I am now considering giveaways because some the items I have been asked to giveaway are cool, they are items that I would love to have. So while I would not receive the item also (or any compensation) one of you would. That would be fun for me. Like they say, giving is better than receiving!
So what do you think? Do you like giveaways? Hate 'em? Would you guys like to see some giveaways here at Sutton Grace?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions. I appreciate it.
I wish you all a lovely weekend, friends. I am not sure what our plans are but I know it will involve lots of snuggling with my little Gemma Bean who turns seven weeks (!) tomorrow.
Posts
40 comments:
I see giveaways as having two purposes: 1) increase traffic, 2) reward/thank your readers. I get annoyed when I see a giveaway that requires me to "like" something on Facebook or "follow" some blog somewhere.
Only you can decide if you want to host giveaways. It's your blog, and you get to do it however you want. I've done three—two with my handmade items. I used to do them to increase traffic. Now I really don't care about traffic numbers, but I do enjoy giving something back to my consistent readers.
Personally, I'm tired of giveaways. I agree with the above commentor that it is the individual bloggers decision whether or not to offer a giveaway. However, I am tired of going from blog to blog and only finding giveaways. I just pass on them now. I have offered giveaways in the past on my blog, only one was from an outside source the rest have been my creations. Hope that helps a bit.
Enjoy your snuggly weekend! Who could resist a snuggly baby!!!??!!!
I've never won a giveaway but I think they are cool. :)
P.S. Your baby is super adorable! I'd wanna snuggle her too! :)
I recently did a giveaway on my little blog. It was fun. I doubled the number of followers that I had which was super exciting. I agree with the first commenter that said how annoying it is to have to "like" a million different things in order to get an entry. I enter giveaways and every time I think "THIS IS THE TIME! I'M GONNA WIN!!" And then never do. But I guess it's still fun. But it's up to you. I think we all read simply because we like your ideas and what you have to say.
I have personally never won a give away, but i think your stuff is mighty cool... so therefore i would enter whether im going to win or not... (i usually never do) but hey you have to chance every now and then... but i do agree it does increase traffic which lessons my chances of winning... however you're crafty and i like it so i say DO IT! Why not?
I've never won, but it doesn't stop me from entering!
I've had a few giveaways...mostly of my own creations. I think if you are moderate in how you approach things, they are fine. I also don't like being required to jump through a bunch of hoops.
I dont mind giveaways with one easy entry. I have won a couple, and that is fun. I have to agree though that I do get tired of some blogs that have giveaways everyday it seems like. That isn't why I follow them.
I think if you are going to do a giveaway, you should require that you first get to "sample" the product before endorsing it. And you are entitled to pick the giveaways, only those that you think are really cool. Then, if you decide to go through with a giveaway, please limit to one entry per person. I can't stand the ones that offer you 5 ways to enter the drawing. So I so yes to giveaways, but limit them.
I used to enter every giveaway I came across from my daily blog reads until it started to seem like a waste of my time. Now I only enter if it is something really really cool AND a millon people havent already commented. I agree with the others above though...having to like something or any effort more than just leaving a comment turns me off! Ultimately your decision.
PS...thanks for the baby pic...she is ADORABLE!!
LOVE GIVEAWAYS! GO FOR IT!
www.wom-mom.com
PS: Gemma is A-DOR-A-BLE!
I've only hosted one giveaway -- a scarf that I knitted -- as a thank you to my followers. I NEVER expected anyone to read my crafty blathering, but since a few people do, I think an occasional (simple) giveaway is nice. The huge, fancy (commercial) giveaways are great for some, but I prefer little things created by the blogger rather than a sponsor. Unless it's fabric. I love fabric and will enter a giveaway EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. (=
It's your blog. Do what feels right to you.
I have several blogs I follow, including yours. Generally, I skip the 'give away' posts because I more enjoy seeing 'real' posts where I can glean ideas from others for my own home and family. Hope that helps. :)
Maybe you could giveaway some Gemma snuggles. I'd totally enter that...
I think they're fine as long as they aren't asking me to like something on FB, twitter, etc.
Your Gemma is adorable! Where did you get the little bow and how does it attach? My daughter is 3 months old and barely any hair on top of her head. I'd love to give her a little bow like that!
@C and M- it's so simple! the bow is just a narrow ribbon (1/8" I think) that I tied into a bow and stuck on with a tiny bit of karo syrup. Works so well that the bow is still on her head the next day (she didn't have a bath last night).
If I click on a blog and it's a giveaway I usually just close out of it. I get tired of some of my favorite blogs being taken over by giveaway's. I think if it's an occasional thing then that's totally fine and if it's something that YOU made or already love then that's great; it lets the readers know even more about you!
I hate giveaways. Especially when I have to do a zillion things in order to get "extra" entries. But I think you run a cool blog and should get some kind of compensation for it. So go for it! If you do them, please let them be cool/unique things, only do them once in a while, and only one comment per entry. Ah...that would be heavenly.
I like giveaways that are easy to enter and fun. For example, I entered a weekly "write this caption contest" for a blog that has pics of Boston Terriers every single week for about three years. When I finally won it felt pretty incredible. What did I win? A sticker. I cherish that sticker.
JennBenn
I love 'em! Or I would if I ever won.
I like giveaways that don't require you to "like" something on Facebook. And I like giveaways when they aren't every week like on some blogs.
I know you wouldn't give away junk, so I would always enter a giveaway you did.
Gosh what a cutie!
As for giveaways, I will enter if I really want the thing. But I don't usually win either.
Also, I don't really want to enter any of your giveaways unless you DO get some sort of compensation! I mean, you SHOULD. Why wouldn't you?
I usually do not participate in giveaways...to be honest they are a lot of work for everyone involved. There tend to be too many requirements to participate...follow me...friend me...like me...go the the sponsors website and pick your fav...then come back here and tell me your fav and why...to much work for my liking...I am busy and I like to give attention and my time to all the blogs I like to read for reasons other than them giving something away...
I completely agree with Stephanie a few comments ago. I get really tired of blogs which were previously favorites with so many sponsor/giveaway things that I don't like to read those blogs anymore. Periodically, it is fun--as long as it is easy to enter.
That little baby is a keeper! She's beautiful!
I think an occasional giveaway is nice, if it is something really rad. I do hate blogs that seem nothing but giveaways- they seem so superfluous. Occasionally though, I think they are fun to reward readers and to increase traffic if you are so inclined. However, I hate giveaways that require you to "do" something, i.e. 'like' it, tweet, blah blah blah. I am anti FB so don't make me go there. I can't anyway, I disabled my account. I want a nice, clean, no strings giveaway. Once in a while. :)
occasional giveaways are fun. I absolutely do not have the time or the energy to enter ones that require liking, fanning , tweeting..
I understand the person is trying to increase traffic, but it should be only for people who truly want your product .
Having said that, I enjoy the ones that just have a simple requirement like leaving a comment to enter..and guess what, I have won a few :)
Hate giveaways!
Don't do it Erin. I get hit up for giveaways for my blog literally 5 days a week. Dresses, cutting boards, lighting fixtures, baby toys.. you name it. I say no to all of it. The only giveaways I do are for an extra copy of a book I've designed.
I like your blog. I don't want to see giveaways for pantyhose and cooking tools and other random products.
Blog just to blog and inspire people. It's so rare to find a blog nowadays that I feel is even trying to do that.
I used to like giveaways until I won something last October but never got it. I even sent a polite email to tell the gal that I hadn't received it. She apologized and said she'd "send one out STAT!" Whatever... I don't like giveaways now. (and I don't read her blog anymore)
I agree with those who say they are tired of giveaways where you have to "follow" something or "like" someone's Facebook page. If it's something cool that you really like that you feel you can get behind, then do it. But, I don't see the point of giving something away just to have a giveaway. That turns your blog into a business and it loses that personal touch.
I am with others - I am sick of liking pages on fb just for giveaways. Otherwise, I think they are really fun and offer at least a chance to get something I might not be able to afford (or wouldn't budget for) otherwise!
Maybe just 1 give away a month and all you have to do is leave a comment on your blog. Then you just randomly generate the winner. But I agree with others I don't like blogs that are just ALL GIVEAWAYS and advertising. There was one I used to like but now I can't see her personal craft posts for all the other rubbish.
CUTE baby! Personally I would like to see more baby photos and hear more baby talk than a giveaway any day :)
Giveaways are still pretty cool though on the odd occasion. My pet peeve with them is when the competition is restricted to the US - don't international readers count? (fair call if it is something large but I've seen people do it for things such as A4 posters which wouldn't cost much more at all to post). Even worse is when it is for US readers only and that isn't made clear. Apart from that I am always appreciative of the opportunity to win something!
I'm like you, in seeing my favorite blogs have a new post, then disapointed it's a sponsor's giveaway. But if it's cool things you've made, or just awesome items, it's fun. I guess some just feel like an advertisement, or when it's requirement to "like" or "follow" anything I usually don't enter.
Your each and every blogs are very unique and different from the others. This images is such a very best and like it very much. It looks such a cute.
I think giveaways can be a positive thing for you and your readers! Go for it!
I've never won a giveaway, but I think they're fun anyway. We do them on our blog but it's only been stuff we've made. www.wom-mom.com
I never win giveaways, but I LOVE them anyway! I agree with everyone, its most fun when you don't have to 'follow' or 'like' anything in order to enter. If you decide to do it, I wouldn't hate it!!
I'm with you, Erin. I don't like giveaways. I did do one once though b/c I knew it was something my readers would like and I didn't need to do much at all for it.
I don't like going to my favorite blogs and seeing a giveaway constantly. Even when the prize is super cool, I will rarely enter. I just skip over that post until something worthwhile is posted the next time.
I also found that for the one giveway I did there were people who were just googling "giveway" to enter. They had no intention of ever becoming a "real" reader. They just wanted a prize. So...it wasn't worth it.
I still may do one here and there if it's something I am interested in sharing like a book that has helped me that I think will be liked by my readers. But the big sponsor giveaways are annoying.
I love giveaways, even if i don't win i like to see what other people like.
Post a Comment
Thanks for leaving a comment. I love 'em! They make me feel special! :)
If you have a question make sure you have an email address linked up to your blogger account or leave your email address in the comment so I can respond otherwise I will answer your question here in the comments section.
OR you can email me at suttongraceblog(at)gmail(dot)com
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.