How To Run a Scavenger Hunt with Gleam
Learn how to set up and run a scavenger hunt with Gleam.
- Learn how to run a scavenger hunt giveaway with Gleam
- Use secret codes and clues to boost engagement
- Drive traffic across social, email, and web
- Filter out fraudulent entries with built-in checks
- Use ready-made templates for fast setup
Scavenger hunts are one of the most interactive giveaway formats you can run.
They turn followers into players. People explore your content, click through your pages and hunt for hidden clues that unlock entries or rewards, and that curiosity keeps them coming back across your website and social channels.
A well-planned scavenger hunt can help you launch new products, teach customers how something works, and reward loyal fans.
E-commerce brands often hide discount codes across product pages, creators reveal clues in livestreams or newsletters, and software companies use them to walk new customers through key features.
When you run a scavenger hunt with Gleam, every code is checked automatically and fraudulent entries are filtered out. You spend your time on the clues and the promotion instead of checking entries by hand, and you can run the same format again next season.
Use Gleam's Virtual Scavenger Hunt template to collect verified entries automatically and manage the whole campaign from one dashboard.
You can design multi-step clues that send people to several pages or social profiles to find the right answers. Each clue they solve earns more entries, so they keep playing until the campaign ends.
This format works especially well for launches and themed promotions, such as a fashion brand hiding codes across its lookbooks or a gaming company planting clues in teaser trailers.
- Go to Competitions → Setup and open the Virtual Scavenger Hunt template
- Add your campaign name, prize details, and entry deadline
- Create Secret Code actions and define each valid clue
- Turn on fraud prevention to keep it fair
- Publish and share across your site, socials, and email newsletter
Here is a Secret Code action set up and tested from start to finish:
Before you publish, type each code into the widget preview to make sure it is accepted.
Once your scavenger hunt is live, promote it everywhere you can: blog posts, product pages, social media, and email campaigns. Each clue should lead people to a product, a feature or a part of your brand story you want them to see.
A live draw gives your scavenger hunt a finale. Your players watch the winner get picked, which shows the draw was fair and gives them a reason to join your next hunt.
Gleam's Random Name Picker draws a winner from any list of names on a spinning wheel your audience can watch in real time. Twitch streamers, YouTubers and brands use it to turn the end of a giveaway into a shared moment. Here is how it works:
- Once entries close, export your entrants from your campaign
- Open Quick Draws and select the Random Name Picker
- Paste the names or upload the file, then set the number of winners
- Stream or record the draw so everyone can watch the wheel spin
- Announce your winner across your social channels
Prefer to skip the export? Competitions Live Draw pulls entrants straight from an active Gleam Competition, so you can draw before your scavenger hunt closes.
A live draw also gives you a moment to tease upcoming products, mention your next giveaway and thank your community while everyone is watching.
If you would rather reward people instantly than run a prize draw, the Secret Code Rewards template is ideal. People get their discount or reward the moment they enter a valid code.
This format suits flash sales, loyalty programs, and limited-time promotions. For example, a beauty brand could share exclusive codes during a livestream that redeem for a free sample, while a software company might reward customers who discover hidden features with an upgrade discount.
- Go to Rewards → Setup and open the Secret Code Rewards template
- Add your offer: discount, coupon, or bonus content
- Share each code for a limited time to create urgency
- Connect fulfillment via your CRM, store, or automation tool
- Share your campaign on social, email, and popups
An instant reward gives people a concrete reason to finish the hunt, and a discount code gives them a reason to use it in your store straight away.
The more people see your hunt, the more of them play. Use Gleam Captures to feature your campaign across your site with banners, popups, or overlays.
Captures work well for announcing limited-time hunts, teasing clues, or reminding returning visitors to finish the hunt they started.
- Go to Captures → Setup
- Choose Floating → Text or Fullscreen → Image to feature your campaign
- Link directly to your giveaway or reward page
- Set display triggers (exit intent, time on page, or scroll depth)
- Publish and track performance from your Gleam dashboard
Back it up with your email newsletter, social posts, and cross-promotions with partners. Reposting entrants' finds or progress updates during the campaign keeps the hunt in people's feeds.
- Keep clues challenging but achievable
- Offer prizes that fit your brand and audience
- Promote across several channels to reach more people
- Draw winners live to add transparency and excitement
- Combine giveaways and rewards to keep people engaged
- Plan a narrative: Turn your scavenger hunt into a story with a beginning, middle, and end, so each clue feels like part of a bigger experience.
- Tie it to seasons and events: Run your hunts around holidays, launches, or community themes.
- Measure performance: Check your campaign stats to see which clues people solved and which channels sent them.
- Encourage sharing: Give bonus entries to entrants who refer friends to join the hunt.
Start your scavenger hunt today with Gleam's Giveaway and Reward Templates.
Need fresh concepts for your next scavenger hunt? Check out our blog post 150+ Giveaway Ideas for themes, prize bundles, and creative mechanics.
Run a social media scavenger hunt by hiding clues or Secret Codes across posts and rewarding users who complete every step. Expand this FAQ to follow a simple setup flow and see a YouTube example.
A scavenger hunt competition invites users to uncover clues or complete tasks across multiple channels to unlock entries. Expand this FAQ to see how scavenger hunts increase engagement, discovery, and time spent with your brand.
A secret code entry asks entrants to type in a code you have hidden in your content, and Gleam awards their entries only if the code matches.
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