Should Your Brand Launch a Giveaway on Instagram?

Looking at a person, brand or influencer’s profile, you’ve likely noticed that giveaway posts can be a lightning rod for likes, comments and shares on Instagram, and what business wouldn’t want a piece of that engagement pie?

As busy and shiny as these posts may look, there are still logistics and strategies to consider, especially on the business side of things. If giveaways were always a bonanza of likes and comments, accounts would be doing them even more regularly.

Montreal influencer @hey.maca promotes a bright, cheery Bonne Maman giveaway.

Here are what we see as the biggest arguments for, and against, giveaways.

Pro: By having a third-party giveaway on their curated profile, instead of giving away products on your own account, your chosen sponsored influencers can extend your reach by introducing your brand to people who may not have been following you before. Plus, the potential of getting a new-to-you product, possibly for free, just sweetens the deal – there’s little risk to your audience there, as opposed to blindly buying from you.

Con: Users who only follow and engage accounts to win something often unfollow as soon as a giveaway window ends. Even if they stay, they may have no interest in engaging with your post-giveaway content.

This is a concern because even though high follow rates may look good, inactive followings contribute potentially negative signals to the algorithm, telling Instagram that your content may be of low quality. The same goes for a sudden mass-unfollowing. A combination of the two may cause your posted content to rank even lower, which in turn shows the content to even less of your following. Additionally, a high follower count but a low engagement rate are a metrics third parties may consider before partnering with your brand.

Plus, the newly acquired audience may not even be a match for your business. But don’t lose hope yet. There are ways to make your entrants a potentially perfect pairing to your brand, and your giveaway a pairing to your potential new followers.

1. Find and Repost Your Best Content Before the Launch

This will not only present content that you know was successful before, it’s likely the best representation of your business, and a proper introduction to your new followers once they find your giveaway and tap through your profile. Give them a reason to stay!

2. Pick a Relatable Prize

Money, electronics and flashy items may be magnetizing prizes, but they aren’t as likely to keep followers around once the promotion wraps up. Select a prize that not only relates to your target audiences but also your business, so that your new followers will be drawn to the brand even after the free stuff is gone. Pick a top-performing product or popular service in your industry or niche and give it away. You may find new customers coming and looking for it even when it’s not possibly free anymore.

3. Keep the Engagement Going

Social media is meant to be an outlet for a two-way conversation. Before, during, and after your giveaway, engage, engage, engage! Answer questions, comment on posts, respond to comments on your own content, and ask questions yourself; there are many methods on Instagram for interacting with your followers.

4. Prove Interest to Keep Interest

Word of mouth and proof of approval are two major considerations consumers take when deciding if a product or service is right for them, but you don’t have to wait for someone else to prove your brand is great to them. Publish posts or stories that are visual representations of other people thoroughly enjoying or appreciating your business. You’ll convince the right ones to stay this way, even if they might not win something.