All enjoy receiving free gifts. When we get something for free, something in our psychology causes an emotional reaction that really makes us enjoy the product more. A great Instagram giveaway can have a direct effect on your brand’s perception, increasing brand recognition and content engagement.

To run a good Instagram giveaway, you’ll need to prepare ahead and have a clear idea of what you want to achieve as a result.

1. Figure out what you want to get out of your giveaway.

You’re essentially giving something away for free if you don’t set a clear target for your Instagram giveaway. While that is a pleasant gesture for your followers, it is not beneficial to your company.

The first step in running your giveaway should be to figure out exactly what you want to do once it’s over.

Any other decision you make, including your prize, the content you produce, the influencer marketing platform, and how you promote your giveaway to fans, will be influenced by the target you chose.

2. Become acquainted with Instagram’s rules

If you’ve decided what you want to get out of your giveaway, it’s time to see what Instagram expects of you in order to complete it.

There are a variety of basic guidelines for creating a giveaway on their website, and you must adhere to them in order for your giveaway to run smoothly and avoid being shut down.

Don’t forget to provide the following details to ensure you’re not violating any Instagram giveaway terms:

• The rules for the giveaway are yours.
• The eligibility requirements for participants.
• Any applicable rules and regulations pertaining to your prize (age restrictions, etc.).
• The fact that Instagram is not responsible for the giveaway is acknowledged.

All of this must be entered in the giveaway post’s comment section. Instagram reserves the right to delete your content if you are unclear in some way.

But don’t worry; having that detail will not lessen the effect of your giveaway. It’s a common practice to keep everybody on the same page.

3. Pick a prize that your audience would appreciate

You won’t get any engagement if your award isn’t appealing to your target audience.

Consider what your fans are interested in when you prepare your giveaway, and consider how you can have something useful and on-brand.

For consumer goods and e-commerce vendors who sell unique products, this is easy. If a software company wants to deliver more than a discount or trial, they would need to conduct the additional study. 

One way to do this is to use interest targeting, which you can do by looking at your Instagram Insights to see what’s important to your audience.

Your Instagram giveaway may also be a chance to collaborate with other brands.

4. Create an appropriate giveaway caption

Now that you’ve decided on your prize, it’s time to make your giveaway Instagram message.

This is the page where you’ll guide users to learn more about the prize they’ll get. Consider how you want your followers to interact with the content (via shares or comments?), and customize the content to meet those needs. You can find Instagram influencers for this also.

Not only would a perfect caption advertise the things you’re giving away, but it will also include all of the necessary information for people to find, read about, and join the contest.

Here’s where hashtags come in handy.

Use related hashtags like #contest and #giveaway in addition to the giveaway’s own hashtag. It’s also a smart idea to provide industry-specific details and hashtags.

5. Use Instagram ads to promote your Instagram giveaway

Using Facebook and Instagram advertising to advertise your giveaway once it’s up and running. This will help spread the word about the giveaway to a wider audience, as well as improve overall interaction with the post.

Just make sure you’re using the same type of interest targeting described in the ‘Choose a Prize…’ section while you’re running your advertising.

It’s critical to ensure that you’re gaining an audience that’s not only interested in your product or service but also willing to sign up and share your content.

These advertisements often include an opportunity to increase the value of your prize.

Make it clear that you’re offering anything for free; all the user has to do is follow your account or tag one of their friends in the post. It’s important to make it clear to prospective participants how low-lift the initiative is.