Instagram Giveaway Rules and Tips

Here is a thorough guide for running the best giveaway campaign on Instagram in order to drive growth, engage your audience and reach more people. This article includes a step-by-step guide and also some tips you need to have in mind. 

what is the difference between a contest and a giveaway

Instagram contests usually have bigger and more expensive prizes. Both for giveaways and contests, you ask the followers to take some actions to have a chance of winning the prize. You may ask them to like and save your posts, comment or add your post to their stories. What you ask them to do, really depends on your goal of holding the event. Both of them can have different prizes. It can be one or more than one of your products, cash, mobile phones, or whatever you choose and your budget allows you. 

The step-by-step guide

If you want your giveaway to be successful and have a lot of entries, you need to observe the following guide.

1. Identify your goal: why are you holding a giveaway? You may want to do it as a way to appreciate your existing followers and increase loyalty. Is it that you want to raise engagement or do you want to gain more followers? 
2. Identify the prize: like said before, the prize can be something related to your brand like one or more than one of your products. For example, if you are a cosmetics shop, you can give your followers a package for skin routine or give them a book if you are a bookshop. The prize you want to give really matters. Not surprisingly a trip to France is more interesting and exciting than a $50 gift card. Ensure that you choose something that people really want to win. 
3. Identify who can enter: it is easier to hold the contest locally, especially if you want to ship products. You may also want to limit the age; for example, only people above 18 can enter. Then you may also identify what type of accounts can enter; private, public or both. 
4. Identify the duration: it’s always a good idea to identify a time limit when it comes to marketing and exciting people. Everything must be clear. When the contest starts, when it ends, and when the winners will be announced. The duration can vary from 24 hours to a month. However, it is best if you only hold it for 2 to seven days. It gives people enough time to take the actions you want them and it also doesn’t irritate them for being too long. 
5. Identify the entry requirements: whatever you want the contestants to do should be clear. Some common actions are following, liking, commenting, adding you to their stories, tagging you, etc. just beware that if you make the process too complicated, fewer people may enter unless the prize is really catchy. You can also identify optional actions like tagging more friends to raise engagement and the chances of more people entering. 
6. Identify how the winner will be chosen: you don’t want the winner to look like a random draw because people do not trust you that way. That is why you have to state clearly how and even with what application or tool the winners will be selected. 
7. Set more rules and specifications: state clearly what happens if the winner does not answer your direct messages or phone calls and how much time does it take before you move on to the next winner. Write all the conditions under the post and you can also have them on your website for more complicated contests. 

What to do during the giveaway period

Promote your giveaway a few times so that everyone can see it. It can also persuade those who were previously hesitant to take part. You can remind people of the giveaway on your next post and also stories. Upload a post 24 hours before the giveaway ends and give people the last ultimatum to enter. 

During this period, hopefully, a lot of new people follow you. Post your best content these days so that people get excited and learn what your page is really all about. That way your page will seem interesting to them and they will hopefully remain a follower when the winners are announced.