How NOT to hold a contest

Originally I was going to title this article How NOT to hold a blog contest, but then I realized that the type of contest did not matter as these are universal “no-nos”. Before we get into how not to hold a contest let’s take a quick look at why we hold contests.

I can sum up why in one word. Promotion. That’s it. The only reason that we hold contests is to promote something. Sure we might give out a fabulous vacation for 2 to the South Pacific, but that is the result of the contest not the motivating factor behind it. As we take a look at how not to hold a contest keep in mind that a contest is all about promotion, and by holding a contest you will either promote a good reputation or a bad reputation.

Offering a reward for a prize you don’t have

In todays credit card world it is so easy to think that we are going to have whatever we need at the snap of our fingers, but what if all of a sudden the prize you have offered can no longer be procured? If the prize isn’t in your physical possession or in your financial possession you have no business offering it.

Changing the rules as you go

It’s one thing to stipulate something like “500 people must enter to be eligible for this prize” at the time the conest signups starts, but it is quite another to say the same thing after the contest has already started.

Not following through

A contest quickly becomes your face of public relations. If someone wins contact that person and tell them. The more personal the contact the better off you will be. Still honor them in public with an announcement or whatever, but also make it a personal experience for them. If you can call them and let them know, or send an email. It wouldn’t hurt to send them a thank you not either. Remember this is a public relations coup if handled right.

Not sticking to your deadlines and rules

Whatever rules and deadlines you set forth for the contest stick with them unless some extremely odd circumstances force you to do something different.

Not advertising your contest

Common sense right? Wrong! You’d be amazed at how many businesses will hold a contest or drawing on their first day and wonder why no one enters. Could it be because no one knows about it? Advertise, advertise, advertise. Shout it from the rooftops. Everyone should know about your contest 10 times over. And just when you’re tired of promoting it convince others to do it for you.

Not offering adequate prizes

The more hoops someone has to jump through to be entered into your contest and otherwise qualify to win the better the prize should be. The prize should also reflect your montary means. A $5.00 gift certificate to McDonalds is perfectly acceptable for a contest run by a 12 year old. That same prize is not nearly as well received coming from the hands of Bill Gates.

Not awarding multiple prizes

I don’t mean to one person, but you should always have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards for a contest. It’s a matter of simple math. If you only offer 1 prize what are my chances of winning? Not good. If you offer 3 prizes my chances just got dramatically bigger. The bigger the chance the more likely I am to enter and tell my friends about it.

The next time you hold a contest keep in mind that what you do is far more important than what you give. Prizes are a dime a dozen and I can guarantee that for the majority of contests many other people have already given the same or a similar prize. Differentiate yourself by going above and beyond. Treat your contestants as paying customers because based on how you run your contest they just might be, or not if you run a poorly thoughtout and executed contest.

What are some things you see people doing in their contest that they shouldn’t be?