7 Easy Ways to Win a Blog Contest

Max Pool is a software engineer and blogger currently in the race to become the big winner of Shoemoney’s Shoeperstar contest. You can help him by voting here.

Whether as a promotional tactic or just to have fun, many blogs today are running contests which reward their readers. Many people think that it is impossible to win these contests, but let me assure you that it is much easier than one would ever expect. Don’t get me wrong, winning does take a little work as gifts will not rain from the sky by simply reading this post; however, with a little effort and ingenuity you can become a shoe-in on the next contest.

1. Participate

Telling people that they need to participate is so basic that it actually needs to be repeated. If you do not put yourself out there, you will never be rewarded. When Problogger holds a contest hundreds of people participate, but I am continually amazed how little people participate in contests that occur on small and mid-sized blogs. For example, on one of my blogs I am currently holding a small contest for $1200 worth of software. How many contestants? Currently 6. How many participants are in the Shoeperstar contest? According to Jeremy – 20, and that’s on a blog with 15,000 readers. The odds are with you…

2. Size up the competition

Don’t be in a rush to submit your entry. Rushing in with the first contest submission is the equivalent of being the student that finishes their test before everyone else. There is no benefit besides bragging rights Take the time to size up your competition. Watch how much effort they are putting forth so that you can better understand where the bar is set.

3. Show proof that you belong

When constructing your submission, ensure that you prove to your judge(s) that you belong to that blog’s niche. For example, in this contest I proved that I belong within the internet marketing niche by showing off minor SEO skills. Fifteen minutes of inbound link building gave the judges social proof (via Google SERPs) that I can practice what I preach.

4. Over deliver

After sizing up the competition, blow them out of the water by over delivering. Here are a few ideas:

• Use video or audio
• Build a brand new blog just for the competition (for example, I created shoeperstarwinner.com)
• Show off a little (association to famous people, talents, or humor)
• Be memorable

5. Leverage your assets

Compiling a list of all your assets can be a very valuable activity (regardless if you are in a contest or not). Determine both online and off-line assets that are at your disposal. This is particularly important if the results of the contest are up to general public voting. For example, can you get your blog readers to take action? Does a forum group owe you a favor? Here are a few assets that you might have laying around and not know:

• Blogging communities (whether owned by you or not)
• Forums you participate in
• Friends, family, and co-workers
• Anyone that owes you links or social bookmarks

6. Promote yourself

Although self promotion seems shameless at times, the truth is nobody will know (or care) about you unless you inform them of what you are attempting to accomplish. Creating a connection with the people that will ultimately judge or support you is essential (this goes for blogging or life in general too). Some ideas include:

• Stay an active commenter on the blog hosting the contest.
• Leverage social media such as Digg, StumbleUpun, or Reddit
• Write a guest post on another blog to help you get exposure

7. Be a gracious winner (or loser)

Whether you win or lose, it’s how you played the game. Did you win by dirty means? Were you a sore loser? In either situation, how you present yourself after the contest may directly impact your chances of winning the next one. People don’t forget when someone misbehaves and the internet is a much smaller place than one thinks. When the next blogging contest presents itself, remember to not just throw your hat in the ring – make some noise and have fun doing it. Good luck!

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