I host a lot of giveaways here at Happily Blended, mostly because giveaways are part of my way of making others happy. I know that wining an item makes ME happy so why not allow my readers a chance to win an item, right? Well not only does hosting giveaways make others happy but it can boost your traffic and I’m going to share with you why.

First, if you do not currently host giveaways and are interested in learning how to get started I can assist you in that, simply contact me and we can go from there. Second, if you already host giveaways or are interested please read on …

Why Host a Giveaway:

• Makes others happy.
• Creates new subscriber, loyal readers and comments.
• Is fun to work with brands that you love.
• If you enjoy working hard and are motivated to promote your giveaway.

Why Not To Host a Giveaway:

• Strictly to boost traffic (some giveaways result in false traffic stats)
• If you can’t handle strict procedures the brand may request you follow.
• If you are a new blogger because you should gain a loyal reader base first, UNLESS your blog is strictly a giveaway and/or review blog.

How To Host a Giveaway:

There are a variety of ways to host a giveaway, but what has worked best for me is to first ensure you are meeting the requirements (if any) set forth by the brand you are working with. Always try to ask the reader to visit the business’ website as a first entry or at least one of the entry requirements. Giveaways should last no shorter than 7 days and no longer than 21 days to ensure optimal exposure for the business and your blog.

Add in your entry requirements to have the entrants blog about your giveaway linking to both your site and the business site (boosts SEO with inbound links). Be certain to ask entrants to subscribe to your blog or newsletter as an extra entry. Be certain not to require readers to subscribe to a newsletter or website (unless directed by the business itself) as I have found people (including myself) don’t like being forced to subscribe to a newsletter for a giveaway. Have the entrants link back to your blog from their site some how, wheher it be a blogroll link or a button on their sidebar (boosts SEO inbound links).

How To Really Increase Traffic With a Giveaway

Simple as I can say it “promote, promote, promote”! Promoting your giveaway is where the work comes into play. I submit all of my giveaways to over 50 places and this list has been a life saver for me. Having a list of sites to submit to (that are free to list) makes my life easier as I can simply open the document and submit my giveaway each time I have a new one. Takes me a little bit of time and is well worth it in the long run.

Since using my list of Giveaway Submission Sites I have grown my traffic nearly double in size and those that subscribe for giveaway reasons 9 times out of 10 actually read my other blog posts!

Overview

In a nutshell; hosting giveaways is a great way to boost your traffic stats, loyal readers and comments. If you are interested in having my Giveaway Submission Site list you can get it by clicking here. I promise you that using my list of giveaway submission sites as well as who and how to submit your giveaways on Twitter, or taking the time to create your own will save you time and create a boost in traffic like you’ve never seen before!

Make it a Happy Day!