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
Most people search for different types of contests because they want to grow their audience but aren’t sure which format actually works. Each contest type has its strengths. Some are great for email signups, some drive social followers, and others help you reach new people fast.
Quick Summary: Online contests are promotional events where businesses incentivize users to perform specific actions—like subscribing or sharing—in exchange for a chance to win a prize. If you are a beginner, the three most effective types to start with are:
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the most popular contest formats that work well for small businesses and explain how each one helps you reach the right audience with less effort.
Online contests work well for small businesses because they give people a clear reason to take action. When the reward feels simple and immediate, more people are willing to join your email list, follow you on social media, or share your content with friends.
The impact can be huge even on a small budget. In my analysis of market data, I found that OptinMonster’s Black Friday giveaway is the perfect case study. They used RafflePress to run a simple contest with bonus referral actions, and it created a viral loop that spread across their audience.
That single giveaway drove 24,372 entries, 3,500 new users, and a 3X increase in email list growth. It’s a good example of how the right contest format can reach far beyond your existing followers and bring new people to your business fast.
Contests also help you get attention without relying on paid ads. Referral entries, sharing tasks, and social actions all work together to bring in new visitors who might never have found you otherwise. That’s why so many small brands use giveaways when they want quick, focused growth without adding more tools to their marketing stack.
There are many ways to run a contest, and each format delivers a different kind of audience growth. To help you choose the right one, I’ve pulled together 13 contest types that are simple to run and easy for beginners to understand.
A simple sweepstakes is the classic “enter to win” giveaway where people join with one quick action. It’s the easiest contest type for beginners and works well when you want broad engagement without extra steps.
You can see a clear example of this on RealSimple. It runs a straightforward sweepstakes where users enter for a chance to win a cash prize by submitting their email address and subscribing to the newsletter.
How it works:
| Best For | Fast email list growth and high entry volume |
| Ideal Prize | A product bundle or audience-relevant digital download |
| Typical Duration | 7–14 days |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Using a generic prize that attracts the wrong audience |
If you’re confused about what qualifies as a sweepstakes, this guide explains the difference between a sweepstakes, contest, and lottery.
A refer-a-friend giveaway rewards people for sharing your contest with their friends. It’s one of the fastest ways to reach new audiences because every entrant helps spread the word with a single click.
A strong example of this is the Smash Balloon Black Friday giveaway. By encouraging people to share the giveaway for extra entries, they generated 54,623 total entries and thousands of new subscribers in under four weeks.
How it works:
| Best For | Reaching new audiences and encouraging viral sharing |
| Ideal Prize | A high-value or highly relevant item that people want to talk about |
| Typical Duration | 10–14 days |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Not offering enough bonus entries to motivate people to share |
If you want step-by-step help getting started with this type of contest, see our guide on how to run a refer-a-friend giveaway.
A social follow and share contest encourages people to follow your brand on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or X. It works well when you want quick visibility and a burst of engagement across multiple social media networks.
A clear example of this is Milk Makeup’s Instagram giveaway. They asked users to follow their account, like the post, tag friends, and share it for extra visibility, which helped the contest spread quickly across the platform.
How it works:
| Best For | Growing social media followers and boosting visibility |
| Ideal Prize | A product or bundle that your social audience already engages with |
| Typical Duration | 5–10 days |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Relying on a single platform instead of sharing across multiple channels |
If you’re new to this format, see our guide on social media contest ideas for more inspiration.
A photo or video submission contest invites people to create content around a specific theme. It’s a great format when you want user-generated content you can reuse for social proof, brand storytelling, or community engagement.
A clear example of this is Starbucks’ White Cup Contest, where customers decorated plain Starbucks cups and submitted photos of their designs. The contest generated over 4,000 entries in three weeks and helped Starbucks showcase customer creativity while boosting brand loyalty.
How it works:
| Best For | Generating user content, increasing engagement, and building community |
| Ideal Prize | A themed product, bundle, or feature opportunity related to your brand |
| Typical Duration | 10–21 days |
| Difficulty Level | Medium |
| Common Pitfall | Unclear rules or themes, which reduce the quality of submissions |
For step-by-step help, see our guide on how to run a photo contest.
A caption contest asks people to submit a funny or creative caption for an image you provide. It’s an easy way to get engagement because participants only need to write a short line instead of creating a full photo or video.
A well-known example is The New Yorker Caption Contest, where readers submit captions for a weekly cartoon. The contest attracts thousands of entries and shows how a simple image can spark conversation and community engagement.
How it works:
| Best For | Boosting engagement and encouraging creativity |
| Ideal Prize | A small gift card, feature, or product sample |
| Typical Duration | 5–7 days |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Using an image that’s too vague or confusing, which reduces entries |
If you want more inspiration, see our guide on caption contest examples.
A hashtag contest asks people to post content on social media using a specific hashtag to enter. It works well when you want visibility on platforms like Instagram, X, or TikTok, because every entry helps spread your branded hashtag.
A strong example is Lay’s Do Us a Flavor competition, where fans submitted new chip flavor ideas and promoted them using the campaign hashtag. The contest received over 700,000 submissions, and the winning flavor earned a $1 million prize.
How it works:
| Best For | Boosting social visibility and collecting public entries |
| Ideal Prize | A high-value item or experience that encourages sharing |
| Typical Duration | 7–14 days |
| Difficulty Level | Medium |
| Common Pitfall | Using a hashtag that already exists or is too broad |
For a step-by-step walkthrough, see our guide on how to run a hashtag contest.
A quiz or trivia contest asks people to answer questions to win a prize. It works well when you want deeper participation because users stay engaged for longer than a simple entry action.
A strong example is Under Armour’s Steph IQ game, a real-time trivia contest triggered during Steph Curry’s playoff performances. Fans answered rapid-fire questions about Curry and the NBA for a chance to win Curry5 sneakers, playoff tickets, and cash prizes, keeping users engaged for an average of 40 minutes.
How it works:
| Best For | High engagement and keeping users on your page for longer sessions |
| Ideal Prize | A themed prize tied to the trivia topic, such as merch or exclusive access |
| Typical Duration | Short, timed sessions or 3–7 day open entry |
| Difficulty Level | Medium |
| Common Pitfall | Making the questions too difficult, which discourages participation |
A poll or vote contest asks people to choose their favorite option from a shortlist. It works well when you want quick interaction because users only need to click once to enter.
A clear example is the Oxford University Press Word of the Year public vote, where people select their preferred word from a shortlist of trending expressions. Users can click once to vote and scroll to learn more about each contender, making it a simple and engaging format.
How it works:
| Best For | Fast engagement and understanding audience preferences |
| Ideal Prize | A small reward such as a gift card, feature, or product bundle |
| Typical Duration | 3–7 days |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Not presenting the options clearly, which reduces participation |
For step-by-step help, see our guide on how to create a poll in WordPress.
A milestone giveaway celebrates something important for your business, such as an anniversary, product launch, or follower milestone. It works well because people enjoy joining celebrations and sharing them with others.
A strong example is the WPBeginner 16th Birthday Giveaway, which offered over $20,000 in prizes to celebrate the site’s anniversary. The giveaway received over 9,035 entries and selected 87 winners, showing how effective milestone celebrations can be for driving participation and community engagement.
How it works:
| Best For | Boosting awareness and strengthening community loyalty |
| Ideal Prize | A bundle, exclusive discount, or product pack tied to your milestone |
| Typical Duration | 5–10 days |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Choosing a milestone that your audience doesn’t relate to |
A seasonal or holiday contest runs during a specific time of year, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Valentine’s Day. It works well because people are already in a festive mindset and more open to joining giveaways.
A clear example is this Thanksgiving giveaway from Natural Glow Esthetics, which offered prizes like a $50 Aldi gift card, a frozen turkey, and a ready-to-bake ham. Entrants liked the post, commented what they were thankful for, tagged friends, and shared it to their stories, which helped the contest spread through the local community.
How it works:
| Best For | Boosting engagement during busy holiday seasons |
| Ideal Prize | Seasonal bundles, holiday meals, or themed gift cards |
| Typical Duration | 3–7 days |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Launching too close to the holiday, which limits reach |
For more inspiration, see these popular Thanksgiving giveaway ideas.
A partner or co-branded contest is a giveaway you run with another business that shares your audience. It works well because both brands promote the contest, which brings in more entrants and increases visibility for everyone involved.
A clear example is this co-branded giveaway from KraveBeauty and ZitSticka, where both brands teamed up to offer their full product ranges to two winners. Entrants tagged a friend, followed both accounts, and could earn bonus entries by following the brands on TikTok, which gave the giveaway extra reach across multiple platforms.
How it works:
| Best For | Reaching new audiences through a trusted partner |
| Ideal Prize | A bundle featuring products from both brands |
| Typical Duration | 5–7 days |
| Difficulty Level | Medium |
| Common Pitfall | Partnering with a brand that doesn’t share your audience |
If you want help planning a joint giveaway, see our guide on how to plan a brand giveaway collaboration.
A pre-launch contest helps you build an audience before a new product or business goes live. It works well because people are excited to join early and earn rewards before anyone else.
A well-known example is the pre-launch campaign from Harry’s Razors, where users referred friends to earn guaranteed rewards instead of entering a random draw. The milestone system removed the “I probably won’t win” barrier and helped Harry’s collect over 100,000 email signups in one week.
How it works:
| Best For | Building a large email list before launching a new product |
| Ideal Prize | Tiered rewards users can unlock by referring friends |
| Typical Duration | 1–3 weeks |
| Difficulty Level | Medium |
| Common Pitfall | Offering rewards that are too small to motivate sharing |
For a full guide, see our walkthrough on how to pre-launch a product with viral giveaways.
A review or testimonial contest encourages customers to share honest feedback directly on your website. It works well because genuine testimonials help build trust and give future buyers confidence in your brand.
It is vital to note that platforms like Google and Amazon strictly prohibit incentivizing direct reviews. However, the method described here offers a chance to win a prize for the action of leaving feedback on your own site, rather than a guaranteed reward for a positive rating on a third-party platform.
A clear example is the King of Shaves Review Giveaway, where customers could win an iPad by submitting a genuine product review. Every valid review was entered into a free prize draw, which helped the brand collect more customer feedback while rewarding its community.
How it works:
| Best For | Collecting customer feedback and building trust |
| Ideal Prize | A high-value product or device your audience will want |
| Typical Duration | 2–4 weeks |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Common Pitfall | Not verifying that reviews are genuine before counting entries |
If you want to run this format on your site, see our guide on how to do a review giveaway in WordPress.
The easiest way to run a contest in WordPress is to use a plugin that handles entries, tracking, and winner selection for you. RafflePress does this in a few clicks, so you can launch any of the contest types above without extra tools.
RafflePress includes templates for the most popular contest formats, and you can add your prize and entry actions in minutes. The giveaway widget publishes anywhere on your site with no coding needed.
The plugin tracks every entry automatically and lets you pick a winner with its built-in random winner tool. You never need spreadsheets or manual checks.
RafflePress also connects with email providers, social platforms, and analytics tools. This makes it easy to grow your audience and measure your results in one place.
If you’re new to contests, follow our full guide on how to create an online contest. It shows you how to plan, promote, and run a successful giveaway from start to finish.
If you want to test one of these contest ideas, start small and run a simple giveaway on your site. It’s the quickest way to see what your audience enjoys.
RafflePress makes the setup easy because you can choose a template, add your prize, and publish your giveaway in minutes. You don’t need any technical experience to get everything running.
If you need more help, you can follow our tutorials to plan and promote your first contest:
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
