Instagrammers are easily persuaded by giveaways. If you’re looking to get your business or even brand out there, then capitalizing on this marketing opportunity is a good idea. Giveaways are a great way to gain new followers who will now see you as an authority in your field.
If you are looking for clear and concise ways to run Instagram giveaways, then you are right where you should be. This article will give you all the information you will possibly need to run an effective giveaway.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Sleep On Giveaways.
1. Boost Your Following: When you run a giveaway, you create an avenue for more people to visit your page and tap the follow button.Research by Tailwind shows that running Instagram giveaways will shoot up your following by 70% more than if you did not. So, if you want more followers, giveaways will bring them to you.
2. Get More User Generated Content: In addition to giving your followers a fun time, giveaways and contests can also help you gain more content. For some giveaways, the entry requirement mandates that people make a video or create content relating to the host’s brand. If you do this, you can use your followers’ creative participation as content. You can repost photos or videos from contests, and they can also serve as social proof to visitors.
3. Better Audience Engagement and Interaction: Giveaways can help audience engagements skyrocket. You will get real Instagram likes, comments, views, and shares. Interestingly, these are what you need to be in the good books of the Instagram algorithm. Giveaways also create an opportunity for brand-audience interaction. They’re also a great way to show appreciation to your followers for their support.
Giveaway Ideas
Here are some interesting and engaging ideas for giveaways:
- Tag a friend: You can ask your followers to @mention or tag their friends in the comments section for a winning opportunity. This is a sure way to bring more viewers to your page.
- Follow and like: You will easily increase your following with this idea.Ask your followers to follow you for a chance to win.
- Like and share: When your followers share your posts, your brand awareness will increase. If you make liking and sharing your post a requirement for your giveaway, you will notice a spike in your popularity on the platform.
- Video challenge: Ask your followers to post videos of themselves doing a challenge that supports your brand. You can use the best entries for video marketing. Also, you can repost these videos on your feed as content.
- Photo contest: Here, your participants will post photos of themselves using your products or services. @olivias_haven is a great example of a brand that uses photo contests for giveaways.
- Caption contest: This will require participants to create a suitable caption for an image you have posted. The best caption wins.
How To Run An Effective Instagram Giveaway
Step 1: Set A Goal For Your Giveaway
It is much easier to run an effective giveaway when your goals for the project are well set. Outlining your goal will give you direction on what type of giveaway to run. Also, it will also help you evaluate whether or not your giveaway has been successful in the end.
Your goal(s) could be any of these:
- To get more followers
- To improve sales
- To drive website traffic
- To increase audience engagement
- To get more user-generated content.
Step 2: Acquaint Yourself With The Instagram Promotion Guidelines
Instagram has a set of promotion guidelines that you should know before running a giveaway. One of the guidelines states that you should post a statement of release at the end of your caption. Your statement of release should look like this:
“Per Instagram rules, This promotion is not at all sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. By participating, entrants confirm that they are 18+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.”
Let’s take a look at @yourcbdstorevernon‘s giveaway post that notes the statement of release.
Also, according to the guidelines, you must not tag people in the giveaway post if they are not in the post. Also, you must not encourage participants to tag themselves in photos they don’t appear in.
Make sure to visit the Instagram help center for more information on the promotion guidelines.
Step 3: Plan Your Instagram Giveaway
Now that you know what you want out of your giveaway, and have mastered the Instagram guidelines, you need to plan. Here, you will make vital decisions about the giveaway. For example, what will your giveaway caption or description contain? Here are other things to decide on:
- Decide on your giveaway prize
A giveaway without a prize is a train without an engine, it will arrive at the “no-where” station. The prize is what will drive your audience into participation. Naturally, the prize must relate to the products and services your brand offers. Also, the more valuable the prize, the more the participation.
A good example is @jeroenfriso who blogs about sneakers. Their giveaway prize is a pair of Nikes, just the right kind of prize for their brand.
- Establish rules and criteria for your giveaway
Your goal for running a giveaway will set the tone for the rules. If you want more followers and publicity, then you should ask that participants follow you and share your posts.
Meanwhile, always define your rules to suit the Instagram promotion guidelines so as to avoid the removal of your post. Make sure to also include eligibility requirements such as age restrictions and location. Also, note the time limit of your giveaway.
Still learning from @yourcbdstorevernon, We can see how their caption carries clear instructions on how their followers can win.
- Choose a hashtag
Hashtags are great for giveaways because they aid publicity. Your caption should not only contain the rules of your giveaway. Instead, also throw in brand-related and trendy hashtags. Another great tactic is to choose creative and simple hashtags and ask participants to use them in their posts.
This giveaway post by @ayselandmina, a perfume brand, shows a good example of how to use hashtags.
Step 4: Consider Partnership With Other Brands
There is a whole lot that can come out of a partnership. The best advantage is that a partnership would be an avenue for you and your partners to grow while leveraging each other’s following. Note, however, that a partnership is only successful when the two brands involved have a related niche.
For example, @saaltco, a period care brand, partnered with two women-owned brands, @thebeautycrop and @simplyorganicbamboo for a giveaway. This partnership made their giveaway prize more valuable, which helped them attract more engagement.
Step 5: Launch And Promote Your Giveaway Post
Now that you have followed steps 1 to 4, you are ready to launch your giveaway post. As a rule, always release your posts when your followers are active. You can do this by analyzing your audience activity via Instagram insights. Scheduling your post can also help you upload your giveaway post at the right time.
Promote your giveaway by running Instagram ads. This will increase visibility and awareness about your giveaway.
Step 6: Evaluate Contest Results
It is important to assess your audience’s participation and interaction. Doing so will give you an idea about how successful it was and what more to do in the future.
Your Instagram ‘insight’ feature will give you a great deal of information on this. Particularly, the section on interaction and discovery will tell you more about the level of engagement and brand awareness that you got through your giveaway.
Step 7: Close Your Giveaway Contest.
When all is said and done, you should close your contest. By now, you should have already chosen your winner(s) and awarded gifts.
One way to close your contest is by archiving the post to make it invisible to your audience. You can still go back to it for reference in future giveaways.
Another way to close a giveaway is by editing the post to indicate that it is closed.
Finally,
You can run effective giveaways without losing sleep. It doesn’t have to cost you so much financially and otherwise.
Follow the steps above like you would follow Google Maps if you were lost, and you will soon arrive at your giveaway destination. Have fun with your next giveaway.
Namaste UI collaborates closely with clients to develop tailored guest posting strategies that align with their unique goals and target audiences. Their commitment to delivering high-quality, niche-specific content ensures that each guest post not only meets but exceeds the expectations of both clients and the hosting platforms. Connect with us on social media for the latest updates on guest posting trends, outreach strategies, and digital marketing tips. For any types of guest posting services, contact us on info[at]namasteui.com.