New To Gleam? Competitions, Rewards, Captures And Galleries
A practical guide for new Gleam users. Learn the difference between Competitions, Rewards, Captures, and Galleries, how to launch your first campaign, and how to use the data effectively.
• Use Competitions for incentivised giveaways, viral referral campaigns and audience growth
• Use Rewards for instant discount codes, referral programmes and guaranteed incentives
• Use Captures for email popups, lead generation and conversion rate optimisation
• Use Galleries to display user-generated content and build social proof
• Match the app structure to your primary marketing objective before configuring actions
If you are wondering which Gleam app you should use for your campaign, the answer depends entirely on your primary marketing objective.
Gleam is built around four core apps: Competitions, Rewards, Captures and Galleries.
Each one is designed for a specific growth outcome, from running viral giveaways to collecting email subscribers or showcasing user-generated content.
Choosing the correct structure from the beginning improves conversion rates, simplifies optimisation, and ensures your reporting aligns with your business goals.
This guide explains exactly when to use each Gleam app based on campaign intent.
Different marketing objectives require different campaign mechanics. Before choosing a template, clarify what outcome matters most.
You may be trying to:
- Grow your email list
- Increase brand awareness
- Drive referral traffic
- Offer an instant discount
- Showcase customer content
- Launch a new product
- Promote an event
Your objective determines the correct app structure.
If your objective is rapid audience growth through entries, referrals and share incentives, use Competitions.
Competitions are structured around giveaway mechanics where users complete actions to earn entries. This format works best when you want to maximise reach, amplify referrals and incentivise participation at scale.
- Viral giveaways
- Referral-driven acquisition
- Product launches
- Influencer campaigns
- Event promotion
- Prize-led email growth
If your campaign depends on shareability and entry-based motivation, Competitions is the right structure.
If your growth depends on motivation through a structured entry system and prize draw, Competitions is the correct choice.
If you want every participant to unlock a reward after completing required actions, use Rewards.
- Referral programmes with discount codes
- Lead magnet delivery
- Early access campaigns
- Product launch incentives
- Post-purchase rewards
- Coupon unlock campaigns
Rewards remove uncertainty. Users complete the required actions and instantly receive a guaranteed incentive.
Because the reward is predictable, conversion rates are often higher than sweepstakes-style mechanics.
If your objective is immediate action with a guaranteed outcome, Rewards is the right structure.
If you do not need a prize or reward mechanic, use Captures.
Captures are purpose-built for email collection and on-site conversion optimisation.
- Email signup popups
- Exit-intent overlays
- Newsletter subscriptions
- Gated content delivery
- Paid traffic conversion
- Lead generation campaigns
Captures can be deployed as overlays, floating bars, embedded forms, or fullscreen email gates.
If your objective is direct lead generation without gamification, Captures provides the most efficient solution.
If your focus is credibility, engagement and visual social proof, use Galleries.
- Hashtag campaigns
- Community showcases
- Ecommerce social proof
- Event content walls
- Visual brand engagement
Galleries aggregate, moderate and display user-generated content from social platforms. They are engagement tools rather than direct lead generation tools.
If your strategy centres on community visibility and trust-building, Galleries is the correct choice.
- Define your primary success metric before selecting a campaign type
- Avoid using Competitions when you require guaranteed incentives
- Do not use Captures if referral growth is your main objective
- Align your reporting metrics with your campaign goal
- Choose structure first, then configure actions
Making the right structural decision at the start reduces friction and improves long-term performance.
Find out what online sweepstakes are and what rules and laws apply to them.
Use:
- Competitions for incentivised giveaways and viral referral mechanics
- Rewards for guaranteed incentives and instant unlock campaigns
- Captures for direct email collection and onsite lead generation
- Galleries for collecting and displaying user-generated content
Choose the app that aligns with your primary marketing objective. Once the structure is correct, execution and optimisation become significantly easier.
We offer individual plans for each app on our platform, ranging from Pro to Premium plans which vary in access to features, limits, and price point.
The Gleam widget is optimised across mobile devices. We also provide a responsive hosted landing page for your campaign if you don't have an existing website.
Learn more about Gleam and everything you need to know to feel confident running a campaign with us.
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