How to pick a random winner on TikTok, the ultimate guide

Nothing is more trending than TikTok. Posts from this platform are everywhere. Hundreds of original TikTok posts are published on Instagram and other social media. The secret lies in the fact that this app allows you to plan your digital marketing strategy through the creation of very creative short videos and thus, increase your sales.

Do you really want to miss out on the opportunity to advertise your brand here and promote it with an amazing giveaway? From Rafflys we think you shouldn’t.

To help you get started, we bring you the possibility of creating a giveaway on TikTok and pick random winners for free with maximum security, transparency and fun, the main feature of this social network.

If you want to increase your TikTok followers and interact with more people, you should consider running a giveaway. This type of strategy opens the door to a new audience and builds engagement with the people who already follow you.

How to do a TikTok giveaway? Solve it with this guide

Not sure how to organize your first TikTok giveaway? Follow the step-by-step guide to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Step 1: Log in to Rafflys and click on the tool to create TikTok giveaways.

Log in to your account, then go to applications and click on our TikTok comment picker.

Step 2: Copy and paste the URL of your video into the field provided and click START.

The URL is the video’s web link and you will find it in your TikTok account. In order to extract all the comments, you will have to copy the url and paste it in the space provided. When you are ready, click on the start button.

Step 3: Upload comments from TikTok

Once you have pasted the corresponding link, you will see a thumbnail of the video in which you will run your giveaway. If everything is correct, click on UPLOAD COMMENTS. If you made a mistake and need to go back, just click BACK.

Step 4: Apply filters

Filters help you to simplify the giveaway process. When you apply them, only comments that meet the requirements you specified at the beginning will participate. You can filter for duplicates, by #hashtag, or by specific mentions.

Please note that some options can only be applied within our payment plans.

When you have finished applying the filters, press the CONFIRM button.

Step 5: Click Start

Comments uploaded: done! Filters applied: done! You are just one step away from starting your TikTok giveaway, click on the START button to pick a winner.

Step 6: You have your winning comment! Check that everything is OK

Does the winner meet the requirements you set when promoting your giveaway? Make sure so, because if this is not fulfilled and you do not check it, your followers, and especially those who complied with everything, will look down on the choice of the winner.

As is the case with giveaways in the other social networks (Instagram, YouTube or Facebook), we cannot automatically check whether certain conditions have been met, such as liking the video. If you set this requirement, you will have to check it manually.

Step 7: Announce the result of your giveaway

Communicating the result of your giveaway not only brings a great joy in the winners, but also allows you to close the cycle of this process and leave the door open for promotions to come. This keeps your audience alert to the next actions of your business. It also serves to build credibility and proof that there has been a winner.

Some accounts require the winner to make a post to confirm delivery of the prize. You can contact the winner and suggest (never force) them to share a photo or video with the prize and tag you.

As you can see, running TikTok giveaways with our tool is very easy. In addition to transparency and simplicity, you save a lot of time by automating all those steps that, traditionally, were done manually.

Ways to announce the winners of my TikTok giveaway

In our app, once you have the names of the winners, you will see three ways to announce the result of your TikTok giveaway.

• Click on the button and post a comment: you will see that we have written one especially for the occasion. Copy and paste it on the social network of your choice (or all of them) or on your website.
• Download and publish the certificate:: You can share the image with the names and photos of your winners or a video of the giveaway and the random selection of comments.
• Share the certificate of validity: We provide you with a link with all the details of the giveaway that you can copy and paste wherever you want.

At Rafflys, we leave room for creativity… if you want to design your own ad, we share with you, in detail, the best ways to communicate your winners.

Tips for making your TikTok giveaway more engaging

• Define your goals: When it comes to running a giveaway, it has to be related to your marketing strategy, that is, you have to decide what you are doing it for, when you should do it, and which audience you want to target. If you want to promote a product related to a certain date, you should plan in advance what days the giveaway will take place, who the possible participants are, what is the goal of your brand (get more followers, promote an item, build customer loyalty, etc.) and based on that, plan your giveaway.
• Design the video of your giveaway: To promote your giveaway, you must create a video of less than three minutes where you explain, in a clear way, three concepts:
  • What will be drawn, i.e. the prize of your giveaway.
  • When and at what time the giveaway will take place.
  • What the conditions are to enter.

Then, in the description of your video you can add, for example, how the product will be shipped, or through which platform the giveaway will be done, etc.

• Choose the giveaway date and do not change it: The time to participate must be about 20 days. You can specify the day and time in the same video. Always stick to the set dates.
• Communicate the requirements for participation: People who participate in your promotion should know what they have to do. As the organizing brand, it is your responsibility to communicate them well. Write the terms and conditions of your giveaway clearly.
• Plan your giveaway well: As we always say, each giveaway has 3 parts:
  • The organization and diffusion: Here you decide the rules, the times, the prize, etc. and you spread the word, through all your networks and channels, of the giveaway you are going to carry out.
  • The process of the giveaway itself: Those minutes before the appointed time and its execution, until you pick a winner. 
  • The communication of the results and the delivery of the prize: The end of the giveaway with the corresponding announcement of winners and alternates.

All of these steps are important and must be taken seriously. Otherwise, you run the risk of giving your TikTok profile, and therefore your business, a bad name.

What dynamics are available for TikTok giveaways?

At Rafflys, we offer you many ways to choose winners, each with its own peculiarity, and you can combine them to stimulate your audience.

• TikTok comment picker: This is the basic option because at Rafflys we draw from comments. You can add (or not) the other options explained below. In this example, any comment made by the user will participate. We recommend that, if your followers have to comment, they should do so with something useful for you, such as a @mention, a #hashtag, or a specific answer you need. 
• Giveaway with specific @mentions: Ask users to mention a specific account to enter the giveaway. This will drive more traffic and new followers to that TikTok account.
• Giveaway with a minimum of @mentions: You can ask your followers to tag other people to enter the giveaway. The most common is 3 mentions, but at Rafflys we give you the option to mention up to 5 profiles in each comment, so keep track of how many new people reach your account!
• Giveaway with #hashtag: What’s the point of asking participants to post a certain #hashtag? A lot, my friend! When you ask your followers to do this, you can be sure that you are promoting your account, products or services that you want. All you have to do is create an original #hashtag that relates to what you want to highlight.
• Multi-Network Giveaway: Draw all the comments from all your social networks together. You can raffle comments from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X simultaneously and in the same action. Encourage TikTok users to follow you on your other networks to increase your brand presence.

Giveaways on TikTok that steal the show

Let these wonderful examples encourage you to create your first giveaway on TikTok, we hope they help inspire you!

The first one we show you is the one from Goodies account, where, in their warm giveaway video, they describe how to enter.

Notice that the whole publication is in line with the brand identity and what they want to communicate.

The other success story we bring you is that of Itsjustinesy account, which has proposed to run a giveaway in an original and fun way.

The winner will be able to choose between different mystery boxes, without knowing what the prize consists of. This is a way to make your promotion more creative and eye-catching.

What are the DON’Ts when running a giveaway on TikTok?

While experience is key when running giveaways on TikTok, here are some mistakes you can (and should) avoid when starting out with this type of promotion.

• DON’T lose sight of your goal: The giveaway is part of a strategy, don’t forget that. It is very comforting to give something away to people who trust your business and follow you, but your giveaway (and all your promotions), must give you something in return. Think about how you want to improve your business, if you want to increase your followers, if you want to generate more engagement, or if your goal is to boost sales of a product or service. Based on that, decide on the steps to follow.
• DO NOT announce it too early or too late: By implementing this strategy, you will avoid, on the one hand, that your giveaway loses strength and people forget that they participated and, on the other hand, you will ensure that your followers have enough time to participate. We recommend a maximum of 20 days to promote and announce your giveaway on TikTok.
• DO NOT set very complicated or unclear terms: Ask for easy-to-follow conditions to enter the giveaway. For example, you can ask them to mention their friends, or comment with a special #hashtag. Remember to clearly specify the conditions and please keep them short!
• Don’t skimp on communication: Announce and communicate your giveaway on all of your business’s channels. If you have an account on other social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X or YouTube, spread it there. The same if you write a blog or newsletter. If you promote your giveaway, it will have a much wider reach to different people.
• Don’t skip stages: Don’t underestimate any stage of your giveaway and put equal effort into each of them. Your giveaway will lose credibility if, for example, you don’t announce the winner. It also won’t be transparent if you don’t run the giveaway through an application that secures and authenticates the process.
• DO NOT choose the prize lightly: Your prize should be related to your business, this reinforces your brand identity. Also, it is better to do different giveaways with less expensive prizes than just one with a prize that is hard to afford.

At the end of this guide to TikTok giveaways, we will summarize the most important concepts:

1. Apply the steps in this guide to gain confidence and not waste time in the process.
2. Plan and design the three parts of your giveaway: Do this always keeping in mind your business goals.
3. Choose the type of giveaway that best fits your plans and don’t ask your followers to do too much.
4. Follow our tips and don’t make the most frequent mistakes.

Check out our subscription plans and remember that you can try the totally free option if your giveaway has less than 600 comments.

That’s it! Do your giveaways and improve your sales strategy, Rafflys is with you!