Blog Giveaways: Thinking Aloud Thursday 03.2020

Blog readers and writers, welcome to this post about Blog Giveaways for Thinking Aloud Thursday 03.2020 with my friend Penny at Penny’s Passion.

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Over the past few years, I have joined in for some holiday cash or gift card giveaways on my blog.  According to my count, I have hosted over 10 giveaways on my blog. Most recently there was the Christmas Cash Giveaway and last month the Favorite Things Giveaway.

I saw the Mother’s Day Giveaway in which I have participated over the years advertised on Facebook this week.  I almost signed up automatically – and may still sign up.  But decided to give it a little thought before doing so again this year.  Here’s why.

Blog Giveaways…

are they popular for ‘buying’ followers or just sweet examples of the old adage ’tis better to give?’

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The Mother’s Day and Christmas Giveaways are hosted by Tammie at My Life Abundant.  In order to participate, a blogger  joins the giveaway Facebook group, then sends money to the hostess via PayPal to have their social media links added to the giveaway link up.  For example, at Christmas I paid $10 into the giveaway ‘pot’ to have 2 of my social media accounts added to the giveaway.  Participants are following the bloggers participating in the giveaway in order to enter the contest.  The more bloggers they follow, the better chance they have at winning.  People entering the giveaway have a better chance of winning when they follow more of the social media accounts of the bloggers participating in the giveaway.

So far, so good.

Thinking Deeper

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But then I started thinking about this a little more deeply.  Am I really interested in buying followers?  Because it seems that is essentially what this is.  I am buying ‘likes’ or visits to my social media accounts and maybe visitors to my blog who may have absolutely no interest in what I blog about.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am always excited to give something away but I want to do it from my heart!!  Recently joined Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag for her favorite things giveaway.  The favorites I was giving away were a custom graphic tee and a gratitude journal.  When I contacted my winners, the gal who won the graphic tee replied immediately but the winner of the journal has never responded.  Which led me to believe she didn’t buy into my giveaway because she was interested in my blog but just interested – and not terribly – in my giveaway.

Do I want to have followers who are just numbers?  Or do I want followers who are really following me because they feel a connection to me or to my messages?

Doing the Math

Admittedly, I am not good at math.  But I have always had a great credit score, even after filing bankruptcy years ago.

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The second husband moved out and left me with all the bills, the house mortgage, pool payment, even the credit card he used to pay for his dates after moving out.  Thank me very much.  Definitely helped my credit score that I repaid everything through Chapter 11.  I do know that adding new accounts can hurt your credit because you are spreading yourself too thin in relationship to your income.  And it looks bad when you close a credit account, or when an account is closed by the creditor.  My Dressbarn account was closed because the store went out of business.  But that had a slightly negative impact on my credit score.

So I applied this thinking to giveaways and my blog.

Similarly, how does it look to have a huge spike in followers for a giveaway.  Then weeks later to have those number diminish once the giveaway is over?  The more followers I have, the more opportunities I might get with companies looking for bloggers to review their products.  But really and truly, how much of these companies’ stuff do I need?  Maybe of the 22,000 entries in the Christmas cash giveaway, 1 or 2 readers will discover my blog and trult find something here that speaks to them.  But chances are, most of the entrants will follow me for a few weeks and then ‘unlike’ me when the giveaway is over.

To be honest, it hurts my heart when my likes or followers go down!! Ha! So do I really want to put myself through that?

Business or Busyness

Busyness is an illness of the spirit.  ~ Eugene Peterson

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Maybe it all comes down to each blogger’s reason for blogging.  Many bloggers are hoping to make a business from their brand, their blog.  And I think to myself how wonderful it would be to make a real income in dollars and cents from my writing.  But not so much interested in earning more stuff.  That I don’t need.

Truth is, though, I started Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After not to get rich – good thing!!  But to fill my hours and document my journey into retirement.  Those first hard months and years.  Where I needed busyness to just have a reason to get out of bed.

And now, I am writing to share how I’ve adjusted, and begun enjoying my retirement.  How I fill my days with not just busyness but with living and enjoying life.  My bucket list activities, stepping outside my comfort zone, my fashion haus, books I am reading, crafts I am making, recipes I am cooking.

Not that I am doing anything earth-shattering over here.  But it took some effort, passing through dark days in order to get to the light on the other side of this retirement gig.  If something I experienced or share can help someone else adjust to what can be the sudden emptiness of retirement or even an empty nest, then my journey and my blog will have served a purpose.

Tis Better to Give

Last thoughts.  So what, huh?  So what if people follow me and then don’t.  So what if I am sort of paying for followers.  In the grand scheme of things does any of that matter?  Or is it just better to have participated in the giveaway in order to give someone else happiness?

By changing my thinking on this whole giveaway deal, I can go from making it about me…sometimes tough…to making it about someone else.  Helping to give a blessing to the giveaway winner.

Heading over to join Tammie now.  If you would like to join in too, click here to do so.

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Today’s QT Message

I thought I had this post all wrapped up but today’s quiet time message really hit home.  So I am back to add a bit more to this already long post.

The theme of my quiet time reading from Embraced by Lysa TerKeurst today kind of echoes what I have been thinking aloud here but so much more concisely.  Lysa writes:

Live from the abundant place where you are loved, and you won’t find yourself begging others for scraps of love.  [Embraced, pg. 200]

She ends Chapter 64 with this prayer.

Dear Lord, I’m so grateful I don’t have to walk around all day trying to figure out who likes me and who doesn’t.  I can simply rest in the truth that I am completely and perfectly loved by You.  Help me to live loved today.  Amen.  [Embraced, pg. 202]

Your Turn

How do you feel about giveaways?  Do I need to take myself out of the equation and just think of the happiness the giveaway will bring to the winner?  Probably so.  In that case, in the immortal words of Roseanne Rosannadanna:

 

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Thank you for spending a bit of your day with me.  Stay healthy with all the corona craziness.

Hugs and kisses,