How to do an Instagram Giveaway: A Step-by-step Guide

How to run an Instagram giveaway or contest successfully

Running an Instagram giveaway or contest is a smart method to interact with your audience and gain new Instagram followers. It’s a great method of showing appreciation to your fans, and it can also help convert more of them into paying customers.

There is no shortage of social media contest ideas that might benefit your company. They could even be an effective strategy for collecting user-generated material and gaining new subscribers.

In this article, I’ll explain in further detail what an Instagram giveaway is, why you might want to hold one, and how to do it successfully. It also provides a detailed guide on how to accomplish this using Instagram.

Why should you do an Instagram giveaway?

How to run an Instagram giveaway or contest successfully

A typical Instagram contest or giveaway will start with a post on the platform asking the audience to participate in some sort of action in order to be entered into a giveaway for the chance to win a free item or reward. This kind of marketing can greatly increase brand enthusiasm, which in turn boosts reach and engagement, sometimes noticeably.

Giving away freebies on Instagram is an effective approach for boosting community involvement and reaching out to young viewers interested in your content. Giveaway accounts have the opportunity to receive hundreds or even thousands of submissions and followers using this simple approach.

In fact, a Tailwind study discovered that conducting an Instagram giveaway can increase your follower count 70% more quickly than if you didn’t run any giveaways at all throughout three months. Instagram accounts that run contests see a 70% quicker growth rate, according to this study.

instagram-accounts-that-hold-contests-grow-70-percent-faster

Source – Tailwind

There are several benefits to using this strategy; however, the most important ones will be covered in this section.

1) Encourage greater engagement

Instagram giveaways can increase engagement not only on specific posts (like the one advertising the prize, obviously) but also across the board.

2) Generate followers

Many businesses require that customers first follow them on Instagram in order to be eligible for their promotion. For your giveaway, you may ensure that your Instagram following will grow by implementing a follow-gating approach like this one.

3) Boost impressions & Reach

In a similar vein, the Instagram giveaway you run might help you increase your account’s overall reach and impressions. If your giveaway posts get more interaction, your content will have a better chance of being seen by followers.

4) Help you collaborate with others

Last but not least, Instagram giveaways present a terrific chance for collaboration. Many firms decide to co-host giveaways, as you will see when we explore them in more detail.

How to Run an Instagram Giveaway?

Instagram contests may appear quite simple, but there’s a lot of difference between a decent contest and a fantastic one. A successful Instagram giveaway will promote your main marketing objectives, reach your target demographic audience, as well as uphold your company’s key principles.

Step 1: Identify Your Marketing Goals

Knowing your objective is the very first step in organizing a successful Instagram contest. The best and most effective Instagram competitions are thoughtful, well-planned, and have a specific purpose.

Do you want to expand your audience? Promote a commodity? Increase brand awareness? Increase understanding of social issues? Boost audience engagement? Getting recognition? Show inclinations for a different brand?

Your approach can be altered, and your campaign will stay on course if you have a deep understanding of your objectives.

Step 2: Choose a reward for your Instagram giveaway

Choose a reward for your Instagram giveaway

The next step is to think carefully about the reward you will be giving away; the goal is to create a prize that sparks public attention and drives users to participate in the giveaway contest.

Keep in mind that the prize you choose is appropriate for your current and future audience and is also relevant. You should pick a prize that will attract both your current as well as your target audience, whether it is a product, business, or service.

Here, you have a lot of creative freedom. Which company would your audience prefer if you partnered with them? What services or events would currently make your community feel good and excited?

Moreover, it doesn’t need to be a specific product or element of your company. For instance, the beauty retailer SpaceNK collaborated with a luxurious retreat location to give their community the chance to win a special vacation.

Explore your ideas when you’ve gathered a few. Ask a few individuals or your friends from your neighborhood if they would be interested in your giveaway and like, tag others, or share the post if they were given a chance to win that particular prize.

Step 3: Setting the Eligibility Requirements

Once the prize is set, you must specify the entry requirements for your giveaway contest. Everything here will depend on your set objectives (see Step 1).

For instance, if getting more Instagram followers is your primary goal for this particular Giveaway, be sure that following your profile or account is one of the eligibility requirements. In addition to this, you might want to mention that all participants are required to tag 3-5 friends in order to be eligible for this contest.

You will also need to address a few more details and information, like:

  • What is the last date of the giveaway contest? Include time zones, and be sure to also include the date of announcement of the winners.
  • Which countries are eligible to enter your contest?
  • Is there a maximum age? Make a note if the age limit for your giveaway contest is 18 or older.

Although some may find these details tedious, openness is important for a successful giveaway.

Step 4: Promote Your Instagram Giveaway

Now that all the above steps have been completed, It’s time to begin your Instagram giveaway.  Use all available channels, such as grid posts, stories, and reels, to promote your Giveaway contest. To attract as many accounts as possible, make sure to choose an appealing photograph for the post’s main structure, as well as include a prominent call to action in the description.

Don’t hesitate to share your winner announcement post at the best possible time to obtain optimum results. If your brand is active on several platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok), think about cross-promotion on all platforms in order to expand your audience.

A word of advice!

One very little but key thing to always keep in mind is, before the contest closes, you must always re-promote your Instagram giveaway post on your stories and also tell your family and friends to share it so that it may reach a wider audience!

Conclusion

A great technique to get new Instagram followers is to host a giveaway. Select appropriate hashtags and rewards that appeal to your target audience, publish an eye-catching image with a catchy caption, and spread the word through several channels to maximize participation in your contest. By tailoring your message to the specific interests of your target audience, you may attract the attention of loyal customers who want to interact with your business.

Further Read:

FAQ

âť“Can you do free giveaways on Instagram?

As long as you comply with Instagram’s policies and applicable laws, you can host giveaways on the platform whenever you please. Avoid giving away too much, and make sure every item you hand out is targeted toward a certain aim.

âť“Which Instagram giveaway ideas work well?

Included among the most effective giveaway concepts for Instagram are photo contests. Share and like contests, Comment on the giveaways

âť“How do you pick a random winner for a giveaway?

Winners for social media contests can be selected quickly using random number generators. Simply assign a number to each entry, pick a number at random, and then check to see if it matches any of the entries to see who wins.

alex davis

Alex Davis

Alex Davis is a freelance writer and digital marketer that focuses on social media, content, and digital marketing. He enjoys gardening and is fascinated by artificial intelligence.