Create a Contest

First things first. Decide what the goal of your contest will be. Do you want to get more likes or follows? Do you want to build your email list? Or do you simply want to create goodwill toward your brand?

What will your Halloween contest actually be? Will it be a costume contest that your audience can participate in by posting photos? Will you run a giveaway for people to win Halloween-related decorations or candy?

It’s important to consider the goal you established in Step #1 here. If your goal is to build brand awareness and goodwill, you can setup a simple contest through social media. If your goal is to collect email addresses and build your email list, consider doing a giveaway contest using KingSumo. We’ll cover more about setting up your contest in Step 4.

What will participants win? You could make the prize something as simple as a 5-lb bag of Halloween candy. Other possible prizes could be an Amazon gift card to put toward a Halloween office party. Or if you really want to impress your audience, giveaway a complimentary luxury trip through TripValet Incentives.*

There are a few different ways you can setup your contest. You could simply run the entire contest through social media.

Here’s an example for social media:

“Who’s excited for Halloween? We certainly are! Because we’re so excited, we’re giving away [insert your prize — make it sound compelling]. All you have to do is go over to our Facebook page [insert link] and give us a like. Then post a photo of your best Halloween costume in the comments below. We can’t wait to see all your creative costumes! Winner will be announced [insert time & date].”

If you would like to collect email addresses to build your email list, you can use KingSumo to setup a viral giveaway. If you haven’t checked it out already, learn more about creating a viral giveaway campaign here.

Here’s an example to use for a giveaway:

“Who’s excited for Halloween? We certainly are! Because we’re so excited, we’re giving away [insert your prize — make it sound compelling]. All you have to do is enter to win at [insert your KingSumo giveaway link]. Then post a photo of your best Halloween costume in the comments below. We can’t wait to see all your creative costumes! Winner will be announced [insert time & date].”

Note: You could eliminate the portion asking for photos of Halloween costumes and simply ask participants to enter to win through KingSumo. If you do this, consider making the prize Halloween-themed. For example, trick-or-treat candy or an Amazon gift card towards a Halloween party for their neighborhood, office, etc.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to use a graphic. We’ve created one for you to use on your social media post and on your KingSumo giveaway. Click here to download the graphic.

Once the contest is over, be sure to pick and announce your winner. If you are using KingSumo, you can use the winner generator to randomly select a winner. If you are running your contest only through social media, use Excel to keep track of entries and randomly select a winner. Or use a tool like this one to randomly select a winner. Share your winner on social media and make them feel special! This is a great way to get the rest of your audience excited about participating in future contests.