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
Ever notice how the most successful live streamers keep their audiences glued to their screens? Having watched my fair share of streams as a closet cozy gamer, I’ve seen how adding giveaways to a live stream can turn a quiet chat into an energetic buzz of engaged viewers.
With live streaming reaching 28.4% of internet users worldwide, standing out isn’t easy. But running giveaways during your streams is one of the best ways to boost engagement and keep viewers watching longer. It turns a regular stream into an exciting event that people don’t want to miss.
In this guide, I’ll share my favorite live stream giveaway ideas that actually work. They’re proven strategies I’ve seen other successful streamers use to grow their audiences and create more engaging streams.
Live Stream Giveaway Ideas:
When watching live streams, I’ve always noticed that as soon as the streamer says they’re doing a giveaway, the chat gets super lively. A quiet stream suddenly becomes fun and busy.
Sure, people come at first because they want to win prizes. But it’s the friendships they make that matter.
Viewers start talking to each other, sharing their stories, and just become part of your stream’s group. They came for the giveaway, but they stay because they feel like they belong.
Giveaways also help your channel grow without you having to work too hard. New people join because of the contest, but many of them stick around even after it’s over. They liked the friendly feeling and the fun chat, and that makes them want to come back and become regular viewers.
Now that you know the benefits of using giveaways on your streaming channel, here are some of my favorite live stream giveaway ideas.
Flash giveaways add a burst of excitement to your stream. I love joining these because they keep viewers on their toes.
You announce the contest, give people a short time to enter (usually 5–15 minutes), and pick a winner right there during your stream.
In this example from Pink Paradise Nails, they’re promoting a flash giveaway hosted on their TikTok live stream. Over the course of 2 hours, they ran 5 flash giveaways for their press on nails:
These quick contests work great because they create instant excitement. People have to act fast if they want to win, which makes your stream more engaging and fun.
If you want to learn more about this type of giveaway, see my guide on how to run a flash giveaway.
I’m a big fan of trivia contests during streams because they’re fun for everyone watching. The chat lights up with answers, and people love showing off what they know.
You can ask questions about your stream’s topic, your industry, or even pop culture.
I really liked this example where Oupes, a YouTube channel about power resources, ran a quiz where viewers had to answer 5 questions about electricity and emergency preparedness:
It works perfectly for the brand since it’s super relevant and the audience could test their knowledge and get the chance to win relevant prizes.
What makes these giveaways special is that everyone gets to play along, even if they’re not the winner.
What’s more, while people are having fun answering questions, they’re also learning more about your niche. It’s a clever way to keep viewers engaged and educated at the same time.
Nothing brings your community together like celebrating achievements. Whether you’ve hit 1,000 followers or it’s your stream’s one-year anniversary, these moments are perfect for running a special giveaway.
Milestone giveaways work so well because everyone feels like they helped you reach that goal. It’s a great way to thank your viewers for their support while making the celebration even more exciting.
I’ve seen streamers get really creative with these. Some give away multiple prizes to match their milestone number, like five prizes for 5,000 followers.
Take Digital Trends, for example. To celebrate reaching 1 million subscribers, they gave away 5 big ticket tech prizes to thank their subscribers:
It makes the whole community feel like they’re part of something special.
When a streamer sets a follower goal and adds a giveaway to it, something amazing happens. I’ve watched quiet streams turn into buzzing communities as everyone works together to hit that target.
The smart streamers make it even more exciting by offering different prizes at different levels.
For instance, a small prize at 500 followers, and something bigger at 1,000. This keeps people engaged and gives them something to work toward together.
It’s about building excitement in your community. Everyone feels like they’re part of helping the channel grow.
Community challenges are some of my favorite giveaways to watch because they get everyone working together. Instead of competing against each other, viewers team up to reach a common goal.
For example, I’ve seen streamers challenge their community to collectively solve a puzzle, reach a gaming milestone, or even raise money for charity.
Here’s a great example from Brookdale Esports. They ran a 24 hour livestream with plenty of events including merch giveaways to raise money for the Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation.
The prize is shared when the community hits their target.
These challenges create such a positive vibe in your stream. People help each other out, share strategies, and celebrate together when they succeed.
Product launches are perfect times to run a giveaway on your stream. I’ve seen brands and creators use this strategy to build serious buzz around their new releases.
Check out this stream from Uncle Jessey. He ran a live stream in the run up to the launch of Elegoo’s new products, giving away a total of 8 prizes:
You can offer early access, exclusive versions, or first-look opportunities as prizes. It gets your viewers excited about your product while making them feel like VIPs.
Want to make your product launch even more successful? Take a look at my guide on how to promote a new product.
Holiday giveaways are always a hit because everyone’s already in a festive mood. I love how streamers get creative with seasonal themes, from spooky Halloween prizes to festive Christmas giveaways.
You can plan these around any holiday – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, or even fun occasions like National Pizza Day. The key is matching your prizes to the holiday spirit.
One of my favourites is when musician Drake teamed up with Adin Ross for his “Drizzmas Giveaway”.
Fans had the chance to win a romantic vacation, a Lamborghini or Mercedes G-Class SUV, a year’s worth of rent and the opportunity to witness Drake live.
Want some holiday-specific ideas? Check out these guides for:
Some of the most exciting giveaways I’ve seen happen when streamers team up. When two or more creators work together, they bring their communities together and create something special.
These collaborations can be anything from joint gaming sessions to creative challenges. The best part is that both communities get to meet new people and discover new channels they might like.
Plus, when streamers pool their prizes, the giveaways get even more exciting. Everyone wins – the viewers get better prizes, and the streamers reach new audiences.
Interactive games during streams are just plain fun. Instead of just dropping a message in chat to enter, viewers get to play along with mini-games to win prizes.
I’ve seen streamers use everything from word scrambles to prediction games. Sometimes it’s as simple as guessing a number between 1-100, or as creative as a virtual scavenger hunt where viewers have to spot certain things in the stream.
Here’s a super simple example where the streamer hid one-use games codes throughout his videos and live streams:
These games keep everyone entertained, even if they don’t win. It’s way more engaging than just waiting for a random draw.
Comment contests are simple but effective. Instead of just asking people to type a keyword, you get them to share stories, opinions, or creative responses in the chat.
You can ask for everything from the best gaming tips to the funniest stream moments. It gets people talking and sharing, which makes the whole stream more interesting.
In this example, John Maleki gave away a bundle of his merch to the first person to comment the correct month that his daughter was born:
The best part is reading all the responses – sometimes the comments are even more entertaining than the stream itself. Plus, it helps you learn more about your viewers and what they like.
After running many giveaways, I’ve learned that hosting them on your own website works best. It gives you more control over everything – from how your giveaway looks to what happens with participant data.
When you host giveaways on your site, you can:
I use RafflePress for my WordPress giveaways because it makes everything simple.
You can create entry methods that work with your stream, connect with all your social media accounts, and manage everything from your WordPress dashboard.
Want to see exactly how to set this up for your stream? Take a look at my guide on how to do giveaways on Twitch and how to do a YouTube giveaway.
Collecting ideas for your live stream giveaway is just the tip of the iceberg. To make sure it’s a success, check out these essential giveaway tips and tutorials:
I’ve shared my favorite giveaway ideas with you, from quick flash contests to community challenges. They’re all ways to build a lively, engaged community around your streams.
The best part about these giveaways? They work for any type of stream. Whether you’re a cozy gamer like me or running a business channel, there’s a giveaway format that’ll fit your style.
Remember to keep it fun and genuine. Your viewers will appreciate that more than any prize you could offer.
Ready to start a live stream giveaway on your WordPress website?
If you liked this article, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for RafflePress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. We only recommend products that we believe will add value to our readers.
Copyright © 2024 SeedProd LLC. RafflePress® is a registered trademark of SeedProd LLC
