Should I Do This Giveaway Contest?

cedric 2017-04-12 07:28:29 UTC #1

I’ve been doing a humor webcomic called Sketchbook Silliness for over a year now with a slowly but steadily growing subscriber base. I’m currently at about 10,000 followers across various social media. That’s still small potatoes though and I want to do more to promote both my webcomic and my Patreon.

Recently I became the proud owner of a large 3-volume set containing every Far Side cartoon ever published. I love The Far Side and think Gary Larson was a genius. In fact, I already own the set making this a duplicate copy. So my first thought was, why not leverage these duplicate Far Side books into some sort of promotional giveaway? Maybe a contest where people enter by sharing/liking my webcomics, and then pick a random winner who gets the books?

But another part of me hates the idea because it seems so artificial and forced. I want my subscribers/likes/shares to grow naturally and organically, not because of a cheap gimmick. Plus, is there a possibility it might make me seem desperate or shady to some? And of course, maybe the Far Side is too old school and wouldn’t be that appealing as a prize anyway?

I’d love some input. Are contests/giveaways a good or bad way to promote a webcomic? Any do’s and don’ts to keep in mind?

isabelleArne 2017-04-12 08:50:38 UTC #2

hum I always thought giveaways were a good idea, I have done it in the past and I don't have as much as an audience as you, I have gave away old sketchbooks/artbook and it went well. I think people are always happy to get free stuffs and if they like you, your art.
Maybe you can throw a more recent artwork in the giveway prizes if you want to appeal to your audience maybe like:
- the far side + a set of 1 or 2 prints of your own recent artworks with thank you not at the back/ or signed by you.

Also I don't see this as a fake gimmick, for me giveaways are a way to say thank you, it's true it's also to gain followers in some way but it's part of the game and I guess people won't judge you too hard for this, I have also taken part in giveway ( and won prizes yay ! ) so I think it's the way are things and you should do it !

And most of all don't feel bad for asking for love ahahah !

cedric 2017-04-12 12:30:06 UTC #3

Thanks IsabelleArne. What did people have to do to enter your contest? And did you see any significant increase in followers as a result?

Devika 2017-04-12 12:40:04 UTC #4

I think giveaways are a cool thing, but - if I understand your intention correctly - using someone else's work to promote your own is a bit odd IMO. If someone really wants the books, they'll retweet your comic whether or not they care about it and not give it a second thought, and people coming to your giveaway will be coming primarily for those books. Basically your work risks being overshadowed by the price. Do you have any merch of your own comic you could give away instead?

I've never organized a giveaway myself though, so I can't say I have any first-hand experience.

cedric 2017-04-12 12:43:15 UTC #5

Thanks Devika. Great point.

PotooGryphon 2017-04-12 12:57:35 UTC #6

I mean, the situation you've explained doesn't sound forced. Sounds like you have two really awesome sets of Far Side tomes and you'd like to share one with somebody, why not a person that's apparently into comics and has a taste for Gary's style and humor that shine through in your own series... oh wait the perfect match sounds like one of your followers. ;D

Especially if you explain your contest akin to that with a side note of I'd also like to promote my own series, it comes across genuine and not gimmicky.

All the better! These kids gotta know the awesome-ness of Far Side. XD

Or you could do something like runner ups in the drawing get sketch cards or digital art requests. Something quick and easy and personal.

Contests can be a mixed bag. They take time and work to promote and get the word out that you're running a contest. Offering an extra entry ticket into the raffle for sharing the contest through social media can help spread that word a bit more. Also consider looking into sites that can help manage the contest for you. Gleam.io is a good one that I've used twice. It's possible to do all you need with the free options, even setting up a custom raffle entry for those that have subbed to you on Tapastic. (just ask participants to give their tapastic user name in the custom field).

The few experience I've had with contests have been positive. Remember to keep it simple and easy for you to deliver on. International shipping can cost a LOT! Maybe offer a digital version of the prize for international winners if possible.

cedric 2017-04-12 12:59:47 UTC #7

Thanks CyndiFoster. Great info. I'd never heard of Gleam.io so thanks for the tip!

isabelleArne 2017-04-12 15:04:22 UTC #8

hum it was quite a long time ago since I did the last one, I think it was still on tumblr ( I've kinda given up on tumblr to be on instagram this past year, I like Instagram better now ) anyway, I think the way to enter was to reblog my contest entry and be following me. Wich I think are kind of the basics.
The increase might not have been that much of a thing, maybe I earned like 50 followers ? ( I was at 1500~ followers on tumblr at that time I think ) witch is all things considered not so much ...
But my main goal at that time was not to gain new followers but thanks the ones I already have. Maybe I would market things differently now.

I totally agree with that, it's also very rewarding because the feedback I got from the people and the winner were quite awesome but yeah, the shipping budget is quite something ... Even if I'm french a good half of my audience is based in the US and the rest is either on the other parts of the world or Europe ... so shipping costs are something to consider, especially if you have heavy books to send.