A very crappy JV contest prize...

This thread is kind of a spin-off to an older thread I posted over at JVNP which you can find here:
Silly JV contests

...oh how time flies...

Anyway, that thread has some interesting ideas in it too, so if you have time, go read that one too

So what motivated this thread?

JV contests that are structured something like this:
Do you see a problem with this?

At first glance, it looks great: the product owner is giving away large wads of cash and endorsed mailings to their (presumably) large and responsive list.

I've got no problems with cash - I love cash

I've got a big problem with guaranteeing an endorsed mailing to someone whose identity you do not yet know.

Some people accuse gurus of promoting the "overpriced" stuff of other gurus without caring about the quality of the product.

That's a topic for another thread, but to keep this point short, I think there are legitimate justifications for promoting a product that you've never looked at before (e.g. you trust the product owner 100%).

So the problem with guaranteeing an endorsed mailing is that you are forced (by your own hand) to promote an unknown product by an unknown product owner.

You have absolutely no idea what topic the product will be on.

(It is pretty much a given that you will be asked to promote an IM-related product if you're doing this contest for an IM product, but remember, the IM market is pretty big. You don't want to be promoting a "How to design your own minisite" type product to your "How to dominate Youtube" list.)

You have no idea who will come out on top in your JV contest.

And yet, this is the product and the person you'll be "wholeheartedly" recommending to your list.

If you have any respect for your subscribers at all, don't offer reciprocal mailings to your list as a JV contest prize.