You may have heard that “viral giveaways” can be a great way to grow your email list by leaps and bounds. And it's true. I once ran a viral giveaway, using KingSumo giveaways, that netted me over 2,000 new subscribers in 10 days. But you've got to use the right viral giveaway software. KingSumo giveaways is one such software, and it's got some great features that I'll tell you all about in this KingSumo review, complete with KingSumo giveaway examples.
Let's do it!
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I've got lots to tell you in this KingSumo review. But first, let's let the boys at AppSumo (the creators of KingSumo) tell you a little themselves…
Ok, now that we've let them talk, let's get into this KingSumo review for real.
What is KingSumo?
“KingSumo is a platform that helps you create viral giveaways so you can grow your audience and get more leads quickly and effectively.”
AppSumo
In other words, KingSumo, the viral giveaway software, is a giveaway hosting platform. It not only allows entrants to give you their names and emails–thus growing your email list–but it also prompts them to share the link to the giveaway for more entries–this prompting the giveaway to go viral. And KingSumo giveaways also asks people to get more entries for things like following you on Facebook or Instagram, or viewing a YouTube video.
It's an all-in-one viral giveaway software. The verdict of this KingSumo review is: get it!
What is KingSumo for?
KingSumo is a viral giveaway software for running giveaways.
It sets up and hosts the giveaway.
It gives entrants unique referral links to the giveaway to share for extra entries.
It gives entrants extra entries for doing things like following you on Instagram or watching a YouTube video of yours.
And it allows you to randomly select the winner when it's all over.
How to pick a prize for a viral giveaway
A word of caution before we jump into all the deets on KingSumo.
Be careful what prize you pick for your viral giveaway.
It might be tempting something like an iPad or an Amazon gift card that everyone wants. Afterall, this will bring the highest number of entrants.
But don't do it this way.
Here's why.
Yes, giving away an iPad will get a large number of entrants, and therefore new people on your email list.
But do you really want them there?
Assuming you don't blog about iPads, these people aren't going to be your people (i.e., people who are actually interested in YOU and what YOU blog about). They'll be on your list, but they won't open emails, click links, or buy products.
So really, all they're doing is bringing your open rates down and costing you money for inflated numbers.
Picking the right prize for a KingSumo viral giveaway
So instead of picking something that everyone wants, pick a prize that only your people want.
For example, I recently ran a giveaway where the prize was a one-year subscription to ConvertKit, Leadpages, and Thrivecart, along with membership in my course, Break Into Blogging.
Most people in the universe would have no interest in this prize bundle. But my people (aka – bloggers) would have a STRONG interest in this prize.
So would I have gotten more people onto my email list if I had given away an iPad? Almost certainly.
But am I happier with my lower number of high-quality matches? Absolutely.
How to Use KingSumo Giveaways to Run a Viral Giveaway
In this KingSumo review, I'll walk you through all the steps of setting up a viral giveaway with KingSumo giveaways.
The main thing you need to do to set up your KingSumo viral giveaway is to fill in all the viral giveaway information.
Title
First, you'll want to select a title for your KingSumo giveaway.
“The headline is the first thing that greets your audience the moment they land on your opt-in page. It can mean the difference between someone joining your contest and ignoring it.”
upviral.com
Your title (or headline) should be ultra-specific.
Your title should convey:
- That people are entering a competition
- What prize they’re going to win
- The company that’s giving away the prize.
Description
You next need to enter your giveaway description.
Be specific here.
List things like:
- What each element of the prize is called
- How much each element of the prize is worth
- What each element of the prize will do for your entrants
Start/End Times
Of course, your giveaway needs a start and end time. This is up to you, but generally speaking, a good amount of time for a viral giveaway to run is about 14 days.
“Running a giveaway for 2 weeks (14 days) is generally the best giveaway running time. It gives you plenty of time to secure entries, and it isn’t so long that users will forget about you.Having your giveaway last for 2 weeks is actually the most popular choice for many businesses. It offers the optimum amount of time to reach your ideal audience while keeping your giveaway relevant and timely.”
rafflepress.com
That being said, KingSumo giveways allows you to run your giveaway for as long as you want, so if you want more or less than 2 weeks, go for it.
Time at which the prize will be awarded
You also need to set the time at which the prize will be awarded. This tells people when to expect an email from either informing that they they've won, or informing them that they haven't.
You can pick both a day and time here.
I recommend awarding it with a few days of when the giveaway ended.
Who's running the giveaway
You'll also need to tell KingSumo who's running the giveaway (i.e., you). You can also add a URL here. I generally use the URL to my main site, beccaklein.co.
What's the prize name?
You need to name your prize next. You could call it “The XYZ Bundle.” Or you could just list what you're giving away.
What's the prize value?
You'll also need to give the prize value. If you're giving away items that are actually sold on the market, make sure to accurately include those prices.
If you're giving away something of yours without a set tangible value, just be reasonable.
Make sure to add your whole bundle together (if you have more than one item) to give the whole prize value for your KingSumo giveaway.
Prize image(s)
You'll also need to add a cover image, and optionally, additional images of the prizes
The cover image looks best at a 2:1 ratio, and KingSumo giveaways suggests a minimum width of 680 pixels.
You can create an image that displays all the prizes, or just create a more general cover image. You can also add more images with each prize, if you want.
Where you want contestants to share your giveaway on social media
One of the best parts about KingSumo giveways is that it gives each entrant a unique link to the giveaway, and encourages them to share the link on social media. Everyone who signs up using their link, will provide them with extra giveaway entries (giving them a better chance to win).
You can pick from several sharing options including:
- Facebook Messenger, or
Peronsally, I enable all options except Pinterest (since a quick giveaway isn't really something that's meant for Pinterest).
Bonus entries
Another feature of KingSumo giveaways that I love is that you can allow entrants to get extra entries for taking certain actions, including:
- Liking your Facebook page
- Following you on Instagram
- Following you on Twitter
- Subscribing to your YouTube channel
- Subscribing to your podcast
- Clicking a particular link (presumably to one of your sites)
- Watching a particular YouTube video
- Daily entries just for checking in
I recommend using all of these options that apply to you (obviously you don't need the YouTube one if you dont have a YouTube chanel).
You can set how many extra entries people get for these actions. It defaults to 2, but you can bring this up or down for each item.
Integration with your email service provider
The whole point of using a viral giveaway software is to gain email subscribers, so it makes sense that KingSumo giveaways would integrate with various email service providers.
KingSumo currently integrates with:
But, it also integrates with Zapier, so if you're not using one of those three email providers, you can almost certainly use Zapier to connect KingSumo to the one you are using.
Rules & Terms
KingSumo giveaways gives you default Terms & Conditions to use with your giveaway. But if you want to add something, or go with a different document entirely, you're free to do so.
KingSumo Features
Viral promotions
As already mentioned above, KingSumo is a viral giveaway software. It gives each entrant a unique tracking link to share on social media (or wherever else she wants to share it). Every person who enters through her link, gives her extra entries.
This is a great incentive for people to share your giveway when they otherwise probably wouldn't. And this is how it goes “viral.”
Grow your social media following
As also mentioned above, King Sumo giveaways gives people extra entries for doing things like liking your Facebook page or following you on Instagram.
So while you're growing your email list, you can also grow your social media following!
Automation
Everything with KingSumo giveaways is automated. Once you set it up, you don't need to do anything else until it's time to declare a winner.
Integrations
KingSumo giveaways integrates with ConvertKit, MailChimp, and SendFox. But if you're not using one of those email tools, it also connects to Zapier, which in turn connects to almost all email service providers.
So you couldn't have an issue integrating it.
KingSumo Review
I give KingSumo givewaways two thumbs up.
It's easy to set up, and it's virality and social media features means that you're growing much more than just your email list from each individual entry.
I use KingSumo for my giveaways, and I highly recommend it to you too!
Pros of KingSumo
User-friendly
KingSumo giveaways is extremely easy to use. There's very little, if any, learning curve. You could have your giveaway set up in about five minutes.
Price
KingSumo giveaways sells for just $49, no monthly or yearly subscription fees ever.
Virality
As mentioned above, KingSumo giveaways have the chace to go viral because of the tracking links they give people.
Grow your social media profiles
Also as noted above, you can grow your social media profiles right along with your email list with KingSumo givewaways.
Cons of KingSumo
It's not free
There are some free giveaway tools out there, and this one will cost you $49. But in this KingSumo review, I think I've explained why KingSumo is well-worth the price.
Examples of KingSumo Giveaways
It's hard to find examples of live KingSumo giveaways, since most only last for a week or two. But here are some examples of KingSumo giveaways that bloggers have written about:
- How one blogger tripled his email list with KingSumo giveaways
- The results of a $15K giveaway
- A giveaway that increased their email list by 56% in 7 days
KingSumo alternatives
KingSumo is, of course, not the only giveaway platform out there. Others include:
King Sumo FAQs
How much does KingSumo cost?
You can currently buy KingSumo giveaways for one payment of $49.
No monthly or annual fees.
*smiley face*
How is the giveaway winner selected?
Once the giveaway has ended, KingSumo giveaways will allow the giveaway owner to hit a button to select the winner. The winner is selected randomly from all entrants by KingSumo giveaways.
This is one of the perks of using a viral giveaway software like KingSumo.
Final thoughts on KingSumo giveaways as a viral giveaway software
So there you have it. All the pros and cons of KingSumo giveaways, the viral giveaway software.
Hopefully this KingSumo review was helpful for you, and you're now ready to run your own viral giveaway!
Let me know what your ideas are in the comments! I'd love to hear!
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Not sure when this was published, but King Sumo does have a Free tier (Oct 15/22)