Instagram isn’t all fun and games anymore, however, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with your audience and get some additional perks! If you want to draw some attention to your brand and gain more Instagram engagement, running Instagram contests is your answer! Instagram contests not only help one to expand their reach and keep up with the Instagram algorithm but also helps one to gain real Instagram followers. So, if you want to go viral with your brand on Instagram, here are 5 ideas to run a successful Instagram contest.
LIKE, COMMENT, AND FOLLOW: THE BASICS
Likes, comments, and followers are some of the key target areas that can give you an edge as per the dynamic Instagram algorithm. So, using this Instagram contest idea, all you have to do is ask your audience to double-tap, drop a comment and follow your account, if they haven’t already. You can either opt for a single mode of engagement (like/ comment) or a combination for higher engagement. This method is simple for the participating audience and brands, as there’s no need to review entries and track all the contest hashtags. Having several likes and comments can also alert the Instagram algorithm to feature you in the explore section, further helping you gain real Instagram followers and more Instagram engagement. Another benefit of this method is to generate leads for your brand, however, it’s unlikely to yield good quality leads especially if the contest is simply for likes.
THE ‘TAG A FRIEND’ CHIP
What better way to gain some additional exposure for your post than to utilize your existing users to bring in more traffic! If you want to get the word out about your account and content, you can ask your users to tag 3 or more friends to enter the contest and stand a chance to win. This way, you can have unlimited entries as several users will tag 3 people and that can lead to creating a ripple effect, leaving you with countless leads. This viral feedback loop brings several people into the competition, can help you gain brand exposure and also multiply your Instagram engagements. To gain some extra engagement, you can also add some twists to your contest by suggesting that the probability of winning will be higher for people who share the post on their stories for 24 hours. Through the word of mouth, you may also be able to gain real Instagram followers organically.
INTERESTING TRIVIA AND SKILL-BASED CONTESTS
You may introduce skill-based and interesting trivia contests through your feed as well as your stories. Stories are a great way to garner more attention. Trivia contests include encouraging your audience to demonstrate stuff they already know or they can figure out. Some of the fun contests include a scavenger hunt, quiz, caption contests, and more. One thing to keep in mind is to not make the challenges and trivia questions too tricky as your ultimate goal is to gain more Instagram engagement, not lose it because of a lack of answers.
USER-GENERATED CONTESTS
User-generated contests are by far the most interesting type of Instagram contests and as they not only help one get more Instagram engagement but also ignite some creativity. User-generated contests also help one in connecting with their audience, building long-term relationships through increased brand loyalty. If you want quality leads by knowing who all come under your loyal audience category, this is the way to do it. UGC is content in the form of images, reels, stories, videos, text, and audio that users post on their platform. An amazing source of social proof, you can introduce different forms of user-generated content: photography contests, selfie contests, fitness challenges, and other artistic or fun contests. Make sure that you ask permission from your audience to repost their content on your feed or stories. One key point to maximize your reach, create brand awareness and gain real Instagram followers is to create a dedicated hashtag for your contest that your audience participators have to use while posting on their feed.
COLLABORATIONS
If you want to broaden your audience spectrum by a huge margin and gain more Instagram engagement, collaborations go a long way in achieving so. You can either partner with a complimentary brand or an influencer to get more Instagram engagement and potentially gain real Instagram followers. Many influencers hold giveaways in collaboration with different brands to introduce new products and offer some valuable content. A collaboration contest may be your best bet if you are willing to expand your presence. You can scout for influencers and reach out to the ones that are fit to resonate with your brand persona and get the content rolling.
CONCLUSION
There, you have it: 5 ways to run a successful Instagram contest. Now that you have all the ideas, here are some tips to flawlessly execute your contest strategy. If you want to gain more Instagram engagement from the right audience; make sure to plan your objectives, create a suitable entry method, curate the perfect hashtag, define a theme, state the T&C and promote your contest! You can also leverage third-party tools to save some time and effort in executing the perfect strategy. We hope these tips help you to grow massively and gain real Instagram followers, stay tuned for more insightful tips!