Giveaway Contest Ideas for Instagram and Facebook

One of the best ways to engage your audience and customers online is by promoting your business through social media. If you really want to grab attention online, you should try social media contests. By promoting free giveaways of your company’s services or products, you will be able to create a tremendous amount of interest and engagement among potential customers.

Not social media savvy? Don’t worry! You’ll find that running a free contest on Facebook or Instagram giveaway is a simple and fun way to grow your business. But what should you give away as part of the contest? Here’s a post to help you choose prizes for your Facebook and Instagram contests and giveaways.

Choosing Your Contest Prizes

It’s important that you really think about what prize to giveaway. The purpose of a giveaway is to both entice people to engage on your social media pages and to get people interested in your business even if they don’t win. Therefore a prize that really gets people excited will help to attract more people to the contest.

Another factor to keep in mind is the audience you’re targeting. You may often see contests where companies give away a cool gadget or a gift card. These are simple ideas that work, but when possible you should make your gift related to your business.

If you give away a generic product like an iPad, you are going to attract people who have no interest in your business whatsoever, and only want to claim the prize. For example, if you run a spa you want to reach out to people that have a genuine interest in your business, and may become a customer even if they don’t win the contest.

Picking a Winner

There are many tools available to help you fairly pick a winner for your contest. Head to our post below to learn more:

How to Pick a Winner for Social Media Contests

Small Business Giveaway Ideas

Take advantage of this unique marketing opportunity by offering a prize people in your market are going to love. Don’t skimp on your contest prizes, as the better the prize the more attention your business will get. Here are a few ideas to get started for some popular businesses. Find more examples in this free guide of examples of Facebook Contests and Instagram Giveaways:

Contest Ideas for Spas

Everybody loves the idea of being able to spend a day or two relaxing at a spa. Give people the chance to escape a rough work week with enticing prizes like these:

• A 60-minute solo (or couples) massage
• Gift bag full of in-house luxury skin care products, candles, soaps and more
• Choice of facial, wax, or body treatment
• Weekend Getaway for a group of 4 (Great for a ladies weekend away)

Contest Ideas for Salons

A trip to the salon will make anyone look and feel great. Here are a few ideas ladies will love:

• A manicure, pedicure (or both) with a relaxing facial
• Any haircut with extensions, highlights or more
• Total body makeover including hair, skin, and nail treatments

Chiropractor Giveaway Ideas

Millions of people are plagued by back pain. Show people that you can offer them the relief they need, whether they had a severe injury or suffer from long-term back pain:

• Free adjustments (4) good for one year
• 3 physical therapy sessions for back or neck injuries
• Free posture screening
• Nutritional and supplement samples for back pain and joint relief
• Free acupuncture treatment

Related: Examples of Facebook Ads

Contest Ideas for Fitness Centers

Too often people don’t go to the gym because they have a hard time getting motivated. If you really want to engage people in this niche, then capitalize on creating a sense of urgency or to accomplish a goal. For example:

• A customized nutrition plan to help you slim down for the summer
• Unlimited fitness classes in January to help you reach your New Year’s Resolutions
• Free 1-on-1 personal training to build muscle and burn fat

Yoga Studio Contest Ideas

Many people would love to start doing yoga, but many of them just don’t know how to get started. Give them the opportunity to ease into joining with basic instruction and free trials:

• Private yoga instruction session for beginners
• 1 week pass for unlimited yoga classes
• Free admission to a workshop

Related: 10 Examples of Facebook Contests & Instagram Giveaways

Food and Restaurant Contest Ideas

Free food is always an attention getter. The restaurant business can be competitive though, so you want to give people an opportunity to try your food. Give people the chance to taste your delicious food and bring them back as regular diners:

• Free appetizers, entrees or desserts (You can have multiple winners here too)
• Total event catering package (Great for businesses, families, and other organizations)

Daycare Contest Ideas

Day care is a lifesaver for parents that work. Gear your contest towards working moms and dads who could really use a hand:

• Morning and/or afternoon daycare for an upcoming school break
• Free week of day care during the summer months (or summer camp if optional)
• 2 kids for the price of 1 for a month

Contest Ideas for Lawyers

Because most lawyers and law firms tend to specialize in a certain field, it can be tougher to market one’s business. Still, you should focus on your area of expertise because the purpose of the giveaway is to gain exposure. Also, because contracting a lawyer can be pricey, it’s in your best interest to keep your giveaway something that will only last briefly such as consultations. When providing services free of charge, make sure to abide by the applicable rules and legal statutes for legal advertising in your state.

• Setting up a will, trust or other legal document
• Consultations for taxes or other financial matters
• Free resources (ex. car accident checklist, emergency kit for car, prenup flow chart, etc.)

Contest Ideas for Accountants and Financial Planners

Many people don’t realize the benefits that accountants and financial planners can offer. Give off a friendly, helpful vibe by giving people a hand with their business or personal finances:

• eBook or download of bookkeeping basics
• Portfolio and investment analysis to maximize long-term income
• Complete federal and state tax preparation for any household or business
• Free advice for small business owners

Photography Contest Ideas

As a photographer, it’s your job to show people that there a better ways to take pictures than with an iPhone. Make sure to show off your skills through:

• Professional photography lessons for budding photographers
• Mini photos session for the holidays or formal events
• Free headshots for small business owners
• Free lens or camera equipment (great for when you’re upgrading your own equipment)

Conclusion

You can certainly modify any of these suggestions to fit the needs of your business and community. It’s important, however, to really giveaway top notch prizes that will get people buzzing, and of course keep them coming back as repeat customers.

Also keep in mind, that part of the process of running events on Instagram and Facebook is regularly adjusting your approach. Monitor social media engagement (e.g. Likes, comments, shares etc.) for different posts, and see what gets the highest level of engagement. Certain techniques for running social media contests like using hashtags on Instagram may work well, whereas you may find that having people tag their friends really boosts engagement on Facebook. Running several different social media contests with different giveaway prizes will allow you to see what potential customers are really looking for.

Don’t forget to market your contests. Although contests often market themselves because of the free giveaways, you should still make a concerted effort to market the contest. You should use your Facebook business page and Instagram business profile to promote your contests. More participants leads to more engagement, which translates into more customers in the long-run. Use the above ideas to get started, and if you have a different business from the ones listed above just tailor your prize to your specific business.