How To NOT Blog About A Giveaway For Extra Entries
I want to say first, that I appreciate SO much the people who come and visit me and enter my giveaways. The giveaways are fun and provide a small reward for you for putting up with my nonsense. But I’ve developed a little bit of a pet peeve and I need to tell you about it.
In my giveaways, usually for an extra entry (or three), I ask that you blog about the giveaway on your own blog. The purpose of this is to give extra exposure to the sponsoring company and a little bit of linky love exposure for me. I let my readers get three extra entries for putting in the effort of writing up a blog post.
I had a reader enter one of my contests today with extra blog entries. I followed the link to their blog and found a HUGE post full of this:
This isn’t even the whole post. The “blog” about my giveaway is there, highlighted in green.
Let me say, copy and pasting a Twitter TWEET is NOT blogging. It does not constitute “blogging about the giveaway.” It’s just a lazy way of gaining extra entries to a contest. This also does not follow the rule of linking to me AND my sponsor. I don’t know how the other contest sites feel about being lumped together with a TON of “re-tweets” and one line “blogs,” but I sure don’t think it’s cool. It completely defeats the purpose and takes away from the bloggers actually trying to win by following the rules by creating mutually beneficial blog content for their readers.
Additionally, “blogs” that just say something like “go enter this contest at mommy23monkeys to win a diamond ring,” don’t count either.
From now on, I will be sure to follow the links to those claiming to have “blogged” about a contest. If it’s not a “real” post following the guidelines of linking to me and the sponsor, the entries will be deleted. If I have to get real specific and put a word count requirement on it, I will. I’ve been doing this long enough now to not fall for the fakers.
Honestly, I would say you need to be more clear about what you feel is “blogging about a giveaway”. While I do agree copy/pasting a retweet doesn’t qualify as it doesn’t meet the link requirements, I often highlight giveaways in my Sunday Spotlight blog posts, usually 5 – 10, those I count as extra entries into “blog this giveaway”. I do follow the requirement of linking sponsor and blog if asked. I don’t disqualify entrants that do this in my giveaways either.
That’s just one of those areas you have to be specific on what you as the giveaway host qualifies as blogging an entry, minimum word count, etc.
You seriously ROCK! I think that more of us who do reviews and giveaways need to crack down on this! Nothing annoys the hell outta me more than seeing someone win one of my giveaways with an extra entry they received for “blogging” about the giveaway with one sentence…BS and I’m glad you called that person on it!
Does it even link back to you when it’s like that? I wouldn’t mind if I got some link love out of it…BUT I can see the bloggers that do take the time to write an actual post with links in it. And to be honest isn’t the giveaways for them so it’s best to be fair? GAH! LOL I think what you did is best for you so props!
I normally don’t do the whole blog about it entries. I did on the Kodak Visa thing and I said if you copy my post or whatever I will disqualify your comments. And I meant them allllll.
I do extra entries for a blog post but I am the type that don’t really care if they don’t give me a whole post for my giveaway. A blurb is all i want with of course the link back to me and sponsor.
I do agree that copying a tweet on your blog don’t count. maybe contact the blog owner and explain to her what you want maybe she really don’t know and its a honest mistake.
What Kills me is those that enter and just say “ENTER ME” UGh I want to scream! At least take time to read it! LOL
Wow, I would be pod too. I think that is kinda a slap in the face considering how much time goes into the reviews and giveways !
Oh gosh that’s really crazy. That reminds me that I need to check some links as well.
The copying and pasting from Twitter is pretty bad. When I blog about a giveaway – which has become my Link ‘Em Thursdays, I point out some giveaways with a one liner
Enter to win a set of Scholastic Books from Mommy23Monkeys.
KWIM? Is that too little? Of course, it’s linked where it’s supposed to be *sponsor and hosting blog*.
The other side of the fence, I’ve had people COPY AND PASTE my entire post….and use that for blogging. WTF? I think that happens a lot too.
I don’t give this option all of the time. The times that I have given the option, I never really made it clear that they had to write a sentence/paragraph or whatever.
As long as they post a link to my giveaway then I am cool with it.
I am more annoyed with the ones that start twitter accounts just to post giveaway links. Most of the ones I checked don’t have followers.
But then again, I never give rules that you must have a butt load of followers OR ANY for that matter.
I guess I should clarify a little. I really don’t mind a summary post with a couple sentences, and being in a group of other giveaways. But it should at least meet the linking requirements and I guess I just expect a tiny amount of effort.
I don’t know. I was sleepy last night and this just irked me wrong. lol
When I gave away a couple of my cooler things I used to add at the end of my post something like:
Want a chance to win another Keruig? Hunka Hunka Burning Blogger is giving one away as well!
I would find all I could and list them all there. Now, tell me, out of curiosity, would that be okay with you? Or would you feel bugged because the part specifically about your blog was just a one-liner?
I mainly did it for my friends/readers to get more chances if they were really interested. Still, I entered those giveaways because, hey, I want a Keurig! I don’t want to irritate the bloggers I actually support, know what I mean?
I think I was just extra irritated last night. lol I really don’t mind a summary type post listing more than one giveaway, as long as all links are there (me and sponsor). I’ve gotten ton of “extra entries” that don’t include the links, and those are really the whole point of offering the extra entries. The link love.
The above sample, had no links except to the post and my twitter. No link to a sponsor.
Like I said, maybe I was just extra crabby last night.
I with the gals that told you to clarify. ha ha. Tweeting is obviously not blogging. I have been doing lump giveaway posts for the week and making sure to get the link love for the blog and the company if requested. On my giveaways, as long as they link I’m happy
Swear it wasn’t me. LOL I just started my blog tonight. But, I promise, I’m not counting any of those as extra entries into any sweepstakes. It’s more a way for me to keep track of my daily tweets instead of having to go through all of Twitter.
I completely understand though why you’d be upset!