Is there a free plan I can start on?

Yes. Gleam Competitions has a free plan where you can run fully functional campaigns, collect verified entries, and use standard social and email actions. There is no time-limited trial of the paid tiers, but you can upgrade anytime and your campaign data carries over.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. Cancel from the Plans tab in your dashboard at any time. You keep full access to paid features until the end of your current billing period, then your account drops to the free plan. Your campaigns and data are not deleted.

Can I upgrade later, even after I have launched?

Yes, anytime, including mid-campaign. Upgrading unlocks your existing campaign data and adds entry methods, customisation, and integrations. We pro-rate the credit left on your current plan against the new one, so you only pay the difference.

What happens to my data if I cancel or downgrade?

It stays with you. Entry, user, and media data from any campaign you ran on a paid plan remains exportable after you downgrade, and you can upgrade again later if you need it.

How much does Gleam cost?

Gleam is subscription-based, with separate plans for each app (Competitions, Rewards, Capture, Galleries) and discounted Package plans for all four. Pay monthly, or yearly to save up to 25%.

How do I preview my competition before it goes live?

Save your campaign and go to the Preview tab. The widget appears fully functional there so you can check all information is correct and create test entries. Test entries are invalidated by default and will not count toward your draw. The public cannot interact with the campaign until it goes live; anyone who finds it early will see a countdown message instead.

What is a mandatory action type?

A mandatory action is an entry method entrants must complete before any other actions are unlocked. If your primary goal is growing your email list, make the email signup action mandatory so every single entrant gives you their email before accessing bonus entry options. Mandatory actions are set in the action settings panel when building your campaign.

Where do I insert terms and conditions in a campaign?

Under the Setup tab when creating a new competition. Gleam automatically generates terms and conditions based on a pre-built template, with clauses personalised to your campaign. You can edit the generated fields or, on Hobby plan and above, write fully custom terms and conditions. If your campaign includes any action that requires payment, a free entry alternative appears automatically under the terms and conditions section in your widget.

Is Gleam optimised for mobile devices?

Yes. The competitions widget is responsive down to 320px wide. When embedding on your website you can choose to show the widget directly or show an Enter Competition button that takes mobile users to Gleam's hosted mobile-optimised landing page. The hosted landing page fills the full screen width on phones and tablets with no additional setup needed.

How do I promote my competition before it begins?

Start before launch. Tease the prize on social media to build anticipation, send a pre-launch hint to your email subscribers with a save-the-date or pre-registration link, and reach out to relevant publications in your niche for a shoutout. If you have an existing audience, offer them early access with bonus entries for referring friends via Viral Share; this lets you test your campaign on a warm segment before opening to cold traffic.

Can I edit a competition that is already live?

Yes. Changes take effect immediately after you save. You can add new entry actions available to both new and existing entrants, remove existing actions while keeping existing entries, adjust entry weights, add Viral Share, or change the campaign end date. Extending the end date is as simple as picking a new date in the campaign settings.

Check Your Giveaway Before You Launch

Answer a few questions about your campaign before you launch and get a specific list of things to fix first.

Question 1 of 100%

Question 1 of 10

Is Your Prize Something Your Audience Already Wants?

A prize your audience already wants sits a little above cash of the same value. Giveaways with a prize matched to what the audience already cares about got 673 people and came in about 8 percent above giveaways of similar value, from 21,264 giveaways run by 4,305 businesses. Generic prizes such as cash and gift cards got 463 people and came in level with the pack, from 36,845 run by 8,215, all with at least 100 people entering. Prize values are what the business typed in at setup rather than what they paid.

3 Things to Check Before You Launch

Each one is easier to fix before the first entry than after it.

Set Your Mandatory Action First

Decide which Action matters most, usually the email signup, and make it mandatory before you launch. Changing a mandatory Action once entries are coming in can break the entry flow. Connect and test your email platform too, and check that each field maps to the right list.

How the Email Action Works

Set Up Your Entry Actions

Test It on Your Phone

A form that works on desktop can be slow or confusing on a small screen. Open your giveaway on your phone and go through every entry step as a first-time entrant. Fix anything slow or unclear before you promote it.

How to Embed Your Giveaway

Publish Your Terms Before the First Entry

Gleam generates terms and conditions from your giveaway settings in the Setup tab, and you can edit them. Check they are complete and live before the first entry comes in, because entrants agree to the rules that are in place when they enter.

Use the Legal Checker

Read This Before You Press Publish

Setup guides, legal checklists, and promotion playbooks for your first campaign.

How to Run Legal Giveaways, Contests & Sweepstakes

8 min read

How to Run a Successful Online Giveaway

7 min read

13 Giveaway Mistakes to Avoid Before You Start a Giveaway

9 min read

Stop Wasting Giveaway Entry Actions (Use Them Like This Instead)

Charlotte Czarnota

6 min read

How to Run a Successful Blog Giveaway

Stuart McKeown

12 min read

Beginner's Campaign Launch Checklist for Gleam

8 min read

Frequently Asked Questions About Launching a Giveaway

How Do I Preview My Giveaway Before It Goes Live?

Save your giveaway and open the Preview tab. The widget works fully there, so you can check every detail and make test entries. Test entries are invalidated by default and do not count toward your draw. Until the giveaway goes live, anyone who finds it sees a countdown instead.