My Experiences as a Giveaway Participant!

I had heard that doing a giveaway can bring you lots of exposure but I have also read horror stories in the forums about reviews/giveaways and so have been cautious of actually doing one myself. This spring when I saw the call for submissions for Simply Stacie's Spring Bling Jewellery Event I figured I would at least contact her. I was already a follower of her blog and enjoyed her postings, reviews and giveaways AND she has a great following. My concern was that my shop wasn't "big" enough and still too new to play with the big guns. She emailed me back and said she would be thrilled to have me join so I figured I would give it a shot.

 I excitedly packaged up a pair of my Lavender and Lace Pearl Earrings and sent them away to review. As my review/giveaway date approached it was like waiting for your report card to see what the teacher said! You can read my review here. The review was not only a great confindence booster but I also saw a great increase in traffic to my shop. I gained several new blog followers (welcome!) and reading the 270 comments also helped me to learn what products people like the most in my shop.

I definately think that reviews/giveaways have the potential to be great exposure for your business but be sure to do your research and choose wisely! What are your giveaway experiences? Do you tend to approach blogs or wait for them to approach you? Any words of advice?