Instagram has become a dynamic platform beyond pictures, videos, and reels. It is also a channel to reach and influence people. Contests allow businesses to reach people and provide greater visibility for their products and services.
Apart from regular posts and stories, contests are a great way to reach out to people. You can conduct contests for a brand-related campaign or as a strategy to gain Instagram followers. Yes, there are other methods, too. However, contests make the process faster. They are also in line with Instagram’s SEO.
Contests generate a lot of comments, likes, and shares. As a result, it contributes to increasing engagement. However, one needs to follow definite rules and guidelines to conduct successful Instagram contests and get maximum engagement and gain Instagram followers.
How to Run Interesting Contests On Instagram?
This article will take you through such top five ways to run interesting contests to gain Instagram followers and increase engagement.
1) Write Down Every Detail
Contests are helpful for the growth of any Instagram account. However, it is only possible after investing enough time and proper planning. Therefore it is recommended to sit down and write down all the necessary details like purpose, prize, rules of participation, etc. It is within details that one can plan how to generate maximum engagement.
Many budding brands ask participants to like the post, share it on their stories, and tag at least two friends asking them to participate and follow. You can also increase engagement while ending the contest. For this, go live while announcing the winner and send e-cards thanking all participants.
2) Collaborate
Usually, the prize is the central motivating force for anyone to participate in a contest. Collaborating with another brand or personality helps you improve your prize. Let us understand this with an example.
If you are a budding cosmetics brand, you can collaborate with an apparel brand, and together you both can have a hamper. You add multiple items from each brand and improve the prize. A prize of higher monetary value will translate into more engagement.
Apart from this, you immediately come into the eyes of more followers, yours and the other brands. It gives an immediate boost to your contests’ visibility.
3) Create Memes
We can say that any contest is successful only when it receives a high rate of participation and massive engagement as a result. However, to popularize your contest, you constant promotions and need to popularize the post.
One of the most successful ways to do this is to create memes. Popular brands like Amazon, Myntra, etc., run memes across their page and popular meme pages to create awareness about the contest.
Many PR houses use this technique to promote their films to the audience. It is a low investment and efficient way to promote the contests and creates a wider impact on the audience.
However, it might attract participants beyond those eligible to participate. It is because memes are shared and enjoyed by almost every age group, and hence, your meme will also reach them.
4) Choose a clear motive.
While the prize is an important aspect of any competition, however, the motivation for holding a contest is just as important. Communicating why you are holding a contest piques the audience’s interest and fosters a stronger bond between them and your brand.
A contest can be organized for a variety of occasions or events. You can hold a contest to commemorate your company’s anniversary, launch a new product, or support a campaign. This theme can also serve as the basis for your participation guidelines.
5) Analyze the Results
Running a single contest as a brand or influencer is insufficient. To generate more and more engagement in a tough online competition, one must constantly increase the number of their followers. As a result, you will need to continue to organize contests, to increase engagement.
Therefore, it is critical to monitor the metrics. After each contest, evaluate what worked well and what did not and make appropriate improvements/changes. You will acquire the best techniques for your brand after running a few contests.
The audience’s response will speak for the success of the contest. Instagram contests are a popular way to increase engagement because they boost your page quickly. Create hashtags for your content to help you reach more people and generate more engagement.
Final Verdict:
However, keep in mind that poor targeting will not produce the desired results. Your next contest will void if your prize does not match the participant’s effort. Also, make sure to calculate the contest’s cost in terms of prize and promotion costs.
Creating and running a successful Instagram contest necessitates a solid strategy that can keep up with changing trends and technology. Only with time and practice can one perfect their contest skills.