How to run a competition on Facebook/Instagram

Using social media platforms to run competitions is a popular way to reach more people and get new followers. And it’s clear why: for a chance to win a great prize, you often need to do nothing more than like a post or follow a company. There are often a lot of raffles on Instagram and Facebook. With a little preparation and know-how, you too can easily create a social media competition. Our handy guide will show you how.

1. The prize

Choose a prize that suits your company. It can be one big prize or lots of smaller ones. Think in advance about your budget and how many prizes you want to give away. It doesn’t always need to be an iPad. Smaller giveaway boxes with branded T-shirts, jumpers or jute bags might work for your target audience too.

2. The plan

Make a time plan for preparing and running the competition. Make sure you think about the following:

• How long will it take the prizes to arrive?
• Do you have to consult other stakeholders? If so, how long will it take to go through the project with them?
• Do you want to simply post the competition organically or do your want to put a bit of budget behind it? Who is your target audience?
• ?When exactly do you want to run the competition? Make sure that while the competition is running you document any comments, direct message or reactions to your Instagram stories so that you can pick your winners.

It’s also worth thinking about what you want to get from the competition. Do you want more followers or more exposure? Do you want to increase brand recognition or is it something totally different that drives you? Try to imagine in advance what added value you can gain from the social media competition. Better yet, set yourself a target - for example: I want to get at least 500 new followers.

3. Terms and conditions for participants

Define clear terms and conditions with a legal expert or your company’s legal department. You can find lots of examples online that can be used as a basis, but be sure to adapt them to your individual situation. There are few important points which need to be in your terms and conditions: the duration of the competition, how the winners will be selected (pulling names out of a hat or with certain criteria) and exactly what people need to do to take part. Recourse to legal action should be excluded and participants should be informed of what will happen with the data they share with you as part of the competition. A link to GDPR legislation should also be provided.

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4. Define the mechanics of the competition

What do your fans and followers need to do to take part? Some favourites are: answer a question, leave a comment, like or share a post, or follow your company. Another popular option is for participants to have to tag a friend in their comment in order to take part. This naturally increases the audience for your competition, as more people will see your competition launch post. Consider also giving people an extra chance to win if they share the competition to their story.

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5. Use a disclaimer

Clearly state that the competition is in no way connected to Facebook/Instagram, nor is it sponsored by the platforms. This disclaimer is legally very important and should appear prominently in the competition launch post.

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6. Publish the post

The post launching your competition needs to have a stand-out visual too. Showing the prizes up for grabs is best. The post should include the details for how to take part, the disclaimer, the competition period and a link to the terms and conditions. If you’re running your competition on Instagram, then it’s best to put a link to the terms and conditions at the top of your profile page for the duration of the competition.

7. Sit back and pick your winners

Once your pre-defined competition period comes to an end, it’s time to pick your winners and hand out the prizes. We wish you all the very best and hope that this guide has been helpful!