Since you’re a blog reader, you’ve probably seen some giveaways across the pages of many sites.  Some of you have mentioned to me that you’re intimidated by the giveaway form or you just don’t know how to do it.  It’s really simple to enter using these forms and you can win some great prizes!   Here are the basics.  It may seem like a lot of steps, but remember that you can do as much (or as little) as you want.  The more entries you complete, the more chances you have to win.  Remember, you can’t win if you don’t enter! 

There are lots of different giveaway forms on blogs these days.  Some blogs still have a comment-only system, but I don’t prefer those.  It’s much easier to use a form because it’s just clickable.  My favorite is Rafflecopter so I’ll be using that one for the examples.  The other forms are pretty self-explanatory once you get the hang of it.  Once you do this a few times, you’ll be a pro.  You’ll also probably be addicted to it!  I can’t guarantee you’ll win each one, but these are some tips to give you a pretty good shot at getting some prizes.

1.  Read the terms.  The biggest thing is making sure you’re eligible to win.  Some giveaways are open to only US readers, only Canadian readers, residents of certain states, and so on.  I’m guilty of missing this part.  On most giveaway forms, the terms are located near the bottom in the fine print.  Just take a peek before you start.

2.  Log in via social media (probably Facebook).  Most forms have you log in through Facebook, but you’ll also have the ability to log in via email. I prefer Facebook because it keeps a record of the sites I like, which in turn reduces the number of times I have to click.   Once you do this, follow the blog’s page through Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media.   MAKE SURE that you use an email that you check DAILY.  More than once, I’ve received a winner notification and missed the deadline to respond, thus missing out on the prize.  Now I have a dedicated email address that I use only for giveaways and newsletters.

3.  Tweet about it.  This is often a daily entry which provides you with bonus chances to win.  If you bookmark the giveaway (more about that in #5), you can easily tweet when you have a few extra minutes.   There’s usually a pre-scripted message to tweet.  Just find the URL to your tweet by clicking the time stamp.  If you right-click on it, you can copy the link and then easily paste it into the form.

4.  Look for other daily entries.  There are often “freebie” entries available.  The other simple one is a Picket Fence vote, which requires only one click.  It’s so easy to do this and it really helps the blogger!

5.  Bookmark the giveaways you like.  It’s often easiest to find giveaways through a linky, such as a blog hop or giveaway page.  Searching online often turns up some good results but it can be overwhelming.  It’s also easy to follow people who enter giveaways to see what they tweet about. Here’s my link if you want to follow me!   As for which giveaways to enter, it’s up to you. Some people like to go for the big prizes, others go for smaller items.  I bookmark giveaways when the prize is something I’d like to have myself or would enjoy giving as a gift.   My bookmarks are labeled with the giveaway end date, so I can delete whenever that date has passed.  Come up with a system that works for you.

Ready to get started?  I have many giveaways running right now!   Good luck!