User Guide / FAQ

Overview

Sweepstakes or giveaways on Instagram are a great way to engage your followers. Not a lot of people can pass up the phrase, “Enter for a chance to WIN,” especially if the prize is coveted! 


However, let's be honest – giveaways can be hard to manage and the stress to properly draw timely winners is a lot.... until now.

Giveaways have never been easier.

  1. Create a post or reel  and set the criteria of entry to be a direct response to the post. You can ask them to include a hashtag (ie., #sweeps) or tag a friend, etc.
  2. Stampede Social will collect all the comments as they come in for you. You can manage and report on the progress as it happens.

Draw a winner

At the conclusion of the giveaway you have two options:

a) Download all the comments and execute the de-dupping, etc. yourself or
b) Use Stampede Social's winner list tool to de-dup and 5x randomize the list leaving you with a top down winners lists.

To execute either of these options click on one of the icons at the bottom of the Filters section.


  1. The down arrow icon will download All the comments from that Post in TSV format.
  2. The present icon will open a winner selection tool (see below)

Pulling a winner list

Our winner list tool is included in the Creator Pro and Pro Plus packages. With our winner list tool you can:

  1. Set Max Responses (how many times can a person enter?)
  2. Filter term - did you ask them to include a hashtag or specific word/phrase?  If, no, you can leave blank.
  3. Shuffle - clicking shuffle will de-dup the extra responses / remove entries that do not have the filter term and then randomize the remainder 5 times.


A winner list TSV file (it's like a CSV but tab delimited) will download and you can use it as a top down winners list. You may need to manually exclude entries that didn't fall in the right time frame, profanity, etc.


Need more info?

Instagram Post-Level Giveaway Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • What is a post-level giveaway?

    If you're curious about what an Instagram post-level giveaway is and how it works, read on for a simple explanation!


    • An Instagram post-level giveaway is a fun way to engage with your fans on Instagram.
    • To participate, fans need to respond to your post by commenting or tagging a friend.
    • For example, you can ask fans to comment on your post with a specific hashtag like #PostSweeps and tag a friend for a chance to win a prize.
    • The Stampede Social dashboard can help you manage and measure your campaign, but you need to provide the rules and regulations for the promotion.
    • The dashboard collects all the comments in one place and creates a database of entries that you can easily randomize and select a winner(s) and alternate(s).
    • Stampede Social also has a randomizer button that does all the work for you in under 10 seconds!

    However, it's important to talk to a legal expert to make sure you're following all the rules and regulations for running a promotion.


    Check out these resources to learn more about giveaways on Instagram:


    Instagram post on giveaways: https://help.instagram.com/179379842258600 


    A blog we wrote on the subject: https://www.stampede.social/giveaways-on-instagram 



  • Post-level winner list selection*

    If you use Stampede Social to monitor your social media posts, you can use a special feature called the randomizer to easily do a giveaway. 


    Here's how it works:


    • Look for the "present" icon on your Stampede Social dashboard.
    • Click on the "present" icon to access the randomizer feature.
    • The randomizer feature allows you to set filters to select comments for the giveaway, such as the maximum number of responses or a unique hashtag.
    • After setting the filters, click the "SHUFFLE" button to randomly select the winners.
    • Stampede Social will remove duplicate comments, apply the filter requirements, and shuffle the remaining responses 5 times.
    • You can download the winners list and review it to ensure that the comments meet the giveaway criteria set by your legal team.

    Stampede Social is not a sweepstakes company and is not affiliated with your giveaways, but the randomizer feature can be useful. If you prefer, you can also manually select the winners by using the down arrow and accessing the raw comment download.



  • Are giveaways allowed on Instagram and what are the rules to follow?

    Giveaways on Instagram are allowed, but you need to follow some rules to make sure they're fair. 


    First, clearly explain how people can enter the giveaway and what the prize is. Then, choose a winner randomly so no one can say you picked a favorite. This way, everyone has an equal chance of winning.


    While there are many ways to run a giveaway on Instagram, Stampede Social offers the best and easiest way to do it. With their user-friendly platform, you can set up and manage your Instagram giveaway in no time.

  • Common Post-level Promotion Types

    Running sweepstakes on Instagram can be a great way to increase engagement and grow your following. Here are three types of sweepstakes that you can easily run on Instagram:


    Hashtag-to-win: This sweepstakes requires users to use a specific hashtag on your post to be entered to win the prize. 


    Comment-to-win: This sweepstakes requires users to comment on a particular post to be entered to win the prize.  This generally also includes a hashtag.


    Photo contest: This sweepstakes requires users to post a specific photo with a hashtag and tag you to be entered to win the prize. See UGC contests.


    Remember to clearly define the rules of your sweepstakes and choose a winner fairly. Using a platform like Stampede Social can help you easily manage and run your Instagram sweepstakes.


    While there are many ways to run a giveaway on Instagram, Stampede Social offers the best and easiest way to do it. With our user-friendly platform, you can set up and manage your Instagram giveaway in no time.

  • Will Stampede Social write rules for us or give us legal guidance?

    No, Stampede Social does not create rules or give legal advice. 


    Stampede Social offer tools to help you run promotions on Instagram. If you need help with rules or legal information like disclaimers, small print, and so on, it's best to ask your own legal team. 


    Stampede Social is not affiliated with your giveaways or promotions.

  • Does this work during an Instagram live?

    Yes, if your package has giveaways, you can also use it during an Instagram live. 


    Note that entries refresh every 1-2 minutes so you should make the cut-off prior to doing the drawing. 


    You will need to be logged into Stampede Social to do the drawing live and during the event. 


    You will also be able to do a drawing from live comments after a live event has concluded. 

  • Have you written a blog on this topic?

    Yes, we have!


    Enjoy: Instagram giveaways a pain in the 🍑? Here's how to make them easier

  • What plans is this feature included in?

    Creator Pro and Creator Pro Plus plans include the giveaway feature. 

  • Once generated is the winner list good to go?

    Our file which we de-dup and randomize for you is perfect to use as a winners list.


    However, please keep in mind that you will need to review the list to ensure that the comments meet the criteria (time frame, isn’t profane, etc.) that your legal team set forth when creating the rules for your giveaway. 


    We are not a sweepstakes company and are not affiliated with your giveaways but this tool should be useful. You can of course do it all manually as well by using only the down arrow and accessing the raw comment download. 

  • What is a TSV file?

    You're probably familiar with CSV (comma delimited), TSV is simply tab-delimited.


    You import it into your Excel or Numbers program and take it from there.

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