Operating an Instagram giveaway or contest is a strategic option to have interaction your viewers and develop your following. Plus, it’s a enjoyable option to give again to your followers—and work to show extra of your followers into prospects.
There are such a lot of social media contest concepts on the market that could possibly be an ideal match to your model, and so they 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 wish 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 submit that asks your viewers to finish some kind of activity to enter right into a giveaway to win a free product or prize. One of these marketing campaign can generate plenty of pleasure round your model, bringing in new eyes and rising attain and engagement… generally by so much.
There are a number of advantages to using this technique—let’s cowl a very powerful ones.
Get extra followers
Many manufacturers require that customers getting into their giveaway should first observe them on Instagram. Observe-gating your giveaway like this ensures that your Instagram following grows alongside your entries. Whilst you’ll probably begin receiving entries from those that already observe you, put together to see some progress as your giveaway positive factors traction.
Generate greater engagement
Instagram giveaways can generate greater engagement on particular posts (your giveaway announcement, clearly)—however it will possibly additionally enhance your engagement general. Algorithms work in humorous methods, however as soon as it realizes that you simply’re getting much more engagement than normal, it’ll begin to place your content material in entrance of much more eyes, boosting your complete engagement.
Enhance attain and impressions
Equally, your Instagram giveaway will help you improve your general attain and impressions. The extra engagement in your giveaway posts, the extra probably your content material can be proven to followers. If customers maintain seeing your content material and interacting with it, you’ll pop up on the prime of their feeds extra usually, serving to to extend your attain.
Create a possibility to collaborate with others
Lastly, Instagram giveaways current an awesome 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., in the event you promote silk pillowcases, collab with a model that sells hair masks) and provides away these merchandise collectively in a gorgeous little bundle.
Sorts of Instagram giveaways
There are 5 fundamental kinds of Instagram giveaways that you simply’ll see manufacturers make the most of. We’ll stroll you thru how every of those works and why you may wish to select that route.
1. Like, remark and observe
One of the well-liked strategies of entry is to have folks like your picture saying your Instagram contest, depart a remark and observe your account as a way to acquire entry.
Or, you may make commenting a very powerful a part of the entry, like we see on this enjoyable holiday-themed giveaway from Edible Preparations:
Once you use this tactic, merely title your prize, lay down the bottom guidelines and watch the entries fly in. You possibly can ask folks to touch upon why they need to win, nominate somebody to win or just tag a pal to unfold the phrase.
That final choice is a superb contest concept all by itself — learn on for extra methods to make tagging pals in contests work successfully.
2. Tag a pal
Need to actually get the phrase out about your Instagram contest? Ask folks to tag a pal after they enter! Customers can tag as many pals as they like as a way to get much more entries.
Then, these customers are more likely to enter and tag a few of their very own pals, making a ripple impact of consciousness round your contest and model. You may as well host a tag-a-friend Instagram contest as a way to ask your followers to appoint somebody who deserves a prize.
Right here’s an instance of what this may appear to be from Edible Preparations:
Edible Preparations requested customers to enter the competition by tagging a pal within the feedback. Many giveaways permit customers to tag a number of pals as a means of getting into greater than as soon as, rising their possibilities.
3. Person-generated content material
In case you’re trying to put collectively a marketing campaign round gathering user-generated content material (UGC) to share on-line, creating an Instagram giveaway round that idea could be a good way to do it.
Ask your viewers to share a photograph onto their feed utilizing a selected branded hashtag or tagging your online business in an effort to simply discover the entire entries in a single place.
Not solely does this reward your prospects for serving to you out, but it surely provides you a whole arsenal of user-generated photographs to share in your feed for future content material planning.
As a result of the sort of giveaway entry requires much more effort in your audiences’ half, you’ll wish to make the prize price it.
4. Collaboration
As we talked about earlier, one other option to broaden your viewers is by collaborating with the same model to your giveaway prizes. This manner, the audiences of all concerned manufacturers can find out about new, comparable manufacturers, and have a fair higher prize on the finish.
Right here’s an instance of the sort of collaborative giveaway the place three manufacturers obtained collectively to supply a serious 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 may be your finest wager.
5. Instagram Tales
Whereas Instagram contests are all about giving again to your viewers, there are vital advantages to your general Instagram advertising technique too: manufacturers can garner plenty of consideration and generate a much bigger viewers by way of them as nicely.
Having your viewers share a submit on their Instagram Tales as a type of entry could be one other nice option to get the phrase on the market.
It’s tremendous straightforward 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 could be a good way to unfold the phrase.
How you can run an Instagram giveaway in 6 steps
Operating an Instagram giveaway is a enjoyable option to improve engagement and followers, however you should observe the fitting steps to maximise your success. Make the most of this blueprint to your subsequent contest or giveaway to be sure you’re protecting your bases earlier than you announce the prize(s).
1. Outline your Instagram giveaway objectives
Earlier than the rest, you should be sure you outline the general 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?
Just a few questions you may ask your self to find out your objectives are:
- Are you making an attempt to have interaction 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 objective or goal is, maintain it in thoughts all through your whole contest planning course of in order that the whole lot you do is sensible to your finish objective.
2. Establish your funds and prizes
The following step is to establish what your funds is and the way giant of a prize or prize bundle you’re capable of give away at no cost. You may begin with a single, small prize to your first giveaway to check the waters earlier than finally shifting onto a bigger prize down the street.
Remember that your prize ought to be particular to your audience and one thing distinctive for hem to win.
For instance, a money prize or an iPad or iPhone might apply to anybody, whereas a present card or restricted version product out of your store would enchantment solely to the individuals who would purchase from you in any case. This helps have interaction 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 further consciousness and attain out of your efforts.
3. Plan and run your Instagram giveaway or contest
First issues first, are you operating a giveaway or a contest?
For probably the most half, these are one in the identical. Nevertheless, some manufacturers select to create extra in-depth contests, the place entrants are requested to place their finest foot ahead and a winner is chosen by their efficiency.
A giveaway, although, has a randomly-selected entrant win the prize.
The following factor to contemplate is how customers will enter your Instagram contest. Assume again to the examples we shared above. Which contest or giveaway sort falls most according to your fundamental objective or goal?
No matter you determine, be certain that it’s straightforward for folks to enter your contest. Nobody goes to enter a contest that requires them to do plenty of work–folks need your entry course of to be easy and straightforward.
When you determine the perfect entry technique to your contest, it’s time to begin planning out the remainder of the main points.
First, decide how lengthy your Instagram contest will final. What number of days will your viewers must enter? Ensure that deadline is predetermined and that you simply clearly let your viewers know when getting into will finish.
Second, are you going to make use of a hashtag to your marketing campaign? Whether or not you may have folks submit 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 to your contest? That is particularly vital for UGC-focused contests. You wish to be certain that your viewers is aware of what sorts of photographs you’re searching for them to share.
And eventually, how will you notify the winner? Will you tag them in a remark? Share a brand new submit? Message them? Tag them in an Instagram Story?
These are all issues you should plan earlier than you launch the competition.
4. Design your marketing campaign property
Subsequent, you should put collectively marketing campaign property to announce and promote your Instagram contest. Not solely will this draw consideration to followers, it’ll enable you to cross-promote it on numerous platforms, in your e 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, supplying you with loads of time to gather entries. You’ll need these to face out and improve the overall variety of entries. Take into account getting high-quality photographs of the prize and add “GIVEAWAY” or comparable copy in large, daring lettering to the highest of your graphic.
Subsequent, you should take into consideration your captions. Begin with an attention-grabbing hook in an effort to reel viewers in. Then clarify what the prize is, the right way to enter the giveaway and what the general guidelines are. You could additionally observe Instagram’s phrases and launch them of any affiliation with the giveaway.
5. Measure your giveaway entry outcomes
Preserve a detailed eye on how many individuals are getting into your giveaway, in the event you’re receiving any questions on it and what number of related entries are coming in with the giveaway hashtag.
Use a social media administration instrument resembling Sprout Social to generate reviews on hashtag and key phrase use, follower depend, engagement fee and extra.
Control all associated posts and feedback in an effort to pinpoint whether or not or not you met your preliminary objective with the giveaway. If elevated consciousness or attain is certainly one of your objectives, monitor 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 excitement you’re searching for:
Additionally concentrate throughout and proper after the giveaway to see in the event you’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. The easiest way to do that is through the use of an Instagram giveaway picker instrument. There are a selection of accessible instruments so that you can make the most of particularly for these functions.
Many manufacturers will even file themselves utilizing a instrument to pick out the winner and share the video on their Instagram Tales as a option to show that the winner actually has been randomly chosen.
Just a few well-liked Instagram giveaway pickers embrace:
Flip Instagram giveaway entrants into prospects
Begin operating your personal Instagram giveaways to spice up your followers, improve social media engagement and, better of all, ramp up conversions. By introducing new folks to your product, you’re rising the probabilities of introducing somebody to your model for the primary time and changing into a buyer.
For much more concepts on the right way to convert your social media viewers into prospects, take a look at the most recent Sprout Social Index™.
