JV giveaways are springing up right and left. I have added at least 6 to my JV giveaway directory in the last week. There are so many giveaways going on in the next couple weeks that I have decided to delay the giveaway that I am going to host.

I was going to do a Flag Day giveaway that would start on the 14th but have changed it to a Declaration of Independence Giveaway that will run around the 4th of July. But that's not what this post is about.

I know that a lot of you are just starting out with your list building and using giveaways. When you have limited resources and have a small list or no list at all, it can be a daunting proposition when you have to promote the giveaways you have joined.

For some of you, it may be a daunting task just to set up your gift in a giveaway. For those of you that need help, look in the side bar to the right in the "categories" drop down box and click on "How To Videos". There are a couple videos that will help you out.

When deciding which giveaways to promote, there a few things you should take into consideration:

1. Commission percentage – should be 75% or more for an upgraded contributor. This is a big one! I see some giveaways that are designed to make the host a lot of money. The contributors come second. If you are going to upgrade, you want to get the highest commissions possible on your referrals as well as you "special offers". This makes it easy to recoup the cost of upgrading.
2. Referral contest – not everyone can afford to pay out a lot of prize money, but mailings to the list can be offered. There are a lot of giveaways out there. Spend your efforts where they will best be rewarded.
3. Who is hosting the event. Well known marketers are most likely going to have more people promoting that can drive a lot of traffic to the event. More traffic means more potential sign ups and sales. Not to say that newbies can't run a good giveaway. There are ways to attract the big contributors. (See bullets #1 and #2)
4. Cost of upgrade. Be careful here. I usually upgrade, but I am almost always certain that I will make enough referral and special offer sales to offset the cost of upgrading. Some giveaways have pretty pricey upgrades. Pass these up if you can't afford it as most will have a down sell that is more affordable.

So I have decided to make some changes at my directory. Over the next couple days I'll be adding a more detailed description of each giveaway so you will know which ones are paying out decent commissions and are running referral contests.

Until then, here are some upcoming Giveaways that you will want to make sure you are signed up as a contributor:

• World Cup Giveaway 2010 – paying out $1000 in referral cash for the top 5 promoters. Paying 75% commissions for a $27 upgrade. Runs June 11th – 25th. Already some big names on board. I highly recommend this one.
• World Cup Giveaway – paying out $900 in referral cash for the top 5 promoters. Only paying 60% for top upgrade which is $97 (ouch) and 40% for lower upgrades. There will be some good traffic to this one but I wouldn't upgrade unless you feel you can make it back. (This giveaway script is set up to make the host a lot of money.)
• The Summer Giveaway – paying out $350 in referral cash plus mailings and PLR products. Paying 75% on special offers and 50% on upgrades. This should be a pretty good one.
• Independence Day Giveaway – paying out $300 in cash for the top 5 promoters. Commissions are only 25% on special offers and on upgrades. You get an extra 25% if you referred the person that upgrades. This is an example of a giveaway you might want to avoid unless you think you have a shot at the referral prize. The top prize is $150 but I have say that the host of this giveaway includes himself in the running for the prizes. In most cases he also wins. Is that a crock of BS or what?

I included the last one in hopes that someone with a big list will slip into that giveaway and take the first prize money.

I hope this helps you make some smart decisions with your giveaway marketing. Stay tuned for another post in a few days about how to promote your giveaway links when you don't have a list.