• ABOUT
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Let’s Work Together
  • Shop
    • Shop Our Photo Presets
    • Shop Our Amazon Favorites
    • Shop our Etsy
    • Shop our Poshmark
  • Contact
  • Hire Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Oak + Oats

A Colorado Lifestyle Blog

  • Motherhood
    • Mama Buys
    • Pregnancy
    • Childhood
  • Marriage
    • Date Night
    • Wedding Anniversary
  • Lifestyle
    • Photography
    • Family
    • Friends
    • Holidays
  • Home
    • Before & After
    • Yard & Garden
    • Recipes
    • Hosting
  • Travel
    • Travel Tips
    • Snapshots
    • Disney
    • Colorado
    • Colorado Springs
  • Ask Elizabeth

August 13, 2014
Blogging & Business

Hosting Giveaways On Your Blog

How to host giveaways on your blog and instagramRecently I have been asked quite a few questions about when, why, and how to start offering Giveaways on your blog! I remember when I was just starting out and I asked the same questions. There wasn’t much out there about the topic so I just jumped in, emailed people, and learned from experience! I just want to go over some of the most common giveaway related questions that I get and share with you my answers. I do not know everything (obviously) but I love passing on what I do know! My prayer is that it will help you be a confident, engaging, and informed blogger!

WHY ARE GIVEAWAYS IMPORTANT?

I love giveaways! I love to enter them, I love to host them, and I love to win them. Everyone loves free things and it is a great way to encourage your readership to engage with you! Most of your readership will not comment on your posts but when you offer a giveaway, you are inviting your readers in! They can comment, follow you on Facebook, join your email newsletters, follow you on Instagram, share the giveaway, etc. It broadens your reach.

Also, they are wonderful ways to say thank you to your readers! I know you value the people who read your blog (no matter how large or how small that number is) and it is pretty impossible to say thank you & give gifts to each individual person. When you host a giveaway on your blog, you give your readers the opportunity to win something! It is a fun and practical way to give back!

WHAT TYPES OF GIVEAWAYS ARE OUT THERE?

Group Giveaways
Group giveaways are the giveaways that you see going on that involve a group of bloggers like this one I just did with Rivers & Roads or my monthly Crush of the Month Giveaways. These giveaways are a group of bloggers coming together to pitch in for one big prize. Some sponsorship opportunities automatically included you in a group giveaway (my Crush of the Month Giveaways) so there is no additional pitch in but everyone gets a link in the giveaway. Other group giveaways are organized by one blogger and people are invited to be part of the giveaway by pitching in a certain amount for a link and additional links (these links are things like follow on facebook, twitter, instagram, bloglovin, etc)

These types of giveaways are fun because you are able to give away a much larger prize than normal – the benefit of working together! If you are interested in hosting your first group giveaway, I encourage you to do so! You can see if you like that. I have included some google doc examples of the forms and emails that I use when asking people to join me! Please use them as a reference as you prepare your group giveaway!

Group Giveaway Email Example: HERE
Group Giveaway Form Example: HERE

Sponsored Giveaways
These are giveaways when shops reach out to you to have a giveaway on your blog. This may be because you have a giveaway option on your sponsorship page or because they found your blog and wanted to sponsor a giveaway. As your demand grows, you can start charging for that sponsored giveaway on your blog. But if you are a smaller blogger and new to giveaways, I encourage you to ask for the product that you are giving away as payment for your time.

Invitational Giveaways
An invitational giveaway is a giveaway where you reach out to a company that you love and ask them if they are willing to participate in a giveaway on your blog. As a rule of thumb, I never ask for payment if I am reaching out to ask them to be a part of a review and giveaway. I do often ask for a review so that I get the product as well and it creates an authentic place on your blog because you have personally tried the things you are giving away.

When you are emailing companies, make sure to send emails with confidence and organization. Make sure you check out my five steps to format a professional email!

Things You Giveaway
The last type of giveaway is something that you personally want to giveaway. In these giveaways you host the giveaway and also provide the product to giveaway. Maybe you have an etsy shop and want to promote it by giving away one of your items on your blog – that is a great way to do a giveaway. If you don’t have a shop but still want to do something fun, you can buy a $15 Starbucks card and your favorite mug to giveaway on your blog. These are common when you just start offering giveaways or around special events (like product launches for your etsy OR you ask your readers to answer some survey questions and giveaway a Starbucks gift card as an incentive to answer)

WHEN CAN I START OFFERING GIVEAWAYS ON MY BLOG?

The wonderful answer to this question is: AS SOON AS YOU WANT! Isn’t that exciting?! No matter what size your blog is, you can still thank you readers & grow your reach by hosting a giveaway. You may not have emails pouring in but you can do a couple things to start you on the giveaway journey!

  1. Create a Sponsorship/ Advertising page for your blog. Even if you do not want to worry about side bar ads, this is the best place to put a note reaching out to bloggers & shop owners. Let them know you love doing giveaways and reviews and leave your email address for inquiries.
  2. Giveaway something from your shop or something that you love. If you have never done a giveaway before this is a great first giveaway! It will encourage your readers to follow you on your social medias and grow your reach.
  3. Host a group giveaway. Send an email to the blogs you read and the bloggers you interact with inviting them to be part of a giveaway with you.

HOW DO I ORGANIZE A GIVEAWAY?

Depending on the type of giveaway you are hosting the exact organization of the giveaway will vary but the important thing to remember is: Plan, Schedule, and Post.

PLAN the giveaway. Figure out the details, who is involved, and what is being given away.

SCHEDULE the giveaway. Put it on your calender and make sure everyone involved knows the date as well. Make sure you don’t have multiple giveaways over lapping because it takes away from the giveaways – they are not as special. I always host my giveaways on Friday and run them for one week so that they never overlap.

POST the giveaway.  This is the exciting part. Use pictures and share what is being given away. Get your readers excited about the opportunity. I run all my giveaways with Rafflecopter because it is a wonderful way to organize all the links and it is free!

Now go and create your giveaway! I am confident that you can do it! If you need a confidence boost, you can see my first ever giveaway 4 years ago here. You have to start somewhere, why not now!?! Let me know if you have any further questions!!
Interested in hosting giveaways on Instagram?  Click here for a blog post on just that!! 

Related

Spread the love
Previous Post: « Smores
Next Post: Ekata Designs Giveaway »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jasbir @jasbeeray says

    November 1, 2014 at 11:55 am

    I have yet to do a giveaway. Thanks for sharing this. I like how you broke it down, easy to understand and follow. #BloggingBetter (A cuppa from My thoughts)

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Mayberry says

      November 1, 2014 at 6:14 pm

      Yes! Be encouraged! You totally can! I am glad to have you stop by!

      Reply
  2. jasbir @jasbeeray says

    November 1, 2014 at 11:55 am

    I have yet to do a giveaway. Thanks for sharing this. I like how you broke it down, easy to understand and follow. #BloggingBetter (A cuppa from My thoughts)

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth Mayberry says

    November 1, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    Yes! Be encouraged! You totally can! I am glad to have you stop by!

    Reply
  4. Carole says

    March 24, 2015 at 2:56 pm

    This is excellent information. I’ve been hesitant about doing giveaways because I didn’t really know how to start! You’ve answered all my questions in this one post! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Mayberry says

      March 28, 2015 at 7:36 pm

      I am so excited you came across this post and found it encouraging and helpful! You got this!

      Reply
  5. Carole says

    March 24, 2015 at 2:56 pm

    This is excellent information. I've been hesitant about doing giveaways because I didn't really know how to start! You've answered all my questions in this one post! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth Mayberry says

    March 28, 2015 at 7:36 pm

    I am so excited you came across this post and found it encouraging and helpful! You got this!

    Reply
  7. Alex says

    June 1, 2016 at 12:02 am

    All of this information was great! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Oak & Oats says

      June 1, 2016 at 2:37 pm

      You are so very welcome!!! You’ve got this!!

      Reply
  8. Katie Deckert says

    January 2, 2018 at 3:38 pm

    Thank you for this help!! Going to attempt to start my first giveaway tomorrow and I had no idea where to start so I really appreciate it!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Mayberry says

      January 2, 2018 at 7:02 pm

      YAY! Girl! You will do great!! I am glad that this has encouraged you and helped you out!!!

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hello + Welcome!

Hello Friend! I’m Elizabeth, a Colorado photographer, writer, & blogger. Most importantly, I am a Christ follower, wife, mama, sister, daughter, and friend!

Welcome to Oak + Oats! Here we look for the remarkable in the every day. We love photographing our daily moments, making memories, and sharing our favorite places here in this space.

Our happiest days are spent together – many of those with a camera in hand! My free time (ie: Nap Time) is spent behind my computer screen sharing our tips and stories with you! I’m glad you’re here!

stay up to date

READ MORE ABOUT

  • Motherhood
  • Marriage
  • Childhood
  • Photography
  • Home
  • Colorado
  • Travel
  • Holidays
  • Ask Elizabeth

OLDER POSTS

All The Love You Can Give

Februray Book List

Mornings Full of Breath Prayers

January Book list

Hello 2023: Looking forward

Goodbye 2022: Looking Back

2023 Christmas Season In Photo

Our Christmas

Holiday Gift Guide: The Christian Lady

The North Pole

Footer

MOTHERHOOD

Oh Baby
Mama Buys
Pregnancy

COLORADO
Colorado Springs

HOME
Recipes
Hosting
Before & After

MARRIAGE
Date Night
Anniversaries

TRAVEL
Travel Tips
Snapshots
Disney

SHOP
Shop our Amazon List
Shop our Presets

Copyright © 2023 · OAK + OATS