Is It Luck? 4 Tips To Win Giveaways

I have amazing giveaway luck. I’ve been entering them for about a year and have won no less than 10. Really, I’ve lost count. Just in the last few weeks, I’ve won three giveaways! I can hardly believe it. It seems like everything I enter lately, I win!

I Won… A Pet Bed!

Several weeks ago, I won a large rouge & blush Kakadu Pet Adventure Mat over at A Wrestling Addicted Mommy. It’s just as cute as it looks and pretty amazing. It’s durable, washable and comfortable. The Westie, Maltese, cat and 15 month old all highly enjoy its addition to our living room. I know it’s an OUTDOOR mat, but because it’s so easy to wash, it makes for a great indoor pet bed.

The large is $50. It’s a bit much for our smallish animals, so if I were to get one, I’d buy the small at $35. For the quality and durability, I think it’s worth the price. Ask me again in a year. We’ll see how much wear and tear it goes through.

I Won… Textures!

Toward the end of August, I was notified I won the Love that Shot Olde World Textures Giveaway! I was especially excited about this. I LOVE all the freebie textures peppered throughout the site and knew I’d love this product. Love that Shot members also receive 50% off all textures or photo veils!

Mouseover to see SOOC shot.

I desaturated the SOOC a bit using adjustment layers, then applied Love That Shot’s Textures:
Verona – Screen – 33%; used 40% soft brush & layer mask to remove the effect from the acme writing and some of the lines.
Bordeaux – Soft Light – 69%

A lot of these textures are very artistic, with beautiful leaves and patterns going down one side or framing the shot. Here’s my attempt at using some:

Mouseover to see SOOC shot.

Monteverdi – 70% – Overlay
Riviera – 45% – Overlay

I’m a month behind on my photo editing, so I’m sure I’ll find some opportunities to practice more with these textures. They’re high quality and absolutely worth the price, especially so if you become a member.

I Won… A Photographic Workshop!

Most recently I won Kelly Willette’s Find YOUR Joy mini e-journey at I Heart Faces. (That’s my second giveaway win through them!) It’s a 3 week course about self-exploration with the camera. I’m especially excited about this since the focus is not going to be on technique as much as photographing myself and the things in my life. I feel terribly uninspired lately and a little burned out, which makes excitement about photography difficult. This class starts in a week and will surely motivate me!

How Do You Win So Many Giveaways?

Is it luck? I’m not sure. If it isn’t, I’ve decided to share my “secrets” with you. These are rules and guidelines I adhere to for nearly every giveaway I enter. I win often enough that I feel utilizing these tips make a difference.

1. Enter every way possible.
   Usually, you must comment on the post to enter and can submit additional entries by following through social media avenues, tweeting the giveaway, blogging about the giveaway or subscribing to the newsletter or RSS. Some blogs get creative with how entries must be submitted, but it’s usually the same and usually doesn’t take more than 5 minutes total (with the exception of the blog post.) If you have a weekly link round-up, it’s easy to collect giveaway links to write about it. I personally find blog posts that are nothing more than, “Hey, I entered this giveaway!” to be annoying.
2. Want the product.
   Would you buy this product or service if you had the extra cash to burn? Do you know what you’ll do with the product if you win it? I made the mistake early on of entering almost every giveaway that came my way. As a result, I got some stuff that I wasn’t sure what to do with and took up space in my cabinets or closets. That’s not really fair to the people who do truly want the product they’re trying to win.
3. Be happy to support the blogger.
   I have a problem with blogs that are nothing but giveaways. If I go to a blog and there’s more than one giveaway on the front page posts (not just a giveaway links section) I am not very likely to enter that giveaway. They’re probably not offering something I want anyway – some cheap little trinket designed just to lure in customers. Blogs like that aren’t ones I want to support as the blogger doesn’t care about content or their reputation and just wants to make easy money. I’m not comfortable tweeting out to the world or worse, linking on Facebook, to drivel such as that.
4. Be happy to support the sponsor.
   Is this company someone you’d be happy to recommend to your family and friends? You’re likely going to if you follow rule #1. Take a moment and research the company if you’ve never heard of them. Do they sound cool or sketchy? I personally like supporting small companies, working moms or talented individuals. (Also, the smaller the company, usually the more awesome the giveaway.)

Okay! I’m Ready to Enter Giveaways!

Here are the recent giveaways I’ve entered or others I’ve noticed going on right now:

• Love That Shot’s Leather Revolution Giveaway – An amazing hand-made cute floral cuff bracelet. Just go click over there and look at the pictures. Seriously, it’s the cutest thing ever. If I won it, I’d be tempted to frame it.
• I Heart Faces Moirai Compositor Giveaway – Looks like a simple, fun way to storyboard your photos!

Giveaway Suggestions by Zemanta
(I’m trying out this service. Whenever you see Zemanta recommendations, I’ve reviewed the article – it’s just like any other link I recommend.)

• Taking The Next Step with Your Photography (betterinbulk.net)
• Giveaway: Win a Pillsbury My Sweet Sunday Gift Pack (momblognetwork.com)
• Engadget’s back to school giveaway, part one: win $1,500 worth of gear! (engadget.com)
• Giveaway Time! Win a La Mer Bali Stud Wrap Watch From Their New Collection (secondcitystyle.typepad.com)

Are You Hosting a Giveaway?

Please link up!

Question Time!

Have you tried entering giveaways before? What’s your success with them? Do you feel giveaways help or hurt bloggers overall?