How Long Should an Instagram Giveaway Last?

Question

Accepted Answer

Start with 7 to 14 days. That's long enough to promote across a few posts and short enough to keep urgency. Set the dates on your campaign's Setup tab.

For most Instagram giveaways, 7 to 14 days is a sensible starting point. Instagram doesn't set a required length, so this is a planning rule of thumb, not a platform rule.

A short run of 1 to 3 days creates urgency but gives you few chances to reach people. A run of 3 weeks or more tends to need extra reasons for entrants to return, because a one-off post stops getting seen. Pick the length that matches how many posts and Stories you can realistically publish.

To set the dates in Gleam:

Open your Competition and go to the Setup tab.
Under Start & End Dates, set Starts and Ends. The calendar icon opens the date picker.
Or click a Quick Duration button, from 1 Day up to 3 Months. It sets the end date for you at 11:59PM on the last day.

If you've scheduled content, line up your Starts date with your first post. Our docs also suggest posting again shortly after launch, once your first new followers arrive.

You can also start from the Basic Instagram Giveaway Template and change the dates. Check Start & End Dates for the full options.