Have you ever wondered whether there’s a secret to getting more people to stick around during a giveaway? ?
Because here’s what I often observe:
Someone discovers a giveaway and thinks to himself, “This is an awesome prize. I must join this giveaway to win it!”
After he enters his best email address, he resumes whatever he’s doing. Hours pass by and he forgets about the giveaway.Truth is, getting people to sign up for your campaign is a huge accomplishment.
But the work isn’t over yet.
Keeping contestants engaged throughout the campaign? It’s almost an impossible task for a lot of marketers.
Today, I’d like to reveal the secret to maintaining engagement throughout your giveaway. Can you guess? Yep… Email.
Let’s talk about why email matters and how to write emails that keep everyone connected to your campaign.
<<Bonus material: Get our proven email sequences>>
Why Is Email an Essential Part of Any Giveaway Campaign?
Email is a powerful way to stay connected with your audience, regardless of the campaign you’re running.
Compared to other channels (such as social media), email allows you to get personal. You can speak to your audience one-on-one since most people open their emails using their mobile device.
If you’re not sure how email is of any benefit in your giveaway, here are some of its important uses:
1. Invite people into your campaign
Nobody joins your giveaway unless they know it exists. If you have an existing email list, start promoting your campaign to that list. It’s a great idea to start with your email list since these people already know you.
Here’s an example of an email that announces a giveaway:
2. Congratulate people for joining your giveaway
Once somebody signs for your giveaway, be sure to let them know that they have successfully entered. Remind them of the actions they have completed so far and other actions they need to complete to win.
3. Update people about their recent points
This is a simple way to let people know how many more points they need in order to win. This email is especially motivating to participants who have accumulated the most points and are close to winning.
4. Encourage them to keep sharing
Have your participants stopped sharing the giveaway? Sending them a simple reminder to share the campaign and refer their friends helps boost its virality.
5. Educate them about the brand and prize
Here’s an effective way to engage your participants via email:
Let them get to know the person or company behind the giveaway and what the prize is all about. This is the kind of email that businesses often neglect sending their giveaway audience. It’s important to educate them about your offer. By doing so, people can appreciate its benefits and will have more motivation to win it.
6. Announce the winner of the giveaway
This is where you’ll be contacting the campaign winner/s to ask them where you can send the prize. Some people who win may not be able to check social media for the announcement, so it’s best to send them a more personal email.
Related: 5 Follow Up Emails You Should Send When Running a Contest (With Examples)
How to Write Emails In Your Giveaway That Increase Open-Rate, Click-Throughs, and Conversions
Ready to learn how to write emails like a pro? It’s really not that complicated.
By using these simple tips, you can get the most out of your giveaway campaign. ? Ready?
1. Write a good email subject line.
Your first task is to get people to open your email.
How do you do that? Start with your subject line. You can invoke curiosity to spark your readers’ interest. You can also be straightforward about the giveaway!
Here are some examples for a giveaway announcement email:
- “Hot freebie alert! Win [product] today”
- “Watch out for this cool surprise”
- “You deserve a little something extra, [name]”
- “Win this amazing gift worth $500”
- “Open if you’re willing to get this treat”
No matter what kind of email you’re sending out, follow a few rules to make your subject lines effective.
One of the best rules is to keep them short and simple. Mobile devices show just a few characters, so you must make sure that people get to read the entire headline.
2. Nail the preview text.
When people open their inbox, they don’t just see your subject line, but also the preview text. The preview text is the first line of text that comes after the subject line. Its purpose is to give readers a sneak peek of your message.
In the example below, the subject line reads, “Your FREE gifts are waiting,” while the preview text reads, “Don’t miss out on your free gifts.”
This is an example of a good preview text because it’s related to the subject line and encourages the recipient to take action.
If you’ll use an email marketing tool to send people updates about your giveaway, you should be able to find a section where you can enter a preview text. Never ignore this section.
3. Have a single goal for each email.
When you have one clear goal for every email that you send out, you’ll be able to write better copy. Before you start writing your email, ask, “What action do I want my readers to take?”
Here’s an example of an email that focuses on one goal:
Based on the copy and elements of the email, it’s clear that Birchbox only wants their recipients to play so they can win a free prize. As you can see, they did the following:
- Emphasized the words FREE PRIZE
- Added one call-to-action in the middle (Let’s Play)
- Featured a background image that’s about playing
4. Use psychology hacks
Psychology can help you create more effective emails. If you use the right psychological strategies in your message, you will be able to elicit the response you desire from your audience.
Here are three hacks to use that drive more email conversions:
Fear of missing out (FOMO)
FOMO is telling your audience that there’s a great opportunity that awaits them. And if they don’t take it, they’ll “miss out.”
This was the strategy that David, an UpViral user, leveraged.
Here’s what he did:
At the end of his bunkie giveaway, he announced a 2-day sale in the same email where he announced the winner. That sale offered a $1000 discount off the bunkie plus free shipping.
It was successful because the non-winners didn’t want to miss this rare opportunity.
Read the complete bunkie giveaway case study.
Social proof
Social proof is a phenomenon where people make decisions based on what others say or do. One way to display social in your email is to show that people already like or trust you.
Below is an example of social proof in a giveaway announcement email:
Attraction Tickets Direct emphasized that they got 100,000 likes which deserves a celebration. Since they were able to show off people’s support for their brand, email recipients are likely to participate in the giveaway.
Color choice
Colors can influence how people perceive your brand. Certain hues make people feel certain emotions. For example, yellow symbolizes optimism, green symbolizes peace, and red symbolizes excitement or urgency.
5. Use personalization.
The easiest way to personalize your email is to call your recipients by their name. Don’t just say, Hey there! or Hi friend!
Including a recipient’s first name in the email subject line or the email content itself allows them to feel that you’re speaking directly to them.
Another way to use personalization in your giveaway emails is to let them know the exact number of points they’ve earned and other details specific to the campaign.
Inside UpViral, you’ll be able to personalize your emails in different ways. You will be presented with a different set of personalization options depending on the kind of email you send.
See the screenshot below:
Most importantly, be sure to respond to people when they message you!
6. Incorporate power words.
Here’s a simple way to transform your email copy from blah to amazing: Use power words.
Power words are words that evoke an emotional response. Because of that, they’re able to convince readers to open your email, read it, and take action.
Examples of power words include free, freebie, bonus, new, easy, exclusive, elite, now, hurry, and last chance.
(Check out our list of 101 marketing power words.)
While you include power words in your email, you have to be careful not to use words that tend to overpromise. These words include ultimate, best, and amazing. If you set big expectations, you must make sure to deliver on them!
<<Bonus material: Get our proven email sequences>>
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to write emails for your giveaway, you can get started today.
Emails are a powerful way to engage people and encourage them to take action. In this case, join your giveaway, share it more often, and even buy your product - if you plan on promoting a sale at the end of the campaign.
But of course, you need the right tactics to produce impactful results for your business.
Looking for a tool that helps you create a giveaway or referral campaign from start to finish? Try UpViral. See how easy it is to create a campaign, build an email list, and potentially go viral!
