How to run a social media giveaway

Start with the people you want to reach, not the prize. A small reward that is useful to your audience can start a better conversation than a generic prize. Decide how someone enters, when entries close, how you will choose and contact a winner, and what you will share with everyone else before you announce anything.

Plan the giveaway before publishing

1. Choose one goal: for example, introduce a new series to existing followers or bring people to a resource page. Decide what you will measure after the giveaway.
2. Pick a relevant prize: a fitness creator could offer a training-plan review; a musician could offer a signed release. State exactly what the winner receives and when.
3. Write the rules: include eligibility, opening and closing times with a time zone, the entry method, entry limit, selection method, and how the winner will be contacted. Check the rules of the social platform and the laws that apply where you run it.
4. Test the entry path: follow your own announcement from a phone, confirm the rules are easy to find, and try an entry with a test account before sharing the link.
5. Close, draw, and follow through: stop accepting entries at the stated time, save the result, contact the winner, deliver the prize, and share the outcome according to your rules.

Set up a LinkStreaks giveaway

On a Plus or Pro creator page, add a Giveaway block. Enter the prize description, an optional image, the points per entry, maximum entries per fan, and deadline. Publish your rules alongside the giveaway and make sure the prize is ready to deliver. Fans sign in and use points they have earned on your page to enter; the giveaway block shows their entry count. Links and check-ins can award points, but they are not separate automatic entry methods. A free account can instead use the comment picker for a giveaway run on another platform.

After entries close, use the creator editor to preview a winner and confirm the draw. You can choose whether to show the winner on the public page. If you advertise a giveaway on YouTube, review YouTube's contest policies; each platform has its own requirements.

What should you measure afterward?

Record eligible entries, whether the prize was delivered, and whether people used the resource you were promoting. If you have creator analytics, compare visits and link clicks before and after the giveaway. A bigger entry count alone does not tell you whether anyone found your work useful. For a separate, non-prize reason to return, see our fan loyalty guide.