How to use the Campaign Checker
The Campaign Checker tells you whether a campaign idea can actually be built and run before you invest in it. Select the entry actions you want and the platforms you'd run them on, and it returns a verdict for each — will work, depends on the details, or won't work — with a workable alternative for anything blocked.
What it does and who it's for
Most failed promotions fail at the idea stage, built around an action no platform lets you collect. The Campaign Checker catches that first. You pick the actions your idea relies on, tick the platforms, and get back what's possible.
Verdicts reflect what each platform's API and promotion policies allow, which is a different question from what ShortStack can build. Use the result as a planning guide. It reflects how platform APIs and promotion policies generally worked when last reviewed, and those change.
Before you start
- You don't need an account. The tool runs in your browser with JavaScript turned on.
- Know which platforms you'd run on and what you want people to do to enter. Pick what you want, even if you suspect it isn't allowed. Checking that is the point.
What works on each platform
| Action | Where it works | What to do instead where it doesn't |
|---|---|---|
| Comments | Facebook Page posts, Instagram Business or Creator posts, YouTube videos. Comments are collectible and verifiable. | Use a form for the real entry, with a comment as a bonus entry. |
| Likes | Facebook only. | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest keep who liked a post private. Use a form for the entry. |
| Follows | Platforms keep follower lists private from third-party tools, so follows are checked by hand. YouTube returns a partial subscriber list that leaves out anyone keeping subscriptions private, so check there by hand too. | Ask people to follow, capture their username in a form, and check your winner by hand before you award the prize. Draw again if they don't qualify. |
| Shares | Facebook's Pages policies prohibit requiring a share to enter, and shares can't be verified on any platform. | Use a refer-a-friend mechanic with a tracked link. |
| Tagging friends | Facebook's rules prohibit it. Other platforms allow it, and it can widen your reach. | Check your winner's tag by hand against your own rules. |
The Campaign Checker reviews entry mechanics. For your official rules, use the Rules Generator. For your prize value and tax obligations, ask an attorney.
How to check an idea
- Select every action you want people to take to enter. Choose what you actually want rather than what you think is permitted.
- For each social action, tick the platforms you'd run it on. The same action can work on one platform and not on another — likes are the clearest case.
- Optionally, add a note about your idea. It appears alongside your results for your own reference and leaves the verdict unchanged.
- Read your verdict. Results come back in three groups: won't work, depends on the details, and will work. Each blocked action comes with a "do this instead" alternative.
- Swap each blocked mechanic for the nearest workable one. In most cases that means capturing the real entry through a form and offering a bonus entry for a comment.
If something goes wrong
It says my idea won't work. What now?
Every blocked action comes with an alternative. Use a form for the real entry, with a comment as a bonus entry. See the table above for the action you picked.
Why can't I do follow-to-enter when other tools advertise it?
You can ask people to follow. Because platforms keep follower lists private, expect some people to enter without following. If following is a condition in your rules, check the winner you draw by hand before you award the prize.
I got a different answer than last time
Platforms revise their APIs and promotion policies fairly often. Something that was allowed last year may have changed, so a different verdict usually means the tool is up to date.
Can I require a purchase to enter?
That depends on whether your winner is chosen at random or on skill, and it's a legal question rather than a technical one. Use the Rules Generator.
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Privacy and what happens to your data
Everything runs in your browser, so your selections and any note you write stay on your own device. Your answers are saved there so you can come back to them, and Start over clears them.
FAQs
Can I require a like to enter?
On Facebook, yes — the Graph API exposes who reacted to a Page post. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest keep that data private, so entrants can't be retrieved or a winner verified there. Use a form for the entry instead.
Can I make people follow my account to enter?
You can ask, and plenty of campaigns do. Platforms keep follower lists private from third-party tools, so you'd check your winner by hand. The reliable pattern is a form for the entry and a bonus entry for a comment.
Which social actions actually work?
Comments are the most reliable — on a Facebook Page post, an Instagram Business or Creator post, or a YouTube video. Beyond that, a simple entry form works everywhere and you keep the lead.
Can I require a share to enter?
Facebook's Pages policies prohibit requiring a share to enter, and shares can't be verified on any platform. For word of mouth, use a refer-a-friend mechanic with a tracked link.
Is requiring a purchase legal?
It depends on random versus skill. For a random draw, requiring a purchase generally makes it an illegal lottery unless you offer a free alternate method of entry. The Rules Generator builds the correct structure.
Does a green verdict guarantee my campaign is allowed?
A green verdict is expert guidance to plan around. It isn't a legal or compliance guarantee, so have an attorney review anything where the stakes are high.
Related resources
How to use the Rules Generator (Help Doc)
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