How to Do Honest and Legal Giveaways as an Author

Today’s guest post is by author Chrys Fey (@ChrysFey), author of Keep Writing with Fey.


When doing giveaways as an author, it’s important to conduct a lawful giveaway (and stay on the right side of Amazon’s terms of service) that protects the rights of the entrants.

Before I outline important principles to follow, I’d like to recommend Rafflecopter, a free-to-join website that makes setting up a giveaway easy. In fact, a number of the techniques I’ll discuss are specific to their platform. Rafflecopter takes a lot of the work off your shoulders. You don’t have to worry about storing entrants’ information and keeping it private, because this data is stored by Rafflecopter. You also don’t have to manually input entrants into a random generator to pick a winner; when you’re ready, Rafflecopter will do that for you at the click of a button.

Through Rafflecopter, you can create a giveaway form for your website. People who want to enter can easily do so and earn points by completing tasks such as visiting a Facebook fan page or tweeting a message about the giveaway. (More on that in a bit.) Rafflecopter also provides a direct link to your giveaway page, which you can use when you announce the giveaway on social media sites.

Decide on giveaway entry options

There are many ways to allow people to enter your giveaway, and which ones you choose will depend upon your ultimate goals: Are you trying to grow your mailing list? Boost your social media following? Drive engagement? Here are some common options:

  • Visit a Facebook fan page
  • Tweet a message
  • Pin an image (Pinterest)
  • Answer a poll
  • Subscribe to a mailing list
  • Follow an account (Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)
  • Comment on a blog post
  • Invent your own!

Some of these options, such as subscribing to a mailing list, are available only in the paid tiers of Rafflecopter. If you do not want to pay to upgrade (I never have), you can use the “invent your own” feature to steer around the restrictions. For example, when you use the “invent your own” option to get subscriptions for your newsletter, you can use a link button that takes entrants to your mailing list sign-up form. (However, don’t forget to add wording in this option explaining that entrants have to confirm their subscription to your newsletter to be eligible. This helps you guarantee that most entrants will follow through.)

Earning entry points

For each entry option you create, you can assign a value from 5 points to 1 point. You’ll want to give your most desired options the largest value. I strongly suggest offering 5 points for the mailing list signup, given its importance.

I’d also create a free entry option worth one point where people who want to enter your giveaway don’t have to do a thing to claim that point.

Include terms and conditions

Terms and conditions are essential; this offers information that entrants have the right to know and can protect you in case of problems. Fill out the Terms & Conditions for your giveaway on Rafflecopter on the righthand side of the setup page. Even if you aren’t using Rafflecopter, you want to have this information available on your website or blog or wherever your giveaway is hosted. Here’s what to add or consider.

  • Right away, by itself, insert the words “NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.” This is essential and necessary. More on this below.
  • Giveaway Name
  • Sponsor: Your Name
  • Contact Details: Your Email
  • Eligibility: Is your giveaway open to US only or other countries?
  • Number of Winners
  • Prizes Given to Winner: What are you giving away? List them.
  • Giveaway Starts: Date and time
  • Giveaway Ends: Date and time
  • How to Enter: Explain how people can enter the giveaway. For example, you might say. “Subscribe to My Newsletter. By subscribing to my newsletter and completing the double opt-in process, entrants are consenting to receive my author newsletter after the giveaway ends. Only entrants that have confirmed and fully subscribed will be eligible.” For each entry method, I include wording that says something like “This task is optional. Entrants willingly choose whether to complete it.”
  • Social Network Disclaimers: Mention that the social media sites where you may share your giveaway announcement or use to gain entry points do not endorse, sponsor, or administer your giveaway.
  • Winner Selection: How will the winner be picked? For Rafflecopter you can say, “The winner will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter’s generator.”
  • Winner Notification: Who will be contacting the winner and how (usually it’s through the email address provided by the entrant when logging in to the giveaway)
  • Shipping: How long will it take you to send or ship the prize(s) after receiving the winner’s address? Include a statement that says you won’t be held liable for prizes that are damaged or lost in transit. I also add, “All prizes are mailed in excellent condition.”
  • Privacy Policy: State that all information will be kept private and that the only data you will use will be for the purposes of contacting the winner(s) and shipping the prize(s). You can also provide a link to Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy if you’re using their service.

Giveaway Don’ts

  • You cannot use entrants’ information for anything other than to contact the winner. That means you can’t use their email address or mailing address or any other information to contact them for marketing purposes, unless—for example—they willingly signed up for your email newsletter to enter the giveaway.
  • You cannot use entrants’ information to manually sign them up for your newsletter/mailing list. Make that an option that they can choose to do themselves.
  • You cannot require people to buy your book (or anything else) in order to enter your giveaway. This is illegal. It can’t even be an optional entry. And, because you can’t require people to pay for something to enter, you can’t ask for proof of purchase. This is known as the NO PURCHASE NECESSARY law.
  • You cannot force the winner to pay for shipping. This goes along with the above. You are responsible for shipping costs.
  • You cannot require people to review your book in order to enter your giveaway. This is against Amazon’s Terms of Service.

By following these steps, you will have a sound and ethical giveaway. If you see someone else running a giveaway that’s against the law, you may want to let them know privately, because many are not aware of these guidelines and laws and don’t know they are doing anything wrong.

Good luck to you, and good luck to your future giveaway entrants!

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Natalie Aguirre

Thanks for the great tips, Chrys. I’m planning to set up my first Rafflecopter giveaway so all this info is very helpful.

Chrys Fey

Hi, Natalie! Thank you for your comment! I am glad my guest post is helpful to you. Have fun doing your first Rafflecopter giveaway!

Jacqui Murray

Good guidelines. So many rules! I haven’t tried a give-away yet but I see now I have a few hoops to jump through before beginning.

Chrys Fey

Once you know what you can and can’t do, it’s not so hard. 🙂

Chrys Fey

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Jane! I am happy to be able to share this important information about giveaways. 🙂

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[…] events, virtual book readings should make use of the possibilities of the internet. Chrys Fey tells how to do honest and legal giveaways as an author, and Erik Nilsson outlines how book summaries make sales for nonfiction […]

Hilary

Hi Jane and Chrys – you’ve both always got such good ideas … and you spell the information out for us – thank you … take care – Hilary

Chrys Fey

Thank you for stopping by, Hilary!

David W. Gates Jr.

Hi Chrys,

Thanks for the article. I’ve only recently looked into doing giveaways for my book or books. One question I have is that I run a blog say “ABC” for discussion purposes. I also have an author website say “XYZ,” I own and operate both.

When running a giveaway, How or who do you recommend doing the giveaway? Should an owner run the giveaway on their main blog (ABC)? or should the author setup the giveaway on their author site (XYZ)? or both?

It would seem to be confusing to run this on both the blog with a domain name of ABC and then the same giveaway on the author site XYZ.

What have you found easier or more organized for an author who runs both a blog and an author website?

Generalities are find, but also how do the mechanics work. Do I register a Rafflecopter account under the blog ABC or the author site XYZ?

Have you had experience in authors in this situation?

My goals would be to increase email newsletter signup and well as increasing my social following.

Thanks for the article and take care,

David W. Gates Jr.

Chrys Fey

Hi David,

I do have experience in the situation you describe as an author, myself.

I have an author website and a blog. Both have different domain names. http://www.WritewithFey.com is my blog and http://www.ChrysFey.com is my author website, but under my blog, my username is still Chrys Fey.

If your name differs between the two (your blogging name is ABC but your author name is XYZ), just let your blog followers know, “Hey, I publish under XYZ and I’m running this giveaway. Enter for your chance to win *prize*.”

Where you decide to host/share your giveaway is completely up to you. If you feel it would be strange to share your giveaway on your blog (perhaps you don’t have writer/reader followers there), then you don’t have to.

When I do giveaways, I add the Rafflecopter form to my new blog posts, because that’s where I get the most traffic. And that’s where I like to make announcements. I also share it across all my social media platforms.

I personally don’t add it to my website because I share the giveaway where I have followers and where can reach more people, but I could add it to my website. There’s nothing wrong with posting the Rafflecopter form to your blog AND to your website.

You asked what might be easier and more organized for an author with both a blog and a website…and that all depends on the author, really. Having a landing page for the giveaway on your author website may be easier and more organized in general, because you can then direct people to it (by tweeting about the giveaway, posting on Facebook, announcing it on your blog, and including the URL to that landing page). Instead of having the form in several areas.

But to dig deeper into this…

When I do a blog tour for a book release, I give the HTML code for the Rafflecopter form, the giveaway details, and an image of the prize to the bloggers hosting me for guest posts. (So, your giveaway doesn’t have to only be on a site that you own and operate. It can be on someone else’s site if you’re there as a guest and they allow giveaways…most are fine with that because you’re the one doing the giveaway, not them.) And through this, I get newsletter sign-ups and social media follows when their readers enter the giveaway and complete those tasks.

You can share the direct link to your Rafflecopter giveaway on all your social media platforms. You can also add the form to a blog post. At the same time, you can add it to the Home page of your website or create a special “Giveaway” landing page.

In short, you can put the Rafflecopter form for your giveaway on any platform that is yours. And anyone can share it, too; if you’re a guest on their blog or if they just want to support you and throw up a blog post talking about your giveaway.

As for registering with Rafflecopter, you will be registering it under your name. Whatever name you use. I registered under my author pen name. Entering a website is optional. The most important information is your name and your email. What website you enter doesn’t impact the giveaways you create at all, since your giveaways can be shared anywhere, even on sites that you don’t own.

I hope this helps.

Liesbet

Ho Chrys! What a pleasant surprise seeing you here on Jane’s site! For a moment, I thought your article was part of your book tour. 🙂 Thank you for the timely advice and info about giveaways. Handy for all authors. I’m bookmarking this post as I will certainly check your suggestions out in depth, whenever my travel memoir is published.

Chrys Fey

Hey, Liesbet! This was sorta meant to be a part of my promo/book tour, but it’s off-topic and I couldn’t include my book cover. That’s okay, though. 🙂

Thanks for commenting and for bookmarking this post!

Sharon C Cooper

Great information! Thanks!

Chrys Fey

You’re welcome, Sharon!

T. K. Arispe

Thank you so much for this informative post! I’m running my first book blog giveaway and was really concerned about getting all of the legal details right, but your post really cleared up the specific questions I had. I really appreciate you taking the time to post this!

Loren

Hi Chrys,
I just stumbled upon this blog entry. Very helpful. How do the rules change if you are planning to give a gift to every person who enters? We are planning to run a promotion that would require purchase of book A to receive a free download of book B. The promotion will run for a limited time, but everyone who provides proof of purchase will receive the free download. I don’t see how that’s any different than buying a laptop at Best Buy and receiving a free case.
Thanks,
Loren

Chrys Fey

Hi, Loren. Thanks for checking out this post!

The difference is that buying a laptop at Best Buy and getting a case with it isn’t a giveaway.  That’s a purchase with an additional item as a part of it. Like buying a laptop that comes with a one year subscription of Microsoft 365.

If you have a way to send readers the free download of Book 2 right when they make the purchase of Book 1 (such as having a free download link in the back of the ebook, or if they buy it off your website and in the confirmation email you provide a free download), that’s not a giveaway as described here.

However, if you’re doing a giveaway for free copies of Book 2 and the way to enter is to buy Book 1 and show proof of purchase, then that goes against the NO PURCHASE NECESSARY law. The rules don’t change if everyone gets the prize.

It really depends on how you set this up and execute it. 

This is just an idea… To be on the safe side, perhaps you could update the back matter content of the eBook of Book 1 with instructions on how they can receive the free download of Book 2. You can promote this by saying if they buy the eBook now, in the back they’ll find a limited time offer to receive Book 2 for free. (The instructions in the eBook should explain how they can claim their free download.) You’ll need to upload the updated file, keep it there for the length of the promo, and then when the promotion ends, re-upload the original file.

Other than that idea, which may or may not work for you, I don’t have personal experience with this type of promotion. Maybe Jane does. 🙂

I hope my comment helped, though.

Loren

Very helpful, Chrys. Thank you. I had hoped to create a mechanism for the buyer to submit proof of purchase, which would then trigger the delivery of the ebook link via email, but I haven’t found an off-the-shelf solution, and I have no desire to manually collect receipts. If we were selling from our own site, it would be easy, but of course Amazon is where most of the purchases happen.

Loren

One question: do you see any problem with including the promotion in the paperback (it’s POD), as well? I would add the dates of the promotion so that anyone who received that version after the fact wouldn’t expect a free download.

Chrys Fey

If you don’t have a problem with adding the promotion to print, you can certainly decide to do that, especially if you sell a lot of print books in general. Otherwise, the effort may not be worth it. My only concern would be is that sometimes Amazon does stock print-on-demand books. Say they have five of your books in stock for whatever reason, if five people order expecting to get the copy with the promo, they won’t get it because Amazon will send the ones they have in stock first before printing any more with the updated file. I’m not saying this will happen, but it’s a possibility.

Loren

Thanks. I guess one way to avoid the Amazon issue is to include the promo in the first file upload.