A question for folks who have had contests...how do you set them up, and what types of contests do you have? Questions about past works? Best answer to a hypothetical question (What would Jani do...?)
I have a contest page on my website. I ask easy questions based on a posted sample chapter of the current work I'm promoting. I award prizes related to that work.
Once you post a contest or two, your contests will be picked up by networks of contest-enterers, and you'll get *flooded* with entries. Some authors have chosen to limit their contests only to people who have subscribed to the authors' newsletters (therefore, to actual readers.) I've decided that the cost of processing entries is very, very low, and that *most* of the email addresses remain valid for some time, and that I *might* gain readers through the contest network, so I'm not limiting mine.
An author known to both of us sends his contest results to each person who entered, but the results are a link to his website, so that he drives traffic back there once a month. I think this is a clever idea, but I haven't made the time to build the full email service list through a third party vendor.
I've gone with a low key approach. I start by announcing the contest on my website, livejournal and my Amazon.com blog (which directs them to the website for info on how to enter), and also send it to my mailing list of fans. To enter all they have to do is send me an e-mail with the correct subject line, or post a comment to the contest LJ entry. Here's a link to the last contest I ran http://pbray.livejournal.com/128468.html
Then I use a random number generator to pick the winner.
For my next contest I'm doing a twist-- entrants will get to name the emperor's flagship, and the winning suggestion will be used in the final novel, as well as earning the suggestor autographed loot. Be interesting to see what kind of response I get.
Darren @ Problogger had a great general post on contests - http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/02/21/how-to-run-a-blog-competition-to-find-new-readers-and-make-your-blog-sticky/
Part of it is about the marketing benefits - which I'm guessing is not your objective? - but part is about setting one up.
One recent approach that I enjoyed was a blogger actually asking his readers for contest suggestions as contest 1 - and then actually running the contest as contest 2.
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 01:15 pm (UTC)Once you post a contest or two, your contests will be picked up by networks of contest-enterers, and you'll get *flooded* with entries. Some authors have chosen to limit their contests only to people who have subscribed to the authors' newsletters (therefore, to actual readers.) I've decided that the cost of processing entries is very, very low, and that *most* of the email addresses remain valid for some time, and that I *might* gain readers through the contest network, so I'm not limiting mine.
An author known to both of us sends his contest results to each person who entered, but the results are a link to his website, so that he drives traffic back there once a month. I think this is a clever idea, but I haven't made the time to build the full email service list through a third party vendor.
Hope this helps -
Mindy
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 01:42 pm (UTC)Condolences on your mother's passing.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 02:00 pm (UTC)Then I use a random number generator to pick the winner.
For my next contest I'm doing a twist-- entrants will get to name the emperor's flagship, and the winning suggestion will be used in the final novel, as well as earning the suggestor autographed loot. Be interesting to see what kind of response I get.
Contest
Date: 2007-07-24 05:06 pm (UTC)Part of it is about the marketing benefits - which I'm guessing is not your objective? - but part is about setting one up.
One recent approach that I enjoyed was a blogger actually asking his readers for contest suggestions as contest 1 - and then actually running the contest as contest 2.
Good luck!