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Tips for a Successful Instagram Contest
DIY Sprocket Solutions
This article was updated on 3/12/2024 with the article entitled “Try Clever Instagram Contests to Get More Eyes on Your Business Brand.”
Instagram contests are a great way to increase engagement, get people talking about your business, increase your followers, and more. The trick is to run a successful Instagram contest that can accomplish these goals. So, what do you need to create a successful Instagram contest? Well, there are actually several components.
Familiarize Yourself with Instagram’s Contest Rules:
No matter what social media platform you’re promoting/hosting your contest on, you have to be aware of the specific rules of that platform. Instagram is no different and they come with their own set of guidelines for running contests.
Pick the Kind of Contest You Want to Run:
To pick the right contest type, you have to consider a few factors about how you want your contest to operate and how users can participate. Here are a few different types of Instagram contests to consider.
Comment on the Post
In this contest you are asking users to comment on your post. For example, you might ask your followers to answer a question that you’re asking. What their favorite color is for instance. This is generating engagement because users have to do more than just like your post to be involved for a chance to win.
Like the Post
This very simple type of Instagram contest is asking fans to ‘like’ the post that’s advertising the contest. This will probably have a higher number of people actually clicking ‘like’ than those who would comment, because it’s easy to do, but it’s not a very high level of interaction.
Post Your Own Photo
In this type of contest, you’re asking your followers to post their own Instagram photo along with the contest’s hashtag. You are telling them which hashtag to use to participate. Do a little research into your proposed hashtag before you launch your contest. Make sure it’s something that is easy for users to remember, associates with your brand, and isn’t already being used for something you wouldn’t want to be associated with.
Combining Contests
Another approach is to combine several different contest types. You could ask users to like AND comment to enter or to upload their own photo with a specific hashtag AND like your post.
Choose a Tool to Manage Your Contest
Different social media platforms have different contest rules and different involvements with contests on their platforms. Instagram does not associate with or help support contests. Therefore, in order to run, manage, and track a contest on Instagram, you have to go through a third-party company. There are several third-party contest platforms that have the necessary tools to successfully set up, run, and manage your contest. These contest platforms make it easy to host contests on Instagram and are generally very straightforward and self explanatory to learn to use.
There are usually different types of plans you can use. These range from free, to a monthly fee, or a flat rate per contest. The different types generally allow you access to different or more advanced features. You just have to do a little research and find out which plan fits your contest needs.
Running a contest on Instagram can be extremely beneficial if done correctly. Sometimes learning the right contest type for your business is a bit of trial and error. It’s not a one size fits all approach.
Have you had success running contests on Instagram in the past? Any failures? What tools do you use to manage your contests? Comment below!
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Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
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