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Step by step to create Instagram giveaways.

By Franca Beraldi · Oct 13, 2021

Instagram giveaways have become a must when thinking about a Instagram marketing strategy, as they allow you, among other things, to grow your audience, make yourself known in the market and increase the social engagement of your website.

You’ ve probably seen many posts from Instagram accounts where they offer prizes for participating in giveaways. But how did this phenomenon come about? Mainly, the value of this type of activity is given by:

  • The ease with which it can be carried out.
  • The high capacity to reach a wide audience.
  • The low cost involved.

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

AppSorteos offers you to run your online Instagram giveaway draw in a simple, fast and transparent way.

If you want to run a drawing for the first time, we will ask you to create an account and log in to use the application, there you will have access to all the AppSorteos tools available within our free subscription plan. Yes, you will be able to run your Instagram giveaways online and completely free of charge.

On the other hand, within our payment plans, there are many more options and fewer restrictions when carrying out your draws, which will help you to better plan your sales campaign.

How to do a giveaway on Instagram for free?

If you want to run a giveaway for the first time, we will ask you to create an account and log in to use the application. There you will have access to all the AppSorteos tools available within our free subscription plan. Yes, you will be able to run your Instagram giveaways online and completely free.

On the other hand, within our paid plans, there are many more options and fewer restrictions when it comes to 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 have promised, follow this step by step:

Step 1: Enter AppSorteos and choose the tool to create Giveaways on Instagram.

Once you have logged in to your account (or created one, if you haven’t worked with AppSorteos yet), you must select the app to do giveaways on Instagram. You will see it when you open the applications tab.

Select the Instagram giveaway tool.
Click on the Instagram Giveaways app to get started.

Step 2: Click on CONNECT with Instagram

When you click on the button, you will see all the posts on 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.

Connect with Instagram.
Click on CONNECT WITH INSTAGRAM to be able to load the comments of the giveaway post.

When you click Connect to Instagram, the Facebook window required to link AppSorteos to your account will appear. You must accept the conditions so that we can link your Instagram and Facebook posts, and upload the accounts and posts where the giveaway will take place. You don’t have to worry about the security of your data, as it is protected and will not be used for any purpose other than the giveaway 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 business.

Step 4: Choose the post intended for the giveaway.

When the list of posts is displayed, you must select the one corresponding to the draw so that we can load all the comments.

Step 5: Click on load comments

Once you select the giveaway post and check that everything is OK, press the LOAD COMMENTS button. If you have made a mistake, remember that you can press the BACK button and modify 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 established previously, you ensure that the winner will meet all the requirements to win. Choose the filter you want to apply, you will see that they are very easy to use.

Choose one more filters in the Settings section.
In the Settings section, select the most suitable filters for your Instagram giveaway.

Step 7: Click on Start

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

Step 8: Check out your winners and alternates

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

Remember that if you have set as a condition to choose the winner, that they follow you on Instagram or like your post, for example, we will not be able to corroborate it from AppSorteos, so you will have to check it manually. If these conditions are not met, you have the option to replace the winning comment and the alternates.

Step 9: Share your giveaway result

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

Without a doubt, using an application for random Instagram giveaways will make your job much easier, and the result will be completely transparent to your audience.

What are you waiting for? Enter and run your first giveaway on Instagram.Go to the giveaway

3 ways to communicate the winners of your giveaway

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

In AppSorteos 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 written for the occasion. You can do it directly in the comments section of Instagram or copy and paste it in 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 moment of the giveaway and the random pick of the 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 to make it clear. It should stand out from your other posts so that the user doesn’t skip over it. Also, it has to be in line with your brand and your target audience.
  3. Communicate the date and rules of participation clearly: Write the terms and conditions of your giveaway so that no one has any doubts about how to participate. Be punctual with the time you set and, most importantly, don’t forget to do the giveaway. Imagine, if you forget the date, 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. Therefore, pay attention to this point.
  4. Select your prize carefully: What you are going to raffle has to be related to your brand. If you offer services, it can 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 objective is to promote your brand, and what better way to do it than giving away something related to it.
  5. Advertise your giveaway, don’t lose the opportunity: Remember that the goal of the giveaway is to make yourself known, and the more people who participate, the better known your brand and business will be. If you take on the task of running a giveaway, communicate it through all the channels you can. You can find out in your analytics which is the most propitious time to launch your giveaway advertisements, and decide and schedule how often you are going to promote it. The idea is that it should not be exhausting but it should not go unnoticed either.
  6. Ask your audience to participate: Nothing is free in this life! If that person wants to take home the prize, they have to stand out. Suggest your followers to take actions to have more chances of winning (share the giveaway post, tag friends, etc.). This will make your post reach more people, even those who didn’t know you.
  7. Consider collaborating with Influencers or other complementary brands: If you don’t have much presence on Instagram, it’s a good idea to partner with other brands related to your business and carry out a collaborative giveaway. You can also take advantage of influencer marketing and Instagramers to promote your giveaway and boost your brand.

5 ways to run a giveaway on Instagram with AppSorteos

In our application you have a lot of options, dynamics and types of giveaways to choose from. In addition, you can make combinations to design the giveaway to your liking. We recommend you not to 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 make a mention in their comment. It can be about your account, a complementary brand or a particular account. This will enable them to participate in the giveaway and you only have to activate this filter to discard those who have not fulfilled this condition.
  • 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 put a certain #hashtag in their comment. Remember not to use very common #hashtags (for example: #giveaway), to avoid frauds and to be able to promote your items with a prominent #.
  • Multi-Network Giveaway: This dynamic allows you to giveaway, jointly, comments from different social networks, 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. Create giveaways for Instagram in a very simple way, using your Images, Photos, Videos or Reels.

Examples of successful giveaways on Instagram.

This time we are going to show you 3 Instagram giveaway ideas. With them, you will get an idea of what kind of information to provide users to participate in the giveaway.

The first example we show you is the Sommni Bedding account. The whole publication is in tune 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 the publication of your social media.

How to do a giveaway on Instagram?

Notice that, in the publication of the post, there are the instructions to participate and also when the giveaway will take place and until when there is time to participate.

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 for participating.

Example of a successful Instagram giveaway.
Show in the design of your giveaway post, an example of the prize that participants can take home.

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

The last example we 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.

Example of a successful Instagram giveaway.
The clear rules of your giveaway encourage your audience 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 scheduling and running my giveaway on Instagram?

Here we leave you some very clear tips that you should avoid so that your Instagram Giveaway gets five stars. Follow them to not make unnecessary mistakes.

  • Avoid asking your followers to perform many actions in order to participate: It’s understandable that, if you run a giveaway, you want it to get maximum exposure. But if you put yourself in the user’s shoes for a moment, it is quite uncomfortable to comply with so many participation conditions. We recommend that you put a maximum of two requirements, and that the ones you put, you can verify automatically. For example, if, in order to participate, the condition is to share in stories, you will only be able to verify it manually, which will be cumbersome for you. In conclusion: Set few and automatically verifiable conditions. This is 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 be lost in the following days, don’t announce it 3 months before. Launch and promote your Instagram giveaway for the first time 20 days before it takes place. Then, remind them about it through stories every now and then. In conclusion: Don’t announce your giveaway too early, publish it well in advance and remember it so that it doesn’t get lost.
  • Don’t communicate your giveaway through just one channel: Maximize the reach of all social networks. It is well known that the Facebook audience is not the same as Twitter, nor TikTok. Therefore, if you have followers on the different platforms, it is advisable to publicize your giveaway on as many channels as possible. In conclusion: Publish the giveaway on all your brand’s networks, on your blog, by e-mail, etc.
  • Avoid sloppiness. Plan the entirety of your giveaway: You must pay attention to each part of the procedure: the launch and promotion, the giveaway itself and the communication of the results. Don’t underestimate or skip any of them, and put equal effort into each of them. In conclusion: plan and comply with each of the stages of your giveaway.
  • Don’t choose the prize lightly: Your prize is what motivates your followers to enter your giveaway, so choose something that is within your reach and, most importantly, that is associated with your brand or business. In conclusion: Pay careful attention to the choice of what you are going to give away, if it is the product or service you sell, the better.

The choice of how to do the giveaway and the techniques you use depend 100% on you, but you can save yourself a lot of difficulties and headaches if you follow the tips and advice we share with you here.

And that’s it! Don’t forget to mention and follow us on Instagram! We are @app_sorteos_ok

What are you waiting for? Enter and run your first giveaway on Instagram.Go to the giveaway

Franca Beraldi - Redactora de Contenidos SEO
Franca Beraldi

Franca is part of the AppSorteos marketing team. Her tasks include everything that is content-related in Spanish, English and Portuguese, including new blog posts, product demos and faqs.