I started the giveaway a couple days ago, but so far there's only about 5 people interested. I posted it on a few forums where I have been registered for a while, but they still consider it spam and they delete it. I posted it on Digg, and it only got Dugg once. I tried AdWords, which gets lots of clicks but nobody registers. So I'd like to spend no more than $50 if possible. Would a press release help very much?
Just blog it: Get some blog links that talk about how scarce the WII is and send them trackbacks. Add some technorati tags to your blog post (like free wii, wii, giveaway). And, of course, link to your website.
Eh... I don't know much about blogs I don't have my own, so were you suggesting that I make my own, or just comment in other people's?
With so much promise of free stuff over the net, many people no longer consider a giveaway legitimate. I must have seen a “win a PS3/Wii/Xbox360 ad at least 5 times this week. You will need to convince people of the legitimacy of the giveaway.
With $50, I think you can try to submit to some higher PR directories with featured links. And then submit to any free directories.
try contest sites & forums...just google you'll find them. don't know how stable your traffic will be though after the contest
Make your own blog. It's easy and you'll be able to announce things like your contest easily. You can mention your contest in blog comments; but it's usually better to tell some bloggers about your contest (by emailing them). This will give you some almost-free publicity and will bring them something to tell.
If u want i can give u some links to forums where i know a lot of people would be interested. just pm me sometime
Well, as I look to your forums my first impressions were: 1) rude avatar (to scare me off) 2) red warnings for me to get BANNED if I do something bad. To me it looks like the contest maker is more interested in keeping away 'cheaters' that he has ignored that 'legitimate people' could be interested. As I started reading more, there were ORDERS rather than words with pleasant tone. Instead of seeing text like "In order to participate, you'd need to write" I saw this: "You write...". You write? Who are you to tell me what I write You get my point. Then it continues (with big red text): "Make sure you use proper spelling and grammar. I don't want to have to correct every entry, so use your spellchecker." - That sounds like you are thinking like "I don't give a shite if you don't do as I say". How about using words such as: "The better grammar you use, the better chances you have in the contest"? Then it gets quite odd in the end! "I will then [1st day] PM you for your contact information. If I get no response, I will draw another name, so remember to check your PM's (you can change your profile settings so you get an email when somebody PM's you)." What if I cannot access to my computer 1st day, and I'm only available the next day? Or after 3 days? Or what if I'm a young boy whose family is going to a 1 week trip on that time? Wouldn't it be fair to EMAIL people? Or just give them bit more time? It would be fair also to PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE the winner. "Hiding" the winner this way sounds bit fishy. P.S. I could I attend if I would pay the mail delivery costs to Finland? I think it could be fair deal to people outside US Hope these comments help.
I think it will be better to interact in other well known gaming forums, reply queries and help the members to know more. But before that go through the forums guidelines, if you feel that there is a chance to promote your site, and then you can proceed else search for another one. I know this process is little lengthy but would be very useful and targeted. Yaa, there are other ways to promote which other members already discussed here like start a blog and comments on gaming blog, directories submission, article submission, social book marking, contest and definitely press release. Btw, If you have just started your forum then check my 2nd signature link for more. If you need help then pls. let me know.
Good points. Basically though if a person is a good writer, then the rules shouldn't scare him/her away. I kind of want them to scare away the bad people. I don't want to give a Wii to somebody that can't even pass English class. As far as the winner goes, I was planning on posting it on the forums as well. You say it would be fair to email them, well if they can check their email they can check their PM's. They know the end date, so they will have to be prepared for it. If they won't be able to use the Internet for a few days, they should be smart enough to let me know ahead of time.
Could you still consider re-phrasing your statement? In my experience 'being polite to people' can achieve the same results, and more Even though you wouldn't want to give prize to those who cannot write proper English there's no reason not to mention that in more polite manner. You are making an assumption from your own point-of-view. The next tip I'm giving here will probably be the most important rule you can ever hear in marketing, business, customer service and so on: see the situation from client's point-of-view. In your case this would mean that 'you will do all the necessary effort to make sure people are happy to join your contest'. You assume that checking emails or PMs is the same - when (for some people) it really isn't. I for example would be interested in getting a Wii, but I wouldn't like to make sure I need to check my PM in specific date - since it would be so easy for let people know by email. One could ask: "If he can PM me, certainly he can email me"? From your reply I can see you are an intelligent person - but perhaps think a bit that others 'should follow the rules or go away' (in this contest). While it's fine to be strict at times, sometimes "my way or highway" attitude makes one lose more than necessary. If you read this sentence, and the suggestions I've given you so far - can you come up with a better solution where things would be more smooth for those who enter the contest - rather than only for you who host the contest? I'm sure you can find a win-win situation where everybody wins - and that helps people actually joining your contest as you wanted.
Couple of more suggestions. I noticed this rule: Umm... what's the point announcing Feb 28th (in the other chapters) if you are basically saying that the contest can end like 2009? Sounds fishy Then the second (maybe most important thing): what exactly would I need to do in order to participate in the contest? Do I need to write some article and email you? Or can I write a blog post and email you the link to article? Or should I write article in the forums? While this might sound stupid to you, not everybody knows what's happening on those forums. Give a very specific instructions on 'what you need to do in order to enter to contest and how you do that'. You might even write 1 or 2 sentences, make them bold and display the line before telling anything else.
A press release may also help build awareness but will not necessarily convert to sales. Your best best might be retailers who sell the Wii and they make take your purchase as a giveaway or something or added value or as a valued accessory. We all like accessories for our gadgets!! Try that line and contact those who sell it well and try to piggyback. You have nothing to loose and much to gain! Regards Robert Objective Marketing London P.S. There are no quick fixes unless you are giving away the Wii at a lower market value.