Build links thru Contests and Giveaways

Out of the many available link-building techniques, it seems that the most prominent tactic used by websites targeted to Filipinos is holding a CONTEST. You give away a few thousand pesos worth of cash or items (sponsored, ideally) and get links back to your page. Linkbaiting this way can generate a few hundred editorial links back to you.

Filipinos are just too happy to get something fast and easy - no investment, right? You’re just giving some link love, writing a few posts here and there in your blogs and forums and mailing lists (just don’t think about being labeled a spammer).

Just some contests in the 2nd Half of 2007:

• PinoyMoneyTalk gave away an iPod Nano
• Auction.ph and Yuga gave away 50 x P300 Auction.ph e-Money
• DigitalFilipino recognized the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs. Janette Toral and the sponsors also raffled off 10 $100 prizes. A few weeks later, she launched the Filipina writing project and gave away 10 $100 prizes once again.
• The highest stakes I’ve seen are by PinoyBusiness, which gave away a laptop and minor prizes last Christmas. Now, they’re giving away a brand new Honda Wave 100 motorcycle and mp3 players every month (If you’re feeling generous, register with Pinoy Business thru this link to give us raffle entries then you can join the promo too)

For blogs hosting contests, I think Yuga’s method of tracking of blog posts thru Technorati is pretty efficient. These contests are a good way to build Authority.

Technorati Authority is the number of blogs linking to a website in the last six months. The higher the number, the more Technorati Authority the blog has.

Using Technorati to track lessens all the comments that have to be displayed in your blog. For blogs and forums (which are typically what Filipinos frequent online anyway) hosting these contests, comments, emails, and forum thread posts are also used right now. There has to be an easier way. I’ll look into that.

I wonder though about the requirements of getting a DTI Permit for these kinds of contests. The integrity of a raffle or giveaway seems to only lie in the contestants’ trust with the contest host and/or sponsors. (Note: But hey, I was quite happy when I got $100 from Digital Filipino’s 2007 Emerging Influential Blogs contest!) In the brick and mortar world, you have a DTI representative practically every step of the way ensuring the integrity of the process. Perhaps there should be a live video feed for raffles?