How to Run Instagram Contests

Are you using Gleam or thinking about running an Instagram Contest, but unsure exactly how to best leverage the platform?

Then this guide is for you.

Running an Instagram contest is a proven way to boost engagement, grow your audience, and drive brand awareness. But choosing the right format is key.

You want something that fits your brand, aligns with your goals, and keeps participation easy and rewarding. Here are three top Instagram contest ideas to try:

This is one of the most popular contest types on Instagram. You simply ask users to:

• Follow your account
• Like the contest post
• Tag a friend or leave a comment to enter

It’s fast, simple, and encourages more organic reach as friends get tagged and see your brand. These contests are ideal for building awareness and engagement—especially for growing brands.

Want high-quality user-generated content? Run a UGC photo or video contest.

Ask users to submit content using your branded hashtag. You can repost the best entries, share them across your marketing channels, and create a stronger sense of community.

It’s one of the best ways to build trust, generate content, and reach a wider audience.

If you want better tracking, easier moderation, and more advanced targeting, use a third-party platform like Gleam to run your Instagram contest.

This is ideal if your goal is to collect emails, refer friends, drive traffic, or offer bonus entries. These campaigns let you manage everything in one place—from contest rules to picking a winner fairly.

Want More Entries?, Try our Instagram Giveaway Template with built-in tracking, viral share actions, and flexible entry types.

If you want to run a smarter, more scalable Instagram contest, Gleam makes it easy. You get powerful tools for managing entries, promoting across platforms, and picking a winner—while staying compliant with Instagram’s rules.

Here’s why marketers and creators use Gleam to run better Instagram contests:

• Custom-branded landing pages – Host your contest on a Gleam page or embed it directly on your website to keep users focused and reduce drop-off.
• Multi-platform support – Combine your Instagram contest with Facebook, X, YouTube, and more for maximum reach and flexibility.
• Automatic fraud protection – Block suspicious users and prevent duplicate or bot entries.
• Built-in viral sharing – Give bonus entries for referrals and grow your audience organically.
• Flexible entry options – Ask users to follow you, watch a video, visit your store, answer a question, or complete any custom action.
• Fair winner selection – Use Gleam’s random draw feature to pick winners automatically and transparently.
• Auto-generated terms and conditions – Stay compliant with pre-built legal templates for your campaign.

With Gleam, you’re not just asking people to tag a friend—you’re building a complete, multi-channel contest funnel that grows your email list, increases traffic, and creates buzz around your products or services.

Want to connect Gleam with Instagram for your next contest? See our Instagram integration here.

Instagram’s promotion policies do not allow third-party apps to require users to follow, like, or comment as a condition of entry. But that does not mean you cannot drive powerful engagement.

Gleam helps you run a compliant Instagram contest by offering creative alternatives that still deliver results. Whether your goal is to build an email list, boost reach, or encourage purchases—there’s an action for that.

Here are some effective Instagram contest ideas and entry options you can use:

• Visit your Instagram profile – Ask users to click through and explore your content.
• Find and enter a secret code – Reward users who find hidden codes inside your content, emails, or reels.
• Unlock bonus entries after purchase – Let customers upload a receipt to unlock extra entries and drive direct sales.
• Return daily for more chances – Keep people engaged and increase time-on-site with recurring actions and bonus entries.
• Use a referral leaderboard – Add a layer of gamification by showing the top referrers and giving them a reason to share.

Each of these actions helps you create an Instagram contest that does more than just grow followers—it builds community, increases brand awareness, and fuels long-term growth.

Tip: Always include a clear explanation of how each action works so users know exactly what to do.

When running an Instagram contest, your prize is what grabs attention—and drives entries. To make your campaign a success, choose a prize that is valuable and aligned with your target audience.

Here are a few contest tips to help you pick the perfect reward:

• Your own product – Ideal for building loyalty and attracting potential customers who are already interested in your brand.
• Limited-edition or custom items – Create urgency with exclusive, branded, or once-only versions of your offering.
• Early access or insider perks – Reward superfans with access to beta products, unreleased items, or private launches.
• Curated product bundles – Pair your main offer with relevant extras (e.g. beauty kits, tech accessories, fitness gear).
• Experiences & memberships – Offer courses, event tickets, coaching, or premium subscriptions as high-value alternatives to products.

Remember: A great prize filters in the audience most likely to convert long-term. The goal is not just entries—it’s meaningful engagement.

Creating a compelling Instagram contest is just the start—promotion is key to making it successful. If you want to boost participation and grow your audience, your contest needs to be visible, easy to access, and strategically placed.

One of the best Instagram contest ideas is to run your campaign on your own website using the Gleam widget. This keeps users on your domain, helps grow your email list, and lets you control the user experience from start to finish.

Benefits include:

• More traffic and conversions
• Increased time-on-site
• Brand consistency across the funnel

You can even install Gleam’s widget like this:

Since Instagram posts do not support clickable links, your bio becomes a crucial spot for your contest CTA. Here’s how to make it work:

• Add a shortened trackable link (e.g. from Bitly) to your Instagram contest landing page
• Update your Instagram bio to highlight the contest with a clear CTA
• Post regularly to your feed and Stories reminding followers to "Click the link in bio to enter"
• Use swipe-up links in Stories (if available) for direct traffic

Example of a strong announcement post:

Want to connect Gleam with Instagram for your next contest? See our Instagram integration.

Do not rely on Instagram alone—expand your contest promotion across all your channels to reach a wider audience and drive higher participation.

• Social media platforms: Post about your contest on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn, and any other platforms where your audience is active.

• Email marketing: Send a campaign to your subscriber list with a direct link to your Instagram contest landing page.

• Influencer and brand partnerships: Collaborate with creators or brands who can share your contest with their followers and help amplify your reach.

Cross-promotion is especially important for contest promotion if you want to build momentum and get people excited to enter your giveaway across multiple touchpoints.

After someone enters your contest, keep the energy going by redirecting them back to Instagram. This is a great way to encourage:

• Liking or commenting on your original post
• Following your Instagram account (reminder: this must be optional!)
• Sharing the contest with friends

Post-entry redirects help maintain engagement while driving users toward the intended action.

Want more Instagram contest tips and examples? Browse all Instagram giveaway templates to find one that fits your goals.

Keeping track of valid entries is one of the most important parts of any Instagram contest — especially when using bonus actions or off-platform steps.

If you use a tool like Gleam to run your contest, all entries are automatically tracked, timestamped, and verified in your dashboard. This includes:

Off-platform actions like joining your email list or watching a video

Optional social engagement (e.g. visit your Instagram profile)

Custom actions such as entering a code or answering a question

You can also use Gleam’s fraud detection filters, manual moderation tools, and action-specific logs to ensure fairness and transparency throughout the campaign.

For photo contests, you can request entrants to upload their file directly into Gleam and provide the link to their Instagram post using your hashtag. This gives you a centralised record while still keeping the post public for visibility.

➡️ Want a full walkthrough on entry tracking? See our FAQ on tracking Instagram giveaway entries.

Want to get even more out of your Instagram contest? These quick wins will help you boost engagement, increase participation, and amplify your brand visibility:

• Use a branded hashtag – Makes it easy to track entries and promotes your brand identity.

• Encourage viral sharing – Offer bonus entries for referring friends. Use the Viral Share action to increase reach organically.

• Keep people coming back – Enable daily bonus entries to increase repeat visits and sustained engagement.

• Show off user entries – Use a UGC gallery to feature photo contest submissions and drive social proof.

• Leverage influencers – Collaborate with trusted creators to bring in targeted traffic and reach a broader audience.

• Create urgency – Share countdown reminders on your feed and Stories as the deadline nears.

By following this guide, you are now equipped to run a high-impact, fully compliant Instagram contest that drives measurable engagement and grows your audience.

Want to integrate Gleam with your Instagram campaign? Explore our Instagram integration and launch your next contest today.