Rules of the Contest Prize Delivery - Part 7 of An Aud Life dot Com
First of all allow me to apologize or the delay in following up on this post. As you know we are launching our new service called SyndicateKahuna and with everything else going on, there just does not seem to be enough time in the day! Ya, ya,ya… I know.. stop my whining and excuses!
In the previous lesson of this series I talked about how to “Protect Yourself Before You Start a Contest“, today I am going to get into setting up the rules of the contest.
I also have a cool new plugin that is almost complete that I am going to be giving all of you for free that will help organize contests… I hope to have this to you by Friday but Hurricane IKE has caused some delays with our Houston office.
Setting Up the Rules:
This is certainly one area that I am learning from each and every time I run a contest. Each time there seems to be someone that finds some loophole and puts us into a scramble. The main issue arises from the fact that the internet is “world wide” (hmmmm could that be why it is called the “World Wide Web”?) and if you have any physical products that you are giving as prizes, this can really turn into a nightmare.
This is not really an issue if you do not already own the prize you are giving away, as you can offer a cash alternative… but this is not always possible and often times you can get discounts on prizes or get them for free because of the contest will promote them and having to give a cash alternative will be a revenue loss for you.
It is not always possible to give cash as well, many countries still struggle with things like PayPal and there for you will end up having to do wires or something like that.. and this can be a pain.. especially when you consider the return on investment if those countries provide next to no traffic to your site.
The following are the Top 6 questions to ask yourself about setting up your rules for the Prize Awarding?
1. Who is your target audience and where are they located?
If you target only customers in the USA for example… well then this makes it easy. Simply set the rules that participants must live in the USA. If however you have customers and readers from all over the world, then it changes this dramatically.
2. Is Shipping Required?
If the prizes are physical, then you need to consider how you are going to ship the prizes to the winners. One option is to have the winner pay the shipping and handling … which is not uncommon but will frustrate some people so MAKE SURE to clearly communicate this. If the product needs to be shipped then you need to understand if you are willing to pay the international shipping costs or not.
3. Can a Cash Alternative Be Given?
Often times if the prizes have not been donated or bought already, you can offer a cash alternative. You need to make it clear how the cash alternative will be given, make sure to specify that it will only be given that way and there are no exceptions. You also need to state what the cash alternative is, just because it is a cash alternative, you do not need to give the equivalent value in cash… its your rules and you can set them how you feel makes sense and just make sure you set them clear.
4. Is There a Time Limit?
Whether it be spam filters, natural disasters or just bad luck (which really is the first two as well), the fact is that some people will not find out that they won until months later… and then they want to claim the prize. You need to clearly state whether or not there is a time limit for accepting the prize and if there is then make it clear. I personally think 4 weeks is more than fair enough but do not leave it open ended… you do not want a surprise email 6 months later 
You also need to state whether a new winner will be selected or will the prize be kept for a new draw.. or just not given away! Its your call but just make sure you are clear and up front about everything.
5. Whats the Delivery Time?
This one has bit me in the behind more than once. People want their prizes NOW and if you do not tell them the estimated time for delivery up front, then you are going to create a very frustrating situation. Even if the prize is cash via PayPal… give yourself some breathing room. You are going to want to give at minimum a 7 day delivery window and if it is a physical product then a 4 to 5 week window is appropriate. If the person gets it earlier then you will make them even happier
6. Who is Responsible for Delivering the Prizes?
This is very important to make clear as well. If you are delivering the prizes then tell them that and give them a way to contact you about it. If however someone else sponsored the prizes and they will be handling the delivery, then get the contact info off them that the winner needs. Make it clear that you are not handling the prizes and who it is they need to contact. Obviously they can still contact you if after a certain amount of time they have not heard back from the person.
IMPORTANT –> You also need to pay attention to any sponsor additions that are donated and clarify with the sponsor all the same criteria.
So there you have it.. the 6 important questions you need to ask yourself before setting the rules for the prize delivery. In the next lesson I am going to cover setting up the contest criteria for people to actually participate.
For the contest we are going to hold at http://www.anaudlife.com, the prizes are going to be physical prizes that can only be shipped within Canada and the USA however, the audience is world wide and so there will be a cash alternative based on the exact cost for the product that we would have to pay.. minus the shipping. This does not include any extra sponsored gifts that might get added by others… only the initial prizes.
The deliver will be 4 weeks and the winners will have exactly 30 days to redeem the prize. The 30 days is not to the minute… if we receive it within a few days of the 30 we may award it but we will make it clear that it is 30 days. If however 7 days later or more.. then NO, the prize will not be awarded and a new winner will be selected. Last of all, we will be responsible for the delivery of the prizes and we will create a separate email address to handle this issue.
Anything you think I overlooked?
- Part 1 - Planning Your Promotion Strategy
- Part 2 - Understanting the How and Where of Your Promotion Strategy
- Part 3 - Planning the Subscriber Traffic Strategy
- Part 4 - Planning a Contest to Get the Buzz Going
- Part 5 - Planning the Contest Criteria
- Part 6 - Protect Yourself Before You Start a Contest
- Part 7 - Rule of the Contest Prize Delivery
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Thanks for these tips!
I haven’t used physical products on my blog as prizes yet. But got to remember these when I do.
The delivery of the product migh tbe a problem as I live in Finland.. If I was sending the prize myself.
BlackhatWays last blog post..Let’s Use Yahoo! Answers Part 1/2
That does sound like a huge problem considering there are a lot of people that do not live in the same country. Right now the price of shipping is really expensive so I don’t think could be a good idea to ship anywhere besides where you live. That is just a thought so I’mhappy that you brought it up.
Franklin Bishops last blog post..Blogging School Created By Franklin Bishop
Finland is very far away. You would pay a lot in shipping. Get others to sponsor it for you and get them to pay to ship it, otherwise cash is an awesome alternative
[...] Part 7 - Rule of the Contest Prize Delivery [...]
[...] Part 7 - Rule of the Contest Prize Delivery [...]
[...] Part 7 - Rule of the Contest Prize Delivery [...]
Ya ya..this contest seems so interesting. Thanks for the tips man. I am thinking of running a contest in my blog as well. Emm still looking for some idea.
Sunduvans last blog post..An Important Announcement
Thanks for the post. I am currently in the process of planning a contest. This post posed several questions that I hadn’t really considered. I will be giving physical prizes, so I will need to specify whether or not I will ship international. This is a good follow-up post. Thanks again.
Ooooh. A contest plugin that helps with organization? Looking forward to that!
I love this whole series!
Stay safe from IKE!
Cheers!
Jay
SuiteJs last blog post..5 Tips On How NOT To Prepare For Your First Ever Video Post
Glad your liking it… and sorry for the time gap on it.
I run quite a few giveaway contests on my blog (I have one going now). If I offer physical prizes then I think it would be a bit cheeky to ask for postage costs, unless I’m offering something really heavy!
Andy Baileys last blog post..I need your luv help (I pay money, senor!)
Hi Jason, we are also finding some of the people promoting our big $ contest are not doing it as we would like. The 1st prize works out to $1.50 per referral leaving it open for incentivized traffic. Will know for next time to state some rules, lol
Colin Klinkerts last blog post..Splash Pages ‘How To Guide’
That is an interesting contest you got there.
I’ve never held any contest but it’s definitely on my list because I’ve read everywhere that it’s a great way to generate readers. So this post will definitely be useful to me. Thanks!
Andre Thomass last blog post..This is Hands Down The Most Crucial Skill a Copywriter Must Possess
Setting up the rules for anything and especially web sites can be very difficult. I know what you mean when you say people find loopholes very easily. I think that is one problem with most web sites and blogs because people so easily look for these kind of things and can find them. I think you’ll find a way to stop all of these but all the good web sites out there have to deal with the same issue from the beginning and are still dealing with it today.
so true… and do not think because you are giving them something for free that they will all be nice too. Sometimes prize winners can be very impatient and rude.
This is a great post and a really worthwhile read. I look forward to your plugin so I can use it for future contests on my site
very interested in the plugin, I may end-up having a contest myself
Thanks for the tips on laying out the rules.
Normal Joes last blog post..Joel Comm’s Click Here To Order Book Exposed
[...] I was fortunate enough to interview the owner of JohnChow.com’s rival - Jason Katzenback at JohnCow.com. What I find the most exciting thing about this blog is that’s so funny, entertaining and [...]
Great tips!
I’ve actually never held a contest on my blog before, or anywhere else for that matter.
These are awesome tips and it definitely has me thinking about getting to it.
I think choosing what the prizes are going to be is the most difficult part — LOL!
Great post John!
Luis Grosss last blog post..StumbleUpon Do’s and Dont’s
I think it would be a bit cheeky to ask for postage costs, unless I’m offering something really heavy!
Any news about that contest management plugin? I’m really looking forward to it.
PJs last blog post..Remarkable Communication