all bloggers make money from give aways. Mine actually *cost* me money and I don’t monetize my blog in any way. I buy the product and pay for shipping. Just an FYI there.
Anyhoo, I started doing give-aways as a way to raise awareness and show apprecation to readers who take the time to comment and participate, because it makes the process of blogging fun. I’ve even made a few friends!
Each of my monthly give-aways has focused on getting rid of disposables. Hence, the metal water bottle for those who use throw-away plastic bottles, etc. I consider it a step for those who are transitioning into a more mindful lifestyle.
But now that I’m doing a no-shopping Compact, I’m going to have to get creative with my contests over the next few months. Oy!
I did make the mistake once of adding my blog to a list of folks doing freebies and give-aways. Bad idea. I got traffic and comments from folks who had no interest in the subject matter of my blog; they were just looking for something free. I actually had to hunt down a gal who won one contest. Totally annoying. I would have much preferred to give the goodie to a regular reader.
I realize the contradiction in promoting frugality and “green” (man, I can’t stand that term) living while giving products away, but if those products help folks use less over the long term, I’m not going to stress too much about it.
IMO blog giveaways are good if you want to bring attention to your blog. However, in order to maintain the readership you are after, you really need to have interesting blog posts to read. If not, your giveaway will likely fade over time. Interesting article and a great discussion!
Tree-I had no idea that one could make money on giveaways. I suppose anything’s possible, however, as Consciously Frugal points out, a giveaway can also cost you at least in shipping–even if you got the item to giveaway for free.
Consciously Frugal–I was too spacey to notice that you had a whole series of giveaways on reusable items. I know what you mean about walking the fine line between over-consumption that sounds ‘green’ and actually trying to make changes, but your giveaway didn’t strike me as hypocritical or anything. I kind of liked that idea. I do love your point, however, about giveaways attracting people to your blog who are not your typical readers and who may not have an interest in your topic–and then being annoyed about giving your item to someone who is not a regular reader. This must be why some blogs give something away only to those who are already subscribed etc. I still don’t know if I’d ever hold a giveaway here (I’ve got no clever ideas on this and the shipping is prohibitive), but if I do, I’ll remember what you said. Thanks taking the time to comment.
Claudia–Welcome! I’m glad you commented. I always love contact with other people who are trying out living in new places. . .and of course my fellow French residents! Your comments made me realize that by linking to the current giveaway, I was technically entering it–although that’s not my purpose here. I wrote a disclaimer. I love the idea that you got your giveaway prize from the other side of the world, as you put it. How fun. AND giving away an e-book sounds like a great way to avoid the whole shipping charge altogether. Once again, thanks so much for taking the time to comment. (And now I can check out your blog, which looks like it’s in Italian–a language I’d love to learn!)
Jersey Mom–Interesting take on the blog giveaways. I agree, I myself have nothing against getting something for nothing 
. Except that often, I don’t need anything and I just assume that shipping is cumbersome and gas guzzling in my case (except I do really want that book on Fake Plastic Fish! Hah!). I suppose shipping that book does begin to sound hypocritical as well, since I worry about the environment and then am willing to haul a book here from overseas, but hey, I feel we all choose our level of engagement. I keep my consumption low and haven’t driven in 6 months–so I figure getting one book shipped to me will not destroy the planet As for giveaways on minimalist blogs–it kind of makes sense to me actually–I personally hate clutter and am not against ‘re-gifting’ something should I feel it’s cluttering me. I’ve actually considered blog giveaways for this purpose. Say if I had some cool object that I can’t find a home for . . .but who knows. Anyway, thanks for sharing. Your comments are thought-provoking!
laura I see what you mean about this, as Consciously Frugal said, visitors who learn about a blog through a giveaway may have less interest in your topic than in getting something free . . .however, in most cases, I’d assume that the people who would discover a giveaway on your blog would have to already be reading it, right? In which case, how does this cause an increase in readership? That’s probably such a stupid newbie question, but hey, it’s worth asking if you don’t know right? Anyway, thanks as always for your comments!
Tim Ooooh, I’d love to get free books to review, and you’re right, I’d probably want to give them away afterward. I love to read, but I don’t like to spend money on books and then feel buried by them. And I do kind of like the idea of having a giveaway for appreciation of readers. It sounds kind of nice–if you had actual contact with these folks, you could invite them over for coffee, perhaps the giveaway is the blogging equivalent of that???
BibleDebt–welcome back. Interesting ideas about how to use giveaways to increase readership–and how you can’t do that unless your articles are actually of interest to people. Makes sense to me. I can’t say for sure, but I kind of doubt I’d be able to use a giveaway to get more readers on this blog–I think SIF has a rather narrow focus that wouldn’t interest everyone, so the chances of a publicized giveaway turning up a good reader are slim. That said, for a blog with a relatively small readership, we do have some interesting discussions here. That’s a good reason to show appreciation for my thoughtful and articulate readers.
I would have totally sent that miniature book to you! =) Too bad random.org is so random! haha
I think just the idea of sending something overseas is so “romantic” for me! =) I’m a sucker for anything foreign, so sue me.
I like how in giveaways, there is a higher probability that you can win depending on how many readers there are.
I won a book from Money Funk the other day =) (and I NEVER EVER win anything- so it was pretty awesome!)
Young and Thrifty–doh! Well now I know not to assume. And you’re right, winning is fun–who doesn’t like to win stuff? And yes, you’re right, the smaller the readership the more likely you are to actually win–does that make it more fun? Perhaps!
Hi!
I don’t have a blog, so I don’t know about giveaways.
It’s funny you would feel buried by books because to me books are treasures, I couldn’t live without mine! I always try to get free ones and buy second hand and on rare occasions, new.
Have a great week end!
Sophie– I used to feel the same way about books myself–that they were treasures. Before we moved to France, I just parted with my collection. It was hard. Now though, I don’t want to go back. I love reading, but I don’t want to have all those books around and taking up space. I also don’t want to have to keep boxing them up and moving them each time we move. . .maybe I’ll feel differently some day if I ever buy a home. Thanks for stopping by.
I will be doing my first giveaway soon, for a few reasons. First, I want to increase the number of readers and followers. I don’t expect my first giveaway to drive a significant amount of traffic my way, but if I’m giving away a product I got for free, anything is good.
Also, it’s nice to be able to give back and get people excited about the possibilities. On a smallish blog, people hae a decent chance of winning, which makes it really enticing!
Thanks for mentioning my giveaway. I certainly didn’t try to make money off of it and I have no ads installed on my blog. I am a newbie to blogging and saw others hosting giveaways and I wanted to do the same. It was a way for me to raise awareness of my city and to show appreciation to my readers for their time. I don’t think I asked for any link backs (can’t remember now for sure but perhaps I should have, lol). My regular readers were the participants, not newbies and my package went all the way to Australia. I think it is fun to send and receive packages from another country and have been happy to receive a package from Australia on another giveaway hosted by Shell at http://www.mechelletully.blogspot.com She is a fabulous songstress 
Oh by the way, I participate in a lot of giveaways but not the commercial ones. I enjoy getting a parcel like anyone else.
SIF- there is a translating button on my sidebar (very bad automatic translation but it’s better than nothing). But I am restyling my blog and by the end of the month an english version will be available.
What a great discussion.
I’ve done many giveaways on Fake Plastic Fish. Usually the products are donated by companies for promotional purposes.
In the beginning, I would have the company send me the product to review, and then I would ship it to the winner myself. But nowadays, I usually ask the company to send me a sample to try and to send another directly to the winner so I don’t have to.
In the case of the two giveaways this week, the stainless steel baby bottle and the Fantastic Recycled Plastic book, I am shipping them myself because a) I don’t have a baby, so after reviewing the baby bottle, I need to pass it on and b) I am inundated with books (Sorry Sophie) so as soon as I read something I also want to send it along to someone else if it’s not something I will refer back to again.
Wow. This is a lot of words and i don’t know that I’ve answered your question.
I do giveaways because:
1) It’s fun to get people excited, and it’s fun to see so many comments.
2) Giveaways help to draw new readers. I only promote my giveaways within the green blogosphere, so I know that the new readers will probably be interested in my content and not just getting free stuff.
3) I want to draw attention to some great plastic-free products, and giveaways seem to get more of a response than a simple review.
4) I want to support the companies that are doing a really great job of being ethical, eco-friendly businesses. Some of them advertise on FPF and some don’t.
Oh, and just to be clear: I never receive money for doing a giveaway or reviewing a product. And when I receive the product for free, I always disclose that at the bottom of the post.
Daniel, thanks for stopping by and for your comments. I’m actually quite surprised at the discussion this post has drummed up, but I like it. I’ve learned a lot about giveaways just from the people who were willing to comment here. I look forward to seeing if your giveaway gets you a little extra traffic. Good luck.
Joyful–I agree getting a package in the mail is fun, isn’t it? As for your Olympic giveaway, I actually thought it was fun and clever–and I remember you specifically mentioning it was about thanking your readers. I never suspected you made money off it! Thanks for stopping by.
Claudia–wow! I will look into that. Someone suggested that I write this blog in English and French as a means of practicing my written French more. I’m sure that would be a very good (and very time-consuming activity). Are you writing both your English and Italian version? Now I’m feeling inspired.
You know, we live very close to the Italian border here and my husband has family in the Italian Alps. We went there once and it definitely made me want to learn. I can understand a little with the French/Spanish I speak so it’s very motivating.
Beth–I’m so glad you stopped by. Your blog is a lot of fun and very informative, I might add. I like your idea of promoting your giveaway in your niche. A very wise idea. Since I like a good (on topic) discussion, I don’t really want a lot of comments from people who aren’t interested in my topics–so I occasionally shy away from generalized ‘advertising.’
Also, in my opinion supporting companies that are trying to make a difference is a very important thing–and a great reason for a giveaway. I think that innovative companies are often up against a lot of competition from companies who are happily doing the same old thing, so a little help for them is a great idea.
Yes’ I’m going to write in both languages. I used to do that when I started my blog. When my 3rd child was born (45 months ago) I couldn’t find the time to do that. But most of our family members and friends don’t speak italian and keep asking me for an english or french version…
I enter some of them, and when I have a blog I have thought about having them from time to time. I too, agree that its helpful to drive up blog traffic on monetized blogs, but that it would be nice if they went to regular readers.
Claudia, Hmm. . .what a fun idea. I have yet to try that one out!
Jennifer–You know, until I wrote this post and got the comments back, I hadn’t even thought about the issue of having prizes go to people who were just on the blog for the giveaway as opposed to the regulars. It’s definitely something to consider.
You could always have a giveaway within Europe…I know at least one reader who would be glad to be able to participate in a giveaway
Naomi–thanks for the comment. And actually, a European giveaway would be interesting because then maybe I’d be able to ‘meet’ all those Europeans that read this blog and don’t comment–It’s something like 30% of the readers actually. . .
Interesting!
I’ve only hosted one blog giveaway, of a book called “Almost Meatless” that I’d checked out of the library and then loved so much that I bought it myself. I emailed the publishers and they agreed to provide and ship one copy to my giveaway winner. It took maybe 5 minutes of my time, and I got to pass on something that’d made me happy. It was really just a way to be nice!
That said, I purposely didn’t link up to any giveaway carnivals because I did want to “reward” my regular readers.
Cate–rewarding regular readers seems like a great way to go. Also, when you can pass along something that you value, particularly a learning experience like a book, it seems like a great opportunity. Thanks for your comment.
A primary reason many people do blog giveaways is to increase their site traffic and comments (as these are items they make money on).