Types of Instagram Giveaways and Contests & How to Run Them

Do you feel like engagement on your brand’s social media is a little weak or could be better? Do you ever feel like your followers are just kind of...there? Instagram giveaways and contests are great tools for brands because not only can they get your brand more followers and attract new customers, but they can increase engagement on your social media channels. After all, followers aren’t worth much if they don’t interact with you. Before you get started, it’s important to know your options. Here are four types of Instagram giveaways and contests and how to run them.

1. Like-to-Win

A “like-to-win” giveaway is one of the easiest contests you can hold on Instagram. All you need to do is post a picture that clarifies the details of the giveaway - usually the picture itself will feature the products up for grabs and the description will explain the rules. For this kind of giveaway, you’ll want to tell your followers to like the picture and follow your Instagram account if they aren’t already - it’s as simple as that!

Selecting the winner is the easiest part: pick a random follower from the likes on the picture. Obviously you’ll want to make sure this person followed all the rule requirements. If they only liked the picture but don’t follow your account then they can’t win! There are tons randomizing generators online you can use to help you pick a winner.

2. Creative Submission

When the prize is worth it, your followers will be willing to work a little harder to win. Having your audience post a creative photo featuring your product is a great way to increase your brand’s reach, but also get a lot of user-generated content to repurpose later. (Remember to ask the user for permission or include photo copyright ownership in the contest rules.)  

You can get really creative when it comes to making the rules for this type of contest. Maybe you’re launching an all-natural product and want to ask for your audience to take their picture out in nature. Or maybe the campaign centers around a theme like self-confidence. You can have them make their entry about how your product helps them feel more confident. Whatever approach you go for, make sure you explain it clearly so those entering the contest know what to post and what merits it is being judged for.

You should create a custom hashtag for the contest that your followers can use when posting their entry. This way when it comes time to pick a winner, you can easily find pictures by searching for the hashtag.

3. Repost

“Repost” giveaways are one of the most popular types of giveaways because of how easy they are to manage. To win, followers are to repost the original giveaway picture that your brand has posted and use a custom hashtag and/or tag your brand in their repost. When your followers repost the picture of the giveaway, it’ll be seen by their followers who may not have been familiar with your brand previously.

This type of giveaway comes with a few cons. You’re less likely to get a large number of participants since many people won’t want to spam their followers. Instead, you can make reposting an optional way for participants to submit bonus entries.

4. Tag a Friend

Giveaways that consist of followers having to tag a friend or multiple friends to win is another easy way to increase your following and brand awareness (and potential new customers). To win, participants should comment on the photo of the giveaway tagging their friends in the comments. Be sure to clarify if participants can tag more than one friend!  

5. Loop

Loop giveaways are done by a group of brands all partnering together for one giveaway and requiring participants to follow all the brands involved. Each brand will post the same giveaway photo and will tag one of the brands in the group. The goal is for participants to follow all the tagged brands until they get back to the start, or “close the loop.” Typically you’ll see 5-20 brands involved in the loop.

We don’t recommend this type of giveaway because the new followers you gain are typically only following to win and will most likely unfollow once the giveaway is over. Also, it hurts the trust between you and your followers. Requiring them to follow a large group of accounts doesn’t come across as genuine.