Let’s talk about Instagram giveaways! Hand up if your friends have tagged in a giveaway (or maybe 10) before. You’re not alone. For many brands, giveaways are a great way to create brand awareness and tap into new audiences while growing theirs.

While giving away free products can seem like a no-brainer to gain a bunch of new followers, we recommend that you plan a giveaway like you would any other launch. When done correctly and intentionally, it can be great for your account engagement and introduction to new followers.

Pick a great prize!

You want to strategically plan out what you will be giving away. If you are a product based business, make sure the product you giveaway ties into an upcoming or current campaign. For service based businesses – make sure the service you giveaway is aligned with the rest of what you offer. You want to pick something that your ideal clients/consumer would want, therefore get excited to win. Typically giveaways include the business’ best-selling products and/or new, featured products. You can always run a giveaway alone or partner with a like-minded business for additional exposure. If you are a skincare brand this could be your top-selling product or partnering with a loungewear company for the ultimate self-care package.

What’s your goal?

Do you want to increase engagement, get more website clicks or overall boost in sales? Ensure that you have a specific goal in mind before you enter your giveaway, to ensure that you aren’t losing on important data and the opportunity to capture new lead information.

Make it easy!

We have all seen those giveaways where you need to follow multiple accounts and tag 100 friends. Keep it simple! Some of our favorite ways to enter a giveaway are to tag a friend, share to win or comment to enter. Tagging a friend is a great option as it allows you to access a large, like-minded audience. Additionally, we also like asking a question in the caption and asking those entering to answer in the comments.

Don’t post and ghost!

Continue to launch and promote your giveaway throughout the giveaway period. We recommend sharing your giveaway to your stories or even offering bonus entries for those who share in their Instagram stories. If your business is on multiple social platforms we also recommend cross-posting on all platforms, especially on TikTok.

P.S. Be familiar with Instagram’s giveaway rules and Don’t forget to mention this at the end of your post:

“Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.”

If you have run a giveaway before, what has worked best for your business giveaway, let us know!