Are group giveaways worth it?

Every time you turn around, you see tons of blogs holding the same giveaway for the same prize. But is participating in one truly worth the traffic? Yes and no, but it isn't as complicated as it sounds.

When you participate in a group giveaway, you can gain quite a bit of traffic, but it is only temporary. Once the giveaway ends, you lose that traffic and maybe even some followers on Facebook and Twitter. Some entrants only like a Facebook page or follow someone on Twitter just to get that entry. Unless they truly enjoy your blog, don't expect some of those likes or follows to stay where they are.

When I first started Edge of Insanity, I noticed there weren't a lot of group giveaways. There might be one or two in a blue moon but there prizes had a big value that didn't require bloggers who signed up to pay to participate. It wasn't about incentive either. We just wanted to give our readers the chance to win an awesome prize. But nowadays, everything has been turned into a group giveaway, including prizes with an ARV of $15. If you want to create a group giveaway, make sure the prize is worth the 200 extra entries. Instead of saying, "Yes! Sign me up!', why not contact the company and ask to review the item instead?

Speaking of extra entries, having more than 10 can make the entrant bored. Eventually that entrant will just stop entering those specific giveaways. I hardly ever participate or even enter group giveaways because it just seemed so overwhelming. If I do enter one, I only submit the entries where I know I like a Facebook page or follow someone on Twitter.

Lastly, we turn to how you are viewed as a blogger. If all you do is participate in group giveaways without any strong content, brands who are wanting a long partnership might skip over your blog. Sure, brands want their name noticed over the blogsphere. I am not denying that. But they are usually looking for a well-respected blogger that posts regularly so that their product stands out. Not to mention that continuous group giveaways on your blog is a great way to lose faithful readers. I learned that lesson the hard way.

I haven't done a group giveaway in months because to me, it wasn't worth the time and effort. When I have other giveaways, reviews, and posts to promote, worrying about a group giveaway was usually at the the bottom of the list. I probably won't do group giveaways anymore.

If you want to participate in a group giveaway, that is completely up to you. But for bloggers that are trying to create a blog with quality content and steady following, group giveaways usually are not worth it.

Want a more in-depth look at group giveaways? There is this fascinating post at WiC Project that includes the pros and cons of each type of group giveaway.