How to Run a Sweepstakes on Facebook

Running a Facebook sweepstakes is one of the quickest ways to build your audience, light up your engagement, and get people talking about your brand. This guide walks you through the entire process, from setting clear goals and navigating Facebook's rules to crafting the perfect post and fairly picking a winner.

Goals First: Why Are You Really Running a Sweepstakes?

Before you jump into picking a prize, you need to know what you want to achieve. A clear goal will shape every decision you make, from the entry method to how long the contest runs. Most brand goals fall into one of four categories.

• Audience Growth: The most common goal. You want more people to follow your page and see your content. The right sweepstakes can bring in hundreds or even thousands of new, relevant followers in just a few days.
• Engagement Boost: If your reach has been lagging, a sweepstakes is the perfect pattern interrupt. By asking for likes, comments, and other interactions, you send positive signals to the Facebook algorithm that your content is valuable, which can increase your organic reach long after the giveaway ends.
• Lead Generation: Giveaways aren’t just for social metrics. You can use a sweepstakes to build your email list by requiring participants to enter through a simple landing page. This turns temporary social buzz into a long-term marketing asset.
• User-Generated Content (UGC): Ask participants to share a photo or video featuring your product as part of their entry. This not only deepens engagement but also gives you a library of authentic content you can share on your page for weeks to come.

The Rules You Absolutely Cannot Ignore

Facebook has specific Promotion Guidelines that you must follow to avoid having your page penalized or your post removed. This sounds more intimidating than it is. Just stick to these core principles and you’ll be fine.

What You CAN'T Ask People to Do

This is the most critical part. Your sweepstakes entry method cannot require personal promotion. Facebook strictly forbids a few types of entry requirements:

• No "Share on Your Timeline" Entries: You cannot make sharing the post on a person's personal timeline a mandatory method of entry. You can suggest it, saying something like "Sharing this post is much appreciated!" but it can't be a requirement.
• No "Tag Your Friends in the Post" Entries: Similarly, you cannot force people to tag their friends in the post to enter. This is considered spammy. You can, however, use language like, "Know someone who would love this prize? Let them know in the comments!" This encourages tagging without making it mandatory.

What You CAN Ask People to Do

So what are you allowed to do? Thankfully, the options are effective and simple:

• Like or react to the sweepstakes post.
• Comment on the post (e.g., "Comment below with your favorite product!").
• Like your Page. While you can’t fully track this automatically for entries, pairing it with a comment is a common and accepted practice.
• Post on your Page's timeline. This is great for collecting testimonials or UGC.
• Enter via a third-party app. This is the route for collecting email addresses.

The Required Legal Boilerplate

Every sweepstakes post must include two key acknowledgement statements:

1. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant.
2. An acknowledgement that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook.

Don’t overthink it. A simple sentence at the end of your post that covers this requirement is all you need. Here's a template you can use:

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook. By entering, entrants confirm they are 18+ years of age, release Facebook of responsibility, and agree to Facebook’s terms of use.

Step-by-Step: Planning Your Perfect Facebook Sweepstakes

Success is all in the preparation. Following these five steps will help you launch a smooth, effective, and stress-free campaign.

Step 1: Choose a Prize Your Audience Actually Wants

Picking the right prize is 90% of the battle. The biggest mistake brands make is offering generic, high-value prizes like an iPad or an Amazon gift card. Sure, you’ll get tons of entries, but they will be from people who just want free stuff, not from people who are interested in your brand.

The Golden Rule: The prize should be something only your ideal customer would want.

• Good Prize: A skincare brand offering a "One Year Supply of Our Best-Selling Moisturizer." This attracts people who are interested in skincare and are likely to become customers.
• Bad Prize: That same skincare brand offering a $200 Amazon gift card. This attracts everyone, provides no brand experience, and leaves you with an irrelevant following.

Your own products, high-value bundles of your products, or products from a partner brand in a complementary industry are always the best options.

Step 2: Decide on an Entry Method and Timeline

Keep your entry method as simple as possible. The more steps you add, the fewer people will bother to complete them.

• For Maximum Engagement &, Reach: "Like this post and comment below" is the gold standard. It's low-friction and drives up the metrics Facebook’s algorithm loves.
• For Building an Email List: "Click the link in our bio to enter on our website." You’ll get fewer entries, but each one is more valuable because you now have a direct line of communication.

For the timeline, three to seven days is typically the sweet spot. It's long enough to build momentum but short enough to create urgency. Announce a clear end date and time (including the time zone) so there's no confusion.

Step 3: Write Your Official Rules

You need to have a clear set of terms and conditions available for your entrants. While you’ll put the short-and-sweet instructions in the Facebook post itself, you should link out to a full page with the official rules. This page, often hosted on your website’s blog, should include:

• The name and contact info of the sponsoring brand.
• The dates the contest will run.
• Who is eligible to enter (e.g., age, location restrictions).
• Clear instructions on how to enter.
• A detailed description of the prize and its retail value.
• How and when the winner will be selected.
• How the winner will be notified.
• The required Facebook disclaimer language.

How to Craft an Irresistible Sweepstakes Post

Your Facebook post is your storefront. It needs to grab attention, explain the rules clearly, and get people excited to participate.

1. Lead with a Strong Visual

Don't just post a graphic that says "Giveaway!" Show the prize. A high-quality photo or, even better, a short video showcasing the prize in action will perform best. Make it bright, clean, and eye-catching.

2. Write a Killer Opening Line

The first sentence should scream "GIVEAWAY!" Use attention-grabbing words and emojis to stop people from scrolling. For example: "✨ SWEEPSTAKES TIME! ✨ We're giving away a [Your Amazing Prize]!"

3. Use Clear, Numbered Instructions

Don't make people guess how to enter. A simple numbered or bulleted list is the clearest way to explain the steps.

Example:

1. LIKE this post.
2. FOLLOW our page, [Your Page Name].
3. COMMENT below and tell us why you want to win!

This is easy to read and easy to follow.

4. Include the Details

After the instructions, give the necessary details: the prize description, the entry deadline, and where to find the full terms and conditions. And don't forget your legal boilerplate at the end!

Promote Your Sweepstakes for Maximum Reach

Don’t just post your giveaway and hope for the best. To get real traction, you need to promote it.

• Pin the Post: Pin your sweepstakes post to the top of your Facebook Page so it's the first thing new visitors see.
• Cross-Promote on Other Platforms: Announce the giveaway on your Instagram Stories with a link back to your Facebook Page. Post about it on X (formerly Twitter) and any other platform where you have an audience.
• Send an Email to Your List: Your email subscribers are your most dedicated fans. Let them know about the sweepstakes to drive high-quality engagement from a warm audience.
• Run a Facebook Ad (Optional): If you have a marketing budget, putting even $20 behind your sweepstakes post as a boosted post can dramatically increase its reach beyond your current followers. Target an audience that's similar to your existing page followers for the best results.

Announcing the Winner and Keeping the Momentum

Your work isn't over once the deadline hits. How you handle picking and announcing the winner builds trust and keeps your audience engaged.

1. Choose a Winner Fairly

If the entry method was commenting, use a free online tool like a "Random Comment Picker" to export comments and randomly select one. If entries are on a landing page, you can export the emails to a spreadsheet and use a random number generator to pick a winner. The key is to be unbiased and random.

2. Announce the Winner Publicly

Create a brand new post to announce the winner. Editing the caption of the original post is a common mistake - most entrants will never see it. A new post creates another touchpoint and shows everyone that a real person won.

Tag the winner in your announcement post and make a big deal of it! Celebrate their win and thank everyone else for participating.

3. Contact the Winner Privately

Send the winner a direct message to congratulate them and get their shipping information. Give them a deadline to reply (e.g., 48 hours) before you reserve the right to select an alternate winner. This should be outlined in your official rules.

4. The Post-Sweepstakes Follow-Up

Here’s a pro tip: after the winner has been announced, create one last post thanking everyone again for entering. As a bonus, offer a small discount code (e.g., 15% off) as a thank-you gift. This is a powerful way to convert all that warm sweepstakes interest into actual sales.

Final Thoughts

Facebook sweepstakes are an incredibly effective marketing tool when done correctly. By setting a clear goal, understanding the rules, offering a desirable prize, and executing a thoughtful plan, you can drive tremendous growth and engagement for your brand in a very short time.

Managing a successful sweepstakes involves planning not just the launch post but also the follow-up announcements and promotion across different platforms. We built Postbase to make that kind of multi-platform planning simple. Our visual calendar lets you see your entire campaign at a glance - from the main sweepstakes post on Facebook to reminder Stories on Instagram - and you can schedule everything in one go, so you stay organized and never miss a beat.