The easiest way to run an Instagram giveaway at scale is to make the entry a single comment keyword, then use comment-to-DM automation to send every entrant their confirmation and rules link privately. You avoid answering hundreds of messages by hand, and every entrant gets the same information.
Start with Instagram's promotion rules
Instagram has promotion guidelines that apply to any contest or giveaway run on the platform. In short, if you run one, you are responsible for:
- Official rules, offer terms and eligibility requirements such as age and country.
- Following the law that applies to promotions and prizes where you and your entrants are.
- A release of Instagram by each entrant, and an acknowledgement that the promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.
- Not encouraging inaccurate tagging. You can't ask people to tag themselves or others in content they aren't in.
Giveaway laws vary by country, especially on whether entry can require a purchase. For a valuable prize, check your local rules. This post isn't legal advice.
In practice: put your rules on a page you can link to, and include the Instagram disclaimer in the caption and the rules.
Why a comment keyword works better than "tag 3 friends"
The classic format of "like, follow, tag three friends and share to your story" has a few problems:
- It's hard to check. You can't easily verify story shares or follows across thousands of entries.
- Tag requirements produce comments full of people who didn't ask to be there, which looks spammy and annoys the people tagged.
- You can only contact entrants by replying to comments one at a time.
A keyword entry is simpler: "Comment WIN to enter." One action, easy to explain, easy to count. With automation, each entrant also gets a DM, which gives you a direct line to every person who entered.
Step 1: Plan the giveaway
Decide these before you post:
- The prize. Ideally something your target audience wants and others don't. A generic gift card attracts people who will never buy from you.
- Who can enter. Age, countries, whether you ship internationally.
- How to enter. For example: comment WIN on this post. If you also want an email address, say so in the rules.
- Start and end dates, with a time zone.
- How the winner is picked and how they'll be contacted. Say you'll only contact the winner from your own account, which helps protect entrants from impersonators.
Step 2: Write the post
Keep the caption short and specific:
Giveaway: one set of our ceramic mugs. To enter, comment WIN below and we'll DM you the rules and confirmation. Open to 18+ in India. Ends 20 October, 11:59 pm IST. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.
If you use a reel, say the keyword out loud and put it on screen too.
Step 3: Set up the comment-to-DM automation
The setup is similar in most tools. In Noolu:
- Connect your Creator or Business account (setup guide).
- Create a comment automation on the giveaway post with the keyword WIN.
- Write the DM. Confirm the entry, link the rules, and if you want email entries, link the form.
- Add a short public reply to each comment, such as "You're in, check your DMs." Use a few variations so the replies don't all look the same.
- Comment WIN from a second account and check that the DM arrives.
A first DM could read:
Thanks for entering. You're in the draw for the mug set. Full rules are here: [link]. We'll announce the winner on 21 October and only contact them from this account.
For more wording ideas, see our DM templates and comment keyword ideas.
A few optional extras:
- Follow gate. Noolu can ask people to follow you before sending the DM. If you make following a requirement, write it into your rules so it's clear.
- Delayed reminder. A delay step can send a follow-up later, for example to remind people who opened the form but didn't finish it. Instagram's 24-hour messaging window still applies.
- Volume. If entries outpace Instagram's rate limits, replies are queued and sent a little later.
Step 4: Pick and contact the winner
Close entries at the stated time. Then:
- Collect the list of eligible entries. If you used a form, that's your list. If entry was comment-only, export or copy the comments, remove duplicates and anyone who doesn't meet the rules.
- Pick a winner at random, for example by numbering the entries and using a random number generator. Screen-record it if you want to show it was fair.
- Message the winner from your account and give them a reasonable deadline to respond, as stated in your rules.
- Announce the winner publicly once they've confirmed, if your rules say you will.
Noolu sends the DMs but doesn't pick winners, so use a separate method for the draw.
Step 5: Follow up with everyone else
Most entrants won't win. A short thank-you, perhaps with a small discount code, is a reasonable way to stay in touch, as long as it's relevant. Keep in mind Instagram's 24-hour messaging window: you can only send a normal DM to someone who has messaged you within the last 24 hours, so this works best with people who replied to your first DM, or via email if they gave you one.
If you want to try this, Noolu's free Starter plan covers comment-to-DM for one account. You can sign up here.
FAQ
Is it allowed to ask people to tag friends in an Instagram giveaway?
Instagram's guidelines prohibit encouraging people to tag content inaccurately, such as tagging themselves in photos they aren't in. A single keyword entry avoids the question and is easier to check.
Do I need official rules for an Instagram giveaway?
Yes. Instagram's promotion guidelines make you responsible for official rules, eligibility terms and legal compliance, and require a release of Instagram by each entrant.
Can the automated DM reach people who don't follow me?
Yes. A reply to a comment is sent as a private reply, which Instagram allows even if the person has never messaged you.