Most
likely you may have come across Facebook contests at least onnce in the past. Most
times you see simple Instructions such as “Like to win” or “share to win”. These
contests come with amazing giveaways and many big businesses and brands also
make use of them. Still, many people wonder, are these people breaking the
rules or going against Facebook’s policy? Many people think about this question
because they are slightly thrown back by the popular facebook policy which shows
that anyone who uses Facebook for a promotion which includes contests are
responsible solely for the lawful use of the promotion.
This
guide is designed to provide you with adequate information about Facebook policies
and what you should know before you jump into hosting a like-and-share
contest.
How like contests go against
Facebook’s policy
Facebook
developer site mentions without mincing words that you do not have the right to
incentivize people into following your social media account or to like your
page. The use of offering rewards to the public or granting more app content
once the person likes the page are all covered by a simple and straightforward
policy.
This
does not mean that you cannot tell friends or individuals on social media to
like your page, it only means that you do not offer rewards for this action but
rather you can motivate people to like your page or follow the page so that
they do not miss out on the winner of the contest. That sounds so much better. No one is coerced
or bribed to follow you because of the gains the contests offer.
How share
contests go against Facebook’s policy
Simply put this is also a No. Facebook page
terms also help users to see clearly that they should not use their timelines
or the connections of their friends to run their contests. Honestly though,
asking people who are your friends or who follow you to share a competition you
posted so that they can get entry make no sense. Due to the good number of scandals around,
people have moved to private profiles so you cannot even know for certain how
many people have shared your contests. This does not mean that you cannot tell
people or friends to share your contest or posts. This only means that you
cannot tell people to share your contests or posts for the sake of competition or
to get an entry.
So now that you are aware of what not to do when posting a contest so that you do not go against Facebook policy. Here are some ideas which may be of better benefit to you?
- Motivate people to comment on your
contest questions or quiz without tagging anyone. Their comments alone could
even make your contests show up on their friend’s news feeds. You could also
make it possible for people who comment on your questions to stand a chance to
win. - Provide clear information as
regards the contest stating clearly when the winner will be decided and also
how the participants stand a chance of winning. You should also state clearly how
the winner will be notified if they win.
All of this information provides transparency and motivates people and
drive the competition. - Make sure your content for the
competition or entities from the participants are free from plagiarism and you
have permission to use such quotes or pictures. - It is also important to make it
clear that your contest is independent and not in partnership with Facebook
From this guide, it is clear that like and shared contests go against Facebook policies and you have seen some important tips to make good use of. If you need some help running a Facebook contest, feel free to reach out!
