It’s a pain small businesses feel all the time. They invest in giving and growing their audience via giveaways and raffles, hoping for an amazing return.

Not only do they get little to no engagement, they get fake accounts copying their handles and messaging their followers- with little to no return for a expensive giveaway.

Don’t get discouraged if you’ve tried and it hasn’t gone as plan. They’re not as straight forward as you might think!

First things first, you need to ask yourself this question:

How are you defining success?

What will make you say “wow, that giveaway went really, really well”? Take a moment to reflect on this.

1. Establish a Clear Objective

Are you looking to increase followers, boost engagement, or promote a new product? Understanding your goal will shape the giveaway's structure and rules.

These may include;

• Email sign ups

• Brand recognition

• Clicks to a website

• Comments on blog posts (we’ve done this one! It’s great!)

• Tagging a friend

• Follows

• Likes/shares/saves

• A mix of all of the above

Note: Complicated entries are not good. Keep it simple. Incentivise multiple steps with a significant prize to match, or make further steps optional.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Your giveaway should appeal directly to the interests and preferences of your intended demographic.

What is your brand? This also counts for Influencers. Read about your brand identity and voice.

If you haven’t addressed these points, do it before starting any sort of giveaways to avoid disappointment and misplaced funds.

3. Picking A Prize Your Audience Would Want and Recognise

The prize is the centrepiece of your giveaway. Select a prize that resonates with your audience and aligns with your brand.

It could be your product, a gift card, or a service. The key is to offer something valuable enough to encourage participation.

We strongly believe to harness the strength of branding- and if your brand isn’t strongly established, borrow some branding power from another brand!

Tip: This can be done through a collaboration or using a Sephora or Mecca Gift Card as the prize. Show the branding clearly so they know it’s identifiable.

4. Clear and Simple Entry Rules

Complex rules can deter participation. Keep the entry process simple. Common entry methods include liking the post, following your account, tagging friends in the comments, or sharing the post on their story.

Ensure the rules are straightforward and easy to follow.

Make sure the fact it’s a giveaway is very, very clear! In the first line of the post, or in the photo / imagery, ideally.

Your giveaway should reflect your brand’s identity.

Use consistent colours, logos, and messaging.

This clarity in branding not only increases recognition but also ensures that new followers gained through the giveaway are likely to stay engaged with your brand.

Here’s an example:

WIN A [RETAILER] GIFT CARD & [BRAND ITEM] PACK FOR YOU AND YOUR BESTIEWORTH OVER $500

TO ENTER:

• FOLLOW [BRAND HANDLE] (we are checking!)

• TAG YOUR BESTIE

• LIKE & SAVE THIS POST

1 TAG= 1 ENTRY

EXTRA ENTRIES:

• SHARE THIS POST TO YOUR STORIES & TAG US

• SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL LIST TO KEEP UPDATED ON NEW LAUNCHES & SALES

T&C’s:

Be aware of fake accounts! Winner will be messaged from @[BRAND HANDLE]. Australian residents only. Must be over 18 to enter. Winner drawn on (ONE MONTH FROM POSTING DATE 00/00/0000) the winner has 72 hours to respond before a redraw. This giveaway isn’t associated with [RETAILER] or Instagram in any way.

5. Boosting 101

Consider boosting through social platforms through ad services. We found that with the correct branding, we secured 50c = x1 Follower that was relevant to our niche and our target audience. We found the retention was also high.

Make sure your post gets organic engagement before boosting.

6. Reflect

Post-giveaway, analyse the results. Assess what worked and what didn’t. This reflection will guide your strategy for future giveaways and other social media campaigns.

In conclusion, a successful Instagram giveaway requires a clear objective, an appealing prize, simple entry rules, strong branding, effective promotion, active engagement, transparent winner announcement, and a reflective analysis.

Execute these steps effectively, and watch your brand flourish on Instagram.

So you get the rules, let’s see it in action!

Examples we love

Adore Beauty

Naked Sundays

Good luck!