Do you run giveaways on your blog? If you don’t, it’s never too late to get started. Running a giveaway is not only a great way to promote your blog or a product, but it’s also useful for increasing your Twitter followers and Facebook fans.
I’ve seen (and still see) many blogs running giveaways the old fashion way. They’ll list the entry methods in a blog post, usually requiring users to leave a comment, send out a tweet, follow on Twitter, like on Facebook, etc. Then the blog owner has to manually check each entry. Now if there are hundreds of entries, this can be an extremely time-consuming process.
Not only that, but many users will skip a giveaway altogether if it seems too daunting. A long list of entry methods is going to seem like too much work and users will not want to enter. So how can you make this easier for yourself and your users?
What many blog owners don’t know is that there are quite a few excellent tools online that can help you run a giveaway the easy way. Not only do these tools save blog owners the trouble of doing anything manually, but they also make entry easy for your users – no more long lists, entry is as quick as clicking a button.
So today I’m going to share three of those tools with you: PunchTab, Rafflecopter and WildFire. These tools will make running a giveaway on your blog a piece of cake.
PunchTab
You’ve probably heard of PunchTab’s loyalty program and reward system. However, they also have an awesome free giveaway widget that makes it really easy to run a giveaway on your blog.
When creating a giveaway through PunchTab, you will choose and customize the entry methods (as pictured above). Each method will be represented as a “step” in the entry process on your widget. Although entering via Facebook or email is required, the rest of the entry methods are optional and can be skipped.
If the product you’re giving away is really good, users will want more entries and be willing to follow, like, +1, pin, etc.
Entry methods for PunchTab giveaways include:
- Follow – you can enter multiple Twitter accounts for users to follow
- Tweet – create a custom tweet for users to retweet
- Comment – ask a question that users will be able to answer in your blog comments area
- Become a fan – you can enter multiple Facebook pages for users to become fans of
- Like – you can enter multiple URLs for users to like
- Google +1 – you can enter multiple URLs for users to +1 on Google+
- Question – you can ask a private question for users; answers will only be visible to you through PunchTab
- Visit – enter a URL for users to visit
- Download – add a file for users to download
- Pinterest – enter an image for users to pin; you will need to specify the page URL, image URL and description of item
PunchTab lets you customize the order of your entry methods. Upon completion you’ll get the code snippet to paste into your blog page or post. You can also add the giveaway to your Facebook page as a new app (with the click of a button) and/or get a sidebar widget to help promote your giveaway.
When your giveaway is over, you can choose a winner or have PunchTab choose one for you. You’ll also have access to the email address collected from the widget and if you have a Constant Contact account, there’s an option to export email address there as well.
Rafflecopter
Another popular free giveaway widget comes from Rafflecopter. The widget’s look is a bit different from PunchTab. Instead of going through a process when entering, users can see all entry methods at once. This allows them to pick which entries to use, rather than being taken step-by-step through each one.
Like PunchTab, users can enter via Facebook or by email, so they won’t be forced to have a Facebook account. The Rafflecopter widget has two tabs: one containing the entry methods and the other with a recent activity feed. Under recent activity your users can see others that have entered and how many entries they’ve received.
As you’ll notice from the screenshot above, at first glance Rafflecopter doesn’t appear to have as many entry methods as PunchTab. You can choose: blog comment, Facebook page like, tweet, Twitter follow, or create your own task.
However, the “choose your own task” option can be used for many things. For instance you can enter your Google+ URL and allow users to add you to their circles, or maybe you may want to enter your RSS feed URL and require users to subscribe. The possibilities are only as limited as your creativity.
With Rafflecopter you can choose a winner as well or have Rafflecopter choose it for you. They also provide a detailed report (in a spreadsheet format) of each user and entry methods – making it easy verify the validity of entries.
Unlike PunchTab, when the giveaway is over Rafflecopter will display the winner(s) on the widget. So anyone that goes back to the widget after the giveaway has ended will be able to see who has won.
Wildfire
Jan 2018 update: Wildfire is no longer commercially available after being acquired by Google
Wildfire is the most powerful and advanced tool of the three on this list. I haven’t used Wildfire personally, but I know a few bloggers that have and love absolutely love it. With Wildfire you don’t just create giveaways, you create promotion campaigns.
Instead of widgets that can be pasted into blog posts and pages, Wildfire’s widget appears much like a header or toolbar at the top of your blog. When clicked, the header will open up a form (much like the one pictured below) allowing users to enter your giveaway. You can also add a new app to your Facebook page containing your giveaway form.
Unlike PunchTab and Rafflecopter, Wildfire doesn’t focus on entry methods. Users can “like” your Facebook page and send out a tweet or Facebook post about their entry, but besides filling out the entry form there are no other entry methods.
The entry form is extremely customizable. You can choose which fields to include, define eligibility requirements (age, country) and even enter a URL redirect – a page where users will go after entering.
Wildfire is great not only for giveaways and sweepstakes, but also coupons, contests (photo, essay, video), quizzes, trivia and group deals. It features a drag-and-drop interface, real-time analytics with in-depth stats and metrics, branding and design control, shopping cart integration and much more.
I’m sure you’re wondering if a tool like this is free and unfortunately, it’s not. However, there are four affordable plans to choose from. The lowest plan is just $5/promotion and $0.99 for each day that the promotion is running. With all of their advanced tools and features, this is a pretty good deal.
One thing I don’t like about Wildfire, which is related to their compatibility and not their features, is that you can’t use the website in just any old browser.
For instance, I tried to “test drive” the promotions app in Safari and I was alerted that the browser is not supported. Surprisingly, it worked just fine in Opera – a less popular browser on Mac. So just be careful which browser you try to use, should you want to test it out.
Wildfire has a deep integration with Facebook and Twitter. So when a user enters, it will show up in their Facebook feed for all of their friends to see. This means more promotion for your blog and giveaway. Facebook also has a Wildfire app that displays all giveaways and promotions running on Wildfire. So anyone that uses the app will also be able to see and enter giveaway from there.
How Do You Run Giveaways?
So how do you run giveaways on your blog? As you can see PunchTab, Rafflecopter and WildFire are three totally different tools that each have their benefits. If you’re looking for something quick and simple, then PunchTab or Rafflecopter are both great.
PunchTab is likely to get you more followers, likes, etc, because it takes each user through a process. However, Rafflecopter allows more entry methods since you can add your own tasks. It’s also nice that winners are displayed on the widget when the giveaway is over.
If you want to run a promotion, WildFire is the best way to create a campaign and track the performance. Not only will it help you to build fans and followers, but it can also help to increase sales and better engage with your users.
What is your preference? Which giveaway tool do you use and why?
Creative Commons image courtesy of Rob_Simpson
Elizabeth
Thank you for putting this together. Please consider to remove Punchtab and Wildfire from the list since it has discontinued giveaway programs. Also you are missing a lot of new giveaways apps like Gleam and Woorise.
Seanna Miriah
This was SO helpful thank you for putting this together! I was about to go with Gleam but wanted to explore other options so I appreciate the extra work you put into posting this. 🙂
Cristi
Found this article and i think i will try Rafflecopter. Ty!
Prabhat Jani
Great post mate.
Now i am going with punchtab
Developers3
Rafflecopter is easy to use for new designers.
catherine
thanks for this. been planning on running a free giveaway of a city tour of one of my friend’s blogs. we’re newbies and can’t seem to figure this part out.
Carlos
I would like a raffle that works like this: a buyer would press a button in buying item page and a rng would show a %discount amond 6 previously planned. Then buyer would use that discount result to buy item in my wordpress site. All item pages in my site will have that raffle button. Would you suggest me any software to make this work?
Admin@CydiaGuide
PunchTAB is the BEST
Vivek
I think Rafflecopter is not as good as Punch Tab. Please Add Newer Giveaway Tools
new4android
very good article.thank
kimhak
Thank for this give aways tools.
Vignesh Kumar
Gleam.io is the best giveaway tool available to host a giveaway in your blog or website. The tool is visually appealing too. But it is costly.
But they are conducting these giveaways every month for 1 year free account. You may get lucky. This month’s URL here http://bit.ly/1KDlydv
All the best !! 🙂
James Jean-Pierre
Thanks for the post. I was looking for a rafflecopter alternative, just something simple. This post helped.
Arooba
I am using Social Locker Plugin for the purpose of Free Giveaway.
Kelsey
It looks like Punchtab has discontinued contests and giveaways and now it mainly consits of data.
Ben
Hello guys,
I wish to inform you that voubs dot com said that online contests is all competitions
and games concerning consumers by placing movie, photograph or text files.
Dharmesh Khatri
You must now consider to remove punchtab from this article since it has discontinued giveaway programs
Dave
I was searching for a nice GiveAway plugin and came to this post. From the suggestions here, although there is no free option but I like to give one a try and rafflecopter seems better fit in my needs. Let’s see how it goes and will share my experience.
Asad
I am using Social Locker Plugin for the purpose of Free Giveaway.
Ara
Gelmo is another fantastic tool and punchtab is no longer exists so please update this list.
socialdashboard
Great Information! Nice post,it is really very helpful for me.One of the few articles I’ve read today.I’m saying thanks
muhammad yousuf
That is very good tips I will do it…..
Babshaybell
This post made me excited.. Actualy i wanted to run a giveaway on my blog for a long time but i dont want to make it look old fashioned just as you have Said!
Wil Optin for PunchTab.. Makes sense.
Corinna B
This was really great information and extremely helpful! I was going to try Rafflecopter but after reading this and reading all the comments I think I will try Punchtab. Thank you!!
SouthernGuyReviews
Thank you for the post, I am looking to start my giveaways tonight or tomorrow. You provided very nice information on these giveaway platforms, I appreciate your post…..Great Job!
Karen N.
Thank you so much for this post! I was looking around for an app to run my raffle!
Karen
I am doing my first ever giveaway. Your post was very helpful! Thank you! I think I will go with PunchTab.
Joseph
I like rafflecopter because they have most entry perks. Other than that it’s not the prettiest but can do a lot more. I’m curious if anyone has used splurge? Also, you can create all the contest you want but if you don’t have visitors to it, then you are not maximizing giveaway potential. I recommend online-sweepstakes.com and giveawayfrenzy.com for submitting and promoting them. Online-sweepstakes is known to delete submissions which is annoying but if it sticks you can get more traffic there than any other place.
Brittney Wilson @ The Nerdy Nurse
Thanks for this great post. I had used Rafflecopter in the past but they’ve really changed it and the free version doesn’t have very many features. The Punchtab giveaway looks pretty awesome and I’m using it for a nurses week giveaway.
M Stokes
I use Rafflecopter for my blog giveaways. But Punchtab looks pretty cool – had never seen it before.
Afzal
Punch Tab is good
Liv
Hello,
Please can you help: I would like to know how i can install punch tab for example? Can I do it myself for free or do I have to ask a developer?
Thanks!!
PrIyAnGsHu BG
I’ve been using PunchTab only to organize giveaways on my blog. I think it’s so far the best tool to host a giveaway or contest on any blog. Quite easy to promote our social profiles and add tasks for the users. Thanks for this useful post anyways.
Sam
Nice Article, Thank you.
Will Hull
I use Rafflecopter because it is easy to duplicate a giveaway and modify it for the current giveaway. It ties into Twitter and Facebook seamlessly and it gives you all of the entry data afterwards for free. It is a very easy tool to use.
Tatiana Sedliacikova
Thank you so much for the great info, Charnita 🙂
Tatiana x
Remy
Finally I can understand how to run a giveaway in my blog! Thanks for the info 🙂
Rashid Nadeem
Currently I am using punchtab and it’s good for social media aspect. I’ve seen a punchtab widget on a website which had far more options to chose than allowed by punchtab, anybody have idea?
I would like to know more websites offering giveaway services.
Jenn
Thanks for this Charnita! PunchTab is awesome. Also Compezy.com is another free and super simple alternative
deena
Can all of these be used with a free WordPress blog? I know there are certain things you can’t do with a free WordPress blog….
Anne Sweden
Unfortunately, free WordPress blogs have a lot of restrictions. One of them is that you can’t copy and paste Javascript or Flash code. That means you can’t use any of the giveaway widgets described above. My blog post covers this topic in more details: http://www.zephyrhillblog.com/2013/11/how-to-host-a-giveaway-on-a-free-wordpress-blog/
Abhay Singh
I have used punchtab on my one site sometime ago..and it works best for promoting social profiles.
My first preference is punchtab.
Krishna
Hi,
I like punchtab its nice. Am using it in my site now.
DRG
These sites make giveaways simple and easy one. 🙂
Brad Moore
Thanks for the info,Charnita! Of course, being a financial coach, I always wonder about prices. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
Charnita Fance
As far as I know, all of these tools are free besides WildFire. Their plans are here: http://www.wildfireapp.com/plans
ireneheimer33
Guys, maybe you can add NewsAssist to your list of tools? It is a great productivity tool for bloggers that takes care of searching, editing, publishing and distributing blogtext. NewsAssist is an open source Firefox add-on that can be found here (newsassist.org). Thanks
“blog tool”:http://www.newsassist.org
Tammy
Thanks Charnita! This is exactly the information I was looking for.
Charnita Fance
Cool, thanks – definitely a worthwhile prize.
Harsh Agrawal
I have used Rafflecopter and it did the work but never managed to impress me…
Punch tab seems very useful for promoting social media profiles….Will be using it in a day and will share my experience with it…Thanks for useful collection.. 🙂
Charnita Fance
You’re welcome, Harsh!
I definitely prefer PunchTab over Rafflecopter.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
~Charnita