by Linda “Princess Dominique” Grosvenor

I remember when I first started my blog in 2005. I was initially interested in blogging and venting and getting my thoughts out there, but that was it. I had a nice following of people who would leave at least 20 or more comments on each post. But then reality set in and I thought, “Gee, it would be nice to have more followers.” It’s no secret that a giveaway will bring MORE people to your blog.

So, I wanted to host giveaways and thank people for following my blog and draw new people to my blog at the same time, but I didn’t know where to start. And thus began my trial and error road to hosting what now is almost a giveaway every single month on this blog. I’ll share 3 great ways you can get started getting giveaways for your blog.

1. The first thing I did was check out what other bloggers were giving away. Normally if a company is interested in reaching the readers of a particular type of blog and yours fits into that type of niche as well, they may be interested in your blog too. Find out how you can get in contact with the person hosting the giveaway.

Note: This is where networking with bloggers comes in. Normally people who you have supported won’t mind recommending you and your blog. I’ve been asked several times while hosting contests if I know any blogs like mine that may be interested in hosting a giveaway too. I pass on the information and those companies almost always become repeat a sponsor on my blog again because of my willingness to go above and beyond to assist them.

2. Simply ask. There are times that I’ve wanted to feature a designer or a product and just went out on a limb to ask them if they’d like to do a giveaway. Sometimes a designer or manufacturer will offer you an item to give away to get your readers interested in their product or to coincide with a feature or interview you may be doing on them. There may not always be an item in it for you as well, but treating your audience to a FREE goodie and growing your readers should be more important when you’re first starting out then expecting to always get something for yourself too.

3. Make sure that there is a place on your blog that specifically says that you’re interested in doing giveaways on products. Specify the type of products you think would be an interesting fit for your blog. Always give a potential sponsor a way to contact you as well.

Note: You wouldn’t believe how many people miss out on opportunities to host giveaways just because it doesn’t say anything about wanting to do giveaways on their blog or because there is simply no contact information.

Remember: To take your blog to the next level, it needs to have a business structure (About us, Become a Sponsor, Contact us) while still dedicating content to your niche audience. This should be enough to get you started. Hope these tips help!

You can follow me @MissPrincessDom and follow our publicity team at @PrincessDomPR