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A giveaway platform is an online tool that works in the cloud. It makes it easy for people to set up and manage online sweepstakes. You can run your giveaway on several social networks at the same time. The platform lets you create entry forms. It also checks if people use the right hashtag or follow you. Winners get picked at random by the tool. You have everything you need in one place. There is no need to use manual spreadsheets or extra scripts.
Modern giveaway tools have a live tracker. This helps you see entries as they come in for Instagram Reels. You can also use filters to stop fake entries. These tools give rewards to people when they follow you on Instagram, tag their friends on Facebook, sign up for your email list, subscribe to your YouTube channel, or share a referral link.
You will get easy drag-and-drop templates. You can use widgets that work well on mobile devices. There are simple ways to connect your CRM through Zapier or webhooks. Every time you do a giveaway on social media, your email list gets bigger with real people. This makes your email list stronger instead of just adding to the number of your followers.
Every good giveaway tool needs to start, watch over, and choose a winner by itself. You have to see if it does all of these things before you pick an online giveaway platform.
Omnichannel entry capture. The platform can get entries from Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, and email. You will see all entries in one easy-to-use dashboard. There is no need for any manual work to add entries from these social media sites or email.
Real-time giveaway tracker. You can see live stats on people who join the giveaway, hashtag use, referrals, and jumps in your follower numbers. This helps you keep your social media contest heading in the right way.
Anti-fraud filters. The platform checks for the same emails used many times, bots, and VPN activity to keep your sweepstakes safe. This helps people feel trust in your brand.
Drag-and-drop templates and widgets. Use forms made for phones, countdown clocks, and coupon codes on your blog or Shopify store. The contest tools are easy to add with a drag-and-drop method.
Action-based rewards. Give people points when they follow, tag, or join your email list. Set up prize levels to get more out of entries on social media and to raise engagement.
Random and rule-based winner picker. You can choose winners at random. Or you can set rules, for example, to give subscribers a better chance. Both ways are fair and good for any giveaway.
Native integrations and webhooks. With just one click, you move every entrant to HubSpot, Mailchimp, or Zapier
A giveaway platform made for you can help you get quick results. If you want to get more social media followers or more leads, you can do this without buying ads. This way is good for you. E-commerce brands can find people who look to save money. SaaS companies can bring in new people to try out beta testing. Creators can use social media and reach out to more people with the help of a giveaway.
When you put every post into a tracker in a social media contest, it is easier to see how many entries you get. A giveaway on social media, which includes selecting giveaway winners, is a good way for creators and other brands to use each post in a better way. This helps you make the most of your followers. It can also help you to get new people to follow you every time you post.
Agencies that create campaigns for many clients often do not choose custom coding. Many nonprofits and event planners now use an online contest platform, like Gleam, instead of paper raffles. This makes it easy to track all entrants and pick winners fast. If you want to get good emails, real followers, and see more referral traffic, it is important to pick the right giveaway app. The right app can be at the center of all your marketing work.
First, you need to see if the giveaway tool can be used on all the different channels you have. A good giveaway platform will help you get entries from instagram, facebook, email, youtube, and even X. You will not have to add anything extra for this to work. It should have real-time stats and a tracker built in, too. This lets you see followers, how many people share with a referral, and which entries turn into real actions. You will be able to see all of this as it happens.
Next, check the highest price allowed in each plan. Be sure to look at the limit on how many entrants, active campaigns, and API calls you get. If you go over these limits, what looks like a low monthly pricing plan at first can end up costing you a lot more. Always check if the anti-fraud tools, randomizers, and rule-based pickers come with every plan and are not locked behind higher tiers. This is how you get the most for your money, no matter the pricing or number of entrants.
In the end, check the user experience and follow every rule. Entry widgets should open fast on any mobile phone. They must use the brand's colors and fonts. You need to make sure they pass all WCAG checks. Add things like GDPR and CCPA buttons, age checks, and a fast way to move contact information with one click. This helps your campaigns be legal and easy for the CRM team to use.
Most giveaway apps are easy to use and they do many of the same things. You start by opening a campaign editor. In this, you add the prize details for your giveaway. Then, you choose what contestants must do to enter it and get entries. After this, you can make a landing page for the giveaway, or you can put a widget on your site.
The platform has a tracker that lets you see every follow, tag, or email signup as it happens. It lets you know about entries that show up more than once. You can look at live numbers while people do things on the site. When the deadline comes, you have a built-in tool that will pick winners at random. You can also let the tool give extra chances to some entries if you want. After the winners are picked, the platform sends out the full list of people who joined. This list also has their email information and can be sent to your CRM.
Pick a template and link your social accounts.
Set up what needs to be done and decide what prize to give.
Start the link or widget.
See how many people join right away.
Finish, choose who wins, and get the list of leads.
A dedicated giveaway platform brings all your contest tools together in one simple dashboard. You can get entries, spot fake entries, and pick winners right from the same place. You don’t need to use different tools or keep entries in a spreadsheet by hand. Now, you can set up your contest much faster. This great tool enables what took days before to now be done in less than an hour. This way, your team can spend more time on prize plans and less time on small jobs.
Every time people follow you, share your post, or make a referral, the action goes right into a real-time giveaway tracker. This tracker helps you see which social media channel brings in the most people. It is a good way to see how your brand awareness gets better. All this data also gets added to your email list. You can use this to connect with new subscribers by email when the giveaway ends.
You can get 3 to 4 times more social media engagement when you use more than one social media channel, not just one.
There can be a 25 to 40 percent boost in verified followers. And it also helps you grow your email list.
The process is set up with automated compliance. You do not have to check winners by hand. This makes viral giveaways easy, fair, and free of hassle.
Choosing the right giveaway platform can help you save money. A good tool will turn entries on your social media pages into real contact information that you can keep and use. Pick contest software that works on every social media platform you use. You should make sure it can stop fraud. A best platform will send data from each person who enters straight to your CRM system.
KickoffLabs, SweepWidget, OptinMonster, ShortStack, and Wishpond are some of the best tools that you can use if you want to run a giveaway. The right tool for you can be different from what others use. So, take a look at how many email templates each tool gives you, if it comes with helpful referral features, and what the price is. You want the tool to fit well with what you need for your giveaway. A good giveaway tool will help you get more followers and gather email addresses, not just now but also in 2025.
KickoffLabs is great for spreading the word through viral referrals. SweepWidget shines if you want fun, gamified entries. ShortStack’s strength is targeting specific audiences. Choose based on what you’re aiming for—growth, interaction, or detailed audience data.
Pick something your target audience loves that’s easy to send, like gift cards, exclusive merch, or a year-long app subscription. Keep it simple with one main entry task and a clear deadline to get more people to join and follow through.
Try the free plans on Wishpond or SweepWidget. Grab a template, set up an entry action like following or emailing, and share the landing page. The platform’s tracker will count entries and randomly pick a winner when it’s over.
Link your Instagram, Facebook, X, or YouTube accounts to your contest tool. Ask for follows or hashtag comments as entries, including Instagram hashtag contests, then share the link in your bio or Stories. The software will track actions and weed out duplicates automatically.
Yep! OptinMonster, Wishpond, and KickoffLabs have mobile-friendly interfaces. You can check entries, see stats, and post winner announcements right from your phone or tablet.
