How to run a successful contest on your blog

If you’ve been looking for a way to increase engagement on your blog, a contest may be the solution. A well-run contest can attract new readers in addition to solidifying your current reader base. However, it’s crucial that when planning a contest you utilize a methodology that allows you to identify your goals and priorities to design a contest that’s ideally-suited to your readership. Here are some tips

Set a goal

Though contests can boost reader engagement in a number of ways, it’s important to have a core goal, such as: boosting traffic, increasing RSS feeds, transforming casual readers into regular readers or generating buzz in your niche. Your objective will significantly impact your contest idea. For example, if your primary goal is to further energize the most ardent component of your reader base, then an ambitious contest that requires significant effort may be appropriate. However, if you’re trying to generate participation from passersby, you’ll want to make the entrance threshold for your contest easier.

Brainstorm Ideas

Contests can range from something as simple as writing a comment to producing a professional-quality video, but regardless of the difficulty level, it’s important that the contest be related to your blog. If your blog is about food, ask your readers to submit their favorite recipe. If it’s about bikes, you could ask your audience to submit a picture of their favorite beach cruiser. The key is to find things that your readers can relate to.

Additionally, you should look for ideas that will not only get people involved, but will also generate free content. Having contestants submit a video, story or picture is good, because you can publish the better submissions on your blog.

Selecting a Prize

The biggest factor when selecting a prize is budget. Don’t overextend yourself and sink too much cash into a prize, especially if your running a blog contest for the first time. Additionally, it’s usually advantageous to pick a prize that relates to the content of your blog. Giving away a free product–especially if your blog is related to an e-commerce store–is a good option. If your blog isn’t attached to an external business venture and you’re looking to subsidize the cost of your contest, consider approaching vendors as sponsors. Often, a company will be fine with giving away a product or two for free in return for the publicity that comes with being featured in a contest.

Get Out the Word

No contest will succeed without participation, so it’s imperative that you promote your contest vigorously. In addition to having a kick-off post on your blog, use Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media as outlets to spread the word. One idea for ramping up social media sharing is to offer everyone who shares your contest an entry into an additional prize giveaway. Reposting a status update on your wall takes little effort, so a small incentive can go a long way.

Picking a Winner

Unless your contest winner will be randomly generated, you’ll have to evaluate the entries and pick a winner. This process can be tough, especially if you end up with a few hundred entries. Make sure to be as fair as possible and consider asking a few friends to weigh in so you can form a consensus. Once you’ve found your winner, feature their entry in a blog post and make sure to ask if they’ll share their victory with their friends online.

Eli Law is a freelance writer who blogs for Picnic World (www.picnicworld.net)

This is a unique article written by Eli Law and published on SEO Desk with exclusivity.

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