How to run a TikTok giveaway, step by step
A TikTok giveaway works best when it asks for one thing: a comment. This guide walks through a regular creator giveaway from the first decision to the winner announcement, including the one question that changes which rules you follow, how to word the video and caption, and how to pick the winner from the comments so nobody can say it was rigged.
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Key takeaways
- Before anything else, check whether the giveaway is part of TikTok Shop, because Shop sellers and Shop creators follow TikTok Shop's Giveaways and Promotions Policy and must use its LIVE Giveaway feature.
- For a regular creator giveaway, the simplest mechanic is a single comment that includes a keyword, because it is easy to follow, easy to check and filters out generic bot comments.
- State the prize, who can enter, how to enter and the closing date and time with time zone both on screen in the video and in the caption, since many viewers never open the caption.
- Pick the winner from the public comments after the closing time, counting each account once and drawing at random with a cryptographically secure random generator.
- Announce the winner with a reply video to their comment and contact them only from your main account, because lookalike accounts often message entrants pretending they won.
- Ready to draw? The free TikTok comment picker reads a public video's comments with no login, no app and no account.
Draw the winner here
This picker is for regular TikTok videos. A TikTok Shop giveaway should use TikTok Shop's LIVE Giveaway feature, as its policy requires.
Do TikTok Shop rules apply to your giveaway?
This is the first decision, because it changes how the whole giveaway runs. TikTok Shop's Giveaways and Promotions Policy applies to sellers and creators who offer promotions in TikTok Shop product listings, LIVEs and short videos. If your giveaway is part of selling or promoting on TikTok Shop, that policy applies, and it requires TikTok Shop's official LIVE Giveaway feature rather than a comment picker.
If you are a creator giving away something of your own on a regular video, with no TikTok Shop involvement, the rest of this guide is for you. You are still bound by TikTok's Community Guidelines, which prohibit fake engagement and spam, and by the law where the giveaway runs.
| Your giveaway | Follow | How the winner is picked |
|---|---|---|
| Part of selling or promoting on TikTok Shop | TikTok Shop Giveaways and Promotions Policy | TikTok Shop's LIVE Giveaway feature |
| Your own prize on a regular video, no Shop | Community Guidelines and local law | At random from the video's comments |
- TikTok Shop Academy (US): Giveaways and Promotions Policy"This policy applies to both Sellers and Creators who offer promotions in product listings, LIVEs, and short videos." Dated 09/28/2026 when checked.
- TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and AuthenticityCovers deceptive behaviour, spam and the trade of services that artificially boost engagement.
How do you run a TikTok giveaway, step by step?
These steps are for a regular, non-Shop giveaway. Each one exists to prevent a specific argument after the draw.
- Choose a prize you can describe in one line and deliver to the countries you open the giveaway to.
- Decide the one entry action: a comment on the video that includes a keyword you choose, such as a word you say in the video.
- Write the terms: prize, who can enter (age and countries), how to enter, closing date and time with time zone, how the winner is picked, how many winners and backups, and how long a winner has to reply.
- Film the video and put the essential terms on screen as text, then repeat them in the caption.
- Pin a comment with the terms or a link to full rules, so late viewers can find them.
- Close the giveaway at the time you announced, and draw soon after so the comments read are the ones made during the giveaway.
- Paste the video link into a comment picker, turn on one entry per account and your keyword rule, set your winners plus backups, and record the draw.
- Reply to the winner's comment with a video, contact them from your main account, and post the draw recording.
Why ask for a comment with a keyword?
Follow, like, share, tag three friends and comment is a common TikTok formula, but most of it cannot be checked. TikTok does not expose who followed or liked in a way a third-party tool can verify for every entrant, so those rules end up checked by hand for the winner only, if at all.
A comment with a keyword is different. It is visible, it can be filtered automatically, and it proves the person watched far enough to hear the word. It also keeps the giveaway away from anything that looks like engagement farming, which TikTok's Community Guidelines prohibit.
| Entry action | Can a comment picker check it? |
|---|---|
| Comment on the video | Yes, this is the entry list |
| Include a keyword in the comment | Yes, with a keyword rule |
| Tag friends in the comment | Yes, with a minimum tag count |
| One entry per account | Yes, with a dedupe rule |
| Follow the account | No, check the winner by hand |
| Like or share the video | No |
TikTok giveaway caption template
Replace everything in square brackets. The same essentials should also appear as text on screen in the video.
GIVEAWAY: win [prize]! Comment [keyword] to enter. One entry per account. Closes [date] at [time] [time zone]. Open to [country or countries], [minimum age]+. No purchase necessary. [Number] winner(s) and [number] backup(s) drawn at random from eligible comments, recorded and posted. Winners have [48/72] hours to reply. We only contact winners from @[your handle]. Not sponsored by or affiliated with TikTok.
How long should a TikTok giveaway run?
There is no TikTok rule on length. Most creator giveaways run from a few days to two weeks. A short window keeps the video's comments focused on the giveaway; a longer one gives the video time to reach people beyond your followers.
Whatever you choose, the closing date, time and time zone go in the video and the caption, and the draw happens promptly after it. A comment picker reads the comments that exist when you draw, so drawing days late lets late comments into the pool.
How do you pick and announce the winner?
Draw from the video's comments, not from LIVE chat. LIVE chat messages are not comments on a video, so a comment picker cannot read them. If you promoted the giveaway during a LIVE, ask viewers to enter by commenting on the giveaway video.
Free Comment Picker reads a public TikTok video's comments with no login and no app. Everyone gets one free draw a day reading up to 500 comments, and Pro adds unlimited draws and up to 5,000 comments per draw. The pick itself runs in your browser with a cryptographically secure random generator, the same on both plans.
Announce with a reply video to the winner's comment, which notifies them and shows everyone who won. The TikTok giveaway winner guide on this site has the full announcement steps and a template.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you do a giveaway on TikTok?
Check first whether TikTok Shop rules apply. For a regular creator giveaway, post a video that asks viewers to comment with a keyword, put the prize, eligibility and closing time on screen and in the caption, then after the closing time draw a winner at random from the video's comments, counting each account once.
Do I need TikTok's permission to run a giveaway?
No approval process is described for regular creator giveaways in the TikTok policies quoted in this guide. TikTok Shop giveaways follow TikTok Shop's Giveaways and Promotions Policy, which requires its LIVE Giveaway feature. Every giveaway is also bound by the Community Guidelines and by local law.
Can I require people to follow me to enter a TikTok giveaway?
TikTok Shop says no extra actions can be required beyond entering. For a regular giveaway, TikTok's policies do not address it, but no tool can verify follows for every entrant, so a follow requirement can only be checked by hand for the winner.
Can I pick a TikTok giveaway winner for free?
Yes. Paste the public video link into a free TikTok comment picker such as freecommentpicker.com/tiktok. It needs no login, no app and no account, counts each account once if you ask it to, and draws with a cryptographically secure random generator in your browser.
Can I run the giveaway during a TikTok LIVE?
You can promote it during a LIVE, but LIVE chat is not the same as video comments and a comment picker cannot read it. For a regular giveaway, ask viewers to comment on a giveaway video instead. TikTok Shop sellers and creators running a Shop giveaway should follow the Shop policy, which covers giveaways in LIVEs.
How many winners can I pick?
As many as your rules say. Free Comment Picker draws up to five winners in one draw, in order, so you can draw your winners and backups together and publish the order.