How to run a Facebook giveaway, step by step
A Facebook giveaway takes about ten minutes to set up and a few days to run. The part most people get wrong is the entry rule: the two mechanics everyone copies from Instagram, share to enter and tag a friend, are the two Meta's policy rules out on Facebook. This guide walks through the whole thing in order, from choosing a prize to announcing the winner.
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Key takeaways
- To run a Facebook giveaway, post it from your Page, a public group or an event, ask people to enter by commenting, close it at a stated time and draw the winner at random from the comments.
- Meta's policy says a Facebook promotion must not require or incentivise participants to share, repost, tag others or in any other way publicise it, so share to enter and tag a friend are both ruled out.
- The entry rule that works best on Facebook is a comment that answers a question or includes a keyword, because it is allowed under Meta's policy and a comment picker can check it.
- Every Facebook giveaway post must say that entrants release Meta from liability and that Meta does not sponsor, endorse or administer the promotion.
- A Facebook giveaway and a Facebook contest are run the same way on a Page; the difference is that a giveaway picks the winner at random and a contest judges entries against criteria you publish.
- Ready to draw? Use the Facebook comment picker to pick the winner from a public post with no Facebook login.
Draw the winner here
How do you run a giveaway on Facebook?
The whole process fits in nine steps. Each one is covered in more detail further down.
- Decide what the giveaway is for: comments on a launch, new followers for a local Page, or a thank you to existing customers.
- Choose a prize your audience actually wants and you can deliver to every country you open the giveaway to.
- Pick one entry rule: a comment that answers a question or includes a keyword. Do not ask for shares or tags.
- Write the rules: prize, who can enter, how to enter, the closing date and time with time zone, how the winner is drawn and how long the winner has to reply.
- Add the two sentences Meta requires: a release of Meta and an acknowledgement that Meta does not sponsor the giveaway.
- Post it from your Page, a public group or an event, and pin it if you can.
- Close it at the time you announced and stop counting new comments.
- Draw the winner and backups at random from the comments, counting each person once.
- Message the winner, wait for the reply window in your rules, then announce the result on the same post.
What is the difference between a Facebook giveaway and a Facebook contest?
On a Page they are run the same way and fall under the same Promotions section of Meta's policy, which names contests, giveaways and sweepstakes together. The difference is how the winner is chosen.
In a giveaway, the winner is drawn at random from everyone who entered correctly. In a contest, entries are judged, for example the best photo or the funniest answer, against criteria you publish in the rules. If you judge entries, say who judges and on what basis. If you draw at random, say that, and use a random method you can show.
| Point | Giveaway | Contest |
|---|---|---|
| How the winner is chosen | Random draw from eligible entries | Judged against published criteria |
| Typical entry | A comment with a keyword or an answer | A photo, a caption or a written answer |
| What your rules must explain | The draw method and when it happens | The judges and the judging criteria |
| Tool to pick the winner | A comment picker | Your judging, not a random tool |
Which entry rules are allowed on Facebook?
Meta's Promotions policy is the reason Facebook giveaways look different from Instagram ones. It says your promotion must not require or incentivise participants to share, repost or tag others, or publicise the promotion in any other way. That rules out sharing to enter, tagging friends to enter and extra entries for either.
What is left is the comment itself. Ask people to answer a question or include a keyword. It is allowed, it gives you an entry list a tool can read, and it filters out bots that leave generic comments. The full table of allowed and ruled-out mechanics is in the Facebook giveaway rules guide on this site.
- Meta: Pages, groups and events policies, Promotions"Your promotion must not require or incentivise participants to share, repost, tag others or in any other way publicise your promotion."
How long should a Facebook giveaway run?
There is no rule. Most social giveaways run from a few days to two weeks. A short giveaway keeps the post near the top of followers' feeds while it is open; a longer one gives people who check Facebook less often a chance to see it.
Whatever you choose, put the closing date, time and time zone in the post, and draw soon after it closes. A draw that happens days after the deadline invites the question of which comments were counted.
What should a Facebook giveaway post say?
Keep it short enough to read without tapping See more: the prize, the one entry rule, the closing time, who can enter, how the winner is drawn, and the two Meta sentences. The Facebook giveaway rules guide on this site has a copy-paste post that covers all of it.
- Lead with the prize, in plain words.
- Give one entry action: comment an answer or a keyword.
- State the closing date, time and time zone.
- Say who can enter, by country and minimum age, and that no purchase is necessary.
- Say the winner is drawn at random, how many backups you draw and how long the winner has to reply.
- Say you will only contact the winner from your Page.
- Include the release of Meta and the statement that Meta does not sponsor the giveaway.
How do you pick and announce the winner?
Paste the post link into a comment picker that reads public Facebook posts. Turn on one entry per person, add your keyword rule if you asked for one, and exclude past winners if your rules say so. Set the number of winners to include your backups and draw.
Facebook shows commenters by display name rather than a unique handle, so count entries by account, not by name. Reply to the winner's comment so you reach the right person, wait the reply window you promised, and then announce on the same post so everyone who entered sees the result. The Facebook giveaway winner guide on this site covers this part in detail.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I do a giveaway on Facebook?
Post it from your Page, a public group or an event. Ask people to enter by commenting an answer or a keyword, state the closing time and the rules, add the release of Meta and the statement that Meta does not sponsor it, then draw the winner at random from the comments after it closes.
Can I run a Facebook giveaway from my personal profile?
Meta's Promotions section is written for Pages, groups and events and does not describe running a promotion from a personal profile. If you are a business or a creator, run it from your Page.
Do I need an app to run a Facebook giveaway?
No. The giveaway is an ordinary post. You only need a tool at the end, to draw the winner from the comments. Free Comment Picker reads a public Facebook post from its link, with no Facebook login and no Business Page.
Is a Facebook contest legal?
Meta allows contests, giveaways and sweepstakes on Pages, groups and events, and makes you responsible for running them lawfully. In many countries a prize draw that requires a purchase to enter can be treated as a lottery, so keep entry free. Local law varies, so check the rules where you and your entrants live.
How many winners can I pick on Facebook?
As many as your rules promise. Free Comment Picker draws up to five names in one draw, in order, so you can pick a main winner and backups at the same time.