How to Behave When You Win a Giveaway

Everyone enters a giveaway at least once in their life. At some point, everyone wins something, whether it's the PTA raffle or Publisher's Clearing House. Online, the opportunities to enter blog giveaways are nearly endless. And we all wait with our fingers crossed to get that thrilling email:

Oh, joy! Oh, rapture! I'm a WINNER! And we walk around all day feeling proud of ourselves for being the random winner that rafflecopter pulled out of it's databank.

Recently, however, I have seen posts from different bloggers about winners that kinda overstepped their boundaries. So, today we shall go over the proper behavior for a blog giveaway winner. Because all giveaway winners should be as well behaved as this blog's winners have been!! Y'all are the bombdiggity!

1. When you receive a winner email from the blogger hosting the giveaway you entered, respond ASAP! There is usually a time limit to claim your prize. Usually 24-48 hours. If that time limit expires without a response from you, another winner is chosen and you miss out. Bummer!!
2. After replying to the host blogger's email with thanks and oodles of praise for choosing you, do not, under any circumstances, contact the company supplying the prize. It's tacky! And seriously, what are you gonna say? "I won, so cough it up or you sleep with the fishes!"? Just don't. At most, tweet your excitement about winning @so-and-so's giveaway, and you're so thrilled to be getting a prize from @such-and-such company. 
3. When you receive your prize, make sure to email the blogger to inform them that it arrived. Tell them how thrilled you are. Thank them for the giveaway again. Bloggers love happy email! Conversely, if you never get the prize within, say, 6 weeks, it is absolutely acceptable, and appreciated, to send a quick email to the host blogger to let them know that their sponsor did not follow through. The blogger and the sponsor work closely together before and during giveaways, and the blogger will have the quickest and easiest access to the proper person to let them know the prize is missing.

This isn't hard. It's basic good manners. Why anyone would take it upon themselves to contact, say, Proctor and Gamble, and tell them that they won a year's supply of Oil of Olay (FOR EXAMPLE! Seriously. This is just an example.)through my blog, and think that it would be taken seriously by the P&G people is beyond me! And also, it makes the blogger look bad. Really really bad. So bad, in fact, that bloggers have had companies sever their professional relationship with them. And that is so very not okay.

So, be good little boys and girls. Be mature. And enter those giveaways! We bloggers love it when people are excited about things we're able to offer! Don't let a few dingbats ruin the fun for everyone. By nipping this problem in the bud, and spreading the word, companies will continue to view advertising and giveaways on blogs as a positive thing. Which means giveaways will continue, which means people will continue to win.

Go. Enter. Win. Be mature. That is all. Good luck!

image by iamanitinerantpoet.blogspot.com via Google images