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• 2010 Bloggers

Passports With Purpose

Travelers for Change

How to Get a Prize to Give Away

How do I get a prize to give away? This is the question most new bloggers ask themselves when joining Passports with Purpose for the first year. We’ve put together this page to help you.

You are most likely to be successful if you approach a company you have worked with in some capacity in the past. If you’re a new blogger, and this isn’t an option, don’t be deterred. Remember, you’re joining a great community driven fundraiser that’s going to offer your prize sponsor of choice wide exposure for their gift. You’re not offering just your individual blog, you’re offering participation in a targeted, passionate, active online network. Now that you know that we’re all standing behind you…

Contact your sponsor of choice.

Start by explaining that you are looking for a prize to give away as part of the Passports with Purpose fundraiser. One lucky donor will be randomly awarded the prize at the end of the fundraiser.

Be specific about what prize you would like (prize guidelines can be found here). For example, if you’re contacting a company that makes backpacks, tell them exactly which pack you want. Give them the exact product name and the SKU number, if it’s available. If you want a hotel stay, name the property and the ideal number of nights.

Ideally you would seek a prize you love enough to shout from the rooftops about. Tell your sponsor why you love their product and give them a sense of what you’ll be saying about it. Your enthusiasm is what will get your readers excited about potentially winning too.

Be specific about what you are able to offer in return.

Here are some ideas:

• If your stats are great, include them in the email.
• If your stats aren’t great, perhaps your page rank is, or you will be promoting the prize on twitter.consider sharing your page rank, your number of Twitter followers or Facebook friends, and point them to the sponsors page so they can see the combined traffic in our network. You’re part of that!
• Will you be including a review in your post? Or pictures of you using the product? Tell the sponsor your plans – are you writing a review, including pictures of yourself using the product, telling stories about why you think this product is great. This approach is good for destinations, too.
• Do you have a specific angle that makes this product or service a good fit for your blog? Share information about why the sponsor’s product or destination are a great match.

In addition to what you are offering: Point out the extras.

Your prize will appear beyond your own blog.

The prize will will be listed on the Passports With Purpose website (www.passportswithpurpose.com), and that will help bring more visitors to your post with links back to your post about the prize.

Last year, some bloggers posted wish lists for the Passports with Purpose prizes. These came from bloggers outside the immediate travelbloggers network. We also received media coverage that included mention of the prizes.

Tip! High value or very desirable prizes tend to receive a lot of attention. , and in past years, some bloggers have posted lists of their favorite prizes each year.

Some small print

You are responsible for making sure that the prize winner receives their prize.  Please make sure that you fully understand (and describe in your blog post) what prize your sponsor is offering, along with any limitations or costs that the winner would incur in using it (for example taxes or other fees on a free hotel room).  If you have procured a gift certificate or voucher, the best way to go is to have it sent to you in advance so that you can carefully review the fine print before posting on your blog.

The prize is being offered in exchange for promotional consideration on your blog, and we are unable to provide tax receipts. You will be able (though you are able to offer a form from you showing that the prize was received)

Need a jumpstart on that email? Here’s a snippet about Passports with Purpose 2010 to get you going.

Passports With with Purpose is an the annual travel bloggers fundraiser. Last year, over 150 travel bloggers participated, ultimately raising 64k to build a village in India. This year we will raise 80k to build two libraries in Zambia through our partnership with Room To Read.

Still have questions?

Please get in touch. We want this to be easy for you and we’re here to help.