New Update: Boost Social Proof with Reviews & Automation
Introducing RafflePress's new leave-a-review giveaway actions. Boost customer engagement and build trust effortlessly by incentivizing reviews in WordPress.
New Update: Boost Social Proof with Reviews & Automation
Stacey Corrin
Stacey Corrin
John Turner
John Turner
A hashtag contest is a simple way to boost engagement and reach new people. When you ask users to post with a specific hashtag, you create a stream of content that spreads your message fast.
Tracking those entries by hand gets messy. It’s easy to miss posts or fall behind on platform rules, and that can ruin the contest for you and your audience.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to run a hashtag contest step by step. You’ll see how to plan your giveaway, set up the entry methods, and manage everything through your WordPress site with RafflePress.
Table of Contents
A hashtag contest is a giveaway where people enter by posting content with a specific hashtag. When someone uses that hashtag on a social platform, their post counts as an entry.
This format works well because the content comes from real users, not your brand. Each post helps you reach new people, build trust quickly, and collect UGC you can reuse in future campaigns.
User-generated content works because people trust real experiences more than polished brand posts. A photo or comment from an actual customer feels honest, which makes it easier for new people to pay attention.
When your contest encourages users to share their own content, you build credibility fast and give others a clear reason to join in.
Now that you know what a hashtag contest is, let’s look at how to plan, create, and run one to grow your business.
The best place to run a hashtag contest is on your own website because you keep full control over entries, rules, and tracking. You can still promote the hashtag on social media, but your site gives you a central hub for everything.
You can run a hashtag contest on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. Instagram and TikTok usually perform best because hashtags are already part of how people discover content.
Running the contest only on social media makes it harder to track posts, confirm eligibility, and stay compliant with platform rules. Manual checking also takes time, and it’s easy to miss entries.
When you host the contest on your WordPress site with RafflePress, everything stays organized in one place. You can list your rules, set clear entry methods, and collect verified submissions without switching between apps.
From there, you can promote the hashtag on any social channel to get more reach while keeping all entries and data inside WordPress.
Here are some contest ideas to help you get started.
Your contest goals guide every decision you make, from the platform you choose to the prize you offer. Clear goals also make it easier to measure success when the contest ends.
Most businesses run a hashtag contest to:
Pick one or two primary goals before you start building the contest. This helps you choose the right entry methods in RafflePress and keeps your giveaway focused on results that matter. If you need help with this step, see our guide on how to set smart giveaway goals.
Your prize is the main reason people enter, so choose something valuable and directly relevant to your audience. A strong prize attracts more entries and keeps the right people engaged after the contest ends.
Popular prize options include:
Your prize should appeal to your ideal customer, not just anyone looking for something free. This helps you avoid low-quality entries and attract people who are likely to stick around.
If you need more inspiration, here are some giveaway prize ideas you can use.
Your hashtag should be short, easy to spell, and simple to remember. A clear hashtag helps people enter correctly and makes it easier for you to track posts.
I recommend combining one brand-specific hashtag with a few broad giveaway tags. This widens your reach while keeping the contest tied to your business.
Using too many generic tags like #contest, #giveaway, or #win can attract “contest hunters,” which are accounts that enter everything they see but never engage with your brand.
Focus on niche tags that match your audience, such as #writingcontest or #techgiveaway. You’ll get fewer junk entries and attract people who care about your products.
ChildFund’s #MyScariestMonster contest is a good example. The hashtag is easy to read, fits the theme, and encourages kids to share creative UGC.
Your rules keep the contest fair and make sure you follow each platform’s promotion policies. Clear rules also help you avoid confusion when it’s time to check entries.
Because this contest depends on a hashtag, the first rule should state that entries must include the exact hashtag you choose.
Other key details to include are:
Here’s an example from ChildFund’s campaign:
If you want help writing your rules, see our guide on how to write giveaway rules.
Once the rules are ready, you can move on to building your contest with RafflePress.
The easiest way to run a hashtag contest is to build it on your WordPress site with RafflePress. This gives you one place to manage entries, add rules, and track qualified posts without relying on social media tools.
Below, I’ll show you how to set up your contest using the most recent version of RafflePress.
Start by downloading RafflePress and installing it on your site. If you need help, here’s a quick guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Once it’s active, go to RafflePress » Add New in your WordPress dashboard to create your giveaway.
Give your giveaway a name, then pick a template. Templates help you start fast and focus on your contest goal.
For a hashtag contest, the Classic Giveaway template works well and gives you full control with the drag-and-drop builder.
Next, add your prize. Click the pencil icon under Giveaway Prize Details and enter the prize name and description. You can also upload a photo to help your contest stand out.
Choose your start and end dates on the left, and click Save regularly as you work.
RafflePress gives you several entry methods, and you can combine them to match your goals. For a hashtag contest, the key action is uploading an image or post link to confirm the user created UGC.
You can also add bonus actions like following you on social media, joining your email list, or sharing the contest with friends.
Click any action to add it, then use the right-hand settings to change the title, entry value, or requirements.
Open the Design tab and choose a layout, fonts, and button colors. If you’re using RafflePress’s landing page option, you can customize the page background here too.
Click Save when everything looks right.
In the Settings tab, you can manage your contest rules, email verification, success tracking, and more. The most important section is Giveaway Rules, which displays your terms to every participant.
Click +Generate Rules to open the Rules Generator template. Enter your sponsor details and click Generate Rules to add them to your giveaway.
If you want help with advanced settings, you can view the full RafflePress documentation.
Open the Publish tab and choose how to display your contest. You can embed it in a post, use a shortcode, or publish a dedicated landing page.
A landing page usually performs best because it removes distractions and keeps the user focused on entering.
Set your landing page permalink, save your changes, and click View to preview the page.
Your hashtag contest is now live and ready for entries.
Strong promotion is what gets your contest in front of the right people. You should start promoting it before it goes live so you build momentum and get entries on day one.
The easiest place to begin is social media. Share the contest link, invite people to enter, and ask them to tag a friend to spread the word.
You can also promote your hashtag contest by:
If you want more ideas, here’s a full list of contest promotion strategies you can use.
Choosing the winner is simple with RafflePress because all entries are collected and organized for you. You can pick a random winner in seconds or review UGC manually if your contest requires it.
When your contest ends, go to RafflePress » Giveaways and click the Needs Winners link to open your list of entries.
Click Pick Winner, set how many winners you want, and hit Choose Winners Now. RafflePress will highlight the winner at the top of your list.
Because this is a hashtag contest, make sure the winner used your hashtag correctly. Click the entry link to review their post before emailing them.
Following up after your contest keeps your new audience engaged and shows appreciation to everyone who took part. It also gives you one more chance to spotlight your winner and your brand.
You can start by posting a winner announcement on social media. Tag the winner and share the winning post if it fits your campaign.
You can also send an email to the participants. Thank them for joining, share the winning entry, and point them to future giveaways or products they may like.
Measuring your results shows what worked, what didn’t, and how you can improve your next contest. You only need a few key metrics to understand performance.
If you want an easy way to track traffic from your giveaway landing page, MonsterInsights is a good option. MonsterInsights brings your Google Analytics data into WordPress and turns it into clear reports you can check at a glance.
With MonsterInsights, you can see pageviews, referral sources, and which promotion channels drove the most entries. This gives you a clear picture of what to repeat and what to improve for your next hashtag contest.
I hope this guide helped you learn how to run a hashtag contest the easy way.
With RafflePress, you can collect entries, verify posts, and grow your audience from a single dashboard. It keeps everything organized so you can focus on the results, not the manual work.
Get started with RafflePress today.
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