I like to imagine Promoters, (the people that are running the competitions), are like Q in James Bond. Sitting in their important chairs – tapping away on their oversized mac monitor with a furrowed brow – sourcing us the greatest gadgets and new products to win.
In reality, the promoter isn’t always the person that selects the winner. By rule of thumb: In large businesses, you are essentially addressing lower-level staff; staff that want to impress their marketing director bosses! In medium-sized businesses you are most likely addressing a member of staff that covers the social media side, but in a closer-knit office community, taking and hopeful enjoying your comments and entries. In smaller businesses, the promoter is the person that chooses the winner, so you are dealing with the business owner, the inventor of the company!
All these types are trying to increase their customer base and generate buzz for the company/service/product.
Appealing to the human behind the competition is important; knowing the kind of role that person is trying to fulfil lessens the odds of being ignored. There are no right ways, but there are a few things to avoid:
- Overly gushy comments: Flattery will get you everywhere, but there are limits. Insincerity can be seen a mile off.
- ‘Done’. Unless you are instructed to say: ‘liked and shared’, or ‘done’, then steer clear of this comment because you don’t sound like a customer or someone that cherishes the prize. Sure, as a comper, you want to tell the promoter that you have liked and shared but there are ways of doing it that are warmer and more engaging.
- Overly wordy: A paragraph isn’t engaging – it’s hard work. – If you have several things to say, then learn to love the RETURN button – leaving white space between your points will help your reader digest and keep their eyes on your comment, rather than scrolling past it.
Finally, there are no right ways; you have to choose what feels comfortable and genuine to you. Here are a few options – again, only YOU will know what will work for you.
BE HILARIOUS – Being slightly hilarious could launch your comment into the upper echelons of the comment hierarchy. Facebook sorts comments and puts the highest liked post at the top…where it will definitely be seen!
PUT SOME WORK IN: Related to being hilarious – showing you have put some thought in, really can work wonders. Little drawings, selfies of your kids saying how much mummy wants to win this, an original comment mentioning the promoter’s product in a positive way, a funny little meme – can help you win!
SERENADES: Making up a little rhyme can work wonders. Personally, I stay away from clichéd cheesy rhymes and opt for a more thoughtful response. However, sometimes the old ones are the best – if a promoter hasn’t heard of it, they won’t know a well trodden path to winning, so use whatever works for you!
ENJOY IT – It sounds obvious, but however you leave the comment, making it sound as if you are enjoying entering the competition will make the judge like you, because choosing a winner is a fun thing to do!
Do you have any tips for ‘leaving comments’? Do you like this sort of competition? Do you have a little story you’d like to share about it? We really DO want to hear from you, our lovely readers, let us know in the comments below!