Hosting a giveaway on your blog is a great way to show readers that you appreciate them, and will also draw in new followers for you. However, if you’ve never thrown one before, giveaways can be pretty complicated. There are all sorts of legal rules, as well as general unwritten guidelines that need to be followed. This post by Taylor at Pink Heels Pink Truck is a fantastic place to start- she lists all the legalities that need to be in order, as well as other useful information on hosting giveaways. The article is so good that I wish I could paste the entire thing here, but I won’t. Make sure you read the whole post though!
-Use a widget like Rafflecopter.
-Your giveaway MUST include a disclosure and policies regarding your giveaway. (she also lists everything that this disclosure must include)
-You have to give everyone a free entry.
-You cannot make a kajillion entries mandatory. That in and of itself, turns your giveaway into an illegal lottery
-Do not ever announce the winner’s name via social media.
-Any giveaway in which the prizes are valued over $600 (in a combined total), must include a 1099 to the giveaway winner.