Guest Blog: How to Win Giveaways

I thought this blog post was quite interesting. I haven't every won anything online or through a blog but MAYBE after this, I will. :-) This is from barefoothippiegirl. - Rejoicing in the Present 

Ps. I now that I have shared the secret, I'm sure I never will win again. :-) 

How to Win a Giveaway

I can't say I'm an expert, but since I started entering blog giveaways last summer I've won:

a Cradle Rock cd

Neesee's Dress

Deibel 8x10 photograph

a book that changed my life 

5 Caroline G necklaces-in white, navy, purple, coral, and red

A Scoggins Noggins handmade knit hat

A random candle holder

Plus, a Starbucks gift card

a Target gift card

AND ad space on multiple blogs. Not bad...

Based on this impressive list, you'd probably think I entered a ton of giveaways and that I do every possible entry option. Or that I'm extremely lucky. Or that I have a strategy that works.

Or all of the above.

Except, I really don't enter that many giveaways. But, I do have a strategy.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But, I'd say I've done pretty well.

And, I'm all about telling secrets, that are meant to be shared. So here are my winning secrets...

1. Pick the social media sites you want to follow as a win option. Personally, I always follow on Twitter and Pinterest. 

Since I follow on Twitter I still get to see new blog posts and shop offerings, and I have often started following a blog regularly because of clicking to it over and over from Twitter. And I make it a point to go through Twitter everyday, at least once or twice, scanning all the tweets of the past hour or two. This allows me to interact with the people I follow, making friends. Not just following for a giveaway.

And, generally, by following someone new on Pinterest, my horizons get opened to pins that I wouldn't normally pick for myself. Win-win.

2. Do the check out the shop/leave a comment option. It is fun to see what people are making. How do you know you even want to win a product from their shop if you don't know what they are offering?

3. On the multiple giver-giveaways, I make sure I click all the entires of the people I already follow on various social media. It is a free entry, though sometimes it is a forgotten one.

4. Enter the low number entry giveaways. Statistically speaking, in the giveaways with less entries, your chances of winning are higher. Math-you knew it would help you someday...

5. Only spend time entering the giveaways you want to enter. Not all giveaways are created equal. Nor do all contain things you really want. So, if you really don't want a month's supply of natural vitamins, don't enter that giveaway.

What I don't do:

I don't follow on Instagram-I'm not on Instagram. 

And I generally don't do FB follow options either. FB follow options are illegal. It is breaking FB rules. 

I don't follow blogs because that can get really overwhelming. (I heard of someone following 1000s of blogs. Really?) I think you can find good blogs this way, but I think there are other ways to find good blogs too.

I don't usually tweet about the giveaway for extra entries. 

And I never cheat. 

I have heard of bloggers and shop owners running giveaways, picking a winner, checking the winner's winning entry, and finding that they actually didn't do the winning option. Sometimes they have to pick  number after number before they find someone honest. This is bad, people. Bad! I won't follow a blog, or FB, or Instagram, or tweet for extra entries, and neither will I lie, and say I have. Cheating does not get you ahead in the long run. Remember that.

Off my soap box...

Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, sometimes I sing the Blues...

What have you won in a giveaway? What are your tips?