TikTok giveaway rules: which ones apply to you
Search for TikTok giveaway rules and most of what you find is TikTok Shop policy: a $500 prize cap, no cash, the LIVE Giveaway feature. Those rules are real, but they are written for Shop sellers and creators promoting on TikTok Shop. This guide separates the two cases, then covers how to pick a winner from TikTok comments fairly.
Last updated
Key takeaways
- TikTok's dedicated giveaway rules are in the TikTok Shop Giveaways and Promotions Policy, which applies to sellers and creators offering promotions in TikTok Shop product listings, LIVEs and short videos.
- Under that Shop policy, giveaways must be entirely free, prizes must be valued below $500, cash and gift cards are prohibited, and no extra actions can be required beyond entering.
- Shop sellers and creators must use TikTok Shop's official LIVE Giveaway feature, and if it is not available, only join to win or comment to win during a LIVE is allowed.
- A creator running an ordinary giveaway outside TikTok Shop is bound by TikTok's Community Guidelines, which prohibit fake engagement and spam, and by the law where the giveaway runs.
- For a comment-to-enter giveaway on a regular TikTok video, the fair way to pick a winner is to read the public comments, count each account once, and draw at random with a cryptographic random generator.
- Picking the winner now? Use the TikTok comment picker to draw from a public video's comments without installing anything or logging in.
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 giveaway rules apply to you?
Start here, because it decides which rules you are reading. TikTok Shop's Giveaways and Promotions Policy says it applies to both sellers and creators who offer promotions in product listings, LIVEs and short videos, and it explains the requirements for giveaways and other promotions on TikTok Shop.
If you sell on TikTok Shop, or you are an affiliate creator promoting Shop products, and the giveaway is part of that, the Shop policy applies to you. If you are a creator giving away something of your own on a regular video, with no TikTok Shop involvement, it was not written for you, and the rules that bind you are the Community Guidelines plus your local law.
| Your situation | Main TikTok rules | Comment picker on a regular video? |
|---|---|---|
| Shop seller, giveaway of Shop products | TikTok Shop Giveaways and Promotions Policy | No, use TikTok Shop's LIVE Giveaway feature |
| Affiliate creator promoting Shop products | TikTok Shop Giveaways and Promotions Policy | No, use TikTok Shop's LIVE Giveaway feature |
| Creator giving away their own prize, no Shop | Community Guidelines and local law | Yes |
| Brand giveaway run as a paid collaboration | Community Guidelines, branded content disclosure and local law | Yes |
What does the TikTok Shop giveaway policy require?
The US version of the policy, dated 09/28/2026 when this guide was checked, sets these requirements for giveaways. Other countries publish their own versions.
- All giveaways must be entirely free.
- Giveaway items must be valued below $500.
- Giveaways cannot be listed as products on TikTok Shop.
- Sellers and creators must use TikTok Shop's official LIVE Giveaway feature.
- No extra actions can be required beyond entering the giveaway.
- Cash and gift cards are strictly prohibited as prizes.
- Giveaway terms must be clearly stated in the content.
- Gamification is not allowed, under the Shop's Gambling Policy.
- If LIVE Giveaways are not available, only join to win or comment to win during a LIVE is allowed.
- 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.
What rules apply to a regular TikTok giveaway?
Outside TikTok Shop, TikTok's Community Guidelines govern the content. The section that matters for giveaways is Integrity and Authenticity, which says TikTok does not allow accounts that mislead or try to manipulate the platform, or services that artificially boost engagement. A giveaway that exists to farm fake engagement, or that is itself a fake giveaway, falls under it.
The rest comes from law rather than from TikTok: free entry, clear rules, honest prize descriptions and an ad disclosure if a brand is paying you. Borrowing two habits from the Shop policy is still good practice for any creator: state the terms in the video or caption, and do not stack extra actions on top of the comment.
- TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and AuthenticityCovers deceptive behaviour, spam and the trade of services that artificially boost engagement.
TikTok giveaway caption template
For a regular, non-Shop giveaway. Keep the entry action to a single comment so the rule is easy to follow and easy to check.
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. Winner and [number] backup(s) drawn at random from eligible comments, recorded and posted. We only contact winners from @[your handle]. Not sponsored by or affiliated with TikTok.
How do you pick a winner from TikTok comments?
This applies to regular videos. TikTok Shop giveaways should use the LIVE Giveaway feature instead.
- Wait until the closing time in your caption.
- Copy the video's share link. The video must be public.
- Paste it into the TikTok comment picker and confirm the preview.
- Turn on one entry per account, so people who commented many times do not get extra chances.
- 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, start a screen recording and draw.
- Post the recording as a reply video or a Story so your audience sees the draw.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does TikTok allow giveaways?
Yes. TikTok Shop has a dedicated Giveaways and Promotions Policy for Shop sellers and creators, and ordinary creator giveaways are governed by the Community Guidelines, which prohibit fake engagement and spam, and by local law.
What is the prize limit for a TikTok giveaway?
Under the US TikTok Shop Giveaways and Promotions Policy, giveaway items must be valued below $500, and cash and gift cards are prohibited. That cap is part of the Shop policy. It applies to sellers and creators promoting on TikTok Shop.
Can I use a comment picker for a TikTok Shop giveaway?
The Shop policy says sellers and creators must use TikTok Shop's official LIVE Giveaway feature, with comment to win or join to win during a LIVE allowed only when that feature is unavailable. For a Shop giveaway, follow that. A comment picker is for regular, non-Shop video giveaways.
How do I pick a random winner from TikTok comments for free?
Paste the public video link into a free TikTok comment picker such as freecommentpicker.com/tiktok. It reads the comments without a login or app, counts each account once if you ask it to, and draws the winner with a cryptographically secure random generator in your browser.
Can I require a follow 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.