How to Do a Giveaway on Instagram: A Step-by-step Guide
Instagram giveaways may seem straightforward, but there’s a huge difference between a good giveaway and a great one.
A great Instagram giveaway will support your overarching marketing goals, tap into your target audience, and support your brand values.
Step #1: Determine Your Marketing Goals
The first step towards running a successful Instagram contest is to understand what you want to achieve.
The best and most successful Instagram contests are intentional and well thought out, with a clear underlying goal.
Do you want to grow your following? Give back to your community? Promote a product? Boost brand awareness? Raise awareness of a social issue? Increase engagement? Show affinity with another brand?
Having a crystal clear vision of your goals will help fine-tune your strategy and keep your campaign on track.
TIP: Build out your marketing campaigns with the help of an AI tool.
Step #2: Decide on an Instagram Giveaway Prize
Next up, it’s important to consider exactly what you’ll be giving away — a compelling prize that elicits excitement and motivates users to enter is the name of the game.
Make sure the prize is relevant and fits your audience’s needs. Whether it’s a product, service, or experience, you’ll want to choose a prize that’s enticing to both your existing and target audience.
You can get super creative here. if you were to partner with another brand, what brand does your audience really love? What products or experiences would make your community feel great right now?
And it doesn’t have to be something directly within your industry. For example, beauty retailer SpaceNK partnered with a luxury retreat destination to offer their community the opportunity to win an exclusive getaway.
When you have a few ideas lined up, test them out! Ask a few of your community members if they’d be excited by the opportunity to win the prize, and whether they’d be motivated enough to like, tag friends in, or share the post.
Step #3: Set the Entry Criteria
Once you’ve got your eye on the prize, you’ll need to define how someone can enter your giveaway. This will all depend on your goals (see Step #1).
For example, if your top goal is to attract new followers, you’ll want to make sure that following your account is part of the entry requirements. You might also want to specify that entrants must tag 3-5 friends to be eligible.
You’ll also need to cover some of the admin details, such as:
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How long will the contest run for? Specify closing dates and don’t forget to include timezones.
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Will your contest be open to certain countries?
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Is there an age limit? If your contest is only open to ages 18 and above, note that.
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Include Instagram’s
regarding promotions on the app.
These details may seem a little boring, but transparency is key for a successful giveaway.
Step #4: Promote Your Instagram Giveaway
Now it’s time to launch your giveaway.
For example, if you’re on Instagram, announce your contest through a grid post, story, and Reel — take advantage of all avenues.
Be sure to use a strong image for the post itself and include a clear call-to-action in your caption to encourage as many entries as possible.
For the best results, don’t forget to share your announcement post at your best time to post.
If your brand lives on multiple platforms (aka Twitter, TikTok, Facebook) consider cross-promoting for additional reach.
TIP: Re-promote your Instagram giveaway on stories before the contest ends!
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