

Ask HN: Has anyone here run a contest before? - Lukeas14

I&#x27;m doing some pre-launch marketing for a project that won&#x27;t be complete for another couple months.  In addition to a typical content marketing strategy, I want to try running a simple giveaway contest with the goal of building a mailing list and eventually a community around the startup.<p>I know I&#x27;m not the first person to try this so I&#x27;d love to hear from anyone who&#x27;s already gone down this path. Here&#x27;s a few questions that I&#x27;m sure anyone else thinking of running a contest would find useful.<p>What startup was your contest for?
What did you give away?
How did you get the word out?
How long did it run for?
What were the results?<p>Our contest is for a project called Shadenut (http:&#x2F;&#x2F;shadenut.com). It&#x27;s an app to help professional and DIY mechanics look up the technical details of any car. I&#x27;m think of giving away a fancy torque wrench[1] since it&#x27;s something that every person in our market needs and will put to good use.<p>I&#x27;ll be sure to recap the details of my own contest here when it&#x27;s complete.<p>[1] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;store.snapon.com&#x2F;TechAngle-174-Models-Ratcheting-Flex-Head-Torque-Wrench-Electronic-TechAngle-174-Flex-Ratchet-12-5-to-250-ft-lbs-1-2-drive-P760213.aspx
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pstevesy
Here's a good resources that helps you identify what to give away.
[http://blog.videofruit.com/marketing-
giveaway/](http://blog.videofruit.com/marketing-giveaway/) Good luck with
everything, let us know how it goes.

