When it comes to publishing enticing sweepstakes and other contests to your website, you want your promotion to stand out and grab your site visitors’ attention. Think of the contest’s landing page as a flyer or poster for an event; most people look at these and see two or three words that jump out at them. If what they read sounds appealing then they’ll keep reading–but if there’s too much text, they may lose interest. If your own online contests could use a lift in participation, consider incorporating these components of effective contest copy into your next promotion.
Catchy Contest Name
The name of your promotion is the first thing your audience sees, so it’s important to leave a lasting impression. Attract their attention with a short, catchy contest title. If you feel you need more text to describe your promotion in order to pique members’ interest, consider including the short name in a large, bold font and including a more descriptive name below it in a smaller font.
Optimized Welcome Page title
Don’t just use generic “Enter to Win!” text for your Welcome Page title. Give the contest more flavor by using this space as an extension of the promotion name, including a prize teaser, or just adding a witty introduction to your full contest description.
Enticing Welcome Page text
Now that you’ve caught their attention, reel your audience in by painting a picture of the item(s) or experience that’s up for grabs in your contest. Give members a clear picture of what to expect and tell them exactly what they need to do to enter the promotion, as well as how and when the winner will be selected. Keep the text as brief as possible and end it with a compelling call to action, giving your audience a sense of urgency to enter your promotion before it’s too late.
Easy-to-Understand Instructional Graphic
You can cut down on the length of your contest copy by simply using an instructional graphic to illustrate how they can enter the promotion. Include picture examples of the type(s) of acceptable entries or feature an enticing image of the prize itself. If your contest requires voting, use this space to remind participants to come back and vote or encourage their friends to do the same. Keep the graphic text as brief as possible to ensure you hold your members’ interest.
For more ways to optimize your next online contest, check out this recent post.
