Rules for Instagram Giveaway Posts: Copy-Ready Template and Disclaimer

What are the rules for Instagram giveaway posts?

The rules for Instagram giveaway posts are Instagram's promotion guidelines plus the laws of every place where people can enter. Instagram sets a few must-haves, and the law covers the rest.

Instagram's Help Center is direct about who is in charge. If you use Instagram to run a promotion, you are responsible for running it lawfully. That includes the official rules, the offer terms and eligibility limits such as age and residency. It also includes any registration or approval the prize rules need.

Instagram also says it will not help you run the promotion, and that you use the service for a promotion at your own risk. So the giveaway is yours from start to finish: the rules, the draw, the prize and the delivery.

In practice, a good set of Instagram giveaway rules answers seven questions:

1. Who can enter, by age and location?
2. How do people enter, and how many times?
3. When does the giveaway open and close, with time zone?
4. What is the prize, and what is it worth?
5. How is the winner chosen and told?
6. What happens if the winner does not reply?
7. Who is running it, and how can people contact you?

The template further down covers all seven.

What does Instagram require in giveaway rules?

Instagram requires two lines in every giveaway: a complete release of Instagram by each entrant, and an acknowledgement that the promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, run by or associated with Instagram. It also bans inaccurate tagging.

The release

Each entrant must release Instagram from responsibility for the giveaway. In plain words, entrants agree that Instagram is not liable if something goes wrong.

The acknowledgement

The giveaway must state that it is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. This is the line most people call the Instagram giveaway disclaimer.

No inaccurate tagging

You must not tag content inaccurately or ask people to do so. Instagram's own example is asking people to tag themselves in photos they are not in. A rule like "tag yourself in this photo to enter" breaks that guideline. Asking people to mention a friend in a comment is a different action, because it does not tag them in the photo.

Cross-posting to a Facebook Page

Facebook has stricter wording. Meta's Pages, Groups and Events Policies say a promotion must not require people to share, repost, tag others or otherwise promote it to take part. If you run the same giveaway on a Facebook Page, use a simple comment or answer as the entry instead.

Legal compliance is on you

Instagram lists official rules, offer terms, eligibility limits and prize regulations as your job. It does not check them for you, so treat the rest of this guide as your checklist.

What US laws apply to an Instagram giveaway?

In the US, a giveaway must avoid being an illegal lottery, disclose that entries are rewarded, and follow state rules for large prizes. Most brand giveaways handle this with free entry and clear terms.

No purchase necessary

A lottery combines three things: a prize, chance and consideration. Private businesses cannot run lotteries, so a random-draw giveaway must remove consideration. That means no purchase to enter. If buying something earns an entry, you need a free way to enter with the same chance to win. Depending on the state, heavy effort or data can count as consideration too, so keep entry simple.

Registration for big prizes

New York and Florida can require registration when the total prize value is over $5,000. Missing a required registration can void the giveaway or lead to enforcement.

The FTC and entry posts

If people enter by posting about your brand, their posts are rewarded with a chance to win. The FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ says putting the word contest or sweepstakes into the hashtag, such as #XYZ_Contest or #XYZ_Sweepstakes, should be enough. Its own example suggests #sweepstakes on its own may not be enough, and it says "sweeps" is probably not clear to many people.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. For prizes of real value or a national giveaway, have a lawyer review your rules.

Instagram giveaway rules template you can copy

Copy this Instagram giveaway rules template, fill in the brackets and post it in your caption or a pinned comment, with full rules on your website. Keep the short version in the caption and link the long version in your bio.

[Brand] Giveaway Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning.

Who can enter: Legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., aged [18] or older. Void where prohibited. Employees of [Brand] and their households cannot enter.

Dates: Opens [date, time, ET] and closes [date, time, ET].

How to enter: Follow @[account] and comment on this post with [answer to the question]. One entry per person. Extra accounts made to enter will be removed.

Prize: One winner gets [prize], approximate retail value $[amount]. No cash alternative. The winner is responsible for any taxes.

Winner selection: One winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries on [date]. Odds depend on the number of eligible entries.

Winner notice: We will reply to the winning comment and send a DM from @[account] only. The winner must reply within [48 hours] or an alternate winner will be chosen. We will never ask for a password or payment to claim a prize.

Release: By entering, you release Instagram and Meta from any responsibility connected with this giveaway.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.

Sponsor: [Business name, address, contact email]. Full rules: [link].

The line about never asking for a password or payment matters. Scam accounts can copy giveaway posts and DM entrants with fake prize claims.

Instagram giveaway disclaimer: the exact line to add

The Instagram giveaway disclaimer is one sentence saying the giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, run by or connected with Instagram. Add the release of Instagram next to it.

Here is a short version that fits in a caption:

This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. By entering, you release Instagram of all responsibility. No purchase necessary. Full rules: link in bio.

Put the disclaimer where people will see it before they enter. The caption is best. A pinned comment works as a backup, but do not hide it below dozens of hashtags or after a "more" cut that nobody taps.

If entrants also post about you on their own accounts, ask them to include a hashtag like #YourBrand_Contest. That covers the FTC disclosure point in the same step.

Comment-to-enter rules that keep the draw fair

Comment-to-enter giveaways are the simplest to run, but they need clear limits so the draw stays fair. Set the limits before launch and stick to them.

• One entry per person. Say whether extra comments count. One entry per account is the simplest rule to check.
• Ask a real question. "Comment your favorite flavor" gets better answers than "comment to enter" and tells you what buyers want.
• Mention, do not tag in photos. Asking people to mention a friend in a comment is common. Asking them to tag themselves in a photo they are not in breaks Instagram's guidelines.
• Keep the follow rule simple. One account to follow is easier to check than five.
• Record the entries. Before the draw, export or screenshot the comment list. Keep it in case anyone questions the result.
• Remove ineligible entries first. Take out duplicates, spam, your own team and any comments you ordered.
• Draw at random and announce publicly. Name the winner in a Story or a comment so everyone can see the giveaway was real.

For more on handling the comment flood, see our guide on how to get more comments on Instagram.

How do you get the first comments on a giveaway post?

The first comments matter because people hesitate to be the first entrant. Share the post to Stories, tell your email list and ask a few regular customers to enter early.

You can also start the thread with comments you write yourself, so the post does not open empty. SocialGrowthly lets you buy custom Instagram comments where you write every comment, one per line. For a giveaway, that could be sample answers to your question, such as flavor picks or questions about the prize.

Be strict about two things. First, ordered comments are never entries. Remove them before the draw so a real entrant always wins. Second, keep the number small. A giveaway is a commercial promotion, and in the US the FTC's 2024 consumer reviews rule (16 CFR Part 465) covers buying fake social media indicators, comments included, that materially misrepresent influence for a commercial purpose. Read it and keep your seed thread modest.

Delivery starts 2 to 5 minutes after payment, and you need only the public post link. If you want to set comments up for launch, go to the page to order custom comments.

Common Instagram giveaway mistakes to avoid

The most common mistakes are missing rules, a purchase requirement and a slow or hidden winner announcement. Each one costs trust, and some can break the law.

1. No rules at all. "Like and comment to win" with nothing else leaves out eligibility, dates and the Instagram disclaimer.
2. Requiring a purchase. "Buy to enter" turns a random draw into a lottery unless there is a free way to enter.
3. No end time. Without a time zone and closing time, people argue about late entries.
4. Too many steps. Following ten accounts and tagging five friends tires people out and can look like spam.
5. No winner proof. If you never announce a winner, entrants assume the giveaway was fake.
6. Ignoring scam copies. Warn entrants that you will never ask for a password or payment, and report fake accounts that copy your post.

Want ideas for the giveaway itself? Our guide on how to increase engagement on Instagram covers posts that get people talking.