How HardwareDealz Scales Large Giveaway Campaigns

Campaign Overview

At the end of 2025, HardwareDealz ran two Gleam giveaways centred on premium gaming PC builds.

Both campaigns launched during the Christmas and New Year period and were promoted across YouTube, Instagram, and the HardwareDealz website.

HardwareDealz tied entry actions directly to content, like YouTube videos, and partner product pages. Bonus mechanics rewarded repeat participation, which resulted in more than four actions per participant on average and 92,512 sign-ups within a 25-day campaign window.

Introduction to HardwareDealz

@HardwareDealz is one of Europe’s most trusted destinations for PC hardware reviews, deals, and builds.

Their content spans YouTube, social platforms, and their own website, serving a large, highly engaged audience of PC enthusiasts.

As they operate in a category where reviews, pricing, and promotions are already everywhere, it puts more pressure on how campaigns are executed.

Giveaways work for HardwareDealz because they are tied closely to content and product interest. They have become a core part of HardwareDealz’s strategy to reward their community while creating meaningful value for brand partners.

Running a Q4 Gaming PC Sales Push with Giveaways

During Q4, HardwareDealz ran two Gleam competitions on the hobby plan:

• A New Year gaming PC giveaway tied to a YouTube video

• A Christmas Eve giveaway as part of the HardwareDealz Advent Calendar 2025

HardwareDealz approached these competitions as part of a seasonal push - cleverly aligning timing, prize value, and promotion channels around moments of peak audience attention.

Both campaigns were run globally and are great examples of how HardwareDealz uses Gleam at scale.

Combined Campaign Results

Across the two campaigns, performance metrics showed both strong reach and deep engagement:

• Impressions: 269,816

• Users: 89,411

• Actions: 386,076

• Sign-Ups: 92,512

• Conversion rate: 33.14%

Engagement went well beyond one-off entries, with participants completing an average of more than four actions per user.

A large share of this activity came from required and optional entry actions tied directly to content and partner visibility:

• YouTube channel visit actions: 92,035

• Instagram profile visit actions: 42,281

• Partner product page visit actions: 131,580

• Secret Code submissions: 63,131

Secret Code challenges played a key role in driving repeat participation. After entering, users returned to YouTube videos and related content to find codes, unlocking bonus entries and increasing overall action depth throughout the campaign.

Learn more about running a scavenger hunt with the secret code action.

Promotional Channels That Drove Results

Promotion was centred primarily around YouTube, supported by Gleam’s public giveaways page.

Both campaigns were linked directly from relevant YouTube videos, sending viewers straight to the Gleam giveaway page. During the campaign period, HardwareDealz also recorded 2.5–3× higher YouTube subscriber growth compared to a similar timeframe, showing that the giveaways supported long-term channel growth as well as entries.

Gleam’s public giveaways page provided additional exposure beyond HardwareDealz’s owned channels. Traffic from this page converted at 38.5%, generating close to 12,000 actions across the campaigns.

Brands cannot apply to appear on the public giveaways page. To be eligible, campaigns must have previously run, drawn winners, and announced results publicly.

Looking for some tips on promotion? Take a look at our comprehensive guide.

Audience Concentration and Market Fit

Engagement was overwhelmingly concentrated in German-speaking markets:

• Germany: 79,826 participants (86.17%)

• Austria: 5,733 participants (6.19%)

• Switzerland: 1,465 participants (1.58%)

Participation was heavily concentrated in German-speaking markets. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland accounted for over 93% of all participants, aligning with HardwareDealz’s core audience.

What’s Reusable From This Campaign

HardwareDealz have now run more than 100 giveaways using Gleam, refining their approach with each campaign. Over time, many of their campaigns have achieved conversion rates above 60%, with highs of 67.8%.

“We use giveaways to give manufacturers the opportunity to connect with our community, and of course also to give something back to the community.”
— Gerson Seilnacht, Editor & Social Media Manager, HardwareDealz

Several key principles shaped the success of these Q4 campaigns.

Match Prizes To Existing Demand

Both giveaways centred on gaming PC builds that reflected the hardware already featured in HardwareDealz videos and reviews instead of broadly appealing prizes.

This ensured participation came from users with genuine interest in high-end PC hardware rather than casual giveaway entrants.

Check out our awesome selection of PC & Gaming giveaway templates.

Tie Entry Actions To Valuable Content

Rather than relying on a single entry step, both campaigns required users to engage with specific content and partner pages.

Mandatory actions were low friction, but optional bonus actions were tied to:

• Watching YouTube videos

• Recognising visual details

• Completing calculation-based challenges linked to gameplay or builds

This shifted participation away from one-click entries and towards deliberate interaction.

Use Bonus Mechanics To Drive Repeat Participation

Higher-value bonus entries were unlocked through Secret Code challenges. Correct answers awarded between 10 and 50 additional entries, creating a clear incentive to return after the initial entry.

This structure explains why participants completed an average of more than four actions each across both campaigns.

Want to learn more about Bonus Actions? Check out our documentation here.

Tie Campaign Timing To Seasonal Behaviour

Both campaigns launched around Christmas Eve and New Year, including a Christmas Eve giveaway run as part of the HardwareDealz Advent Calendar.

“We have already run more than 100 giveaways using Gleam, and the setup is very straightforward. Managing participation requirements is flexible and practical.”
— Gerson Seilnacht, Editor & Social Media Manager, HardwareDealz