Being a fan of online giveaways and contests, I’ve experienced it all. From tedious mechanics (and I’m guilty of this when we had our giveaway over at our food blog) to very easy tasks such as simply liking a Facebook page. There has been a remarkable increase in the amount of participants lately. My Facebook feed is a proof of that. 😀 Since these contests and giveaways are there for a reason (read: exposure), sponsors or hosts need all the help they can get to further get organized with how they verify and pick their winners.
Ever since Rafflecopter was launched, I noticed that a ton more companies and bloggers are hosting their own giveaways (in fact, I joined one that’s currently running until the 13th of May – win $500 Paypal cash). And that’s a great thing, though I only won twice and the prizes weren’t as significant as an iPad or Paypal cash. 😀
I’ve only used Rafflecopter once in a giveaway over at my personal blog. I’ve had a couple of giveaways the past year, but there were mechanics or steps that were required that I can’t do yet with Rafflecopter back then. Now, the application / widget has improved a lot, even including an easier way for you to register, by connecting your Facebook account.
If I love Rafflecopter so much, why is this post’s title “a half-rant” then? It’s not actually about Rafflecopter since I have no complaints against them. It’s for the hosts. Okay, it’s not actually a rant, but a couple of inquiries.
Why are you not using the Extra Info section?
There’s a reason why it’s there. Help us out! Be more detailed with the instructions by using this field for those steps that are not already pre-programmed into Rafflecopter. It’ll save you a lot of time and effort since participants won’t continuously ask you to clarify your mechanics.
Why are you not checking all the links if they work?
Imagine spending hours going through a ton of steps for entries in a giveaway to hopefully get it over with, only to find out that ONE link is not working (to a Facebook page, blog, etc). Frustrating, isn’t it? And when you ask questions, it takes the host or the sponsors to act on it.
In my opinion, it should be the giveaway hosts / sponsors’ responsibility to check that. That’s why I admire giveaway groups who are so organized.
Why do you use Rafflecopter for the mechanics and not use it to announce winners?
I don’t understand this. I see giveaway hosts who use other desktop applications and even Random.org to pick the winner (FYI, Rafflecopter uses Random.org). I mean why go through all the hassle of setting up your giveaway on Rafflecopter and NOT use it to pick the winner?
Is it because you don’t know how to pick a random winner through Rafflecopter? I doubt it since you’ve already gone through the setup process, which is a bit more demanding.
What I do is this: I pick a winner and then I verify his/her entries. It’s easier that way. If there’s one thing the first winner missed, I pick a new one. And all that’s transparent.
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Am I alone in these rants / complaints? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and I thank sponsors / hosts of giveaways. The main reasons why I pointed out everything I listed above was also for their own good. I’m a giveaway sponsorship addict myself and it’ll really save us all the trouble if we let Rafflecopter do its magic through and through, don’t you think?
Speaking of giveaways, I have one upcoming generously sponsored by House of Flair, one of my favorite online stores. The prize is a necessity for proper makeup application. That’s a hint!
PLUS, we’ll have an anniversary giveaway over at Certified Foodies, and another giveaway here on my blog to celebrate…. oh, wait. Both blogs are celebrating their 2nd anniversary! Yay! 🙂 Stay tuned!
My only rant about Rafflecopter is that the time settings used are for the US. Not sur if this has changed already since I’ve heard there have been improvements recently. But I hope they could also add an option where time settings can be applied to those living on the other end of the world. =)