Leverage email to boost your engagement numbers and increase the value of your promotions and interactive content

So, you created an awesome contest, quiz, or ballot – now what?

Creating outstanding promotions or interactive content is only half the battle. The success of every campaign is directly tied to the number of people who interact with it. And just putting the contest or quiz up on your website or Facebook Page isn’t enough.

There are a variety of important digital aspects to include in your sponsorship package like banner ads, streaming ads, and even paid ads within social media pages. But one of the most overlooked digital aspects is email.

The #1 way to drive participation for your campaigns is email. Time and time again, email still proves to be the most effective way to reach your audience. Compared to hearing or seeing about your contest on-air or in a print ad, email is an actionable tool that immediately drives entries.

Need some proof? Here’s a quiz that ran for nearly 3 weeks. To increase participation, the media company sent out a dedicated email about the quiz a week after it was posted. And while the quiz was taken more than 2,200 times, more than 1,600 of the entries were received the day the email was sent out. In fact, more than 94% of the entries came from just the three days following the email.

While you have a lot of digital resources at your disposal, email is by far the strongest tool in your marketing shed. Crafting a great promotional email takes a bit of skill. Here are a couple pointers to make sure you’re writing an effective email:

• Engaging subject line. Make sure your subject lines are short, descriptive, and make your audience want to read further.
• Clear call to action. Look at the text in your email and ensure that it’s crystal clear where your audience should click to participate in your engagement campaign. Ideally, users should be able to get to your contest by just one click.
• Blend of image and text. Images are great, but don’t always show up in all email platforms. Start off by designing your entire email making sure all the important information is included in the body text. Then, add in images that will enhance your message.

Four Emails to Send

To make sure you’re not missing an email opportunity, here are 4 emails you should consider sending to maximize submissions throughout the life of your next promotion. While each of these emails may not work for your promotion, read through the list to make sure you’re not missing out on a hidden email opportunity.

• Kick-Off Email announcing the new promotion to full email database. (All promotion types)
• Last-Chance Email before the end of the submission or entry period reminding players there is still time to enter. (Sweepstakes, Ballots, Voting Contests)
• Voting-Reminder Email sent to all players to announce when the voting period begins (Ballots, Voting Contests)
• Thank-You Email sent after the contest ends thanking users for playing, saying sorry you didn’t win, and including an offer from the sponsor. (All promotion types)

Each email you send is incredibly valuable and can be included as an aspect within your sponsorship package. Make sure that you’re leveraging the value of your email to increase sponsorship investment as well.