I will often use contests to gauge how well my traffic building efforts are doing. Lots of entrants means good traffic and the possibility of adding more regular visitors to my site(s).

First off you need to know the rules and regulations for holding contests in your jurisdiction, whether there are fees associated with holding an online contest, is the prize taxable, etc. This is information you’ll need to find for yourself, sorry. When I hold a contest I just disallow any entrants from jurisdictions that tax or place fees on contests, so that seems to work well for me. The “Contest Rules and Regulations Statement” will be on the bottom of this page. You can copy and paste it right into your own contest rules page, with only slight modification as will be detailed.

Now you need to have a prize. This should be an item worth no less than $20.00 that can easily be shipped to a winner’s address without incurring too much in shipping charges.
I will sometimes use for a prize an item from Amazon.com, a book, DVD, or something like that which would be popular with my web site visitors. I may also ask my current advertisers if they would like to sponsor a contest and provide the prize in trade of the advertising I do for the contest. That works quite well and often allows for a larger prize value (since I don’t pay for it, it’s great!).

Once you have determined what the prize is you need to have a contest start and end date. Depending on your traffic and the value of the prize you may want to run several contests back-to-back quickly, starting and ending every week, or have a longer time period for entrants and promotional opportunities. I have found that three to four weeks for a contest works well, depending on how you promote the contest. To get the biggest traffic generated for your contest, have a period of about 6 weeks from start to draw date and promote the contest like hell.

I hold only online contests. That means there is no mail-in entry, simply an online form for people to complete to send in their contest entry. Simple and easy to track. As well, you can then send a “Thank you” email for their entry being received (and add an advertisement to the Thank You email too, maybe!).

To capture the contest entry I am using (right now) a PHP script that I purchased. I;m not a programmer, so this was a simple choice to make. I know you will ask so I will tell you, I am using FormToEmail-Pro for my contest entry script. I also use this form for contact pages on my sites, it helps to end the usual spam I get with a regular email address on a site or a script that doesn’t have/use CAPTCHA.
Buy the script, read how to set it up and you’re well on your way to your first contest.

Now, we know about contest laws in our jurisdiction, we have the prize, we have the script to accept online entries. All wee need now is to promote the contest.

Now, online contest promotion is tricky. You need to email contest sites and have them add your contest to their site. You need to email other web masters and see if you can have a short term link on their popular pages (maybe for a trade of a link in the auto-responder- thank you email).
Maybe you will send out a press release about your contest and it’s sponsors. There are lots of ways to promote your contest and if I miss any, please add a comment about them. (Thanks in advance!)

I usually do send out a press release through PRWeb.com, and sometimes I get the sponsor of the give-away to pay for some of the cost.

The contest websites I use to promote my contests usually ask for a link trade, so I list these sites at the bottom of the contest entry page. Some will also have a fee to pay for premium placement but I always opt for the free option. I carefully watch my visitor stats so I know which contest site sends me traffic and which don’t. It’s important to know where your traffic is coming from and where to best put your promotional efforts and time.

These are the sites I use to list my contests (any comments will be after the url/name of the site).

• GJ’s Sweepstakes – Online entry form, find “Submit-A-Sweeps” link on home page, link back for free listing.
• Contest Girl – find submission link on home page link back for free listing.
• Sweepstakes Advantage – Use the “Add Listing” on home page. Upgrade your listing for more traffic or link back for free listing.
• Online Sweepstakes Forum – Free listings, membership and registration required. Scroll to bottom of page and click on “Add-A-Sweeps”.
• About.com Sweepstakes – Online form, give a lot of time to get listed here by admin, and be sure to create account and post sweepstakes in forum.
• Sandy’s Realm – Online submission, link back required. Find “Add new sweeps” link on left side menu. You can pay for additional promotion as well.
• Contest Alley – Use the “List your contest” link near the top of the page. Free listing with link back required, membership needed. Uses a spider to check page, be sure that you use a unique page for every contest submitted to this site or submission will not be accepted unless you modify previous listing.
• Contest Guide – Use the “list your contest here” link near top of page. Free listing, link bank required.
• Contest For Moms – Use the “Submit a contest” link at top the page, free listing, link back required.
• Contest Hound – Use “Add a contest” link at top of page. Free listing with link back and premium exposure payments too. I use the free listing with reciprocal link.
• Contest Beat – A contest blog, uncertain of it’s current activity. To be determined if this is worthwhile to post to, but it’s free and a link back is required. watch your stats for visitors.
• Submit Your Contest – Free submission with link back required or paid submission for increased exposure.

This next list is of contest announcement sites that do not have online submission forms, you need to email them directly. I’d give you their email addresses here but then they might blacklist me for diverting traffic from their sites.

• Actual Free Stuff Contests
• Freaky Freddies Free Stuff Directory
• USA FREEBIES Absolutely new free stuff and hot deals! Enter to win a monthly prize!
• Freebie List
• Free N Clear Stuff
• The Best Free Stuff Online
• Free-n-Cool — The best Free Stuff, Contests and Cool Sites on the Web
• TheFreeSite.com
• Contests 4 Mamas

So, that is the two lists of current contest submission sites that I have, direct submission and email submission. A good contest will net about 200 entries a day from these combined sites. Be careful that you word your contest in an entertaining and engaging way or you’re just wasting your time.

Contest set-up tips

Check your dates… make sure you allow enough time to promote your contest and not too long of an entry period to make the contest boring. Use an online submission form, not an email submission, or you’ll be buried. Allow one submission per contest duration or one submission per date/per person/per email address. Don’t make it complicated, the easier it is to post the simpler it is for people to enter.
Make sure the prize is well explained. KISS – Keep it Simple Stupid!

Here is what I use for the “Rules and Regulations” of the contests I run. Feel free to copy the wording, just change where I have [words in brackets] to suit your contest, business and website. This is an EXAMPLE only. See NOTE below.

________________

Contest Rules and Regulations

1. ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for this Contest, an individual must: (i) be a legal resident of United States of America or Canada and (ii) be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees, representatives, agents, immediate family members of employees, representatives, agents and persons domiciled with employees, representatives, agents or immediate family members of employees, representatives or agents of [business or website name] or the prize sponsoring companies (collectively, “Sponsors”) and the Sponsor’s respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising or promotional agencies, any sponsor and any entity involved in the production, implementation, administration or fulfillment of the Contest, or Contest Judges (and persons domiciled with Contest Judges) (“Administrators”); or a member of the immediate family or household of any of the above are not eligible to participate in the Contest . This Contest is void where prohibited by law or taxed.

2. HOW TO ENTER:
The Contest begins at [date and time] and closes at [date and time] (the “Entry Period”). No purchase is necessary to enter the Contest.
To enter this contest complete the online form at [contest url] with your name, address, phone number and email address. Include the answer to the mathematically skill-testing question to complete your entry. Entries must be received by [contest end date/time].
Limit of [entry regulations/terms] during the Entry Period. Entries received online shall be deemed to be submitted by the holder of the e-mail account. Multiple Entries by the same person or from the same e-mail address or from the same person from different e-mail addresses in the contest period shall result in disqualification. All Entries must be submitted no later than the end of the Entry Period. All Entries become the property of the Sponsors and will not be returned. Entries will only be accepted online. Illegible, incomplete, late or garbled Entries will be disqualified. No Entries will be accepted by any other means, including but not limited to regular postal mail.

3. WINNER SELECTION:
a. On or about [contest end date, location of draw and time], the potential prize winners will be selected by a random draw from all eligible online Entries received. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Potential prize winner will be required to answer, without assistance of any kind, whether mechanical or otherwise, a mathematical skill-testing question included with their email entry, and to comply with all the Contest Rules in order to be deemed an official winner. The prize is not transferable or convertible to cash and must be accepted as awarded.

b. The potential winner will be notified by email and/or phone within 5 days of the contest end date. Upon notification, the potential winner must respond within 5 days to the provided contact information in the notification. If the potential winner does not respond in accordance with the Contest Rules or the potential winner does not comply with the Contest Rules, he/she will be disqualified and will not receive a prize and another potential winner will be selected. Sponsors are not responsible for the failure for any reason whatsoever of a potential winner to receive notification or for Sponsors to receive potential winner’s response.
Be sure to add the email address “[contest email address]” to your email approved senders list to aid in the correct delivery of notifications for this contest. We are not responsible for misdirected emails to winner(s)/entrant(s) of this contest.

4. PRIZE:
[Who, the winner, wins what, the prize]. Winner must comply with all contest rules. Prize(s) must be accepted as awarded and cannot be transferred, substituted or redeemed for cash. Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion; to substitute any and all of the prizes for prizes of equal or greater value should all or part of a prize become unavailable for any reason.

[Name of person responsible for prize delivery] is responsible for prize distribution. A representative will contact the prize winner directly and make arrangements for the winner to get their prize to the winner within 3 to 6 weeks from the contest close date as delivery conditions allow.

5. GENERAL CONDITIONS:
a. All Entries become property of the Sponsors upon receipt and will not be returned and no correspondence will be entered into except with selected Entrants.
b. Entries are subject to verification and will be declared invalid if they are illegible, incomplete, mechanically reproduced, mutilated, forged, falsified, altered or tampered with in any way.

6. INDEMNIFICATION BY PARTICIPANTS:
By entering the Contest, Entrant: (a) releases and holds harmless Sponsors and Administrators and their respective directors, officers, employees, parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, sponsors and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to persons, including death, or property damage, resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, participation in this Contest, or participating in any prize-related activity; and (b) agrees to fully indemnify Sponsors and Administrators and their respective directors, officers, employees, parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, sponsors and agents from any and all claims by third parties without limitation.

7. CONDUCT:
By entering this Contest, Entrants agree to be bound by these Contest Rules, which will be posted at the Contest Website throughout the Contest. Entrants further agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any Entrant it finds to be: (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, the Contest Web site; (b) violating the Contest Rules; (c) acting in an unsportsman-like or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, [business name] RESERVES THE RIGHT TO IMMEDIATELY SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:
Sponsors and Administrators assume no responsibility or liability for lost, late, misdirected or incomplete Entries, notifications, responses, replies, or any agreement and release documents or for any computer, online, telephone, hardware, software or technical malfunctions that may occur (including but not limited to malfunctions that may affect the transmission or non-transmission of an Entry). Sponsors and Administrators are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of Entries in the Contest. Sponsors and Administrators assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, Entries. Sponsors and Administrators are not responsible for any problems, failures or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, providers, computer equipment, software, e-mail, players, or browsers, on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, at any website, or on account of any combination of the foregoing. Sponsors and Administrators are not responsible for any injury or damage to Entrants or to any computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials in this Contest. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsors and Administrators which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, and the Sponsors reserve the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest.

9. PRIVACY:
By entering the contest, Entrant agrees to (a) [business name] use of Entrant’s personal information for the purposes of administering this Contest and, unless otherwise specified, for market and consumer research purposes.

10. LAWS:
These are the official Contest Rules. This Contest is subject to all state, federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations. These Contest Rules are subject to change without notice in order to comply with any applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws or the policy of any other entity having jurisdiction over the Sponsors.

11. TERMINATION:
Sponsors reserve the right to amend or terminate all or any portion of this Contest at any time for any reason without prior notice.

12. DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
In case of dispute in regards to this contest, entrant should visit [website contact page information] to submit your contest query.

___________

NOTE: By NO MEANS should the above form be used without legal advice. What works for me may not be legal in your jurisdiction. The above contest terms are for example information only and not deemed to be complete or legally binding. Use at your own risk.