SpottedWalrus

The Overview

Over on one of the sites I run we’re having a huge contest where we’re giving away over $1500 in stuff in the winner. Did we shell out $1500 to buy the stuff to give away? Heck no. And we’re not just giving away 800 small items donated by small companies. We’re giving away items from Wacom, Adobe, Computer Arts, and iStockPhoto. So the question lies, “How did you get all of those companies to give you stuff for free?” Ah, good question.

First, what exactly we’re giving away, just so there is no confusion:
1) Wacom 4×5 Graphire3 tablet
2) Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium
3) A one year subscription to Computer Arts
4) iStockPhoto goodie bag (free credits, tshirts, bags, etc etc)

That’s it…just those 4 things. Also note that I didn’t have a single contact with any of those companies other than the fact I use their products.

The Process

So what’s the process for getting this sort of thing? Well it’s actually fairly simple.

1. First, come up with a contest or giveaway idea. Decide what it will actually be…a contest or a giveaway. Will the participants actually need to complete some sort of task (write a review, design something, etc)? Or will they just simply need to send in their email address or register on your forums? Write your details down. And by “details” I mean every little aspect you can think of. From deadlines to file sizes and more.
2. Second, 5-6 weeks ahead of your contest date, compile a list of the companies you’d like to be involved in your contest. Do you think the new The Movies game would be a killer giveaway for your movie community? Then add Lionhead Studios to your list. At this point all your doing is making a list, you’re not contacting a soul just yet. I would also advise going ahead and actually getting contact info for each company, just to save yourself some time. You’ll want the contact info for the marketing/PR department.
3. About 3-4 weeks out from your contest, start contacting the companies on your list. I’d advise calling over email as your first attempt at contacting. The marketing/PR folks get tons of email from people everyday and your chances of actually getting a response (and a positive one) are much more likely if you can get a hold of them on the phone. But make note, do them and yourself a favor and cut right to the chase. Don’t talk about the weather or what you did this weekend. Tell them quickly what it is you’re calling about. Something like, “Hi, this is Josh from SITE NAME. We’re doing a contest over here and would be interested in involving COMPANY NAME in the contest in some way.” At this point they’ll either say “No, thanks” and hang up or inquire more about the contest as well as your site. Be prepared with site details such as traffic and demographics and make sure you have your contest details handy.

   While you’re explaining all the details of the contest be sure you don’t forgot to hit on a very important point…how will this contest benefit them? As nice as people can be, Adobe isn’t going to want to give $1000 worth of software just because you are nice to them. They need for this contest to benefit them more than it benefits you. So be sure to come up with some way to really push the companies that are involved and let them know that you plan on pushing them and that this really will benefit them.

4. At this point, if everything goes as planned, you’ll have yourself a few nice prizes to give away in your contest. Most companies will just ship the product to you and let you ship it out to the winner. You’ll do yourself a favor if you keep them up-to-date on how the contest is going as well as when it’s over and who the winner is. Many times they’ll like to send the winner a little “congrats” email or letter. Plus, keeping them up-to-date will generally form a good relationship with them for future contests.

The Closing

What is so great about a contest is that pretty much everybody wins. You get increased traffic, the prize providers get publicity, and the winner(s) of the contest get some sweet gear. So what are you waiting for? Get that contest moving!