How To Announce Contest Winners

After you've run a successful giveaway it's not enough to send out your prize and call it a day. There are several important things to do to not only ensure that you're not only giving out your prize in a trustworthy and transparent manner, but also leveraging the excitement of your campaign to keep all your contestants engaged and excited to see what comes next.

In this post we'll walk you through every step you need to take to successfully announce contest winners and wrap up your campaign:

So, first off, you need to contact the winner directly and check they can redeem their prize!

When it comes to contacting contest winners, sending them a private email is the best option. If you don't have their email address you can of course send them a DM on other platforms.

However you contact them, here are some tips for sending a personalised message to your winner:

• Use the winner's name: Address the winner by name in the email. This shows that you're speaking directly to them and not just sending out a generic message.

• Mention their entry: Acknowledge the specific entry that the winner submitted. This shows that you took the time to review each submission and appreciate their effort.

• Ask for the info you need: Once you've announced the winner, let them know that you'll need their address to send them their prize. Be sure to specify what information you need (e.g. full name, street address, city, state, zip code). 

• Include a congratulatory message: Don't forget to congratulate the winner on their achievement!

Have a look at this example template of a personalised announcement email notifying a contest winner:

Checking that the giveaway winner can actually receive their prize before you announce contest winners is really important. If they can't redeem the prize, you'll have to pick someone else and then re-announce the winner, which can look messy and unprofessional.

By making sure the winner is valid and ready to claim their prize first, you keep everything smooth and make your brand look good. It shows you're running the giveaway fairly and carefully. 

After reaching out to the contest winner via email, the next vital step is sharing the news publicly to keep the excitement of your campaign alive. To ensure your announcement reaches as many people as possible, it's crucial to post it across all platforms where the contest was initially promoted. This approach not only ensures maximum visibility among entrants but also keeps the engagement levels high across your social media channels, building on the momentum your contest has created.

When announcing your contest winner on social media, timing and clarity are key. Make sure to announce the winner on time and state their name clearly. In your announcement, include an eye-catching image and a catchy caption to make sure it grabs attention. Keep your message short and engaging, and wrap up with something exciting or a teaser for what's next.

This approach keeps everyone's anticipation high and sets the stage for future engagements.

Sending An Email To All Contestants:

After you send the winner an email, it is a nice idea to email everyone who entered as well. The goal of sending out an email to the non-winners is to re engage them. So with that in mind: 

• Start with a positive tone: Begin by thanking the contestant for participating and expressing your appreciation for their effort and creativity if it was a high effort contest.

• Exclusive Discount Offer: Provide a special discount on your products or services as a thank you for participating, this can encourage purchases.

• Sneak Peek and Early Access: Give them early access to upcoming sales or exclusive previews of new products or services, this keeps them engaged with your brand.

• Future Giveaway Notifications: Clearly state that they will have another chance to win in future giveaways. Keeping participants hopeful and looking forward to future opportunities can maintain their interest in your brand.

You could try emailing something like this to notify non-winners:

By sending a personalised announcement email, you can re-engage and build a stronger connection with your non-winning contestants. Get creative and add your own personal touch to the message.

When your giveaway has concluded, it's essential to announce the winner across all the social media platforms where you promoted the contest. Whether it's Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, your announcement should be consistent yet tailored to each platform's unique style and audience. Start with a general, exciting message that acknowledges all participants and highlights the fairness and fun of the contest. Make your post visually striking to draw attention, and express genuine enthusiasm about your winner.

Then, beyond just announcing the winner, use this opportunity to maintain interest in your brand. Tease upcoming events or future giveaways to keep your audience looking forward to what's next. This approach keeps the momentum going and can increase engagement for future campaigns.

Now, let's dive into the specifics of how to tailor this excitement to each social media channel.

These tips will make sure your winner announcement on your Facebook page is creative, engaging, and super memorable.

• Get visual: Visuals are key when it comes to grabbing people's attention on the Facebook post. Make sure you're using eye-catching graphics, images, or videos to make your winner announcement stand out. You could even try a Facebook Live video to announce the winners in real time.

• Tag the winner: Make sure to tag the winner in your post so they receive a notification and can easily share the news with their friends and family.

• Personalise the announcement: People love feeling special and recognised, so be sure to include the winner's details about their entry to create a connection with your participants.

• Thank everyone for participating: Showing gratitude can go a long way in creating a sense of appreciation and loyalty. Take the opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the contest, and let them know how much you value their support.

Announcing your giveaway winner on Twitter in a way that will get people excited about your brand is a little different from Facebook- here's what you should keep in mind:

• Keep it short and sweet: Twitter's character limit means you need to be concise with your announcement. But that doesn't mean you can't get creative. Consider using emojis or short videos to add some personality to your tweet.

• Use hashtags: Hashtags are a great way to increase the visibility and reach of announcements on Twitter. Consider creating a unique hashtag for your contest details or using popular hashtags related to your brand or industry.

• Tag the winner: Just like on Facebook, make sure to tag the winner in your tweet so they can easily share the news with their followers.

• Personalise the announcement: Adding a personal touch to your tweet can make a big difference in creating a connection with your audience. Use the winner's name and highlight their entry to make them feel special.

When you're announcing your contest winner on Instagram, you want to focus on crafting an aesthetic post so it looks nice on your feed:

• Use visual elements: Instagram is a highly visual platform, so make sure to include some eye-catching graphics or photos again in your contest winner announcement. This could be a picture of the winner with their contest prize or a creative design highlighting the winning entry.

• Write a compelling caption: Your caption is the perfect place to share exciting news and express your gratitude to your audience. It's a good idea to be using emojis, hashtags, and a conversational tone to make your winner announcement stand out.

• Tag the winner: Like on Facebook and Twitter, make sure to tag the giveaway winner in your post so they can easily share the news with their followers.

• Use Instagram Stories: Stories are a great way to showcase the giveaway winner and add some extra excitement to your winner announcement. Have a go at using polls or questions to engage with your audience and keep them coming back for more.

Encouraging the giveaway winner to share a photo or unboxing video with their prize is a fantastic strategy to keep the engagement alive and build trust with your followers.

This step not only provides tangible proof that your giveaways are legitimate, but it also creates a ripple effect of excitement and anticipation for your brand's future events.

Plus, user-generated content is always an awesome way to increase your brand's visibility and authenticity.

Contests and giveaways are powerful tools for generating fresh leads. So, it's crucial to capitalise on the influx of fresh leads while their interest is at its peak.

Introducing small consolation prizes are one of the most effective ways to boost engagement and maintain a positive atmosphere post-giveaway, even for those who didn't win the main prize.

This can be something as simple as a discount code.

It's a thoughtful way to extend the excitement of whoever won the giveaway and encourage continued interaction with your brand, potentially turning participants into customers.

If you had success with your giveaway, now is a great time to immediately roll into the next one and launch your new campaign as soon as you've announced the previous winner. It's a powerful way to keep the momentum going and hold your audience's attention.

This not only lets your community that there are more opportunities to win but also keeps them engaged and excited looking forward to what's coming next.

Try providing a sneak peek or revealing the date of your next giveaway in a story or an in feed post.

To keep your audience engaged after a contest, now is a great time to announce exciting things you have planned, like a surprise flash sale, a unique product collaboration, or the launch of a new product range.

Seasonal campaigns can also re-spark interest if you time your giveaway with any upcoming festivities. These strategies are a brilliant way transform initial contest participation into a lasting relationship with your brand.

Announcing the winner is an opportunity to create a positive experience for your audience and capitalise on the boost in engagement you gathered from your giveaway. So go ahead, get creative, and don't be afraid to add your own personal touch. Your audience will love it, and who knows, you might even turn them into loyal brand ambassadors.