About Those Newsletter Codes

If you subscribe to my newsletter or enter any of my giveaways you will notice there is an entry for a Newsletter Code. You use the code to get those special entries. This week while closing out giveaways and verify all entries I noticed all sort of random codes entered into the slot. People were taking the entries by simply entering whatever they wanted.

UPSET

I was so upset about that. I take the time to put together a code. It is never a random series of letter and numbers. It is a word or maybe two words put together with a number or two, maybe a date. Lately I have been using the dictionary to locate words and sharing the definition as well.

Verify

I also verify each and every single entry for every single giveaway. That is why it takes me so long to announce a winner. It is a long process but one I will not skip. Any entry (or set of entries) that use the wrong code, a made up code, or anything other than what I have issued are disqualified. While I sometimes have to disqualify one or two it was never in the magnitude that I had to this week. There were more than four hundred wrong and/or made up codes in two different giveaways. I do realize this could be bots or something of the sort. I do know there were a couple of made up emails and such because the names of the people were just so odd. Like something someone just typed in. There were some other irregularities as well.

Big Deal

So why am I making an issue about it? Because it takes a lot to put together some giveaways. It takes time to verify entries. Time I don’t mind spending but honestly after this week I was left wondering if the codes are worth it. I wasn’t sure I was putting one into today’s newsletter. In the end I did. I did think I would share with y’all what a code looks like.

The code above is an old expired one but shows you what they look like. They are always at the end of the Rita Reviews newsletters on Fridays and the end of the Wickedly Romance Newsletters on Mondays. There is always an expiration date. So any code used after the date is disqualified. I keep a running list of codes used and expiration dates so I always know what needs to be used when. On the Wickedly Romance Newsletter the picture is a little different but it says Extra Entries.

Everything you need to use a code is listed both in the newsletter and on the Rafflecopter. If you use a code and it is correct I verify it is not expired and that I have yo in my newsletter email list. If it is a good entry, you get to keep all those entries (they are usually ten entries for the codes.) If is not then it deleted. When a winner is selected, I double verify the entry they one on. Just in case I missed it before.

Only after all of that is the winner emailed. The winner has 48 hours to get back with me to claim their prize before a new winner is selected. One a winner has claimed their prize I either send their information to the sponsor or I get their prize mailed (or emailed) out to them. It is only after all of that a winner is listed on the Giveaway Winners Page here on the blog.

THANK YOU

For those of you who do it right and even those who have messed up but are still trying…THANK YOU! I can deal with an expired code or even a misspelled code. It when some enters things like FSDE45@JS that I get upset. I mean yes technically that is a code but not the one I send out.