Community, email and messenger outreach for contest entries

Which lists and groups may we contact at all?

Only those where the people involved have agreed to receive this kind of message. That rule decides the whole service, and it is simple to apply: if the recipient did not choose to hear from you or from the group, we do not send.

Allowed

• Your own email list, where subscribers signed up to hear from you.
• Your own customer or member base, where the terms they accepted cover updates and requests of this sort.
• Communities and groups you belong to, where the admin has confirmed that a contest request is welcome.
• Newsletters and channels whose owners accept a mention, agreed with the owner in advance.

Not allowed

• Purchased, rented or scraped email and phone lists. We do not use them.
• Adding people to groups without their consent.
• Posting the same message into many groups without asking each admin.
• Sending unsolicited bulk messages to strangers by email, SMS or messenger, whatever the channel.

If your plan depends on any item in the second list, we decline that part and suggest a consent-based alternative. The wider boundary is set out on the pages about our no-bots policy and projects we decline.

How do group rules and admins shape the message?

Every group has its own rules, and the admin has the last word on them. We treat the admin as a partner whose permission is part of the work, not an obstacle to get around.

Before anything is posted

1. Read the pinned rules, the description and the last few weeks of posts to see what the group welcomes.
2. Check whether promotion, links or contest requests are allowed, and in which thread or on which day.
3. Write to the admin first, saying who you are, what the entry is and exactly what you would like to post.
4. Wait for a yes. If the answer is no, or silence, we do not post.
5. Offer something useful with the request, such as a short story behind the entry, so the post earns its place.

Group by channel

Telegram and WhatsApp communities have admins who can approve a post or pin it; see the guides on Telegram and WhatsApp channels. Forums and subreddits have written rules and moderators; see Reddit. Regional networks such as VK have their own norms. In each place we post once, answer replies politely and leave when the contest ends.

What does a consent-based supporter email contain?

It contains one request, one link and an easy way to stop receiving it. Email works best when it comes from a name the reader knows, so we write it for you to send from your own address or list tool.

The shape of the email

• Subject line: says who and what, such as your name and the entry, not a trick or a countdown.
• Opening: a sentence or two about why the entry matters to you.
• The ask: the voting steps in order, including any confirmation email or login the contest requires.
• One link to the entry page, with a tracking tag so visits from this email are counted on their own.
• Footer: your identity, why they receive the message and a working way to unsubscribe.

Pacing

We plan no more than a few messages across the contest: an opening note, a reminder midway and a final-days message. Anyone who has already voted should not hear the reminder again, so we suggest how to keep a simple list of replies. The email promotion guide covers the channel in depth, and the ready-to-adapt wording is in the templates for asking people to vote.

Business awards depend heavily on customer email, so the business awards page shows how this fits the wider plan.

How do messenger groups and channels differ from email?

They are faster, shorter and more personal, which means mistakes show quickly. A message that suits an email feels heavy in a group chat, and a chat post pasted into an email looks careless.

Rules we keep

• We join a group only as ourselves or as your representative, openly and never under a false name.
• We post in the thread or on the day the admin names.
• We do not repeat a post, tag members who did not ask to be tagged, or message individuals out of the blue.
• When someone says they do not want to hear more, we stop and note it on the list.

You can see how each network fits a contest on the platform guides, and a youth contest needs extra care, set out on the page for school, kids and pet contests.

How do we pace, track and bill outreach?

We spread messages across the contest so no list or group hears from you too often, and we track each source with its own link. A 7, 14 or 30 day shape is in the campaign calendar, and we adjust it to the contest's deadline and its voting protection.

What you receive

• A source sheet naming every list, group and newsletter, the permission obtained and the date of each message.
• Visits from each source, using tagged links and the platform's own analytics where available.
• Replies and questions from recipients, with suggestions for how to answer them.
• A short wrap-up with what to keep for the next contest, such as groups that welcomed the request.

Billing

Our fee covers planning, writing, permissions, sending or posting, and reporting; it is quoted on request and confirmed in writing before work starts. If a community or newsletter charges for a placement, that charge is shown on a separate line and agreed with you first. Where paid ads also support the campaign, ad spend goes to the platform and is invoiced separately, as set out under paid promotion.

What can outreach not do, and what should you send first?

Outreach depends on the goodwill of people we do not control. A group admin may decline, a recipient may ignore the email, and a platform may limit a group's posts without notice, so we plan more than one source and tell you which are firm and which are hopeful.

Send your contest link and rules, the entry link, the deadline, and a note of every list, group and community you belong to through the free contest analysis. Say which ones you own and which you only take part in. We will return the rules read, a source plan and a written quote.

How it works

1. List the audiences you already haveYou tell us which email lists, communities and groups you own or belong to, and how people joined them.
2. Consent and rules checkWe confirm opt-in for each list and read every group's rules, then ask admins before anything is posted.
3. Message and scheduleWe write one clear message per audience and set a paced schedule against the contest deadline.
4. Send or post with permissionMessages go out from your name or with the admin's approval, each with a tagged link.
5. Replies, tracking and wrap-upWe report visits and replies per source and note which groups to keep for the next contest.