How To Host An Instagram Giveaway

Did you know that Instagram contests and giveaways get 3.5 times as many likes and 64 times more comments on average than regular posts? How awesome is that? So, if you’re looking to grow your Instagram following, one of the best ways to do it is by hosting a giveaway. People love free stuff, and if you’re giving away something your target audience wants, they’ll be more than happy to follow you for a chance to win. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to host an awesome Instagram giveaway that will get the world buzzing.

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What are the benefits of hosting an Instagram giveaway?

When done correctly, Instagram giveaways can help increase engagement and act as a powerful marketing tool that helps you promote your brand and reach new customers.

Some of the benefits of hosting an Instagram giveaway include:

Generating engagement and buzz around your brand;
Reaching new audiences and expanding your reach;
Driving traffic to your website or online store;
Building customer loyalty and creating advocates for your brand.

If you’re thinking about hosting an Instagram giveaway, be sure to keep these benefits in mind. With a little planning, you can create a successful giveaway that helps you achieve your business goals.

How to do a Giveaway on Instagram

Hosting your first Instagram giveaway? That’s great! Allow us to give you a quick rundown of everything you need to know about running a successful Instagram giveaway.

Set Your Giveaway Goals

Start your Instagram giveaway planning with pre-determining clear goals. Knowing your desired outcome—increased followers, brand awareness, higher engagement, or more website traffic—guides your strategy and ensures a successful, intentional contest that avoids wasted resources. Define your purpose, whether it’s promoting a product, supporting a cause, or fostering brand affinity with a partner.

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Determine the Prize

First, you’ll need to decide what kind of prize you want to give away. It can be anything from a product or service to a gift card or even cash. Make sure that the prize will appeal to both your existing and target audience on Instagram. For example, if you’re trying to reach millennials, you may want to consider giving away a gift card to a popular retailer.

Think About Your Entry Criteria

One of the most important things to think about before hosting your giveaway is your entry criteria. This is what will determine who can and can’t enter your giveaway, so it’s important to get it right. After all, if you don’t have clear criteria, it’s going to be hard to pick a winner (and you might end up with a lot of angry contestants on your hands).

Make sure your entry criteria are clear and concise. Be specific about what participants need to do to enter. If people have to jump through hoops to figure out how to enter, they’re likely to give up and move on.
Ensure that the entry criteria are fair. If it’s too easy to enter, you’ll be flooded with entries and it’ll be hard to pick a winner. But, if it’s too difficult, no one will bother entering.

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Design Your Instagram Giveaway Graphics

Once you have a prize in mind, you’ll need to create graphics and write catchy copies for your giveaway post. This image should be attention-grabbing and include all the relevant details about your giveaway. Now, if you want to create the best Instagram giveaway posts, Simplified has tons of colorful and customizable Instagram giveaway templates for you to try out.

Use Template

Use Template

You can add text, images, animations, music, and even sound effects to make your giveaway post more appealing. And what’s more, it’s free!

Promote Your Event

It’s now time to kick off your giveaway. If you’re on Instagram, spread the word with a grid post, story, and reels. Use a compelling image and a clear call-to-action in your caption to boost entries. Don’t forget to post at your best time for maximum impact. And if you’re on other platforms too, cross-promote to reach even more people!

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Analyze Insights & Declare The Winners

Throughout the giveaway, closely monitor the number of participants, address any inquiries, and track relevant entries with the giveaway hashtag. Keep an eye on all posts and comments related to the contest to assess if the initial goals were achieved, including potential increases in sales.

Hot Tip: Try Simplified Analytics to measure your giveaway results!

After the giveaway period, select a winner using an Instagram giveaway picker tool, which offers numerous options for this purpose. Some brands even record the winner selection process and share it on Instagram Stories as verification of its randomness.

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5 Instagram Giveaway Ideas

Here are five tried and tested Instagram giveaway ideas you can try out:

1. Photo Caption Contest

All you need to do is post a picture and ask your followers to submit their captions. Be sure to set a deadline for the submissions.

2. Like/Comment/Tag to Win

Post a photo or video on your social media account and ask people to like, comment, or tag a friend to enter.

3. Repost to Win

Simply ask your followers to share it through Repost or to their IG stories.

4. Trivia

With these types of Instagram giveaways, you can ask your followers questions about your brand, products, or any interesting topic like pop culture.

5. Hashtag Contest

Come up with a catchy hashtag that relates to your brand. Then, make sure to give clear instructions on how to enter. For instance, entrants can use that post to their feed or story with that hashtag to stand a chance of winning.

Bonus: How To Calculate Your Instagram Engagement Rate For The Best Results

How to Promote Your Instagram Giveaway for Maximum Reach

Are you looking to promote your giveaway for maximum reach? If so, there are a few things you can do to make sure your giveaway gets seen by as many people as possible.

First, you’ll want to make use of social media. You may be hosting your giveaway on Instagram, but you can use other social media platforms to create awareness about it! Create a post about your Instagram giveaway on all of your social media channels, and be sure to use hashtags so that people can easily find your giveaway. You can also boost your posts or run ads on social media to reach even more people.

And hey, if you’re looking for a way to organize your giveaway posts on social media, we know just what you need! With Simplified’s social content calendar, you can easily manage multiple social accounts from one easy-to-use interface and easily deliver images, videos, descriptions, and ad campaigns.

In addition to social media, you can also promote your giveaway on your website or blog. Write a post about the giveaway and include a call to action telling people how they can enter. You can do this by creating a dedicated page for your giveaway or adding a banner or widget to your site. You can also promote your giveaway through email newsletters, forums, and other online communities.

Another great way to promote your Instagram giveaway is by reaching out to influencers and brands in your niche. They can help spread the word to their followers and double your posts’ engagement.