20+ Contest ideas for bands and other D.I.Y. Rock Stars

I hate to say it, but I am in these streets, trying to find a quick Facebook-based contest to run in a week! We have some awesome, but limited number of new sticker designs for our band (add link) that we want to share with our people in our small, but growing Facebook community.

In full disclosure, our goal is to find JUST the right giveaway–that is quick and that does NOT require one of those fancy, external websites (like RaffleCopter or RafflePress) to run. –Not only do we NOT want to pay anyone money for this one–since we’ve ALREADY spent money on the stickers and will cover the cost to mail them out–but also, I frigging DON’T want to LEARN anything else to be able to conduct it. 🙄💁🏾 So, while there are some completely EXCELLENT ideas here, I need something that is easy to implement and takes a whole 5 minutes to set up AND will engage our folks JUST enough for this to work for us. So, as I deliver the list, I will be evaluating if each one is a good fit for THIS particular job.

–No, I am not so creative as to have been able to come up with MOST of these ideas. In fact, the ideas here were inspired by: https://www.seedprod.com/facebook-giveaway-ideas/ So, feel free to laud your praises onto them! 🥳😳🙄

Anyway, what follows is a list of ideas that I think almost ANY band or brand can use to run contests (some using Facebook and some without).

CAUTIONS FOR FACEBOOK CONTESTS:

Also, if you ARE running a Facebook giveaway, you need to be sure that you are NOT breaking any of their rules, which are:

Only running Facebook contests from business accounts, not personal profiles.
Showing that your Facebook contest has no connection to or sponsorship from Facebook.
That the official Facebook contest rules, terms, and entry requirements are visible on your giveaway.
Your Facebook contest promotions and prizes are in line with all applicable rules and regulations.
You cannot allow people to share or tag your contest to enter.

Be sure to check the bottom of this post for explicit requirements for contests run on Facebook.

This information was gleaned from https://rafflepress.com/how-to-run-a-giveaway-on-facebook/

20 CONTEST IDEAS THAT WE CONSIDERED

1. Not for this one, but… Make a post on the PMG Website and have folks leave a comment to qualify for entry

2. Not for this one, but… Running a Facebook giveaway is also an easy way to grow your email list. They need to sign up to your email list for entry points. Once users sign up to your list, you can send marketing messages directly to their inbox.

3. Not for this one, but… Have them visit a Facebook page as a way to enter for a prize.

4. Not for this one, but… Photo caption contests are really easy for people to enter, making them one of the most popular Facebook giveaway ideas. Users need to create a caption to go with an image you choose. If you’re feeling especially generous, you can offer multiple prizes for the best caption and several runners up.

5. Not for this one, but … If you have a new product launching soon, you can ask users to come up with a unique product name. In return for their ideas, they can earn entries into a prize draw.

6. Not for this one, but… To enter, users have to share the giveaway with their friends, who will likely share it with their friends, and so on. The faster people share the contest, the quicker people will see it, giving you the opportunity to possibly go viral.

7. Not for this one, but… Selfie contests are excellent ways for bands and brands to leverage user-generated content. Users take a selfie with your product for entry. Everyone knows how to take a selfie, which puts a human face to your products and these are more impactful than simple brand images.

8. Not for this one, but… If you’d like participants to put in a little more work for their entry, you can ask them to film and submit a video for a chance to win. Make sure the video is linked to your brand, to raise awareness. For instance, you can ask for product unboxing videos, quick product hacks, DIY tutorials, etc. Once you’ve decided on a theme for the giveaway, you can ask users to publish their videos on YouTube and share the link on your Facebook band page.

9. Not for this one, but… Use your community’s creativity and ask them to design a product. This is a great way to discover what interests your audience, and showcases the features they value most in a product. Participants can upload their designs to your Facebook band page. The grand prize could be seeing their creation brought to life. This is an incredibly ambitious contest and NOT for the faint of heart.

10. Not for this one, but… To learn more about your audience, you can run a giveaway on Facebook with completing a survey as the contest requirement. Then in your survey, you can ask them about their product preferences, interests, and much more. Direct users to a survey created with a survey tool like Survey Monkey. You can also use giveaways as an incentive to improve survey responses by offering an additional prize for filling it in. (–We’ve tried this before and it was a heck of a lot of work!)

11. Not for this one, but… If your audience is short of time, consider running a quick and simple campaign, such as a fill-in-the-blank giveaway. Write a sentence, leaving one of the words blank, like: “If I bought [product], I’d use it to ___.” Then users can enter their response in the field provided for a chance to win.

12. Not for this one, but… This is a simple one that is good for any holiday. Ask your audience to share a recipe in return for entries. If your brand isn’t related to food in any way, you can still use this idea during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. Use your seasonal products or a gift card as the prize. To accept submissions, have them post their recipe on your band’s Facebook page.

13. Not for this one, but… Since stories are an excellent way to develop close relationships with your audience. Ask users to share a story for entry into your Facebook giveaway to generate interest. Folks’ experiences with your music/products, or how their younger self would have benefited from your music, and so on. Users can leave their stories in your comments.

14. Not for this one, but… Most people love a good scavenger hunt, so why not hide clues around your Facebook page and website? Then you can ask users to follow the clues to reach your giveaway landing page. Use your initial Facebook post to start the hunt, with each clue leading to the next, and so on. However, make sure the prize you offer is worth the effort of taking part.

15. Not for this one, but… Ask your audience to create the perfect tagline. Draw a winner based on the best submission. You can reward the winner with a high-value prize bundle for their effort. Plus, they’ll get to see their tagline used for your brand or products as an additional prize.

16. Not for this one, but… If you are going to be at a physical location, you might think it’s a waste of time trying to run a giveaway on Facebook. Run a photo contest asking people to snap a photo when they visit you at a physical location (live show, record store appearance, meet up). It’s a nice way to partner up with the location AND to spread the word about your appearance. Users can upload it to your Facebook page and, hopefully, wherever you’re appearing will want to share it to THEIR page as well!

17. Not for this one, but … If you have a new product launching soon, you can ask users to come up with a unique product name. In return for their ideas, they can earn entries for a prize in a drawing.

18. Not for this one, but … Try posting a photo of your product and add a blur filter to disguise it. To enter, users have to guess what it is, with the correct answers being entered for a drawing.

19. Not for this one, but … If you’d like to give your audience more choice over their contest prize, why not let them choose one of two (or more) options as an entry requirement? Then if they’re the lucky winner, they get their chosen prize for free!

20. Not for this one, but... If you offer a bundle of albums (downloads or vinyl, your choice) that are among your influences as a raffle prize, it's LIKELY whomever enters this contest MIGHT be a potential fan of your music.

21. Maybe … Likely... Have entrants answer a question correctly to win (on the Facebook post) or answer at all (What’s your favorite BPJ song?) We like this one. It’s easy and can be executed by TOMORROW!

We think we’ve found a winner, but as you can see, we have PLENTY of things to try for other giveaways. Well, we hope that some of these will spark some inspiration in fellow bands and brands to try a Facebook contest. Be sure to check out the details requirements for running a Facebook contest below BEFORE you actually do the contest, though, so that Big Brother doesn’t shut you down before you get started.

Also, here are some ideas for prizes alongside–or instead of band merch and music: https://rafflepress.com/contest-prize-ideas/

#giveaway #prejippie #bloomingprejippie #diyrockstar #facebookcontests #bandgiveawayideas

MORE SUPER IMPORTANT FACEBOOK CONTEST RULES:

Before running your contest on Facebook, BE SURE to understand that you are responsible for lawfully operating it. This means it’s your job to make the following details very clear:

Your official competition rules (Google to find some to be “inspired” by)
Offer terms and eligibility requirements
Compliance with rules governing the promotion and prize you offer

Also, it’s a great idea to create official terms and conditions to ensure your contest runs smoothly.

Contest rules should include:

Who can enter your contest
How people can enter
A description of the giveaway prize
How you’ll choose a winner
How you’ll deliver the prize
When the contest starts and ends

It would be best to display your contest rules where users can see them. For example, you could create a landing page (on your website) and link to it from your Facebook giveaway post.

Gleaned from https://rafflepress.com/facebook-contest-rules/

Okay, so that’s it. Go forth and prosper! AND don’t forget to let us know if you try any of these ideas and/or if you have additional ideas that we should add to OUR list. –Us, D.I.Y. Rock Stars have to hook each other up, right?

Until next we meet, here’s wishing you love, peace, and chicken grease!