9 Ways to boost your next Instagram giveaway

Want a way to increase your followers, boost post likes and supercharge your reach? You can do all this and so much more with an Instagram giveaway. In fact, we’ve found 9 ways to make your next Instagram giveaway your best yet… and yes, you can apply all the techniques below to a single giveaway. We’ve been drawing inspiration from a recent giveaway by professional digital artist @la___aura who joined forces with @xppen.uk to make waves with technology in the art space.

Here’s the giveaway we’re going to look at:

We’ll dive into the best details you can replicate for your own giveaway. Whether this kind of giveaway slots right into your business model or it feels far from your field of work, we’re certain there’s more than a few takeaways for every business in the 9 tips below…

1. Build up to the big giveaway

It’s worth building a bit of hype if you want your current audience to get the engagement in quickly when you release the details of the giveaway competition. This is exactly what @la___aura did. A few posts were published the day before and on the day the official giveaway post was published. These reels teased the upcoming giveaway which helped build buzz and awareness around the giveaway before it even started, so interested parties could keep checking and tune in for the big reveal. 

2. Launch the giveaway with a carousel post

If you think all post types are created equal, think again. Carousel posts are far more powerful than single image posts as they include more media which encourages viewers to engage with them for longer. With multiple images and/or videos to swipe through, viewing time increases. The algorithm loves this as it keeps users engaged and on the platform for longer. It’s also not uncommon to see the same carousel post pop up in a news feed more than once as different slides from the same post can be served up to the same users.

With a giveaway, carousel posts can show off the prizes, share the rules and include additional information in one go. The particular type of giveaway content we’re looking at in this article requires people who enter to recreate a piece of artwork in their own style to be in with a chance to win a digital drawing pad. The carousel includes the artwork to be recreated and the unboxing of the prize, making the giveaway a compelling effort to enjoy for budding and established artists alike.

3. Boost the giveaway with a relevant hashtag

Hashtags are the ultimate connectivity tool and there’s no reason why you can’t use them to get your giveaway out to relevant groups and communities on Instagram. In the giveaway example we’re looking at, a universal hashtag was used to link this giveaway with other giveaways of a similar ilk. This is a fantastic way to get your giveaway out to more people it could be relevant to. 

If there’s a community of people in your field of interest that’s doing or searching for giveaways just like yours, make it easy for them to find yours by adding an established hashtag to your giveaway post’s description. There may already be a community out there ready and waiting to connect with you.

4. Group competition entries with a hashtag 

Make it easy to find all your giveaway competition entries in one place by creating a unique hashtag, specifically made for this particular giveaway. This hashtag must be used by people entering the giveaway and this should be stated in the rules. This is a great way to gather all the entries into one place, making it easy for the hosts to find and pick a winner. It also helps you track the progress and success of the giveaway. 

You can track a hashtag with Minter.io which makes it easy to see all the posts using the hashtag in one place. 

You can also find handy metrics such as the number of posts alongside the number of likes, comments and the sentiment rate of posts using the hashtag.

By tracking a hashtag with Minter.io you can also see other hashtags used alongside your competition hashtag and the number of hashtags used on posts that also use your specific hashtag. This can give you a sense of the quality of your hashtag and the kinds of topics that are associated with your hashtag.

5. Team up with a collaborator

Giveaways don’t have to be a lonely affair. Make it a collaboration to boost reach, engagement and brand awareness across multiple social media accounts. It makes sense to collaborate with another brand that has some relevance to your industry and audience. In the example we’re looking at, the collaboration makes sense because one account is for people with an interest in digital art and the other account creates technology that can be used by digital artists. It also works because the technology company is giving away the product while it is being endorsed by a professional artist with a considerably larger Instagram following. Whatever your business, make sure to partner with brands that are relevant to your audience.

Both brands that hosted the giveaway used the same creatives on their Instagram profiles to spread the word. This is a simple tactic to get the message reaching more people without spending extra money and time on additional media and copy. It also keeps the messaging consistent and helps to create recognisability around the competition.

6. Get more followers 

As a condition of entry for the giveaway, you can make it mandatory to follow the host(s) of the giveaway to be in with a chance to win. This is a great way to get more followers fast. If the prize is enticing enough and the post is reaching a relevant audience, this could be a quick way to increase your community. If the giveaway is a joint effort, encourage people to follow all hosting accounts.

7. Incorporate user-generated content

There are many forms of giveaway competitions that can be utilised on Instagram, but if you can include user-generated content as a condition of entry you’d be doing yourself a big favour. While this might not be relevant to all giveaway competitions, a giveaway of this nature gives the hosts plenty of user-generated content to share. Sharing the entries can build buzz and encourage more people to join in, which in turn means more followers, engagement and exposure for everyone involved.

8. Create a stories highlight

While the competition is in full swing, it may be a good idea to share information and content in relation to the giveaway using Instagram Stories. With user-generated content and the inclusion of a hashtag where the content is grouped, sharing entries is easy. During the giveaway, hosts can share stories as content rolls in and group entries into a highlight for evergreen viewing.

In this example, both hosts added a stories highlight about the giveaway competition. This makes competition content easy to find, share and enjoy.

9. Add a deadline

A crucial element to include in your giveaway description is a deadline. Deadlines create urgency and urgency encourages action. This ensures entries come in quickly so you can make the most of your competition and the elevated interaction and reach while it lasts. Deadlines also make the terms super clear which is a solid indicator of a professional approach which in turn builds trust.

We hope these 9 tips elevate your next Instagram giveaway to new heights. Whether you opt to use all the above or cherry pick your favourite points, we’re rooting for your next Instagram giveaway to be your best yet. Don’t forget to track your giveaway with a hashtag using Minter.io - the social media analytics tool dedicated to getting your business where you want it to be.