Instagram ideas

Instagram giveaway ideas for followers who stay

A good Instagram giveaway offers a prize only your kind of follower wants and asks for one quick step to enter. Here are 58 ideas: prizes matched to the business, ways to enter, reasons to run one, partner giveaways and the posts that go before and after the draw, plus the rules Instagram expects you to state.

Updated 6 October 2026 · 58 ideas

Prizes only your audience wants · 12

  1. Bakery: a celebration cake for the winner’s next birthday, decorated to their brief and collected from the shop.
  2. Hair salon: a cut and colour with the stylist of their choice, on a day that suits them.
  3. Bookshop: a book a month for a year, each one chosen for the winner by a member of staff.
  4. Candle maker: the winner names next season’s scent and gets the first ten candles poured.
  5. Illustrator: a portrait of the winner’s pet, shared on your grid once it’s finished if they’re happy for you to.
  6. Coffee roaster: a bag of every roast you sell, plus a 15-minute brewing call with the person who roasts it.
  7. Photographer: a 30-minute mini session and ten edited photos, at a place the winner picks.
  8. Clothing brand: the full outfit from the campaign photo, in the winner’s sizes.
  9. Ceramicist: four mugs from the next kiln opening, in a glaze the winner chooses.
  10. Course creator: a free seat in the next cohort, with the printed workbook posted to their door.
  11. Plant shop: five hard-to-kill plants in pots, delivered anywhere in your usual delivery area.
  12. Artist: the first print of a new series, signed and numbered 1.

Ways to enter in ten seconds · 12

  1. Comment one word, such as MUG, so every entry is easy to count and easy to answer.
  2. Answer a question in the comments, such as “Which room would this lamp go in?” Every answer is an entry and a little market research.
  3. Reply to a Story with one word to enter. Entries stay private and each one lands in your DMs.
  4. Add a photo to your Add Yours sticker prompt, such as “Your reading corner”, and draw the winner from everyone in the chain.
  5. Post a photo of the product in use with your account tagged in it: an accurate tag, because the product is in the picture.
  6. Guess how many coffee beans are in the jar. The closest guess wins, and a tie is settled by a random draw.
  7. Caption this photo, with the post saying up front that the team picks the funniest.
  8. Vote for one of three new designs in the comments; one voter wins whichever design gets the most votes.
  9. Comment during a Live, with the winner drawn on air before the broadcast ends.
  10. Answer the Questions sticker with what you’d make first with the prize kit.
  11. Remix the giveaway Reel with your own version of the recipe, and the team picks the best attempt.
  12. Mention one friend who would use it. One entry per person, however many friends they mention.

Reasons to run one · 8

  1. Your shop’s birthday: one prize for every year you’ve been open, all drawn on the day.
  2. Reaching 1,000 followers: a thank-you draw where entrants comment the first post of yours they remember.
  3. Launch week: the first five of a new product, given away before it goes on sale.
  4. Your 100th post: commenters choose the prize from anything shown in the first 99.
  5. End of season: a ‘pick any three’ prize from the samples and display pieces.
  6. A new shop’s opening day: enter by posting a Story from inside with your account mentioned.
  7. Charity week: the winner gets the prize and picks the local charity that receives a donation in their name.
  8. The first cold morning of the year: a winter bundle of your three warmest products.

Team up with another account · 7

  1. Two shops on the same street: one prize from each, posted as a collab so it appears on both profiles.
  2. A café and the bakery that supplies it: breakfast for two every Saturday for a month.
  3. A wedding photographer, a florist and a venue: one bundle for a couple marrying next year.
  4. A creator and a brand they already use: the creator hosts, the brand sends the prize, and the post is labelled as a partnership.
  5. Four local makers, one item each, drawn on a Live the four of you host together.
  6. A gym and a meal-prep kitchen: a month of training plus weekday lunches.
  7. A teacher and a supplier: a place on the course plus everything on the kit list.

Small budget, still worth entering · 8

  1. An hour of your expertise on a video call: a portfolio review, a website check or a wardrobe edit.
  2. The winner names the next colourway, and their name goes on the label.
  3. A behind-the-scenes visit to watch a kiln firing, a roast or a print run in person.
  4. A box of seconds with small flaws, each flaw shown honestly in the post.
  5. A free template sent by DM to everyone who enters, and the full pack for one winner.
  6. A skip-the-waitlist pass for a service that’s booked up for months.
  7. A handwritten letter and a small original sketch, posted to the winner.
  8. Free delivery on every order for a year.

Posts before, during and after · 11

  1. A teaser Story the day before, with the Countdown sticker so followers can set a reminder.
  2. The giveaway post: the prize on slide one, how to enter on slide two, the full rules on slide three.
  3. An unboxing Reel of the prize, so people see exactly what they could win.
  4. A last-call Story on the closing morning, with the end time and the time zone.
  5. A pinned comment with the closing time and where to read the full rules, such as the link in your bio.
  6. The draw on a Live, or a screen recording of the random picker, posted with the result.
  7. The winner’s username added to the top of the original caption, so late visitors can see it has closed.
  8. A Story showing your real username and saying you’ll never ask a winner to pay anything.
  9. The winner’s unboxing, reshared from their Story with their go-ahead.
  10. A ‘not this time’ thank-you with a small code for everyone who entered.
  11. A wrap-up post with the numbers: how many entered, the donation made, and what the winner said.

Tips for using these ideas

  1. Write the rules where entrants can read them: who can enter (age and country), the closing time with time zone, how the winner is picked and contacted, and a line saying Instagram doesn’t sponsor, endorse or run the giveaway. Instagram’s promotion guidelines ask for that line.

  2. Pick the prize for the follower you want, not for the biggest crowd. A phone or a shopping voucher draws everyone; a prize that only makes sense to your customers draws people who might buy later.

  3. Ask for one action, two at most. Every extra step, like following four partners or tagging three friends, cuts real entries and attracts accounts that enter every giveaway going. Judge it by how many new followers are still around a month later.

  4. Warn people about copycats. Fake accounts borrow a brand’s name and photo, tell entrants they’ve won and ask for card details or a delivery fee. Say in the post that the winner will hear only from this account and will never be asked to pay.

  5. If entrants comment a word, confirm each entry as it arrives. Instagram allows one private reply per comment, within 7 days of it, and at most 750 an hour per account. DMFast can send each entrant a plain-text confirmation, and only to people who follow you if you switch that on.

  6. Before you announce anyone, check the winner against your rules: right country, old enough, one entry. Name a reserve in case the first winner doesn’t reply, and say in the rules how many days they have to answer.

Questions people ask

Are giveaways allowed on Instagram?

Yes, if you follow Instagram’s promotion guidelines. You are responsible for running it lawfully, with official rules, eligibility terms such as age and country, a complete release of Instagram by each entrant, and a statement that Instagram doesn’t sponsor, endorse or administer it. Instagram won’t run any part of it for you.

Can I ask people to tag friends to enter?

Instagram’s guidelines rule out encouraging inaccurate tags, such as asking people to tag themselves or friends in a photo they aren’t in. Mentioning one friend in a comment is a common entry step and a different thing. Keep it to one: rewarding ten tags fills your comments with names and annoys the people tagged.

How do I pick a giveaway winner fairly?

Gather every valid entry, remove extra entries if your rules allow one per person, and choose at random with a comment picker or a numbered list and a random number generator. Whichever you use, let people watch: draw on a Live or post a recording of your screen.

Can I make people buy something to enter?

Be careful. In many countries a prize draw that people pay or buy to enter counts as a lottery, which is tightly regulated, so businesses usually keep a free way to enter as well. The rules differ by country and state, so check the law where you and your entrants live before you post.

How long should an Instagram giveaway run?

Three to seven days suits most accounts: long enough for followers who open the app a few times a week, short enough to feel worth acting on. A flash giveaway in Stories can close after 24 hours, when the Story disappears. Stretch it past two weeks and people forget they entered.

Should entrants have to share the post to their Story?

Make it optional at most. You can’t reliably see every share, especially from private accounts, so you can’t check it fairly, and an entry rule you can’t check leads to arguments. A reminder in your own Stories halfway through does more.

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