Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bubele on February 4, 2009 at 8:10pm

For smaller companies like myself, I would not pay a fee to have a site do a giveaway. The main reason is it is unfair for me to lose the merchandise and pay a fee on top of that! I haven't had a site charge me yet. I have heard of sites charging for product reviews because you are actually working up a written review. I read a fantastic article the other day(wish I saved the link now) that said giveaways are great to drive traffic to your site. Maybe you can find a way to make it an easier process like don't have them ship you the item. Post your giveaway info and pics from their site. And tell them it's their responsibility to send the item to the winner.

Hope that helps :)

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly on February 4, 2009 at 8:44pm

I don't charge companies to host giveaways. It's a lot of work, but "my moms" love winning and I enjoy introducing them to relevant, new products. (I don't have a problem with bloggers who do charge though - it does take time, energy & money to host giveaways on your blog.)

Having said that, my postage bills were crazy last year, so I'm having more and more sponsors ship directly to the winners.

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Permalink Reply by Mom Bloggers Club on February 4, 2009 at 9:42pm

We're definitely thinking the same about this. I wrote an article and mentioned charging for giveaways.

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Permalink Reply by Lorie on February 4, 2009 at 11:21pm

To me a blog giveaway is mutually beneficial. They get traffic from me and I get increased traffic because of the prize.

Now I can see not wanting to do all giveaways because they don't fit your blog, but charging. I can't imagine ANYONE paying to give stuff away!

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Permalink Reply by Dawn Papandrea-Khan on February 4, 2009 at 11:26pm

They are not paying to give stuff away, they would be paying to promote their company. Like I said, each giveaway takes hours of work from start to finish. What is that time worth to some people?

I am not saying that I will start charging, I just wanted to get the opinions and thoughts of other bloggers and how they handle it.

I have heard of some that charge, and some that don't. It is very interesting to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

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Permalink Reply by A Cowboy's Wife (Lori) on February 5, 2009 at 12:39am

I do charge for giveaways. It became so overwhelming and well, sorta spammy with all the giveaways that I decided I had had enough. If a company wants me to set the giveaway up, promote it, choose a winner, email them, send their info to the company, then notify them that their item has been shipped or check to see why it hasn't been shipped....then I figured my time is worth a little something.

Giveaways are a great deal of work and frankly, the traffic is not worth it to me, especially if that's the only reason they come around. My time is precious. Every single minute I'm on the computer,means time away from my family so it better be worth it;) Just my 2 cents.

You can read my advertise page to see what I say.

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Permalink Reply by Mom Bloggers Club on February 5, 2009 at 6:20am

Awesome! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who said, "Listen, these giveaways are a pain in the "you know what" and companies need to pay up!" Maybe you can drive this point home at Blissdom so more moms understand they can charge for such a tedious task.

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Permalink Reply by Maternal Spark on February 5, 2009 at 11:25am

I've never charged for giveaways although I have stopped doing as many as I used to because yes, they are a lot of work and most times they don't add value to my blog (IE they are off topic). The traffic is nice to see, but I know it's just temporary so...

I may charge at some point in time as I do see the value there but at the same time I really want to support the smaller mom run businesses who might not be able to afford a fee. I suppose it could be something I deal with on a case by case basis. Great thread - lots to consider!

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Permalink Reply by alicialm on February 5, 2009 at 11:44am

Thanks for posting. I've been wondering how different bloggers handle this.

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Permalink Reply by Melanie on February 5, 2009 at 12:05pm

I have not done charged for any of my giveaways but only because I've gone to all my sponsors directly. So far I haven't had anyone contact me about doing one, but when I do I will remember this. Does anyone ask for payment and one of the products to keep? I find it hard to to a giveaway and not be able to describe the product in first person. I certainly wouldn't expect to keep something really expensive though.

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Permalink Reply by dcrmom on February 5, 2009 at 12:09pm

I have been considering changing my policy on this. I do not currently charge, but I do LOTS of giveaways. I always request that they mail the product to the winner, but it is STILL time consuming. I agree with those who said that the traffic it brings is temporary and not necessarily "quality traffic" -- by that I mean people who are really interested in me and my blog and plan to stay around and be a part of the community. THAT is the kind of traffic I'm looking to grow, not the giveaway traffic.

However, I continue to do regular giveaways because I feel like it's my way of treating my readers. I often give extra entries to those who are subscribers and who blog or twitter about it, in an effort to "reward" the more loyal visitors.

That said, it is not presumptuous to expect to be paid for the time and effort we bloggers put into these giveaways. We get nothing out of it but a temporary spike in traffic (and the joy of seeing people get excited about winning) so in essence, companies are getting free advertising (a product sample* is nothing compared to advertising costs) and the benefit of my readership that I have grown through authenticity and vulnerability.

*I realize it depends on the business -- small mom-run businesses feel it harder than bigger corporations.

I am interested to read Lori's advertising policy.

Then there is the issue of review items -- another can of worms.

Great topic!

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Permalink Reply by trisha on February 5, 2009 at 3:12pm

I would never, ever, ever charge to do a giveaway.

While giveaways are tedious and take time, they bring in traffic that may otherwise never see your blog, allowing you to up ad prices, exposure, and be an integral part of the online community. I have had many companies thank me and pay it forward in lots of ways. Additionally, I have had visitors that have made it clear they never would have discovered my blog if not for an advertised giveaway or link they clicked on.

For us, giveaways are not just a temporary spike in traffic, but a reward to our visitors, and an ongoing relationship with a company we may utilize in the future for things like BloggersGive.com. Many companies also find out our worth during the giveaway and return for paid advertising and consulting.

To me, charging for a giveaway is the same as if the company charged me for the traffic I received from it.

Etsy is already up in arms over bloggers asking for reviews and giveaways; this would absolutely destroy any integrity at all in the Blogosphere in my opinion.

Trisha
www.momdot.com

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