How do I run a contest?
There are a number of contest options available, including giveaways, hashtag contests, photo contests, etc. First choose the goal (e.g., engagement, lead collection, brand awareness) and prize to help you can determine the type of contest you want to run. Read our post, “8 Steps to Running a Successful Contest,” for a complete overview.
How long does it take to create a campaign
The time it takes to build a campaign depends on the type of campaign you plan to create. We offer professionally designed templates and themes to help save you time. This means that building something simple, like a giveaway, might only take a few minutes to set up. Our post, “Build a ShortStack Campaign in Minutes Using Our Quick Start Guides,” will help you to create your campaigns quickly. As a best practice, we suggest giving yourself plenty of time to create, test and promote your campaign before it goes live.
How do I run a contest on Facebook?
We suggest using Facebook to drive traffic to your contest instead of publishing your contest to Facebook. You can embed your contest on your website — as a landing page or as a pop-up — and then promote it on Facebook. We recommend keeping contests on your own properties because it gives you the freedom to run the contest your way, without worrying about Facebook’s restrictions. Want to learn more about Facebook contests? Read “Everything You Need to Know About Running a Facebook Contest.”
Do i have to know code in order to use ShortStack?
Nope! ShortStack allows you to create online campaigns without the use of code. Use our widgets and Style Panel to build and style your campaign. If you do happen to be code-savvy, then you can use our Code Widget and CSS Editor to further customize your campaign.
How do I run a contest on Twitter?
There isn’t a way to publish a campaign directly to Twitter. However, you can publish your campaign as a standalone landing page or embed it on your website, then Tweet the link to the contest and post it in your Twitter profile description. Another option is to run a Twitter hashtag contest, where people submit entries by including a hashtag you indicate for contest entry in their Tweet (hashtag contests are available on our Brand and Enterprise plans). To learn more, read our post “How do I Run a Twitter Contest?”
Can I customize ShortStack templates?
ShortStack’s templates are professionally designed and fully customizable to fit your campaign and match your company’s branding. You can update the text and images, change the form fields, update the appearance using our Style Panel and the CSS Editor (available on the Business Plan and higher plans), and much more.
How do I run a contest on Instagram?
Instagram does not allow campaigns to be published directly to their platform. However, you can publish your campaign as a standalone landing page or embed it on your website, then post a link to the contest in your Instagram profile description and direct entrants to the link to enter. Alternatively, you can run an Instagram hashtag contest where people enter by including the contest hashtag (hashtag contests are available on our Brand and Enterprise plans). For more in-depth information on Instagram contests, read “How to do an Instagram Giveaway.”
Can I run weekly, monthly, or yearly Facebook/IG/Twitter contests?
We suggest choosing a few different times a year to engage with your fans and run contests, create quizzes, send emails, etc. Why? Because repetition is important for brand awareness. Check out our whitepaper, “What the Most Successful Marketers Know About the Power of Repetition” for more information. Also, if you are in need of ideas for campaigns to run throughout the year, our blog post “The complete 12-month marketing plan for contests, giveaways & promotions” is overflowing with suggestions.
There are no contracts when you sign up for ShortStack. We offer both annual and monthly plans and you can cancel anytime.
How do I run a contest on Pinterest?
Pinterest does not provide an option for publishing campaigns directly to their platform. However, you could run a Pin and Win contest instead. With a Pin and Win contest, entrants must:
- Visit your ShortStack campaign,
- Follow you via a Follow link on the campaign,
- Choose between different items to pin to their Pinterest accounts, and
- Submit their entry information via a form.
From there, you choose a winner from the folks that completed the entry steps. Learn more by reading our post, “Create a Pin and Win Contest in 6 Steps.”
How do I select a winner for my contest or giveaway?
How much does it cost to run a Facebook contest?
Can I test campaigns or show them to my client/colleagues before publishing?
How much does it cost to run an Instagram contest?
Can I just create a contest and expect to start seeing entries?
Can I run a campaign on my website?
Can people share the contest to Instagram?
How do I get more followers/likes on Facebook?
How do I moderate UGC from social media contests and promotions?
How do I get more followers/likes on Instagram?
How do I create a video upload contest?
How do I get more followers/likes on Twitter?
Can I reward entrants for sharing to social media?
Is ShortStack compliant with Facebook and Instagram rules and regulation?
How do I choose a company to build my next Facebook/IG/Social contest/promotion/giveaway?
Can I restrict how many times someone can enter/vote?
- Email address,
- Facebook ID (Business Plan and higher plans), and
- Mobile device login (Brand Plan and higher plans).
- Once only,
- Once every X number of minutes/hours/days, or
- A maximum of X entries.
- Anonymous Fingerprint,
- Anonymous IP Address,
- Facebook ID (Business Plan and higher plans), and
- Mobile device login.
- Once only,
- Once per entry,
- Once every X minutes/hours/days, and
- Once per entry every X minutes/hours/days.