You are the BIG WINNER of a blog giveaway – so, now what?

Congratulations! You commented, Tweeted, and Insta’ed your little heart out day after day and week after week…and finally, that prize, that highly coveted item is YOURS. All yours. And you earned it. You social media’ed your way to the gold.

And of course you thanked that blogger who awarded you said prize – your mother raised you with good manners after all…but did you also remember to thank that brand?

Whether you have a blog or not, if you win a blogger giveaway, it is your responsibility to show that brand your appreciation – not just for the prize itself, but also for supporting you and your blogger friend who hosted the giveaway.

And it’s easy! You can take a photo of the item and thank them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and/or your blog. Or if you don’t use any social media, you could even write a review for their product on their online site or Amazon.

If you use all of the above channels, well then you are going above and beyond…and that just rocks!

Why thank them? Why go out of your way?

It’s simple. That blogger who hosted the giveaway probably had a good reason for hosting it with that particular brand or product. Perhaps they too LOVE that particular brand or product. Maybe they were given an opportunity to work with them via a blogger community or even pitched that brand themselves. Showing the brand your appreciation through a review or social media love, will help the blogger who hosted the giveaway market themselves back after their giveaway has concluded, helping to improve their chances  of working with that brand/product again.

Pay it forward.

But there’s also another reason why you should be thanking your fellow bloggers and brands: It’s good business. You’re showing interest, supporting your community and making a connection. And who knows where it’ll go from there? There’s a good chance the brand will see it, and you might get a RT, a follow or even a nice note offering you the opportunity to do your own giveaway. Or at the very least, it opens the door for you to ask them that question. So why not take a moment to give thanks? There’s so much opportunity out there for those who are willing to go the extra mile!