How to run a successful competition on Facebook and Instagram

Updated October 2022.

You want to run a competition on social media; but how does it work? What are the rules on Facebook and Instagram? Don’t worry - I’ve got you covered. This step-by-step guide will teach you everything you need to know.

People love competitions, and social media is no different. I mean, who doesn’t love to win stuff? But if your business has a Facebook page, and you’ve considered running a competition, you have probably asked,  “Umm, what are the rules? How do I do this? What if no one enters? What the hell does 'game of skill’ mean anyway?”

Breathe. It does not have to be so complicated. Here are some steps to help you along your way.

1. Set your objective

Don’t run a Facebook competition just because your competitors are doing it. You should have a clear reason you are marketing to people, and a clear understanding of what constitutes success.

With that in mind, let’s say you have ordered too many pink toasters and you just can’t shift them. Your objective is to sell some pink toasters, right?

But there’s an old saying that says “Advertising is selling a product. Marketing is selling people the idea that they need that product.”

Your objective for having a competition to win a pink toaster is to get people so excited about winning the pink toaster that when they don’t win, they will come in and buy it anyway…because they didn’t know they needed it until you put it in front of them.

If your objective is “grow page followers” then let me just say one thing: page followers are great but you want them to follow you for the right reasons. You want them to be your target audience and be interested in whatever you’re selling. If they aren’t, they won’t engage with your posts and if they don’t do that, they drop your engagement rate and the algorithm determines that your content isn’t working for your audience. Next thing you know those algorithms aren’t promoting your content into many feeds anymore. In 2022 it’s ok to not have a huge following as long as you are making content that’s engaging the followers you do have - they are the people most likely to buy from you and recommend you anyway.

But hey, you can also reward them with a chance at a sweet prize in your competition!

2. Set the rules for entry

At the time of writing, these are the options allowed for Facebook and Instagram competitions:

1. First up, here is what you can’t do. Your competition cannot ask people to do any of the following things as a condition of entry:

• share the competition on their feed / stories

• tag a friend or tag themselves if they are not actually depicted in the image or post

• share on a friend’s feed

• ask for reviews

You’re also not allowed to run competitions or promotions on personal pages FYI.

Now, I bet you’re thinking “whhaaaaaat but EVERYONE does that” and you’d be right, they do. Not only that, they do get away with it and you probably would too. BUT you’ve probably found this blog because you were googling about rules so I’m telling you what the rules (aka the Meta community guidelines) state.

So you can ask people to do the above things, but only in a ‘it-would-be-nice-if-you-could’ way. They cannot be compulsory for competition entry.

2. You must state that Meta / Instagram / Facebook has nothing to do with your competition and release them from any liability or involvement. I suggest something like “ We acknowledge that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram”.

3. You have to be clear about the process (selecting a winner, age limitations, competition closing date, any terms and conditions), either in the post itself, or through a link to the terms and conditions on your website. Check with your State or Territory gaming rules to see if you need a permit. NSW is pretty strict.

That’s it. Seriously.

So what are some ideas for Facebook or Instagram competitions?

1. The simplest option is to keep it basic; Get people to comment and pick a random winner at a set date and time. Be sure to use a strong image / graphic to go along with your competition; it encourages people to share the post and generates excitement.

2. You can get creative with additional commenting requirements. For example, "Tell me in 20 words or less why you need this pink toaster and the best answer will win." Be clear in your instructions that people must comment on the original post. That way if it’s shared, people will have to click back to the original post to enter…you do not want to be chasing those comments around the place.

3. On Instagram you can set up a ‘loop’. This one takes some more organising: Say six businesses with a similar demographic get together and all chip in a prize of similar value. You all post the same competition graphic. Each business has a link to the next business in the comments (hence the ‘loop’). Participants go around and follow all six accounts to be eligible. At the closing date and time, each business selects a random winner for the prize they have offered.

4. You can use a third party competition app. There are many available. I would only use this if it’s a major prize and you are expecting lots of entries. People have to sign over information via these apps and that can be a real turn off unless it’s worth it.

3. Choose a random winner of your Facebook or Instagram competition

Copy and paste all the commenters’ names into a randomizer tool online. You do have to strip out the comments and just get the names into a list but that’s easy enough to do in word or excel or even notepad. Plug the list in and you have your winner! If you only have a few entries you might write or print out names and do a live draw from a hat - be creative!

4. Watch out for copycat accounts

Ugh this is becoming a huge problem. When you run a competition it’s not uncommon for a few copycat accounts to pop up and send messages to all the people who like and comment on the post. Keep an eye out! You might also say in your post that “we will not contact you via messages so keep an eye out for copycat accounts - the winner will be drawn by xxxxx and will be tagged in the post. Please do not click on any links that have not come from our official account.”

That’s it! You’re all set to run your first competition on social media. You can download the full guidelines here. Please get in touch if you’d like some specific advice.

❤️

Hi I’m Erika ✌️ I’m a marketing specialist with a BA in Media and Comms, Masters of Marketing, Certificate in CX (Customer Experience) and over 25 years experience. I’m well placed to help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming world of marketing and social media. I work with you one on one or create fun and action-oriented workshops and webinars for groups, organisations and businesses. Book a free discovery call with me or fill out this form to get the conversation started.

For more tips, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or just get in touch, I'm always happy to help.