Build a Contest or Giveaway
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2025 3:47 pm
Marketers have relied on contests and giveaways to boost engagement for years. In the digital era, these tools have become a go-to because they’re so easy to host online. Not only do they tend to have a high ROI, but hosting regular contests and giveaways allows you to keep fans and followers interested for the long term.
Contests and giveaways are different, but each offers different benefits. For example, contests, such as photo contests, recipe contests, comment contests, etc., allow you to collect user-generated content (UGC) that can be used in future marketing. To boot, by collecting votes on contest entries, you make the contest highly shareable, as contest participants will want to share their entries to gather votes.
Giveaways, on the other hand, can be as simple as setting up an specific database by industry entry form and choosing a winner at random. To increase participation, make the giveaway an ‘instant win’ with the promise of instant gratification.
2. Add Polls
Engage your subscribers, fans, followers and readers by adding a quick poll asking about their preferences. For instance, a newsletter poll about the topic they'd like covered next shows you're listening while gathering valuable insights. Adding a poll to a social media post can quickly gauge sentiment about trending topics, business practices or even products.
For example, a motor oil company looking to update their logo and tagline may create a quick poll to add to a social media post or landing page asking their audience what their new tagline should be. Voters, whether their choice won the vote or not, will feel invested in the brand simply because they had a say in the company’s marketing.
Contests and giveaways are different, but each offers different benefits. For example, contests, such as photo contests, recipe contests, comment contests, etc., allow you to collect user-generated content (UGC) that can be used in future marketing. To boot, by collecting votes on contest entries, you make the contest highly shareable, as contest participants will want to share their entries to gather votes.
Giveaways, on the other hand, can be as simple as setting up an specific database by industry entry form and choosing a winner at random. To increase participation, make the giveaway an ‘instant win’ with the promise of instant gratification.
2. Add Polls
Engage your subscribers, fans, followers and readers by adding a quick poll asking about their preferences. For instance, a newsletter poll about the topic they'd like covered next shows you're listening while gathering valuable insights. Adding a poll to a social media post can quickly gauge sentiment about trending topics, business practices or even products.
For example, a motor oil company looking to update their logo and tagline may create a quick poll to add to a social media post or landing page asking their audience what their new tagline should be. Voters, whether their choice won the vote or not, will feel invested in the brand simply because they had a say in the company’s marketing.