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.