Embracing Rafflecopter

For over a year, I watched as fellow authors launched Rafflecopter giveaways on their blogs and Facebook pages. I even participated in several of those giveaways and was pleasantly surprised by the increase in FB likes and Twitter followers. Friends encouraged me to launch my own Rafflecopter, but I hesitated and produced a litany of excuses, among them:

I don’t have a new book to launch.

I’m too busy with edits.

It looks a lot of work and follow-up on my part.

I’ll let the blog tour company deal with all of that.

To be truthful, I just didn’t want to deal with one more new thing in my life. Content to drift, I had the reverse of the Shiny Object Syndrome.

This past spring, I faced the launch of two books within a short timeline, and I couldn’t afford to coast any longer. So, I decided to embrace the Rafflecopter madness and hosted my first giveaway for the Countdown Blog of A Season for Killing Blondes. Pleased with the results, I created a Rafflecopter for the Cover Reveal of The Coming of Arabella.

Once I entered the site, I found it very user-friendly. A few simple clicks and within minutes, a giveaway is born!

Basic How-To

1. Visit http://Rafflecopter.com and create your Rafflecopter account.

2. Click on “New Giveaway” and follow the prompts to enter your prize information, entry options, and the start and end dates of your giveaway.

3. Once you’ve entered the giveaway information, click the “Preview and Install” button. This will generate the HTML code so you (and other bloggers) can embed the giveaway widget on websites.

4. Rafflecopter keeps tracks of all the entries, randomly selects the winner(s), and makes it simple to verify winning entries.

Tips

• Select an appropriate prize, keeping in mind that additional shipping charges may be incurred if winners live in other countries. I avoid this problem by giving Amazon and Starbucks gift cards. Free eBooks work well for authors on a budget.

• Include an entry for tweeting and give it a higher entry value than the rest of your entries. While some people may be reluctant to tweet your giveaway because they don’t want too many entries, they may change their minds when they see the possibility of additional points.

• Limit the number of entry options. According to a Rafflecopter survey, giveaways featuring 3 to 6 entry options work best. If you present too many options, some people may be overwhelmed and not bother entering.

• Include an option that does not involve social media, keeping in mind that not everyone is on Twitter and Facebook. One example – What is your favorite color?

• Set a realistic timeline for your giveaway. For major prizes such as iPads, consider a month-long giveaway. For countdown tours and cover reveals, a shorter timeline of one week to ten days works best.

• Take advantage of the “Invent Your Own Option” entry. You could include joining a mailing list.

• Enter your own giveaway once it has gone live and check all links.

• Notify your winner as soon as possible. Email the winner twice and check his/her social media links before picking a new winner.

Here is a sneak peek at the Rafflecopter Giveaway for the cover reveal of The Coming of Arabella – Tuesday, July 14, 2015.

Any other Rafflecopter tips and experiences to share?