"EssayContests.com - Some Observations"

Some Observations About Running Essay Contests

This page last updated on 3/9/03

Running an essay contest is a lot of work.
Most essay contests fail due to poor planning and lack of adequate promotional funding.
An Internet web page, by itself, has never provided enough entries for an essay contest.
The average essay contest entry fee is $100 per entry.
Essay contests are illegal in a handful of states and restricted in others; however, in ALL states it is illegal to incorporate any element of chance in an essay contest.
When planning an essay contest, you should always contact your state's attorney-general and/or secretary of state for information on any possible restrictions or registration fees.
You should always hire an attorney to handle the legal aspects, such as setting up a trust account for the entry fees, reviewing your contest rules, and, hopefully, helping with the real estate closing if your contest is successful.
Whether you run your essay contest for 6 months, 9 months or 1 year, 90-95% of all of the contest entries that you'll eventually receive will arrive within the last two weeks of the contest! Why? Human nature. Procrastination. Remember how you used to put off writing that grade school book report until the last minute? And even for folks that sit right down and put pen to paper, many will want to tweak their entry over the coming months. And then there's the entry fee: why tie up $100 or more earlier than necessary? Many folks will hold their entry fee monies firmly in their possession until the last week or two, just to see if the contest is cancelled early. So why hold a 9-month contest? That time is for YOU, the contest organizer, to allow you sufficient time to get the word out to ALL types of media!
In most states, if your contest prize is a house or piece of empty land, and you are not the owner listed on the deed, you'd better have a license to sell real estate in that state!
Despite item #8 above, you should plan to run your contest for at least 6 months, with 9 months being a much more workable time frame. And always leave yourself the option for a 90-day extension in your contest rules, just in case you find you need it.
You do not have to make the theme of your contest "Why I want to own ..." Creativity is allowed in most states! And it will prevent you from having to wade through a lot of 'hard luck' stories.
Essays over 200 words in length take a long time to read, especially when you are staring at a pile of over 1000!
Asking contestants to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with their entry makes it easier to return their entry fees should the contest fail to receive an adequate number of entries.
Free local newspaper/radio/tv coverage of your essay contest will probably be easy to get.
Free regional newspaper/radio/tv coverage of your essay contest will be much harder to obtain.
Free national newspaper/radio/tv coverage of your essay contest will be almost impossible to obtain without lots and lots of persistant effort, so plan to pay for at least some of your national marketing.
A lot of folks who read about your essay contest will think it is a scam, so you need to do everything you can to help build up your legitimacy. A well-designed web page with appropriate links can help.
No matter how much information about your essay contest you put on your web page and handout flyers, potential contestants will think of questions to ask. Plan to provide an email address for folks to reach you with questions. A website without a working email address for potential contestants to ask you questions is not worth the electrons it's printed on!
Every essay contest needs a 'face', a person, usually an owner of the prize, that is willing to be interviewed by the media, and whose picture should appear on the contest web page. Potential contestants will be a lot less likely to think of your contest as a scam if they can see your face.
For almost any essay contest, there are surely enough folks on this planet to make your contest successful many, many times over. However, the hard part is finding a way to let them all know about it.
Observation #8 above will make you very anxious, and you will consider cancelling your contest after only a month or two. Don't. Just keep promoting the heck out of the contest using every conceivable method and have faith in your efforts.
Magazines have long lead times. A September issue is being finalized in June. Get your press releases out to the magazines very early.
Go out and rent the film The Spitfire Grille from your local video store. Watch it. Then say out loud to yourself, "It will not be that simple to make my contest successful. I cannot make a single phone call to Jolene at the local tourism office and expect the world to know about my essay contest. I will personally have to work very hard to market it." Repeat that mantra on a daily basis during the run of your contest! Oh yes, don't forget to rewind the video before returning it.
List your contest web page on all print advertising. Ask reporters to use it in every article about your contest.
Plan 2 or 3 "open house" events at the site of your contest prize house or business. Announce it to the press and any individuals that have inquired about your contest. Announce it on your web site. Dress the place up, put out balloons and flowers and make it look festive. Simple finger snacks and beverages would make appropriate refreshments.
Retirees make fine essay contest judges, and they have the time, as well as life experience, to do the job well.
Plan to spend $7000-$10,000 or more to market your essay contest.
Anyone who uses Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE, commonly referred to as "Spam email") to promote an essay contest will almost always regret it.
When having flyers and press releases printed, always include one or two good color photographs of your prize, as well as your website address. Then on your website, put lots more photos, and a description that will make your prize seem like the next best thing to sliced bread.
When planning the marketing of your contest, figure that 1000 individuals will need to actually read about your contest before one individual will actually take the time to write an essay and enter. You want 2000 entries? Then two million people will need to hear about your contest. This is just a ballpark figure, and the odds can be lowered with targeted advertising, but it can be useful in planning your marketing strategy.

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