Instagram Competitions – the Rules

01 Aug Instagram Competitions – the Rules

Instagram contests can help you boost your engagement and get noticed by the Instagram algorithm. Before diving into a contest, make sure that you’re following the rules from staying on the right side of things to getting better results for yourself!

Running an Instagram contest is not always exciting, but it can be one of the best ways to make sure your followers know about you and what you are up to. However, you have to follow the rules!

Sticking to the rules and creating a robust and successful competition will take practice and you’re almost certain to make the odd mistake. Take a look at our list of tips to staying ‘within the lines’ when running your Instagram giveaway.

Obey the law

Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Most brands won’t intentionally break the law when they run an Instagram sweepstake; but laws and regulations governing contests and giveaways can be complex – especially on a platform where your contest can be seen by people from all around the world.

Instagram contests are a great way to get people excited and interested in your brand, but they can also be risky. Laws vary from location to location, so make sure you know the rules before setting up an Instagram contest that has entries outside of where it’s hosted.

Make sure you use disclaimers if you decide to work on a giveaway with any influencers. Generally, if you are transparent and honest, you can’t go wrong.

Official Rules

It is important to have a set of terms and conditions and make them easy to find. You could post your contest rules to your website and change the link in your Instagram profile for the duration of your competition; you could also post them as the first comment under your post and pin it.

Whatever you do with your competition rules, they need to include a disclaimer which releases Instagram from any responsibility for the competition.

Instagram Disclaimer

In their promotion guidelines, Instagram states that you must inform any potential entrants that your competition “is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.”

You’re on your own

That’s right. Instagram says that “If you use our service to administer your promotion, you do so at your own risk.” If you decide to run a competition, you need to be prepared to figure out the logistics for yourself – and if there’s a mistake or a catastrophe, Instagram won’t offer you any support. Chalk it up to experience, take the hit and move on.

Paid Reach

There aren’t too many rules when it comes to paying to boost your post. Like any business, Instagram just wants your money. If you are running a geographically limited competition, be sure to only promote it in that region to avoid annoying people. Be specific with your audience targeting.

A good thing to do is set yourself a budget for the total expenditure for the competition. You might set it at £200; your prize will be £100 worth of product PLUS postage with the remainder of the budget going to promoting your promotion!

As always it is advised to start small and test what works for you and your audience before committing too much money to the cause.

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