Run a hilarious video giveaway this April Fools Day to boost brand visibility and gather funny user-generated content (UGC) that your audience will love.
Run a hilarious video giveaway this April Fools Day to boost brand visibility and gather funny user-generated content (UGC) that your audience will love.
This template invites users to submit short video clips of April Fools Day pranks, jokes, or hoaxes. Participants can upload their entries via Facebook or YouTube and share their content across social media using your branded hashtag.
It’s a fun and seasonal way to drive awareness, increase your reach, and collect high-quality UGC you can repurpose across your marketing channels. Whether your audience is into classic April Fools practical jokes, modern social trends, or quirky "poisson d'avril" pranks, this contest lets them get creative and involved.
You can require participants to tag your brand and use a specific hashtag to help increase your exposure and keep track of entries across social media platforms.
The first day of April is a prime time to connect with your audience through humour and creativity. This type of seasonal video giveaway not only increases social engagement but helps build brand personality and collect great UGC for future campaigns.
You will:
From paper fish jokes in France to Taco Bell hoaxes and Gregory calendar nods, this contest works across cultural versions of the holiday.
An April Fools Day video contest invites users to submit prank videos for a chance to win. Click to learn how this playful campaign boosts reach and engagement.
Use Gleam to accept prank video entries with branded CTAs and hashtags. Click to see how to run an April 1st video giveaway from start to finish.
Hosting an April Fools Day contest boosts engagement by tapping into humour and viral social sharing.
Choose "Submit Media" as Your Action
Select the “Submit Media” action and allow video uploads via Facebook or YouTube. This lets users easily submit their prank, joke, or funny moment as part of the contest.
Add Custom Fields for Better Context
Include fields like “Title of your prank,” “Describe your joke in 25 words or less,” and allow optional captions or hashtags to provide clarity and fun context.
Customise Your Contest Design
Tailor the campaign with April Fools visuals, GIFs, emojis, and a festive headline like “Make Us Laugh!”
➡ Learn how to customise your capture's design
Set Up Sharing and Referral Logic
Allow bonus entries for referring friends or sharing the contest link on social media. This encourages a viral loop of participation and increases engagement.
➡ Use Viral Shares for Bonus Entries
Add Hashtag and Tag Requirements
Ask users to tag your profile and use your brand hashtag when posting their entry on social media. This boosts reach and makes it easier to curate content.
Enable Voting or Judging (Optional)
You can let your community vote on the funniest video or select a winner manually based on merit.
Connect to Your Email List
Collect entrants’ email addresses to build your list and follow up post-campaign. Integrate with tools like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and more.
Publish & Promote Across Channels
Share the contest on your blog, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X (Twitter). Use funny visuals and examples from past entries to get the ball rolling.
Curate and Moderate Entries
Use the admin dashboard to approve, reject, or highlight top videos before displaying them in your gallery (optional).
Announce Winners and Repurpose Content
Once your contest ends, announce winners on social media and in your newsletter. Be sure to repurpose the best UGC as evergreen content or memes.
Run a hilarious video giveaway this April Fools Day to boost brand visibility and gather funny user-generated content (UGC) that your audience will love.