How to Run a Successful Instagram Contest

For corporate, business, and brand accounts on Instagram, the key to success is engaging with fans and followers. There are many ways to cultivate an Instagram community and running an Instagram contest is an effective way to create buzz for your company. Instagram contests – when done well – boost awareness, drive engagement, and can increase conversions.

Brands and companies should not underestimate the power of Instagram marketing. Brand engagement is 10x higher on Instagram than Facebook and 84x higher than engagement on Twitter. Leveraging that audience through Instagram contests can have huge returns.

Define Strategy + Set Goals

Before launching an Instagram contest, it’s necessary to define your contest strategy and set achievable goals. Your contest can serve a variety of different goals depending on what your business wants to gain. Whether you’re looking to grow your brand presence or build up your follower base, make sure you are aware of your audience.

Once your strategy is in place, figure out what posts your audience likes to see and how they behave on Instagram. If you’re looking to drive engagement, your contest needs to be content that prompts posts and engagement. Finally, establish a budget and time frame for your contest. The budget will be important for selecting a prize for your contest.

Make sure that your prize is relevant to your company. Don’t choose something flashy just to gain notice. Make it an authentic choice for your company or brand. Once you have these parameters in place, you will be in a good place to begin the contest.

Define an Entry Method + How to Choose a Winner

There are several different ways to run an Instagram contest. The most effective are ones that prompt the audience to post and share their own photos. Knowing your audience will help you choose which entry strategy works best for your company.
Some options for contest entry:
Post a photo or video with a specific hashtag/theme
Ask the audience to follow you in addition to creating a post
Audience members must tag your company in their posts
Ask the audience to like and/or comment on a post

Whichever entry method(s) you choose, be sure that they are clear in all promotional materials and contest rules. Making the rules clear and accessible is key for Instagram contest success.

When your entry method is set, determine how you will choose winners. There are several different strategies for choosing winners. A post that has the most likes and/or comments can be a winner or the winner can be chosen by votes from other audience members or an internal “jury.” Contests with votes are an excellent way to boost the buzz for your contest and encourage sharing. Decide what works best for your company and audience.

Create a Hashtag + Choose a Theme

To ensure that all posts are tracked and accumulated, you need to select a hashtag for your Instagram contest. The perfect hashtag should encompass the Instagram contest and be easy to remember. The best hashtags are short, relevant, and memorable. They also need to be universal – think about your audience – and not contain regional or slang terms that might exclude someone. Your hashtag needs to be unique. Do your research to make sure your hashtag hasn’t been used for other purposes. This is especially important if there are negative connotations for a hashtag you’ve brainstormed.
Your contest should also have a theme that is clear and distinctive. Themes need to align with your market, services, and/or product, but you can also leverage seasons, events, or holidays that align with your product or brand. The theme should be evident in the contest’s call to action, the hashtag, and the promotion. Again, choose a theme that will connect with your audience and is relevant to your company.

Promote, Promote, Promote

Once the contest launches, be sure to promote it across all social media channels. Include the rules and theme when posting. It’s up to you whether to announce the prize at the beginning or wait to build up anticipation.

If you choose to do a contest that requires entrants to share their posts, be sure to encourage that. These contests are an excellent source of user generated content that can be used beyond the conclusion of a contest. Sharing the contest across platforms will boost interest and participation in the contest and help grow your social presence on Instagram and other platforms.
Once the groundwork for the contest is done – choosing a hashtag, theme, and entry method – be sure to spread the word and encourage followers to do the same. Track the contest progress to ensure that you are meeting your goals and that participants are following the rules. One of the greatest benefits of Instagram contests is that the results last far beyond the conclusion and choosing a winner. Generating buzz and driving engagement with an Instagram contest is an excellent way to promote your business and boost your Instagram presence.

Got other ideas to make your Instagram contest a hit? Share in the comments section below!