YouTube Giveaways 2024
YouTube giveaways are a great way to grow your channel, drive website traffic, and increase your subscriber numbers on the platform. For giveaway fans, they are also a great way to win free stuff from brands they love.
This guide will outline how to run a successful YouTube giveaway or win more giveaways on YouTube!
Whether you’re a beginner on YouTube or searching for new ways to get the most out of the platform, keep reading for everything you need to know about YouTube giveaways in October 2024!
YouTube Giveaway Types
If you just started a new YouTube channel and didn’t know how to do a YouTube giveaway or how to enter one, this guide is for you!
1. Giveaway organizers: The first portion of the guide is for influencers, businesses, and giveaway organizers who want to run giveaways on YouTube. We will help you use the platform to host impressive giveaways and make them a success!
2. Giveaway entrants: The second portion of the guide is for participants who want to enter giveaways on YouTube and maximize their chances of winning a prize! We will examine optimal ways to use the platform to find giveaways.
Running Giveaways on YouTube
There are numerous ways to engage your YouTube subscribers and attract new ones. One way to engage people is to add YouTube (YT, for short) contests (AKA giveaways) to your business marketing strategy.
If your YouTube channel grows slower than you hoped, a giveaway could boost you! This guide will examine creative ideas and methods for running an effective YouTube giveaway.
This aim is not only to increase your engagement rates on YouTube but also to increase your subscriber numbers.
What are YouTube Giveaways?
Various businesses hold YouTube giveaways to encourage user engagement and give something back to their audience. Successful YouTube channels regularly host giveaways for subscribers to draw in new ones.
The reason for running these giveaways is clear—YouTube channel giveaways can help build views, followers, and subscribers on the platform and drive traffic to your other sites. Whether you’re an influencer, online shop, or blogger, there is potential to grow your business.
So, how exactly do they work? A YouTube giveaway is a contest to win something in exchange for an action. For example, watching a video, subscribing, and leaving a comment to enter the giveaway.
Are Giveaways Allowed on YouTube?
Giveaways are allowed on YouTube, but you must follow their guidelines. To run a YT giveaway, you must abide by their privacy policy, community guidelines, and terms of service.
YouTube has strict policies regarding contests and giveaways. In summary, here is what you need to know.
- Your YouTube giveaway must be open to the public and free to enter.
- You must provide the entrants with clear rules and ensure that the rules align with the platform’s policies.
- You must confirm your giveaway meets local laws and does not involve criminal activity.
- Your giveaway should not infringe upon or encourage the copyright of third-party users.
For the complete policy list, visit YouTube’s context policies and guidelines.
How Does a YouTube Giveaway Work?
If you want to do a giveaway on YouTube, you need to know how they work. But running a YouTube giveaway is no small feat, and it’s difficult to start when you’re still learning the ropes.
We know YouTube giveaways can dramatically drive sales, leads, and engagement, so we will show you how to do a giveaway on YouTube in the easiest way to get started.
When learning how YouTube giveaways work, it’s important to note that there are different types to understand.
Here are 3 YouTube contest ideas and examples.
1. Standard Giveaway
These giveaways are easy to organize and great for engaging your subscribers. You should aim to attract your target audience with an irresistible contest prize.
You can run two types of giveaways: ‘winner takes all’ and ‘random draw.’ With both types, you draw winners from your list of subscribers.
Here is an example of a random draw giveaway on YouTube by Unspeakable.
He says, “Today we have a bunch of really expensive items like an iPhone, a TV, a lawnmower, a car, and we’re gonna spin this magical wheel, and it’s going to decide whether we’re going to keep that item destroy that item or give it away to somebody.”
To enter, participants had to comment to enter the random draw.
2. Comment to Win
Another way to engage your subscribers in a giveaway is to ask for comments on a specific video. You can ask them to “comment below” your video to enter the giveaway.
Bonus tip: You can drive comments by sharing the video on your other social media channels. To do this, include a clear call to action in the description of your YouTube video to make it easy for entrants to know what they need to do.
Most importantly, discuss the giveaway in your video. That way, there are many clear instructions for the entrants to follow, and they won’t miss them.
Then, when the time comes, draw winners from the comments and announce them in a follow-up video or on your other social media.
Here is an example of a “comment to win” giveaway on YouTube by DieselpunkRo.
He says, “Hi, everyone. My name is Tony, and today, I’ll tell you how you can get this beautiful bag for free. I’m going to give this out as soon as we hit 60,000 subscribers on YouTube. I’m going to run through the comments you have to leave below, pick the best one, and send you the bag just like that. You can say anything you want, and the best comment wins…”
To enter, participants had to comment and subscribe.
3. Talent Contest
Another popular giveaway entry method involves skill or talent! You can ask your fans to submit videos to enter the giveaway.
The video’s content could be anything related to your business. For example, suppose you’re an artist. You could ask your audience to share a video compilation of their favorite artwork or of them creating artwork.
Bonus Tip: Create an official hashtag for the giveaway so you can track submissions and ask participants to use it. Then, you can post the fan-submitted videos to your YouTube channel.
Here is an example of a talent contest giveaway on YouTube by Ice Poseidon.
He says, “Greetings this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at the address in the description or on the video. Right here, we will be doing a viewer talent show; it will be scary.
There will be a lot of stage fright, three hardcore judges who will judge your every move, and if you come out on top in front of the other contestants, you will win a brand new iPhone eight.”
Participants had to create a video entry (user-generated content) to enter.
Now, let’s evaluate some of the benefits of hosting your giveaway on YouTube!
The Benefits of YouTube Giveaways
Giveaways extend beyond a quick method of getting new subscribers—they can help increase your loyal fans. If you’re just starting, YouTube giveaways can help you build brand awareness.
Whatever stage of experience your business is in, to summarize – your giveaways can serve the following benefits.
- Get more subscribers and views. Suppose you ask people to subscribe to your channel and watch a video to enter the giveaway. You will gain views and subscribers throughout your giveaway.
- Brand awareness. You will reach new audiences. You could ask subscribers to share the giveaway with their friends to win the giveaway prize.
- Fan loyalty. You can gain loyal fans even after the giveaway ends, especially if they have a good experience.
- User engagement. Naturally, people will engage with your other videos on YouTube if they enter your giveaway.
Hosting a YouTube Giveaway 2024 in 7 Steps
Here are 7 steps to get your YouTube giveaway off the ground and tips to make it successful!
1. Set SMART Goals
This involves setting goals and making them “smart.” During this step, you should be clear and specific about what you want your YouTube giveaway to achieve.
Ensure you set a start and end date, then identify your desired outcome before the beginning of the giveaway. You should consider the purpose of running it.
SMART goals are:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Relevant
T – Time-bound
Using the smart system – if you want to increase your following – add to that by aiming to grow your following by X amount.
Whatever number of followers you choose, make it SMART. Consider each smart system’s points and how they could apply to your giveaway goals.
2. Choose a Great Prize
Make your prize worth competing for. It should check the following boxes:
- An appealing prize aimed at your target audience
- A new product or service you are offering to build interest
- Something affordable for you to give away for free
- A prize that can be delivered digitally is a good idea if you offer gift cards or discounts (this saves on shipping costs)
- If you offer a physical prize, ensure it isn’t too difficult to deliver.
Bonus Tip: Choose a valuable prize that your winner will love to use. Practical prizes are often irresistible.
3. Design Your Giveaway
You must pick a giveaway type and design it to life for this process step! As mentioned earlier, there are many ways to host a video giveaway.
Depending on your marketing goals, pick a giveaway type that works best for your business. In summary, the most common giveaway types are as follows:
- Standard giveaways
- Comment to win
- Talent contest
- Collaboration videos
- User-generated videos
- Polls and surveys
Pro Tip: Comment-to-win giveaways on YouTube can be tricky to manage because you must manually find the comments that qualify. You must also ensure the comments comply with YouTube’s guidelines and sift through spam and fake entries.
We recommend using a top-tier WordPress giveaway plugin such as RafflePress to host your giveaway to ease this process.
4. Follow the Rules
As noted earlier, YouTube has strict rules about what types of giveaways you can create and the prizes you can offer. So before you create a giveaway on YouTube, check out YouTube’s contest policies and guidelines.
In summary, you must adhere to the following main rules:
- You must commit to and abide by all of YouTube’s guidelines.
- Don’t infringe upon or encourage users’ copyright or third-party rights.
- Your giveaway must be free to enter, and you must check your local area lottery laws.
- Do not state your giveaway is affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube if it’s not.
- The entrant’s video entry does not belong to you, and you can’t ask for the rights to the video.
- You and any third party may not manipulate YouTube metrics to misrepresent genuine viewer engagement with the service.
5. Entice People to Enter
The next crucial step is to make a video about your giveaway and share that on YouTube! You want to spread the word once you have created your giveaway.
Be sure to post the link on all your social media platforms and email it to your subscription email list if you have one.
This step should also include details on how they can enter your giveaway. Your video description should entice your audience and include a compelling reason why they should enter!
Properly including your contest’s rules in the description is essential. Provide clear instructions to make it easy for people to enter your YouTube giveaway.
You should give your audience time to create their talent contest submissions—around 3-4 weeks works well for these giveaways, and 1-3 weeks for a standard giveaway is a reasonable time frame.
6. Collaborate With Others
This step is optional, but you may want to try it. Working with an influencer or social media celebrity can help promote your giveaway and make it go viral.
You will naturally gain more views as the collaborator’s followers will see the contest and may also encourage them to participate!
You could also partner with other brands for your giveaway. This would be an excellent opportunity to promote your work and collaborate on a valuable prize or prize bundle to gift your fans.
7. Be Creative
To make your YouTube giveaway stand out from the crowd, be creative and colorful to get people interested in participating.
For example, video thumbnails are often mistakenly overlooked in YouTube marketing. How can you jazz up your video thumbnails to capture a YouTube user’s attention?
Let’s give you an example. Suppose you want to do a t-shirt giveaway. If someone searched for t-shirt giveaways on YouTube, which search result would grab their attention first?
One that says “T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY” in caps will likely draw their attention. Alongside the eye-catching title, the thumbnail will be on display and attract attention, so you want to make that attractive and upload a relevant image.
Final tip: If you would like to streamline and host your giveaway on Gleam, look at this informative site about using Gleam to host giveaways on YouTube.
Do YouTube Giveaways Increase Followers?
Running a giveaway can help you increase your following and YouTube subscribers. They can also help you increase customer retention (or grow loyal followers).
Increasing followers is one of the leading marketing goals people aim for with their YouTube giveaways, and it works.
To increase your follower list, ask participants to subscribe to your channel and leave a comment to enter the giveaway. But remember, a third-party app like Rafflecoptor will be indispensable for keeping track of certain giveaway actions.
However, when these followers are gained, you must make great efforts to retain them.
Your business is bound to attract new followers because people love free stuff – gaining them is easy, but retaining them is tricky.
From our experience, here are six easy steps to prevent people from unfollowing you shortly after the giveaway has ended.
1. Attract the Right Audience
Giveaways will help you gain new followers, but you must attract the right audience. This step is especially important for keeping the followers after the giveaway.
We recommend you keep your giveaway relevant to your business for this effect.
2. Post Often
Running a successful YouTube giveaway and building excitement requires posting regularly. This step is helpful after a giveaway to assure your new followers that you have an active account.
As you post often, you must also not overdo it. Too many notifications at once have the potential to annoy and drive people away.
3. Make it Relatable
The giveaway attracted people to your account, and the content you post after it’s over will keep them there. Now that you have new followers, you should post content that is relevant to them and their interests.
Suppose you’re a beauty brand. You could post tutorials or photos of influencers using your products to attract attention and increase sales.
4. Engage New Followers
Engagement is key to building positive connections between you and your followers. Your followers are less likely to hit that unfollow button if they can interact with your brand through other social media.
People appreciate businesses they can participate in, so keep the conversation going and integrate your new followers into your other social media channels.
5. Run More Giveaways
A giveaway gained you new followers, so why not do more of the same? Although it’s unnecessary to hold a giveaway every day, frequently running giveaways will help retain your followers and attract new ones!
Sharing the word about promised giveaways will build your audience’s excitement and promote your business’s values of giving back.
6. Work With Influencers
Influencer marketing shows your brand in a positive light and showcases your product or service. Repurposing user-generated content on your page will be a great way to market your products and services while showing your new followers that you mean business.
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Entering YouTube Giveaways
Not only can you find awesome content on YouTube, but you can also find pretty awesome giveaways! You need to know how to find these giveaways.
If you’re looking for giveaways on YouTube, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re a YouTube veteran or just starting on the platform, read on for some valuable insights!
Where to Find YouTube Giveaways?
You can find YouTube giveaways in various places, but your main bet is to search directly on the platform.
Use the search bar on YouTube to search for any giveaway you like!
You can also use the live stream section to search for giveaway hashtags. Use generic phrases such as #giveaway2024 or #sneakergiveaway, for example.
On other social media channels, you will find standard giveaway videos and “shorts” that are similar stories.
You can get creative with your search terms and look for giveaways related to you and your interests. Why not search for your favorite brands and influencers on YouTube to check if they are running giveaways?
More than searching for giveaways on the platform, you could try searching on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Use hashtags and search terms such as #YouTubegiveaway2024, #YouTubesneakergiveaway, #YouTubesweepstakes, and #YouTubewincompetition.
How Do You Win YouTube Giveaways?
Winning YouTube giveaways isn’t as straightforward as entering them! Fair giveaways should not be biased, so you mostly have to rely on luck to win. However, some very important details will increase the likelihood of winning.
The exception to winning by luck is if you enter talent contests (when your user-generated content entry will compete with others).
You will find an array of giveaways requiring you to create original content and more accessible prize draws (such as following a channel and commenting on a video to win).
Here are a handful of ways you can optimize your chances of winning a giveaway.
1. Narrow Your Search
We recommend filtering the giveaways you want to enter and choosing the ones that interest you! Registering for every single giveaway you find might result in disappointing results, so don’t overdo it and focus on what you want.
2. Optimize Your Profile
To do this, you want to give your account a makeover. If you enter a talent contest giveaway, the judge might view your profile before deciding if you’re a winner, so make it look good!
Make sure you have a nice profile photo and that it’s worth having a cover photo accompany it. Write a fun bio to go the extra mile and make your profile stand out.
3. Be an Active Fan
If you’re following a YouTube channel that regularly posts giveaways, we recommend you regularly engage with them.
By interacting with them, they’ll know you’re a fan, and when you enter their giveaways, your account name will already be familiar to them.
4. Follow Local Channels
Search for local channels you know and love in your area. Find your favorite local businesses on YouTube and those that do regular giveaways!
Giveaways hosted by smaller channels get far less attention than most, so you have a higher chance of winning.
7 Steps to Winning YouTube Giveaways
From our experience, we have gathered the 7 steps you need to follow to win a YouTube giveaway.
1. Make Your Subscriptions Public
To be eligible to enter most YouTube giveaways, you need to be subscribed to the channel organizing them. In other words, the giveaway host needs to know you’re following them.
Make your channels public and visible to the public to ensure you can win giveaways on YouTube.
2. Enter Lots of Giveaways
You should enter as many giveaways as humanely possible on YouTube to follow this step! We recommend you look up giveaway hashtags and any relevant hashtags, such as #YouTubegiveaways and #entertowingiveaway.
You can search for these giveaways in the platform’s video and live stream sections.
3. Enter Correctly to win
Make sure you’re entered into the giveaway correctly. If you fail to follow any of the steps, you won’t be eligible to win!
To ensure your chance of winning, read and follow all the giveaway rules.
4. Know the Deadline Date
You want to check and see if you’ve won on the deadline when the giveaway closes! It’s possible you might not get notified, so you want to be proactive and check to see if you’ve won anything.
Sometimes, it’s up to you to chase the giveaway channel to find out who won, although they may post an announcement on their channel. So stay tuned and subscribe after the giveaway.
5. Follow Up
You want to contact the channel immediately if you’ve won! It sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many people forget about this step, especially if they enter many giveaways simultaneously!
If you’re an “alternate winner” or runner-up, you should follow up immediately! As a runner-up, you might win if the main winner doesn’t claim the prize.
6. Good Connectivity
If you enter a live-stream giveaway on YouTube, ensure you’re live! The video stream might be slow if you have a bad internet connection.
If the video is processing slowly and you’re lagging, you won’t stand a good chance of winning, especially if the winner needs to answer questions as they’re announced.
7. Live Chat
When you enter live-stream giveaways, ensure you use the live chat function, not the top chat. You need to be viewing “live comments,” so you’re ready to go when the giveaway starts!
You should click on the button at the top of your screen which says live chat.
Pro tip: You also need to type fast to win a live-stream giveaway, and if you don’t know an answer, throw a random guess!
Aim to use multiple devices for several live streams simultaneously if you take it to the next level.
Bonus Tip: Remember, the smaller the channel is, the better your chances of winning! Rather than entering a giveaway with thousands of subscribers, enter those with hundreds.
YouTube Giveaways Takeaway
YouTube is the world’s second-biggest social media platform, with over 2.5 billion active users (as of 2023). Facebook is The only platform with more active users (2.9 billion).
Over 4 billion active social media users worldwide, meaning just over 54% access YouTube! There are many potential giveaway entrants and many more YouTube giveaways to enter.
For organizers, you now know how to start, so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and launch your own YouTube giveaway.
For entrants, if you enjoyed this giveaway guide and want more social media giveaways to enter or learn about, you should check out our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook giveaway guides. We help you run and win more giveaways!
Check out our website, Giveawaylisting.com, for more global giveaways and giveaway guides.
YouTube Giveaways FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about YouTube giveaways in 2024.
Are YouTube Giveaways Free?
It’s always free to enter a YouTube giveaway for one reason: they must always be free of charge (according to rules and regulations).
As a giveaway holder, you must not charge anyone to enter the giveaway or the prizes you offer!
Do YouTubers Give Away Money?
It’s rare, but not impossible, to find YouTubers who give away money. For example, the infamous YouTube star named MrBeast always gives away money on his channel.
He’s one of America’s biggest YouTubers and is well known for giving people large sums of money in his videos.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, recently gave away thousands of dollars to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. The YouTuber said he gave away iPhones and bundles of $10,000!
He’s so generous we have a giveaway guide dedicated to him. Check out the MrBeast giveaway guide to find out more!
What YouTube Channels Do Giveaways?
Several YouTube channels run giveaways via their account. Here are three channels that run giveaways on YouTube.
If you like the look of those YouTube channel giveaways, you should check out our complimentary giveaway guides!
Does YouTube Run Giveaways for Subscribers?
No, YouTube doesn’t run giveaways for its subscribers, but many successful YouTube channels regularly do!
YouTube channels host giveaways to boost subscribers, give back to their audience, increase their views, and more. That’s good news for giveaway lovers, and we’re not complaining!
