A step-by-step guide to creating giveaways on Instagram.

Instagram giveaways have become a must-have when it comes to your digital marketing strategy, as they allow you to grow your audience, gain exposure in the marketplace and increase your website’s social engagement, among other things.

You’ve probably seen many posts from Instagram accounts offering prizes for participating in giveaways. But what is the reason for this phenomenon?

Running this type of promotion on Instagram offers these three main advantages:

• They’re super easy to do.
• They reach a wide audience.
• They have a very low cost.

As you can see, there are many benefits to running giveaways on Instagram, which is why many marketers, influencers and businesses are taking advantage of it to gain new followers.

Rafflys offers you the opportunity to run your online giveaway on Instagram in an easy, fast and transparent way.

How to run a giveaway on Instagram for free?

The first time you run a giveaway, we will ask you to create an account and sign in to use the app. There you will have access to all the Rafflys tools that are available within our free subscription plan. Yes, you will be able to run your Instagram giveaway online and completely free of charge.

On the other hand, within our paid plans, there are many more options and fewer restrictions when running your giveaways, which will help you better plan your sales campaign.

How to run a giveaway on Instagram and pick a winning comment?

To get the winners of your giveaway and deliver the prizes you promised, follow this step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Login to Rafflys and choose the tool to create giveaways on Instagram.

Once you’ve logged into your account (or created one), you’ll have to pick the tool to create giveaways on Instagram. You will see it when you expand the Apps tab.

Step 2: Enter your Instagram username.

When you click START, you will see all the posts from your Instagram account and you will be able to choose the giveaway post without having to search and copy the URL.

We recommend you to do it this way because soon the option to enter a URL will not be available for uploading Instagram posts.

Step 3: Accept the permissions given by Facebook and link your business account.

After entering your username, the Facebook window required to link Rafflys to your account will appear. Accept the conditions so that we can connect to your Instagram and Facebook posts and upload all available comments to run the giveaway. Don’t worry about the security of your data, as it is protected and will not be used for any purpose other than the draw itself.

If you have more than one Instagram account, you will be asked to choose the right one for the giveaway. Remember that your account must be configured as a business profile.

Step 4: Choose the post for the giveaway

When the list of posts is displayed, you need to select the one that corresponds to the giveaway so that we can upload all the comments.

Step 5: Click on load comments

Once you have selected the giveaway post and checked that everything is OK, press the LOAD COMMENTS button. If you made a mistake, remember that you can press the BACK button and change what you want from the previous steps.

Step 6: Apply the filters

This is the step that will save you a lot of time when selecting the winner. By configuring the filters according to the bases and conditions you have previously set, you will ensure that the winner meets all the requirements to win. Select the filters you want to apply, you will see that they are very easy to use.

Step 7: Click Start

Great, look how far you’ve come! Once you have selected the necessary filters for your giveaway and clicked OK, the START button will appear. Click it.

Step 8: Check out your winners and alternates

After the countdown, you will see the names of the winners and alternates on the screen, if you have them set.

Keep in mind that there are certain conditions that we cannot automatically check from Rafflys:

• The winner follows you on Instagram.
• That they like your post.
• Share it in their Stories.

If these conditions are not met, you will have the option to replace the winning comment and the alternates.

Step 9: Share the results of your giveaway

This is the last but not least step. Share the result of your giveaway on your networks with joy. Remember that running a giveaway is a very important gesture on your part to your audience, so don’t underestimate it.

Undoubtedly, using an application for random Instagram giveaways will make your job much easier and the result will be completely transparent to your audience.

3 ways to communicate the winners of your giveaway

When it comes to communicating something as special as the winners of your giveaway, it’s best to let your imagination run wild. However you do it, make sure that the picked person (and the rest of the participants) know the result, so there is no doubt about it.

In Rafflys we have made a selection of the best ways to communicate your winners but, in short, these are the 3 most used ways:

• Post the comment you wrote for the occasion. You can do it directly on Instagram or copy and paste it to the social network of your choice. You also have the option to edit it to your liking and in line with your business.
• Generate the certificate and share it on your networks. Download the image with the names and photos of your winners or the video of the winning moment and the random selection of comments.
• Share the link to the certificate of validity with all the details of the giveaway.

How to make your Instagram giveaways even cooler?

1. Make an analysis of your brand: If you have few followers yet, you can choose to boost your business with other social networks or design an advertising campaign to take the first step. In this situation, you may want to do the giveaway at a later stage, when you have raised awareness of your brand.
2. Choose an eye-catching design for the giveaway post: The first key is clarity. It should stand out from your other posts so that the user doesn’t skip it. It also needs to be in line with your brand and your target audience.
3. Clearly communicate the date and rules of participation: Write the rules and conditions of your giveaway so that no one has any doubts about how to participate. Be on time and, most importantly, remember to do the giveaway! Imagine how negative this situation can be for your brand, as it reflects a lack of commitment to your audience and to your own products or services. So pay attention to this point.
4. Pick your prize carefully: What you give away must be related to your brand. If you offer services, it could be a free subscription or a special activity. If you sell a product, try to relate it to your business. Always keep in mind that the goal is to promote your brand, and what better way to do that than to give away something related to it.
5. Promote your giveaway, don’t lose the opportunity: Remember that the goal of the giveaway is to get the word out, and the more people who participate, the more your brand and business will be known. Communicate it through all the channels you can. Use your analytics to determine the best time to promote it, and decide and schedule how often to promote it. The idea is not to overdo it, but also not to let it go unnoticed.
6. Ask your audience to participate: Nothing is free in this life! If someone wants to take home the prize, they have to stand out. Encourage your followers to take action to increase their chances of winning (write a certain #hashtag, tag friends, etc.). This will help your post reach more people, even those who don’t know you.
7. Consider partnering with influencers or other complementary brands: If you don’t have much of a presence on Instagram, it’s a good idea to partner with other brands that are related to your business and run a joint giveaway. You can also leverage the engagement of influencers and Instagrammers to promote your giveaway and boost your brand.

5 ways to run a giveaway on Instagram with Rafflys

In our application you have a lot of options, dynamics and types of giveaways to choose from. In addition, you can make combinations to create the giveaway to your liking. I recommend that you do not combine all the options at the same time, as this will make it very difficult for your audience to participate.

• Instagram comment picker: This is the easiest way. Here you get a winning comment from the list of comments. Ask your followers to comment on your post many times to have more chances to win the prize.
• Giveaway with specific @mentions: Ask users to mention something in their comment. It can be about your account, a complementary brand, or a specific account. This will allow them to participate in the giveaway, and you just need to enable this filter to discard those who do not meet this requirement.
• Giveaway with a minimum of @mentions: If you want to gain notoriety and reach more people to increase your brand’s visibility, ask your followers to tag or mention their contacts. Our special filter allows you to corroborate up to 5 mentions, so you can make it a condition to mention up to 5 people in each comment.
• Giveaway with #hashtag: If you want a post to stand out, ask users to include a specific #hashtag in their comments. Remember not to use very common #hashtags (for example, #giveaway) to avoid scams and to be able to promote your items with a prominent #.
• Multi-Network Giveaway: This dynamic allows you to give away comments from different social networks together, such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok or Twitter. Encourage your followers to follow you on your other networks and increase the visibility of your brand.

Get a winning comment on your Instagram posts in seconds. Easily create Giveaways for Instagram using your images, photos, videos or reels.

Examples of successful giveaways on Instagram.

This time, I’m going to show you 3 examples of successful giveaways. With them, you will get an idea of what kind of information to give users to participate in the giveaway.

The first example I will show you is the Sommni Bedding account. The whole publication is in line with the brand and describes in a very graphic way the prize you will get if you win the giveaway. It is important that the conditions are simple and few and that you share them clearly in your social media publication.

Note that the post includes instructions on how to enter, when the giveaway will take place, and until when you can enter.

The second example is the julianguevaraphoto account. In his post, this ingenious photographer makes it clear that this is a giveaway. And in the description, he details the rules of participation.

He uses a photo (of his work, of course) in the design that represents the prize you will take home if you win.

The last example I will show you is the Vie account. The design of the publication is simple but precise. The rules are explained in a practical way so that you don’t waste time trying to understand how to participate.

At the end of the giveaway, and in the same post, the account clarifies that you can no longer participate. This is an effective resource to avoid confusion.

What should I avoid when planning and running my giveaway on Instagram?

Here are some very clear tips that you should avoid to make your Instagram Giveaway get five stars. Follow them to avoid unnecessary mistakes.

• Avoid asking your followers to take too many actions to participate: It is understandable that when you run a giveaway, you want it to have maximum reach. But if you put yourself in the user’s shoes for a moment, it is quite uncomfortable to have so many conditions to participate. I recommend that you have a maximum of two requirements, and that you can automatically verify the ones you set. For example, if the requirement to participate is to share stories, you will only be able to verify it manually, which will be inconvenient for you. The bottom line: Set few and automatically verifiable conditions. It will be a win-win for you and your audience.
• Don’t announce your giveaway too early:Do you have any idea how many posts people see on their Instagram feed? If you don’t want your giveaway to go unnoticed and get lost in the shuffle, don’t announce it 3 months in advance. Promote it for the first time 20 days before it takes place, and then remind people about it every now and then through Stories. Finally: Don’t announce your giveaway early, post it well in advance and remember it so it doesn’t get lost.
• Don’t communicate your giveaway through just one channel: Maximize the reach of all social networks. We all know that Facebook’s audience is not the same as Twitter’s or TikTok’s. So, if you have followers on the different platforms, it is advisable to promote your giveaway on as many channels as possible. Conclusion: Publish the giveaway on all of your brand’s networks, on your blog, by email, etc.
• Avoid sloppiness. Plan the entire giveaway: You need to pay attention to each part of the process: the launch and promotion, the giveaway itself, and the results communication. Don’t underestimate or skip any of them, and put equal effort into each. In conclusion, plan and follow each phase of your promotion.
• Don’t choose the prize lightly: Your prize is what motivates your followers to participate, so choose something that is within reach and, most importantly, associated with your brand or business. Finalize: Pay close attention to what you choose to give away; if it is the product or service you sell, the better.

The choice of how to run the giveaway and the techniques you use are 100% up to you, but you can save yourself a lot of hassle and headaches by following the tips and advice we share here.

And that’s it, don’t forget to mention us and follow us on Instagram!