$10k Kitchen Giveaway Photo Contest
225 Magazine | Baton Rouge, LA
225 Magazine created this kitchen remodel giveaway for their advertiser, Acadian House Design + Renovation. The prize of a $10,000 kitchen remodel was a perfect way to attract homeowners in need of a kitchen renovation and identify qualified leads. To drive even more participation, the magazine also gave one random user a $100 gift card to a local restaurant. This campaign generated a phenomenal lead list for the sponsor, utilizing lead-generation questions and email opt-ins on the entry form.
STL Closet Factory Giveaway
St. Louis Magazine | St. Louis, MO
This sweepstakes from St. Louis Magazine served as a fantastic way to capitalize on the huge home improvement boom inspired by COVID. To deliver great leads for their sponsor, Closet Factory, the magazine included three lead-generation questions on the entry form. These questions collected consumer information, grew the sponsor’s email database, and asked the user for permission to contact about a free in-home or virtual estimate (what a great way to adapt with COVID restrictions!) This led to a fantastic list of 52 leads requesting to be contacted for an estimate from the sponsor. The magazine brought in $1,500 in advertiser revenue for this campaign.
Best of MS Weddings
Mississippi Magazine | Jackson, MS
Wedding businesses were greatly affected by COVID and need opportunities to stay top of mind and create business. Mississippi Magazine launched their annual Best of MS Weddings ballot campaign during COVID. It’s currently live and is on track to surpass last year’s $10,000 in sponsorship revenue.
Employee of the Month Photo Contest
Local Life Magazine | Hilton Head Island, SC
This magazine put a fun spin on the classic pet photo contest to engage their readers working from home. They secured a local pet lodge to sponsor the campaign and gave away a very special prize. The winning pet scored a feature in an upcoming issue (and social media channels) as well as a $100 gift card. This campaign drove a targeted audience of pet-owners and generated fantastic exposure for the sponsor.
Spice Hunter Campaign
St. Louis Magazine | St. Louis, MO
St. Louis Magazine created a multi-platform campaign for their advertiser, Spice Hunter, a brand of cooking spices. The campaign included two trivia quizzes, content with recipes from local chefs featuring Spice Hunter products, and two dedicated emails to the magazines’ database. Not only did this campaign drive exposure for the sponsor, but it also generated $17,000 in revenue for the magazine.
Best of West Virginia 2020
WV Living Magazine | Granville, WV
When WV Living Magazine moved to the Second Street platform, their Best of West Virginia ballot results immediately showed this campaign was going to be very different. The ballot collected over 58,000 nominations and nearly 200,000 votes from readers – a huge jump from the previous year’s results.
This year the magazine sold sponsorships for the Best of West Virginia campaign, including group advertisements, category advertisements, and enhanced listings. This has led to $14,000 in advertiser revenue for the magazine, and the campaign isn’t even over! For the full story, check out the 5 Ideas to Drive BIG Revenue for City & Regional Magazines webinar (skip to 16:58 for this specific story.)
Incredible Kids Contest
Austin Monthly | Austin, TX
This monthly contest from Austin Monthly selects one outstanding Austin-area kid to spotlight. The campaign is sponsored by a local university medical facility. Each month’s winner receives a different prize, such as a day at the ballpark for four from the sponsor. Not only was this a great way to engage their community of parents and families, but the campaign also generated $30,000 in sponsorship revenue!
Be Well 2020 Campaign
St. Louis Magazine | St. Louis, MO
Due to COVID restrictions, St. Louis Magazine had to get creative to adapt their annual in-person health and fitness event, Be Well Boot Camp. The magazine pivoted to a virtual event to allow readers to still experience different fitness classes and generate exposure for the vendors. They utilized Event Sign-Ups for an easy way to collect RSVPs. This reimagined event retained the $27,000 in revenue from the sponsor, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, and – as going virtual resulted in reduced overhead costs – they increased their profit margin!
Wild & Wonderful Summer Getaway Giveaway
WV Living Magazine | Granville, WV
Many travel-related businesses are looking to promote the fact that they’re still open and the efforts they’re taking to keep visitors safe during COVID. WV Living ran this fun summer getaway sweepstakes with The Bavarian Inn Resort & Brewing Company to promote their reopening after closing due to COVID. With a grand prize of a trip for two to this specialty resort, the contest attracted a targeted audience of travel-lovers and beer-fans for a unique experience.
This campaign delivered over 2,000 opt-ins for the sponsor’s email list as well as consumer information utilizing lead-generation questions on the registration form. And, to top it off, the campaign brought in $2,500 in advertiser revenue for the magazine! The success of this campaign led the magazine to create and sell similar promotions for the winter season.
These examples are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the success we are seeing from city/regional magazines. For more ideas, check out our 21 Contest Ideas for Magazines downloadable guide.
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Liz is the Senior Director of Customer Success and has an extensive background in media. She is a huge advocate of the power of promotions for every department within an organization, including sales, marketing, audience development, and editorial.