The trend of taking part in blog contests has gained a lot of popularity these days with bloggers showing interest in these contests as a promotional tactic or just to have fun. For many people, it’s a next to impossible task to win such contests however, by following a few tips and tricks, one can easily become the winner of a blog contest. So, you need to make some efforts and show some ingenuity to get declared as the winner of a blog contest.
1. Participate
Though it’s ultimately the participation of the readers which give the shape of a contest however, you need to repeat it many a times to get the actual participation of the people. The fact can’t be denied that very few people actually show interest themselves. So, in order to get rewarded, first you need to motivate your readers to participate in it as they form the pillar of the contest.
This problem of less participation is mainly faced by the small and mid sized blogs but, not by very popular blogging platforms like probloggers where people automatically get attracted and show their maximum participation. So, it’s the blogger himself who need to take the initiative and gain the maximum participation of the people in order to make himself and his blog successful.
2. Understand the Level of the Competition
Rather than being in a rush to submit your entry, it’s recommended to first understand the level of the competition and the preparation required for winning the contest. You need to focus on where the bar is set to win the contest.
3. Proof your Belongingness
While submitting the entry for the contest, you should have enough confidence to show your judges that you form a pivotal part of the blog’s niche. For example- you can prove your belonging to the internet marketing niche by putting forth your minor SEO skills. The crux of the matter is that as a blogger you should be able to proof that you also practice what you preach.
4. Deliver more than Expected
After understanding the exact requirements of the competition, you can show your excellence by delivering more than judges’ expectations. Here are some of the tried and tested ways to show your best in the blog contest
- You can use videos or audios related to the content of your blog to make it more informative and self explanatory.
- As it’s the competition of knowledge, skills and one’s expressions, so show off by showing one’s association to famous people or talents should be used as a means as it gives a bad impression
- It’s always suggested to show something unique which everyone remembers and helps you to stand out from the crowd.
5. Give Weight to your Assets
Whether you are part of a contest or not, preparing a list of all your assets is always considered to be a valuable activity. It’s important to take into account both the online and off-line assets while compiling the list. This activity plays a significant role if the results of the contest are based on general public voting.
6. Promote Yourself
Though promoting one seems awkward at times however, it’s not possible to show one’s accomplishments without self promotion as no one knows your skills and knowledge better than you. So, it’s very significant to create a connection with the people to attain the support essential for your success.
For this, you should be an active commenter on the blog hosting the contest and focus on some social media sites like Digg, StumbleUpon or Reddit. Writing guest posts for others’ blogs can also give you a good exposure.
7. Whether you Win or Lose, Always be Gracious
The way you present yourself after winning or losing a contest greatly impacts your chances of winning the next contest. Never form any negative impressions or show any aggressive emotions if you lose the contest as people always notice such misbehaviors. So, instead of showing your eagerness to win the next contest, focus more on preparing yourself and building strategies required for becoming a winner.
So, by following these tips dedicatedly, one can easily win a blog contest and prove one’s niche in blogosphere. However, to win any contest, it is the approach of the person himself which plays the most significant role.
Abdul Qoyyuum says
Jun 16, 2012 at 11:39 amHi Sanjib, is there any way to tell if a contest is authentic? Like I’ve seen some contests around but sometimes they are just meant to increase more traffic to the site. What kind of a blog contest would you consider something worth doing?
Sanjib Saha says
Jun 17, 2012 at 4:24 amHello Abdul, Nice to see you took time and read the article. There is no doubt Giveaways are conducted to increase traffic and catch more attentions. But it would be wise not to relate the giveaways with authenticity. If you ask me in what kind of contest would i take part, my answer would be, i would take part in such a contest where competition will be higher and the rules will be strict, where i need to do than mere subscribing to their blogs :)
Abdul Qoyyuum says
Jun 17, 2012 at 6:08 amWhat did you mean by higher?