Running a competition that doesn’t land you in Facebook jail

Posted on by Marie Page

I’ve lost count of the number of messages I’ve sent to friends who have shared a competition to my timeline in the misinformed belief that in doing so they stood a chance of winning a prize.

Not only does the competition touting Page in question have little clue as to who has shared it’s spammy post (your privacy settings will be why), but it actually faces a real possibility of landing in Facebook jail with reduced Page access or even the immediate removal of the Page.

Running a competition on Facebook is not simply a case of popping a post up that says:

“Like and share this post for a chance to win”.

There are multiple things wrong with the above that could end up with you not only in hot water, but also paints your organisation as embarrassing social media newbies who don’t follow the rules the rest of us comply with.

Here’s a typical example of a post that breaks multiple rules:

(Don’t even get me started on the typos in the above, or the fact that when you scroll through the comments you find that they had been “too busy” opening their new shop to do the prize draw…)

So what are the rules a competition has to abide by?

  • You CAN ask that people like a post, comment on a post or message a Page (amongst other things) to enter
  • You CAN’T insist that they share a Page or tag themselves in a photo to enter
  • You also need to post a legal disclaimer that releases Facebook from any responsiblity for your competition
  • PLUS you need to comply with the (often complex) competition rules of your country or region

I’ve pulled together some comprehensive guidelines on running competitions that comply with Facebook’s Terms of Service in our new Facebook Competitions Masterclass. It includes examples of legal competitions that have worked increadibly well, even with zero promotional budget, a suggested free independent prize winner selection app plus a number of other tricks and tips the pros use in running competitions that really work.

 

Marie Page

About Marie Page

Marie Page is one of the UK’s leading Facebook marketing experts. She is a founding partner of digital marketing consultancy The Digiterati and the Digiterati Academy e-learning portal for marketers and entrepreneurs. Her award-winning Master's Dissertation was the culmination of three years' academic research into Facebook that resulted in a book (and companion online course) 'Winning at Facebook Marketing with Zero Budget' that became an Amazon bestseller. Marie's work on the Facebook News Feed algorithm was featured in The Huffington Post. A recognised thought leader on social media, Marie is often approached by journalists for comment in articles such as this Telegraph article. She was also interviewed for ITV's Tonight show on Facebook privacy issues in relation to advertising. Marie is a regular guest on digital marketing blogs and podcasts including Social Media Examiner and Smart Insights. In 2018 she is speaking at Brighton SEO, Europe's biggest search and marketing conference. Marie is also author of two Smart Insights books: 'Smarter Guide to Facebook Marketing', now in its fourth edition, and 'Facebook Ads Guide', both edited by Dr Dave Chaffey. Marie is also a part time yoga teacher.

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