Listen up, marketers and entrepreneurs! If you think your giveaway is just about the flashy prizes and the number of entries, think again. It’s time we talk about the unsung hero of your giveaway campaign’s success: copywriting. This isn’t just about stringing together a few catchy phrases; it’s about crafting an experience so compelling, so irresistible, that your audience can’t help but to enter to win and tell some friends.
Let’s get into giveaway copywriting and the specific components that should be included in your campaign.
Critical Giveaway Entry Page Copy
Brand Connection - Your logo and Brand Voice
People are already skeptical of everything they read online. They are especially skeptical of giveaways. You need to build trust with visitors on the entry page. It should include:
- Company/Sponsor logo(s): This makes people realize it’s tied to a real company or multiple companies that are partnering to bring them this experience.
- Brand Voice: The rest of the copy you write should sound like your brand. Learn how to develop a brand voice.
- Prize/Product Connection: Tie the giveaway to your brand or product. Explain how the giveaway aligns with your brand values or how the prize is relevant to your product or service.
Here is a great example of a giveaway with two sponsors that includes the logos, brand voice, and a strong prize/product connection that’s a hit with the audience.
An Attention Grabbing Headline
Start with a powerful, engaging headline that instantly captures attention and drives a sense of urgency. It should clearly convey the excitement and value of the giveaway. We have a more complete guide for headlines here: Best practices for landing page headlines.
Here are some great sample headlines you can steal for your next giveaway:
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Giveaway for a New Product Launch: “Win the Future: Enter Now for Your Chance to Own the Latest [Product Name]!”
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Event Promotion for a Music Festival: “Grab Your Free Pass to the Epic [Festival Name] – Limited Spots Available!”
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Travel Giveaway Promotion: “Your Dream Vacation Awaits: Enter to Win an All-Expenses-Paid Trip to [Destination]!”
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Fitness Challenge Giveaway: “Join the [30-Day Fitness Challenge] and Win Exciting Prizes – Get Fit, Get Rewarded!”
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Online Course Giveaway: “Win Free Access to Our Exclusive [Course Name] – Elevate Your Skills Today!”
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Book Launch Giveaway: “Enter Our Giveaway to Win a Signed Copy of [Author]’s Latest Bestseller!”
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Fashion Brand Promotion Event: “Exclusive Event Alert: Win VIP Access to [Brand]’s Fashion Show and After-Party!”
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Health & Wellness Product Giveaway: “Transform Your Health: Win a Year’s Supply of [Wellness Product]!”
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Tech Gadget Giveaway: “Tech Lovers Rejoice: Enter to Win the Ultimate [Gadget Name] Package!”
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Environmental Awareness Event: “Join [Event Name] for a Greener Tomorrow – Win Eco-Friendly Prizes!”
Each of these headlines is crafted to be attention-grabbing and specific to the nature of the giveaway or event, enhancing the appeal and urgency to participate.
Clear Description of the Prize
Detail what participants stand to win beyond the primary headline. Be specific about the prize, highlighting its appeal and value. This is a major motivator for participation no matter if the overall value is $20 or $20,000. Here are some best practices to consider for the prize description in your giveaway:
- Add Pictures: Compliment the description with a great hero image of the prize(s).
- Sales Page Copy: Steal copy from the product sales page. If the prize is something you also sell then this is your chance to do some education about the cool things you sell.
- Include the Prize Value: If the value is over $100 you should call out the value of the prize being given away to entice people.
- Gift Card Ideas: A gift card giveaway can be very effective, but it’s a best practice to include examples of what the person could buy with the prize amount.
See this video for a great example:
Here are some prize descriptions to inspire you:
- Travel Package Giveaway:
- Prize: “5-Day Luxury Stay in Bali”
- Description: “Immerse yourself in paradise with a 5-day luxury getaway to Bali. This dream vacation includes a stay at the prestigious Bali Beach Resort, offering breathtaking ocean views, world-class amenities, and an opportunity to explore the rich culture and natural beauty of this exotic island. Get ready for an unforgettable escape. This package is valued at $4,899”
- Fitness Equipment Giveaway:
- Prize: “Peloton Bike+ Essentials Package”
- Description: “Elevate your fitness journey with the Peloton Bike+ Essentials Package. This state-of-the-art exercise bike features a rotating HD touchscreen, diverse workout library, and real-time performance tracking. It’s the perfect combination of comfort, challenge, and convenience, designed to fit seamlessly into your life and home and worth over $1,999”
- Online Course Access Giveaway:
- Prize: “One-Year Subscription to MasterClass”
- Description: “Unlock a world of knowledge with a one-year subscription to MasterClass valued at $199. Learn from over 100+ of the world’s best minds, including experts in fields such as writing, cooking, music, business, and more. Each class offers unique insights and practical lessons, making this the perfect opportunity to explore your passions and develop new skills.”
- Fashion Accessory Giveaway:
- Prize: “Designer Handbag by Michael Kors”
- Description: “Add a touch of elegance to your wardrobe with a stunning designer handbag from Michael Kors valued at $499. Known for its timeless style and exceptional quality, this handbag combines functionality with fashion, making it a versatile accessory for any occasion. Elevate your style with this chic and sophisticated piece.”
Each description is designed to create excitement and showcase the value of the prize, making it more appealing to potential participants.
Simple Giveaway Entry Instructions
Clearly outline how to enter the giveaway. Keep instructions straightforward and easy to follow to avoid confusion and maximize participation. Creating a complicated entry process is a sure way to confuse people and lower the conversion rate for your promotion.
Scale the entry form with the prize value
One reason to run a giveaway is to collect information about your audience that helps you target them better down the road. For low value, simple, giveaways keep the ask simple. Maybe email, first name, and a simple question.
With a platform like KickoffLabs you can always collect more information with Contest Actions people take after they enter in exchange for a higher chance of winning. These actions can include additional questions.
You can consider adding more information to the for if you have a bigger prize as seen here in a recent tourism giveaway.
Terms & Eligibility Requirements
Specify who can enter (age, location restrictions, etc.). Clear eligibility criteria prevent confusion and ensure participants meet the necessary requirements. We suggest putting the important requirements directly on the page and linking to a more detailed set of terms. Check out our post on keeping giveaways fun and legal.
Here is an example of some on page legal text:
PS: We know coming up with this stuff is hard. That’s why KickoffLabs includes standard giveaway terms automatically with every campaign you create.
Social Proof
If possible, include testimonials or past winner stories to build trust and credibility. This can increase confidence in the legitimacy of the giveaway. Once you’ve run your first giveaway get permission from the previous winners to include thier image in your next promotion. This way you can show a real person that’s actually won before!
Urgency via an end date, countdown, or scarcity
Communicate any time limits or limited availability. Phrases like “Enter now, limited time only” or “While supplies last” create a sense of urgency and scarcity, prompting immediate action.
Adding a countdown timer lets the visitor know that they have limited time to take action with a clear animation of time counting down.
An “everyone wins” incentive
Consider adding an incentive for everyone that enters. It could be as simple as a line of text below the entry form that says “Everyone who enters will receive a 10% discount!”
Post Giveaway Entry Page
The meat of any viral giveaway is the page that encourages people to share. They will see this page after they enter your contest and the goals of these pages include:
- Thank the participant for signing up.
- Deliver any bonus they received for signing up.
- Get them to tell their friends about your promotion.
- Define actions they can take that earn then additional entries
- Outline your contest promotion and incentives for sharing.
- Make any rules or requirements clear.
Our goal, at KickoffLabs, is to make it easy for you to get a Viral Boost on all of your campaigns. A “Viral Boost” is simply the boost of additional leads you get through word of mouth promotion of your contest.
On average, if a basic email form gets 100 leads a virally boosted one would get 135 leads for the same amount of effort. And we’ve easily seen that number be more like 45 to 55% more leads with contests that follow these rules.
With that in mind I’ll go over the things I look out for on these viral boost contest pages based on the following example:
Branding and voice match the giveaway entry page.**
The pages should feel and sounds like they are from the same company. This means:
- If you used a logo on the signup page it should be prevalent there.
- Any brand colors and imagery should be the same or at least similar in style.
- If you used humor of your entry page this page should carry that feeling through.
Say thanks
Don’t forget to give your lead warm and fuzzy feelings for having taken the first step towards getting to know your story more. It doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple
“Wow – Thanks for signing up!”
Deliver the goods or explain how to get them
If your signup page promised a digital download or a discount code you should make it clear how they will get that. It could be as simple as including it with your thank you line:
“Thanks for getting onboard! Here is your download”
Or even
“Thanks for signing up! Check your email to receive your discount.”
And have the automatic giveaway response email send it. This way you have space left for everything else.
A reminder of any verification requirements
Larger contests will want to turn on an email verification step to avoid fraudulent entries. But if you do so you’ll want to tell people that they need to complete one more step. This too, could be really simple and worked into the thanks copy.
“Thanks! Please check your email to verify and receive your discount code.”
Drive Engagement and Referrals With Contest Actions for Bonus Entries
Leads can earn points or entries to advance in the contest faster by referring friends who also enter, engaging with your brand on social media, completing additional fields post signup. This is critical for turning your existing leads into influencers that help you generate buzz around your giveaway and grow your list and social media channels.
Remember that people share things online for one of two reasons:
- It makes them look cool because they found something awesome in your giveaway.
- They have incentive to do so via earning additional entries.
Setup social sharing links that make sense for your audience.
If you are selling a B2B product or service then having a linked-in sharing option makes sense while Instagram may not. B2C? Maybe focus on Facebook, Twitter, and Email sharing.
Don’t forget copy on the share buttons
Depending on the social network there is a chance to setup some pre-filled copy that will be shared on the leads wall. Each network is a little different.
For X you get a chance, with KickoffLabs, to write the post for them. In this post you should mention your own brand for some additional exposure and help them highlight your product. For example:
“I just entered to win a free trip to Bali from @companyhandle. If you join me we could both win a prize!”
Check each of these buttons on your sharing page!
For Facebook you need to setup the share image, headline, and description on the signup page. In this case you’ll be writing from your perspective. So keep the copy focused on the product or contest.
Let people know how many entries they have
The thank you page should make it clear where they stand. Do they have 3 entries so far? Are they ranked in the top 10 if you are running a leaderboard campaign?
The TLDR Version
It’s a lot. I know. So I summarize here.
- Keep all giveaway pages “on brand” with your company’s voice, logo, colors, and images.
- Come up with a good incentive for everyone to participate.
- Just be clear about the value of the product or contest.
- A countdown timer drives urgency.
- Setup contest actions where people can earn bonus entries.
- Clearly explain why and how someone can earn more points in your contest.
Read more Copywriting for Conversions with the next chapter:
9. AI Prompts
Advanced AI prompts could be your copywriting cheat code.
