Packaging up giveaways. Make that prize reach further.

Okay, so you got your promotional materials and you held a giveaway and now you need to send off those awesome prizes to your lucky winners. Here's what you need to include:

1. The Prize (duh)
2. Your business card, signed on the back with a thank you message
3. You BOOK business card, signed
4. Possibly a bonus prize if you are feeling generous (free bookmark)

Now, you already know what the prize is. If you need some ideas go to this site: http://www.printerstudio.com/

Let's get to the business card. Do I really need one? You may ask. Yes. Yes, you do. Your business card reminds the giveaway or contest winner that you held the giveaway yourself and gives you good person points. The thank you message on the back tells them that you care, not to mention, fans loved signed stuff and if you can't sign the prize itself, this is the next best thing.

Moving on the the Book Business Card. Why does your book get it's own business card? Because. By the time your prize winner actually gets their prize, they may have forgotten all about your book. If they don't already own it, this is your last chance to get them to buy it. If they do own it, this is a chance to get them to READ it and possibly leave a review.

What should you include on your book business card? The front should be JUST the cover, the back should have something like a tag line and a website and/or a QR code. I would recommend both, since not everyone has a smart phone and not everyone is going to take the time to type in the web address, especially if they have a smart phone that can do it for them. Then, you can tell them where your book is available like: "Available now on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes and Noble!" Make sure to sign it if you can.

The bonus prize is of course, optional. You can give them a double prize and tell them to give one to a friend who doesn't know about your book yet, or something like that. It's just an extra thing that could pleasantly surprise your winner and/or give your book a wider reach.

Okay. Let's get to the packaging part. Don't just throw stuff in a box or envelope and send it off. Take care in packaging these items for your winner.

If they won something that needs to be boxed, make sure it's not going to rattle around using bubble wrap or paper. Then, put the business cards on top, so that when they open the package, those are the first things they will see.

If you are sending a large envelope, its not a bad idea to wrap whatever you are sending in tissue paper so that it doesn't get jumbled up. This way when they pull out the prize, they unfold the tissue paper and see your business cards on top, instead of them getting left in the large envelope.

If you are sending a regular envelope with a fancy book mark and your business cards, again, cards on top.

How do you package your prizes? Have any more tips?

Come back tomorrow for a big list of stuff you can use as promotional materials for giveaways, signings and other events.