As we continue to beat the bushes for wonderfully creative and opinionated people, we want to give these talented individuals even more exposure.
Last month, we ran a very popular writing contest with the theme, "Your Best 'First' Story," which resulted in lots of submissions, many of which were great. A lot of people stepped up and delivered some fantastic pieces, including unique myTakes that were a lot of fun to read. Not long after that contest ended, we got plenty of requests for another contest.
Well, we're obliging. This time, however, the contest has a twist:
We want to see who can generate the most views with their work.
This is in direct response to requests from users who would like to see how their Takes do, in terms of overall views (from both inside and outside the site). While we won't be implementing such a feature right now, we do appreciate writers who simply want to know if their work spread far and wide. After all, we all write so others can enjoy our opinions, correct? What's the point if nobody reads it?
So, this time, the contest is simple: The person who snags the most overall views with their Take wins and yes, there will be a second and third prize again. Same deal as before and again, we'll hand out six total awards, three for each gender:
First Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card
Second Prize: +1,000 XPER
Third Prize: +500 XPER
To enter, simply have an account (and yes, you can post your submission anonymously) and submit your Take with the #SeeMyWork hashtag somewhere in the text. That's all you need to do to enter.
Now, creating a Take that gets a lot of views requires skill and an understanding of what works online. We recommend checking out helpful articles like this, and you should also keep a close eye on the main page, which is where the best - and often the most popular - Takes end up. You can also check the list of Promoted Takes, which is a useful resource. Lastly, simply jump around online and see what types of content tend to be popular.
And I know what you're thinking: "Oh, this isn't about quality." But it is. Poorly crafted pieces, no matter how trending or how hot the content, don't go anywhere. As a perfect example, the winner of our last writing contest penned a fantastic piece and it was widely shared online. It wasn't because of the topic or any imagery used; it was because it was well done.
Granted, topics and presentation do matter, but without the quality, nothing happens. And yeah, you can "cheat" by sending the link to your Take to all your friends, sharing it on your social media channels, etc. Actually, we don't see that as cheating at all, and we encourage you to do it all the time, anyway. :P
Digital content creation and presentation is going to be one of the most marketable creative skills in the future, if it isn't already. And trust us, it's a very specified ability that you really won't fine-tune by writing those essays in English class. What matters most in the digital space? Things like title, readability, media, etc. Many of you have received some tips from me in regards to proper content presentation, and I suggest you use that feedback (many of you already do). Oh, and sex and relationship topics DO NOT ALWAYS FARE BETTER than other pieces, especially with the variety we're seeing at GaG now. So don't assume...
This contest begins immediately and will run until 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 24. All submissions must be received before this date. Good luck! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. And by the way, you can enter as many times as you like. :)
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