Working an Instagram giveaway or contest is a strategic technique to interact your viewers and develop your following. Plus, it’s a enjoyable technique to give again to your followers—and work to show extra of your followers into clients.
There are such a lot of social media contest concepts on the market that may very well be an ideal match in your model, they usually may even be a stellar tactic for constructing a library of user-generated content material and new followers.
All through this text, we’re going to dive deeper into what an Instagram giveaway is and why you’d need to host one—plus a step-by-step showcasing the right way to put by yourself giveaway efficiently.
Why do you have to host an Instagram giveaway?
An Instagram giveaway or contest tends to begin with an Instagram put up that asks your viewers to finish some type of activity to enter right into a giveaway to win a free product or prize. Such a marketing campaign can generate numerous pleasure round your model, bringing in new eyes and rising attain and engagement… generally by rather a lot.
There are an a variety of benefits to using this technique—let’s cowl crucial ones.
Get extra followers
Many manufacturers require that customers coming into their giveaway should first observe them on Instagram. Comply with-gating your giveaway like this ensures that your Instagram following grows alongside your entries. When you’ll probably begin receiving entries from those that already observe you, put together to see some development as your giveaway positive factors traction.
Generate larger engagement
Instagram giveaways can generate larger engagement on particular posts (your giveaway announcement, clearly)—however it could actually additionally enhance your engagement total. Algorithms work in humorous methods, however as soon as it realizes that you just’re getting much more engagement than common, it’ll begin to place your content material in entrance of much more eyes, boosting your complete engagement.
Improve attain and impressions
Equally, your Instagram giveaway can assist you enhance your total attain and impressions. The extra engagement in your giveaway posts, the extra probably your content material can be proven to followers. If customers preserve seeing your content material and interacting with it, you’ll pop up on the high of their feeds extra typically, serving to to extend your attain.
Create a possibility to collaborate with others
Lastly, Instagram giveaways current an ideal collaboration alternative. Many manufacturers (as you’ll see us cowl shortly) select to co-host giveaways. Discover a model with a product that’s complementary to yours (i.e., if you happen to promote silk pillowcases, collab with a model that sells hair masks) and provides away these merchandise collectively in a good looking little bundle.
Sorts of Instagram giveaways
There are 5 fundamental forms of Instagram giveaways that you just’ll see manufacturers make the most of. We’ll stroll you thru how every of those works and why you would possibly need to select that route.
1. Like, remark and observe
One of the fashionable strategies of entry is to have individuals like your photograph asserting your Instagram contest, depart a remark and observe your account to be able to acquire entry.
Or, you would make commenting crucial a part of the entry, like we see on this enjoyable holiday-themed giveaway from Edible Preparations:
Once you use this tactic, merely identify your prize, lay down the bottom guidelines and watch the entries fly in. You possibly can ask individuals to touch upon why they need to win, nominate somebody to win or just tag a buddy to unfold the phrase.
That final choice is a superb contest thought all by itself — learn on for extra methods to make tagging mates in contests work successfully.
2. Tag a buddy
Need to actually get the phrase out about your Instagram contest? Ask individuals to tag a buddy after they enter! Customers can tag as many mates as they like to be able to get much more entries.
Then, these customers are more likely to enter and tag a few of their very own mates, making a ripple impact of consciousness round your contest and model. You may as well host a tag-a-friend Instagram contest to be able to ask your followers to appoint somebody who deserves a prize.
Right here’s an instance of what this would possibly appear like from Edible Preparations:
Edible Preparations requested customers to enter the competition by tagging a buddy within the feedback. Many giveaways enable customers to tag a number of mates as a manner of coming into greater than as soon as, rising their probabilities.
3. Consumer-generated content material
In case you’re seeking to put collectively a marketing campaign round gathering user-generated content material (UGC) to share on-line, creating an Instagram giveaway round that idea might be a good way to do it.
Ask your viewers to share a photograph onto their feed utilizing a particular branded hashtag or tagging your corporation with the intention to simply discover all the entries in a single place.
Not solely does this reward your clients for serving to you out, however it offers you a complete arsenal of user-generated photographs to share in your feed for future content material planning.
As a result of one of these giveaway entry requires much more effort in your audiences’ half, you’ll need to make the prize price it.
4. Collaboration
As we talked about earlier, one other technique to broaden your viewers is by collaborating with an identical model in your giveaway prizes. This manner, the audiences of all concerned manufacturers can study new, comparable manufacturers, and have a good higher prize on the finish.
Right here’s an instance of one of these collaborative giveaway the place three manufacturers acquired collectively to supply a significant prize bundle as their giveaway prize:
Many influencers additionally host collaborative giveaways like this, meant to assist their followers uncover new manufacturers and bloggers, and vice versa.
In case you’re working to develop your Instagram presence, a collaborative contest or giveaway is likely to be your greatest guess.
5. Instagram Tales
Whereas Instagram contests are all about giving again to your viewers, there are vital advantages in your total Instagram advertising and marketing technique too: manufacturers can garner numerous consideration and generate a much bigger viewers via them as nicely.
Having your viewers share a put up on their Instagram Tales as a type of entry might be one other nice technique to get the phrase on the market.
It’s tremendous simple for customers to share posts to their Instagram Tales, so asking for one thing like this as an entry isn’t asking an excessive amount of of your viewers, and might be a good way to unfold the phrase.
How you can run an Instagram giveaway in 6 steps
Working an Instagram giveaway is a enjoyable technique to enhance engagement and followers, however it is advisable to observe the precise steps to maximise your success. Make the most of this blueprint in your subsequent contest or giveaway to be sure to’re protecting your bases earlier than you announce the prize(s).
1. Outline your Instagram giveaway objectives
Earlier than anything, it is advisable to be sure to outline the total goal of your Instagram giveaway. In any other case, how will you establish whether or not or not it was profitable in the long run?
A couple of questions you would possibly ask your self to find out your objectives are:
- Are you attempting to interact your viewers extra in your content material?
- Are you aiming to generate a bigger following?
- Is your plan to construct a library of UGC to share on social media?
That is going to find out what sort of Instagram giveaway you run. No matter your fundamental aim or goal is, preserve it in thoughts all through your total contest planning course of in order that the whole lot you do is sensible in your finish aim.
2. Establish your finances and prizes
The subsequent step is to establish what your finances is and the way massive of a prize or prize bundle you’re in a position to give away totally free. You would possibly begin with a single, small prize in your first giveaway to check the waters earlier than finally transferring onto a bigger prize down the highway.
Remember the fact that your prize needs to be particular to your audience and one thing distinctive for hem to win.
For instance, a money prize or an iPad or iPhone may apply to anybody, whereas a present card or restricted version product out of your store would attraction solely to the individuals who would purchase from you anyhow. This helps interact your audience additional and can even assist your consciousness objectives. If the winner posts their very own photographs of the merchandise they obtained out of your contest, you’ll get extra consciousness and attain out of your efforts.
3. Plan and run your Instagram giveaway or contest
First issues first, are you working a giveaway or a contest?
For probably the most half, these are one in the identical. Nonetheless, some manufacturers select to create extra in-depth contests, the place entrants are requested to place their greatest foot ahead and a winner is chosen by their efficiency.
A giveaway, although, has a randomly-selected entrant win the prize.
The subsequent factor to contemplate is how customers will enter your Instagram contest. Suppose again to the examples we shared above. Which contest or giveaway sort falls most consistent with your fundamental aim or goal?
No matter you determine, be sure that it’s simple for individuals to enter your contest. Nobody goes to enter a contest that requires them to do numerous work–individuals need your entry course of to be easy and simple.
When you determine the very best entry methodology in your contest, it’s time to begin planning out the remainder of the small print.
First, decide how lengthy your Instagram contest will final. What number of days will your viewers must enter? Be sure that deadline is predetermined and that you just clearly let your viewers know when coming into will finish.
Second, are you going to make use of a hashtag in your marketing campaign? Whether or not you could have individuals put up photographs with that hashtag or ask them to make use of it within the feedback, making a campaign-specific hashtag that nobody else is utilizing is a good suggestion. This manner, you’ll be capable to inform the competition entries from common posts about your model.
Third, what’s the theme in your contest? That is particularly vital for UGC-focused contests. You need to be sure that your viewers is aware of what varieties of photographs you’re on the lookout for them to share.
And at last, how will you notify the winner? Will you tag them in a remark? Share a brand new put up? Message them? Tag them in an Instagram Story?
These are all issues it is advisable to plan earlier than you launch the competition.
4. Design your marketing campaign property
Subsequent, it is advisable to put collectively marketing campaign property to announce and promote your Instagram contest. Not solely will this draw consideration to followers, it’ll show you how to cross-promote it on varied platforms, in your electronic mail publication, in your web site and extra.
Create imagery for each your Instagram feed and to share in your Instagram Tales to extend the variety of followers who see the competition early on, providing you with loads of time to gather entries. You’ll need these to face out and enhance the full variety of entries. Contemplate getting high-quality photographs of the prize and add “GIVEAWAY” or comparable copy in huge, daring lettering to the highest of your graphic.
Subsequent, it is advisable to take into consideration your captions. Begin with an attention-grabbing hook with the intention to reel viewers in. Then clarify what the prize is, the right way to enter the giveaway and what the general guidelines are. You will need to additionally observe Instagram’s phrases and launch them of any affiliation with the giveaway.
5. Measure your giveaway entry outcomes
Maintain a detailed eye on how many individuals are coming into your giveaway, if you happen to’re receiving any questions on it and what number of related entries are coming in with the giveaway hashtag.
Use a social media administration device reminiscent of Sprout Social to generate reviews on hashtag and key phrase use, follower depend, engagement price and extra.
Keep watch over all associated posts and feedback with the intention to pinpoint whether or not or not you met your preliminary aim with the giveaway. If elevated consciousness or attain is one in every of your objectives, observe the efficiency of your giveaway hashtags within the Instagram Enterprise Profiles Report back to measure the hashtags related along with your model. You’ll be capable to inform in case your branded giveaway hashtag is creating the thrill you’re on the lookout for:
Additionally listen throughout and proper after the giveaway to see if you happen to’ve generated an inflow in gross sales as nicely.
6. Choose your winner with an Instagram giveaway picker
As soon as your giveaway timeframe has ended, it’s time to decide on a winner. One of the best ways to do that is by utilizing an Instagram giveaway picker device. There are a selection of obtainable instruments so that you can benefit from particularly for these functions.
Many manufacturers will even report themselves utilizing a device to pick the winner and share the video on their Instagram Tales as a technique to show that the winner actually has been randomly chosen.
A couple of fashionable Instagram giveaway pickers embody:
Flip Instagram giveaway entrants into clients
Begin working your individual Instagram giveaways to spice up your followers, enhance social media engagement and, better of all, ramp up conversions. By introducing new individuals to your product, you’re rising the possibilities of introducing somebody to your model for the primary time and turning into a buyer.
For much more concepts on the right way to convert your social media viewers into clients, try the most recent Sprout Social Index™.
