Have you decided to organise an Instagram giveaway to (re)energise your community and increase the engagement of your followers? This type of strategy is very effective. However, to be effective (and risk-free), organising a giveaway can’t be improvised. Here’s a complete guide to the rules you need to follow to launch your own contest on your Instagram account.?
Why organise an Instagram giveaway?
The principle of the Instagram giveaway is to make one or more followers win a gift, by asking them to perform an action (usually simple) that will benefit you.
An Instagram giveaway is ideal for :
- launching a new Instagram account or a new product,
- create or strengthen the link with your followers,
- stimulate a community that has become less active,
- generate engagement with your followers,
- develop your brand awareness.
What types of giveaways can be organised?
When it comes to giveaways on Instagram, there are several mechanisms depending on the desired objective. The main difference between each of them is the engagement rate that will be generated.
Here is a list of the most popular types of Instagram giveaways. Subscribers are asked to contribute and must :
- Like a photo to enter the draw,
- Mention one or more friends in a comment,
- Like your post and write a comment explaining why they want to win,
- Repost the content on their news feed or in a story,
- Subscribe to the various partner accounts of the giveaways to have a chance to win (association with other brands or influencers),
- Offer to create an image, a text or a product name for your brand and reward the originality, relevance or beauty of this creation.
What are the steps to build an Instagram giveaway?
Set the objectives to be achieved
The most important step when you decide to launch a giveaway is to define the objectives and expected results beforehand. This will determine the type of competition, the rules or the choice of gift that is most appropriate.
The objectives must be achievable and measurable by concrete indicators.
For example, if your objective is to gain notoriety, it is more strategic to choose an Instagram giveaway where participants share the content or mention friends in comments.
Finding the perfect gift
To develop an effective Instagram account, it is imperative to gain and retain followers who will be active. The Instagram giveaway must allow you to attract their attention, but also to keep them once the giveaway is over.
The choice of the gift is essential and must be done taking into account the expectations of your target. Sometimes a gift that is too expensive can be a bad idea: it is better to congratulate a larger number of people for their involvement. But sometimes you want to make an impression on your audience with a big gift and more competition.
How is your brand positioned? Your operation? For which purposes?
Define and inform participants of the rules of the game
Simple, easy-to-understand and easy-to-apply rules are essential for a successful competition.
Whatever type of Instagram giveaway you wish to create, you must clearly inform the participants of the rules of the competition.
The easiest way to do this is to mention them in the caption under the giveaway post, describing :
- the mechanics of the giveaway,
- the start and end dates,
- the actions to be carried out to win,
- the gift to be won,
- the number of winners,
- other important points that should not be overlooked, such as
- the cancellation conditions ;
- the limits of liability (on the delivery of the prize, the contact of the winner…);
- the use of the name or image of the participants or winners;
- submission to country law for all participants;
- where to find the complete rules.
Because yes: it is compulsory to publish a complete set of rules for the game. It must be accessible to everyone. You can put the link in the bio of the account on which the giveaway is held.
In order to avoid any risks and to avoid any disputes or complaints from participants, the complete rules can be filed with a bailiff. If the prize is of significant value, it is best to take this precaution. ??⚖️
Choosing the means to determine the winner
There are three ways to determine the winner(s) of an Instagram giveaway: voting, judging or drawing.
- Voting rewards the post with the highest number of likes. It allows subscribers and their network to be involved. They will share with their own community the content to be liked, all the more so if the prize is important. The Instagram giveaway will spread like wildfire.
- Using a jury has the advantage of being fairer, especially when judging the quality of a photo or the creation of a slogan.
- Finally, the draw is quick and easy to set up. The result is completely random and can be done with software. It allows everyone to try their luck. Beware: once again, if the prize money is high, it is better to let a bailiff handle the draw.
Create a unique hashtag
By creating a hashtag just for your Instagram giveaway (branded hashtag), you can increase its visibility. It will be included in your publications. Participants will be able to follow and share it.
This is a way to make the keywords appear, which are widely used on Instagram, and to be well referenced.
The hashtag should be unique, short, punchy and easy to write in order to – at the same time – make an impression and be easily identifiable. It should refer to your brand, product or service and revolve around the same theme as your world.
Communicate about the Instagram giveaway
Finally, to ensure that your giveaway does not go unnoticed, you must communicate before, during and after its launch. Without this, you risk not having the hoped-for impact.
It is also ABSOLUTELY imperative that you make visible the fact that Instagram has no connection whatsoever with the Instagram giveaway you are running in order for it to be legal.
