A Giveaway is technically not a legal term at all, but can be used interchangeably with the term Sweepstake in blog posts or conversationally. But when you are using legal terms (such as in your rules and regulations), you should use contest or sweepstake.
Are giveaways on Instagram legal? The short answer is, yes. The long answer is if you follow the below guidelines, use common sense for anyone running an online business and are fair and clear to all of your followers, your Instagram contest will be perfectly legal!
I hear people say that Instagram giveaways are worth it because they usually gain “x” number of new followers. Some unfollow, but a good percentage don't unfollow, so they feel like it's worth it. By doing large generic Instagram giveaways you are trading short-term vanity metrics for long-term success.
Sweepstakes: What makes a sweepstakes different from a lottery is the exchange of purchase or consideration. A sweepstakes must be free to enter. You may be thinking “but don't I have to buy french fries to play McDonald's Monopoly game?” And the surprising answer is, you don't!
Best Instagram Giveaway Ideas
- Like and Share to Win. One of the simplest Instagram giveaway ideas is to encourage participants to like your post and share it on their own profiles.
- Follow to Win.
- Tag a Friend.
- Photo Contest.
- Create a Caption.
- Scheduled Giveaways.
10 Ways to increase Instagram followers
- Optimize your Instagram account.
- Keep a consistent content calendar.
- Schedule Instagram posts in advance.
- Get partners and brand advocates to post your content.
- Avoid fake Instagram followers.
- Showcase your Instagram everywhere.
- Post content followers want.
- Get the conversation started.
All our recommendations to keep in mind before you publish your Instagram giveaway:
- Be aware of the mechanics for participation.
- The image of the post should be in line with the sweepstakes.
- Begin the text with a Call-to-Action.
- Describe the prize in the beginning.
- Be clear about the requirements.
- Point out the end date.
Simply create a post with an image that says “giveaway” and mentions the contest, explain the rules in your caption, use some relevant hashtags, and post. If you need some giveaway templates or any other help, you can use a social media giveaway tool like VYPER.
But if you want to take your design to the next level, here are some best practices to keep in mind.
- Use high-quality images. There's literally no excuse to use low-quality images for your giveaway graphics.
- Edit your photos.
- Choose the right size.
- Keep it on-brand.
- Make it interactive.
- Use a template.
- Be consistent.
Create a Story announcing the end of the competition, showing the winner's name as a @mention. Then encourage the winner to DM you for details of how to receive the prize. Then the winner can contact you, quickly and privately. They might even share the Story with their followers, bringing your posts to a new audience.
If you are using "give" as a verb, it will be two words, as in: "I'll give away all my spare money.” If you are using “giveaway” as a noun or adjective, it's one word, as in: ''Giveaway garage sale today.”
What is a Like and Share Facebook Contest?
- Ask fans to share your contest on their timeline to enter.
- Get people to share your giveaway on a friends news feeds for extra entries.
- Ask fans to tag friends in your contest post to enter.
According to Facebook's rules, you can only run a contest from a Facebook Page, Group, Event or App. Contests on personal Timelines are not permitted.
Top 18 Contesting Websites to Post Your Contest
- Giveaway Frenzy. Giveaway Frenzy is one of the best website for giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes for popular products and gift cards from businesses, brands, and blogs.
- Contestgirl.
- I Love Giveaways.
- Sweeties Sweeps.
- Contestchest.
- Sweepstakes Lovers.
- Sweep Sheet.
- Contest Bee.
Pros: Two weeks isn't such a short time to run a contest and it's not long enough that people will forget about it. Two weeks gives the contest plenty of time to circulate around the social media channels while still keeping it relevant and exciting.
June 11, 2019 The Best Ways to Collect Entries in your Contest or Giveaway
- Collect Likes/Reactions on Facebook.
- Collect Comments on Facebook and Instagram as Entries.
- Collect hashtagged entries (UGC) from Instagram or Twitter.
- Collect form submissions on a landing page or website.
The 6 Best Resources to Randomly Pick Contest Winners
- Use Google's Random Number Generator to Pick Winners.
- Use a Random Name Picker for Your Winner Selection Process.
- Use Woobox's "Pick a Winner" Tool to Draw Contest Winners on Social Media.
- Use YouTube's "Random Comment Picker" to Choose Winners.
How to Answer the Question “Why Do You Deserve This Scholarship?”
- Be Yourself.
- You Deserve This Scholarship Because You Have Passion and Persistence.
- Think About Why You Applied.
- You Overcome Obstacles.
50 Freebies to Give Away for the Opt In
- A free PDF. Give them a report on something or a brief guide on something.
- An audio content download. A lotof people prefer to listen to audio in their cars or on their lunch break, instead of read.
- A video download.
- A coupon or discount code.
- Free membership.
- Access to a forum or discussion area.
- Tips.
- Tools.
