Has anyone ever run a blog contest before?
Something like, oh I don’t know, the next twenty people who subscribe to bookshelfbattle.com have the chance to win a prize?
I don’t know what the prize would be. A book? A toaster? A date with Charlize Theron?
Yeah like I’d give that away.
I’m just curious – if anyone out there has run a successful blog contest, how do you do it?
Comment away if you have advice.
Bookshelf Battle 
I’ve never done a contest before, but I’m the sort that is too stupid to know when I can’t do something. My advice: Pick a prize, figure out what the ‘contest’ should be and go for it. Flash fiction seems to be popular. If it doesn’t work out, worst case scenario is that you’ll have to change your name and move to another country. Good luck, and if you can manage a date with Charlize Theron as the prize, don’t bother, you have a date.
Good News! Charlize Theron agreed to go out with me, but only if she can wear the makeup she wore in “Monster.”
Perhaps this is a newbie question but – what is flash fiction?
It is better to be too stupid to know when you can’t do something than be too smart for your own good and talk yourself out of doing something great.
Here’s an example of a flash fiction contest: https://jenniferdeese.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/flashtastic-fantasy-contest-results/
Also, I like your philosophy better. Never talk yourself out of something. I wish I could say I didn’t do that very often.
I’ve never done a blog contest, but here are a couple of thoughts.
If you can convince a publisher or writer to give an advance review copy of a fairly hot book, that would be a prize that readers might be interested in.
WordPress allows you to set up a “poll” voting form on a page. Think of something interesting for folks to vote on and the response will probably be good – people like expressing their opinions (other than in political elections with non-compulsory voting).
My poll questions would be biased – “Is my blog awesome? Yes or yes?” 50% said yes and 50% said yes.
I’ll let you know after I finish my first one, coming up on February 2 😉 (a little shameless self-promotion never hurt anyone, right?)
Promote away! Will there be cash prizes and trips to Bermuda involved?
I wish! Maybe if this one goes well, I’ll go all out on the next one. 😉
I haven’t either, but I look forward to hearing how it turns out if you do one. Interested in yours, too, Bridget.
Lately I’ve been pondering some kind of long-running game, like maybe a poll-driven micro-choose-your-own-adventure in a widget, where we get the next step in the story once n people have voted, or funny little fights/contests between funny little monsters whose skills and success live and die with–well, this is the part I’m still figuring out. Likes? Comments? Votes? The Dow’s closing value?
That reminds me of some guy’s blog I read the other day where he’s basically writing a series of stories about how aliens will be landing soon. (Fictional stories, not some kook who thinks actual aliens are coming). It was good.
Intriguing. Any recollection which blog it was?