How to run an Instagram contest to gain followers
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 10:03 am
On the path to becoming a social media influencer , it is necessary to carry out various strategies to attract, entertain and retain the audience. In that sense, learning how to run an Instagram contest to gain followers can be a turning point for your account.
Are you interested in learning all about this topic? Read until the end!
It is a reality that brands are increasingly betting on having a greater digital presence , physician database especially in applications and social platforms such as Instagram thanks to being the second most downloaded app in the world.
However, the sheer number of options out there that guarantee success in attracting followers can be overwhelming. That's why in this post we'll tell you how to run an Instagram contest to gain followers.
How to run an Instagram contest to gain followers?
Running an Instagram contest to gain followers goes way beyond simply posting a few conditions and offering a prize to the winner. This alone may get some people to join your initiative, but there will be no reason for them to feel engaged with your brand.
Ultimately, when this type of initiative is carried out, the general objective that is expected to be achieved is, precisely, to generate an audience that is sufficiently similar to your brand so that a link is then created between you and them.
Many of the "giveaways" we see every day on Instagram and other social networks are focused on just increasing the number of followers and completely forget about attracting an audience that is truly interested in the identity, message and mission and vision of the profile.
Now, to ensure the success of the contest, there are fundamental steps that we have summarized as follows. We will tell you which ones below!
Choose the type of contest
Just as there are a wide variety of tools for publishing on Instagram, such as the feed, reels or stories, the number of options for running contests is only limited by the imagination of the creators.
This makes it easier for account managers to use maximum creativity to give this initiative the possible concept.
To help inspire you, we'll give you some of the best alternatives on how to run a contest to gain followers on Instagram.
For likes
This type of contest may be the most common within the platform and, of course, the easiest to carry out because it is simply based on asking for " likes " in order to deliver the prize.
One of the main benefits of this format is the simplicity that characterizes it, allowing your creative team to focus on other areas, while stimulating greater participation and brand awareness .
By comments
This is a type of contest very similar to the previous one, since the user only has to comment on a phrase or hashtag in the post to participate.
One of its main benefits is the possibility of asking people to tag several friends to compete for the prize, because this way they will have a greater chance of winning. In addition, it generates more traffic to the brand's profile.
By publications
Photo challenge contests are perhaps the most popular and engaging format on Instagram.
Here, users are asked to upload a photo or image to their feed or stories showing the brand's products or services and use a specific hashtag or tag generated for that campaign. This will also help your brand to repost this content and increase engagement, obtaining the famous user-generated content or UGC .
Choosing the platforms to do it
Just as important as choosing a type of contest to generate new users for your profile is choosing a platform that makes the work of your creative and management team easier, do we agree?
Find out which are the best platforms to run contests on Instagram!
Easypromos : is an application available for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that allows you to run contests based on your organization's objectives; of course, you have to pay for it except for the first draw. In addition, it offers you functions such as organized draws with sponsored posts, collaboration with influencers and more.
Comment Picker – This free Instagram contest tool is very easy to use and allows you to select a winner based on the comments on a post based on the rules you have proposed for it.
AppSorteos : AppSoteos is an application that allows you to run multi-account contests, add filters to each of the draws, choose substitutes, detect duplicate users, segment by number of mentions or the use of the hashtag, among many other things.
Define the prize to be won
As with any Digital Marketing strategy implemented within social networks, the central purpose is not to get more followers, but rather to focus on obtaining quality followers .
In this sense, the best way to find users who share your brand's interests is by offering a prize that is relevant to them and aligned with the products and services of your company or business.
It doesn't have to be an expensive prize, like a new phone, a computer, or an all-inclusive trip. You can reward the winner with access to an online course from your brand, a flagship product from your catalog, among others.
Not only will this ensure that everyone who participates will be potential customers for the future, but it will also increase engagement with your identity and you will have the possibility of generating greater brand recognition in your target audience .
Identify the objective of the contest
An important step in learning how to run Instagram contests to gain followers is figuring out why in the first place.
Ask yourself: Why do I want more followers? Why do I need new followers? Are followers important to my business model?
Once you've answered all of these questions, it will be much clearer why gaining followers is a priority for your business or why it simply isn't.
Based on this you will be able to clearly define the essential objectives behind the contest, which may be:
increase the following;
run brand awareness campaigns;
stimulate interaction and participation on your account;
spread your profile on the platform and publicize your products and services.
In fact, you can have one or more objectives at the same time; the important thing at this stage is to define what the final goal will be and, in this way, you will create a method that will bring you closer to achieving it.
How about taking a look at these contents to complement your reading?
Find out how to analyze your Instagram strategy to improve your results!
Learn what Facebook Ads are and how to use them to boost your brand online
Twitter marketing tips to win on this important social network
Establishes rules and bases of the contest
It is extremely important that, from the beginning of your contest, you make all the legal bases clear to your community in order to make the operation of the campaign transparent.
In the rules and bases, make sure to clearly and unambiguously define:
what users must do to participate;
how long will it last;
what is the date and time of the final draw;
what is the prize;
how many winners are there;
specific conditions to be considered.
Additionally, you should make sure to communicate in each contest-related post that Instagram is not sponsoring your giveaway or associated with your brand, making clear its independence. You may also not tag people in your content or ask people to tag their friends.
These are the only limitations Instagram imposes when creating contests.
Now, the question that may arise after reading all this is: are contests to gain followers on Instagram a good idea? We will answer you right now!
Yes or no to Instagram contests?
If you're looking for rapid growth in your profile, contests to gain followers are a good way to inflate your numbers quickly, then yes.
However, if what you are looking for is organic growth and that each user who reaches your account is due to a genuine intention or a latent need after a purchasing journey process, as in Content Marketing and the Inbound methodology, then no.
Instagram contests are a great tool to reach a fast number of followers and give your profile the impression that it is well-known. However, quantity does not always equal quality and this number may not mean anything in terms of generating business opportunities.
It is important that within your objectives you propose scenarios where after a contest you receive thousands of new followers, giving you a direction of what you will do to retain them and eventually gain their loyalty.
Whatever the reason that pushes you to learn how to run an Instagram contest to gain followers, you have to make sure that this impulse is justified by a real Digital Marketing strategy.
This way, and only this way, you can ensure that these new users who arrive can progressively become clients of your brand or a community close to your message.
Are you interested in learning all about this topic? Read until the end!
It is a reality that brands are increasingly betting on having a greater digital presence , physician database especially in applications and social platforms such as Instagram thanks to being the second most downloaded app in the world.
However, the sheer number of options out there that guarantee success in attracting followers can be overwhelming. That's why in this post we'll tell you how to run an Instagram contest to gain followers.
How to run an Instagram contest to gain followers?
Running an Instagram contest to gain followers goes way beyond simply posting a few conditions and offering a prize to the winner. This alone may get some people to join your initiative, but there will be no reason for them to feel engaged with your brand.
Ultimately, when this type of initiative is carried out, the general objective that is expected to be achieved is, precisely, to generate an audience that is sufficiently similar to your brand so that a link is then created between you and them.
Many of the "giveaways" we see every day on Instagram and other social networks are focused on just increasing the number of followers and completely forget about attracting an audience that is truly interested in the identity, message and mission and vision of the profile.
Now, to ensure the success of the contest, there are fundamental steps that we have summarized as follows. We will tell you which ones below!
Choose the type of contest
Just as there are a wide variety of tools for publishing on Instagram, such as the feed, reels or stories, the number of options for running contests is only limited by the imagination of the creators.
This makes it easier for account managers to use maximum creativity to give this initiative the possible concept.
To help inspire you, we'll give you some of the best alternatives on how to run a contest to gain followers on Instagram.
For likes
This type of contest may be the most common within the platform and, of course, the easiest to carry out because it is simply based on asking for " likes " in order to deliver the prize.
One of the main benefits of this format is the simplicity that characterizes it, allowing your creative team to focus on other areas, while stimulating greater participation and brand awareness .
By comments
This is a type of contest very similar to the previous one, since the user only has to comment on a phrase or hashtag in the post to participate.
One of its main benefits is the possibility of asking people to tag several friends to compete for the prize, because this way they will have a greater chance of winning. In addition, it generates more traffic to the brand's profile.
By publications
Photo challenge contests are perhaps the most popular and engaging format on Instagram.
Here, users are asked to upload a photo or image to their feed or stories showing the brand's products or services and use a specific hashtag or tag generated for that campaign. This will also help your brand to repost this content and increase engagement, obtaining the famous user-generated content or UGC .
Choosing the platforms to do it
Just as important as choosing a type of contest to generate new users for your profile is choosing a platform that makes the work of your creative and management team easier, do we agree?
Find out which are the best platforms to run contests on Instagram!
Easypromos : is an application available for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that allows you to run contests based on your organization's objectives; of course, you have to pay for it except for the first draw. In addition, it offers you functions such as organized draws with sponsored posts, collaboration with influencers and more.
Comment Picker – This free Instagram contest tool is very easy to use and allows you to select a winner based on the comments on a post based on the rules you have proposed for it.
AppSorteos : AppSoteos is an application that allows you to run multi-account contests, add filters to each of the draws, choose substitutes, detect duplicate users, segment by number of mentions or the use of the hashtag, among many other things.
Define the prize to be won
As with any Digital Marketing strategy implemented within social networks, the central purpose is not to get more followers, but rather to focus on obtaining quality followers .
In this sense, the best way to find users who share your brand's interests is by offering a prize that is relevant to them and aligned with the products and services of your company or business.
It doesn't have to be an expensive prize, like a new phone, a computer, or an all-inclusive trip. You can reward the winner with access to an online course from your brand, a flagship product from your catalog, among others.
Not only will this ensure that everyone who participates will be potential customers for the future, but it will also increase engagement with your identity and you will have the possibility of generating greater brand recognition in your target audience .
Identify the objective of the contest
An important step in learning how to run Instagram contests to gain followers is figuring out why in the first place.
Ask yourself: Why do I want more followers? Why do I need new followers? Are followers important to my business model?
Once you've answered all of these questions, it will be much clearer why gaining followers is a priority for your business or why it simply isn't.
Based on this you will be able to clearly define the essential objectives behind the contest, which may be:
increase the following;
run brand awareness campaigns;
stimulate interaction and participation on your account;
spread your profile on the platform and publicize your products and services.
In fact, you can have one or more objectives at the same time; the important thing at this stage is to define what the final goal will be and, in this way, you will create a method that will bring you closer to achieving it.
How about taking a look at these contents to complement your reading?
Find out how to analyze your Instagram strategy to improve your results!
Learn what Facebook Ads are and how to use them to boost your brand online
Twitter marketing tips to win on this important social network
Establishes rules and bases of the contest
It is extremely important that, from the beginning of your contest, you make all the legal bases clear to your community in order to make the operation of the campaign transparent.
In the rules and bases, make sure to clearly and unambiguously define:
what users must do to participate;
how long will it last;
what is the date and time of the final draw;
what is the prize;
how many winners are there;
specific conditions to be considered.
Additionally, you should make sure to communicate in each contest-related post that Instagram is not sponsoring your giveaway or associated with your brand, making clear its independence. You may also not tag people in your content or ask people to tag their friends.
These are the only limitations Instagram imposes when creating contests.
Now, the question that may arise after reading all this is: are contests to gain followers on Instagram a good idea? We will answer you right now!
Yes or no to Instagram contests?
If you're looking for rapid growth in your profile, contests to gain followers are a good way to inflate your numbers quickly, then yes.
However, if what you are looking for is organic growth and that each user who reaches your account is due to a genuine intention or a latent need after a purchasing journey process, as in Content Marketing and the Inbound methodology, then no.
Instagram contests are a great tool to reach a fast number of followers and give your profile the impression that it is well-known. However, quantity does not always equal quality and this number may not mean anything in terms of generating business opportunities.
It is important that within your objectives you propose scenarios where after a contest you receive thousands of new followers, giving you a direction of what you will do to retain them and eventually gain their loyalty.
Whatever the reason that pushes you to learn how to run an Instagram contest to gain followers, you have to make sure that this impulse is justified by a real Digital Marketing strategy.
This way, and only this way, you can ensure that these new users who arrive can progressively become clients of your brand or a community close to your message.