Contests

[esnagel]

What kind of things have you done to earn entries into online contests? ex: blog about the contest / site, stumble the site, etc.

Thanks in advance for your experiences. I'm working on a site that will include some contests to jump-start visitors.

[popowich]

I don't think I have done anything. I did make a blog back to poker starts once to get into a special freeroll for bloggers. That's about it.

-Raymond

[Raven]

I have started a contest (http://www.talkmarylandforum.com) to win up to $50.00 in gas card but noone seems interested. Thats about all I can afford to give out. It is for thread posting, joining and adding to blogs, etc. It runs until Labor Day.

What kind of things have you done to earn entries into online contests? ex: blog about the contest / site, stumble the site, etc.

Thanks in advance for your experiences. I'm working on a site that will include some contests to jump-start visitors.

[Kaos]

Are you asking, how to get the hype out there ABOUT a contest, or what kind of contest we've run.

To get hype I've made crazy music videos, changed the words to make it relevant to the event and sang it...and I can't sing, used my mailing lists with a whole series of mini events to lead up to the big day, countdown clocks, forums, forums and more forums (depending on the niche obviously) just to name a few things. When it comes to needing traffic, I find I really have no limit on embarrassing myself.

Types of contests though, I've not really one much, but I liked a suggestion I heard once to have a picture contest of members/clients etc doing the most insane thing with your website address on it. Craziest picture wins the pot, so to say. I thought that was a fun one...could be good for in here Ray actually!

[esnagel]

I'm going to give away $100 in flowers from 1-800-flowers, a $100 hotel room voucher from Travelocity and a $100 Tiffany's gift card. What I have so far is:

Sign up for this service - it's free - 10 entries
Fill out your profile - 10 entries
Write a blog post about the site - 50 entries
Review the site on StumbleUpon - 20 entries
Write a (relevant) story & submit it to the site - 40 entries (10 bonus entries if you include a photo)

I'm not mentioning the niche yet, but those are my ideas. Users are typically men, aged 30-50. Not very tech savvy.

I was thinking of also awarding points for referring the site to others, which then leads to Facebook, MySpace, etc. Maybe make that a 2-level deep thing (10 entries for each person you refer, and 2 entries for each person THEY refer).

They key here is to get traffic, get others to do the marketing for me, and to gain user-created content (which I then own & can use on my site).

You'd think giving away things would cause a flood of traffic, but maybe not.

Eric

[Raven]

I know with the gas prices I thought people would want gas. Here is what gas is going for in my area.

493



You'd think giving away things would cause a flood of traffic, but maybe not.

Eric

[THERESA]

Good one Raven. I just found this one....

[Raven]

I like that one too. Thanks.

Good one Raven. I just found this one....

[Kaos]

I'm going to give away $100 in flowers from 1-800-flowers, a $100 hotel room voucher from Travelocity and a $100 Tiffany's gift card. What I have so far is:

Sign up for this service - it's free - 10 entries
Fill out your profile - 10 entries
Write a blog post about the site - 50 entries
Review the site on StumbleUpon - 20 entries
Write a (relevant) story & submit it to the site - 40 entries (10 bonus entries if you include a photo)

I'm not mentioning the niche yet, but those are my ideas. Users are typically men, aged 30-50. Not very tech savvy.

I was thinking of also awarding points for referring the site to others, which then leads to Facebook, MySpace, etc. Maybe make that a 2-level deep thing (10 entries for each person you refer, and 2 entries for each person THEY refer).

They key here is to get traffic, get others to do the marketing for me, and to gain user-created content (which I then own & can use on my site).

You'd think giving away things would cause a flood of traffic, but maybe not.

Eric

I think giving those away could have great potential for getting your traffic, but you can't expect others to get word out for you if no one knows about it. You'd have to do some of the typical things you do to get any site out there noticed and then hope the trickle effect or grapevine takes over there for you. Do free press releases, hit areas your niche would hang on, through some free articles out there that other webmasters in that niche could pick up or see somewhere, etc. I'm always the type to take advantage of the limitless free ways to get things started rolling, but there is of course paid options that may get the ball rolling quicker for you, depending on what your secret niche is LOL :D

[Raven]

I took an ad out too and still nothing. :rolleyes: I must live in redneckville where they are are saying "whats a computer mabelle and why does it need some gas." :p

but there is of course paid options that may get the ball rolling quicker for you, depending on what your secret niche is LOL :D

[esnagel]

I think giving those away could have great potential for getting your traffic, but you can't expect others to get word out for you if no one knows about it. You'd have to do some of the typical things you do to get any site out there noticed and then hope the trickle effect or grapevine takes over there for you. Do free press releases, hit areas your niche would hang on, through some free articles out there that other webmasters in that niche could pick up or see somewhere, etc. I'm always the type to take advantage of the limitless free ways to get things started rolling, but there is of course paid options that may get the ball rolling quicker for you, depending on what your secret niche is LOL :D

Yes, I intend to do the typical stuff as well. Visiting niche forums, commenting on blogs, etc. I've never done any traditional PR stuff, like press releases.

[Kaos]

I have alot of luck with traffic from press releases, but I do think it depends on your niche. You can google "free press releases" and get alot of good ones, paid one, the best is definitely PRweb.com if you want to give it a try, I typically spend $80 there and it gets your PR in yahoo news, google news and across the AP wire. I love that you can also watch your stats with them which tells you how many people have read it, pick up the story for their own news stations,blogs etc and that type of thing.

I think marketing is one of my strong points in this business, I did major in i...but that never taught me anything much, especially with what applies to online businesses

[esnagel]

If you have an affiliate / referral link to PRweb.com post it & I'll use it.

[Cittykat07]

I HAVE A CONTEST!!!!!


make a video describing why www.discussny.com (http://www.discussny.com) is a cool website to go on. send it to youtube. if your video has the most views in a week, you get to give me ideas for my website for a month plus, you get $11 ik its not much but ray won't let me give out more than $11

[Raven]

I guess the one I already have up about DNY doesnt count huh? :rolleyes:

I HAVE A CONTEST!!!!!


make a video describing why www.discussny.com (http://www.discussny.com) is a cool website to go on. send it to youtube. if your video has the most views in a week, you get to give me ideas for my website for a month plus, you get $11 ik its not much but ray won't let me give out more that $11

[THERESA]

I guess the one I already have up about DNY doesnt count huh? :rolleyes:

If we have any submissions, to make it fair, I really think it should go by vote not views anyways. JMO

Of course yours should count, yours was the first one ever.

FYI-it wasn't that Ray said she couldnt offer more than 11 bucks, she picked that number for her age. :)

[Raven]

I am making a new one so that Cittykat has entries. I hope other people do the same. I am not doing it for the money, I am doing it to support Cittykats contest. Support kids, thats what its all about.

If we have any submissions, to make it fair, I really think it should go by vote not views anyways. JMO

Of course yours should count, yours was the first one ever.

FYI-it wasn't that Ray said she couldnt offer more than 11 bucks, she picked that number for her age. :)

[popowich]

Oh jeezzz, hold, on ,well, go nuts, but I'll come up with a little something to go with it.

Gimme a moment, only been up about 17 seconds.

[Kaos]

If you have an affiliate / referral link to PRweb.com post it & I'll use it.

Just signed into my account and I don't see an affiliate program. But thanks for the offer!

[Raven]

Here is your first entery. Yes Theresa I know I made a typo with the word arcade but I didnt see it until after I uploaded it to youtube and saving it again for just a few dyslexic letters takes alot of time. :p So take off some points for the typo. :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB38BoBQWLU

I HAVE A CONTEST!!!!!


make a video describing why www.discussny.com (http://www.discussny.com) is a cool website to go on. send it to youtube. if your video has the most views in a week, you get to give me ideas for my website for a month plus, you get $11 ik its not much but ray won't let me give out more than $11