Tax Consequences of Blog Giveaways

By guest contributor Helena Swyter. Photography by Travelfoodartanddesgin.

Hosting a giveaway on your blog is a popular way to gain followers and build relationships with sponsors. However, there are tax consequences. There are always tax consequences!

Tax Requirements
Your requirements as the host vary depending on the value of the prize. If the giveaway prize is valued at $600 or more - or if one person wins multiple giveaways, and the total prizes awarded in the year exceed $600 - you are required to send the winner a Form 1099-MISC.

Check with your sponsor, as they may take care of this for you. If not, the ball’s in your court.

What is a Form 1099-MISC?
This form is purely informational. You submit it to both the winner and the IRS. It lists the cash value of the prize so the IRS can expect to see that amount on the winner’s income tax return for that year.

To complete this form, you need the winner’s name, address, and social security number. You are required to send them the Form 1099-MISC by January 31 of the following year (e.g., prizes won in 2012 will be reported on Forms 1099-MISC, due January 31, 2013). The IRS provides Forms 1099-MISC for free on their website, but be sure to order early to avoid delays. The IRS expects to receive their copy of the Form 1099-MISC by February 28.

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Illustrator 102

By guest contributor Melissa Coleman.

Now that we have the basics down, let's play with the Illustrator tools. There are a lot of different tools in Illustrator, but today we're going to focus on the ones you'll use the most. Next to each of the tool labels you'll see a letter or a character. That's the keystroke you can use to toggle between tools. You can click the tool itself, but as you become more familiar with Illustrator, you'll want to use the key strokes. The highlighted tools are the ones I find myself using most. Add these keystrokes to your brain first.

You can probably guess what most of these tools do from using the standard Windows Paint program, so I won't bore you with long descriptions. Below are a couple things that you may not know:

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Win a Ticket or Airfare to Alt

By Melanie Blodgett. Photography by Ban.do.

If you weren't one of the two winners in the Wilsonart countertop contest, you're in luck because we're giving away another Alt Summit ticket! Just post a photo on Instagram or Pinterest of the holiday goodies you're baking up in your kitchen, use the hashtag #wilsonart and #altsummit, and post by November 30th to qualify. Easy.

And if you already have a ticket, we'll pay up to $500 for your airfare to Alt! So get baking! 

Update: Congratulations Giulia Doyle of Fishly News, you are the winner. 

Giulia Doyle of Fishly News

The Secret to Blog Growth

By guest contributor Monica Lee.

Have you ever wondered what the secret is behind growing a blog with a massive following? Listen to this quick chat with Jessica Hepburn to learn the most important strategy for blog growth.

Branding: Why Sharing Your Dream Matters

By guest contributor Mariah Danielsen. Photography by Hello Naomi.

"People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it" - Simon Sinek

Essentially we’re all out there doing the same thing: we’re writing blog posts, trying to sell our services, and trying to be different than every other brand. You’re most likely not the only person who makes or does what you do. So what sets you apart? It’s your dreams and the passion behind why you started your business.

Sharing the reason why you started your business or blog with your readers will help them form a connection with you. The people that connect most with your story will be the people who have the same types of dreams and goals that you do.

Instead of telling your readers what you do, and showing them a bunch of shots of your products, share with them why your business exists. Do you exist to change the way people think about party planning? Do you exist to help small businesses grow through beautifully designed logos and websites? Make sure you are sharing your reason!

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