With over 400 million users and more than 60 million photos uploaded every day, Instagram could be your destination if you are looking to promote your brand and garner a solid fanbase. If you are looking to cash in on your product promotion, Instagram is the place to be as it not only offers unique customer generated content but has also grown leaps and bounds in the social media world. Hypez is your one stop shop to boost your Instagram stature.

First things first, know the type of contests that you can run on Instagram and how. In this post, we will explain, how you can run a successful Instagram contest and expand your fanbase faster than your business rivals.

Types of Instagram Contests

1. ‘Like’ to Win: this is probably the simplest and most widely used contest. It requires nothing but just prompting the user to like your update. Those who click ‘like’ enter the contest. ‘Like to Win’ is the easiest form of generating more users to follow your brand. The contest can be easily set up by posting a picture and asking for likes.

1. Use Hashtags: In order to create a contest of this sort, you need to create a hashtag related to the contest and then call for photos or videos to be shared using that hashtag. This helps in boosting your brand’s emotional connection with the users by pitching for their experiences. A hashtag contest also enhances your brand’s reach and provides single platform for viewing all your past, recent, and future entries. But try to keep the hashtags small and crisp, and also make sure your participant’s privacy isn’t breached.

1. Email contests: It might be a barrier for those users who seek a seamless entry to a brand’s contests, however, email contests can be a great way to build your email contact group. By asking participants to follow and share their email addresses, it opens the gate for user generated content in addition to their email ids. For a contest like this to click, you have to ensure it is followed up with sumptuous rewards.

How To Create Instagram Contest

Now that you know the types of contests you can run on Instagram. There are a few checklists before you go ahead with your planning. Let us take you through the pointers that you must keep in mind beforehand:

Plan: For any contest to work out on the social network, meticulous planning is a must. From the objective behind the contest to the target audience of the contest, you have to keep a tab on everything that is happening around you on Instagram. Do you have the following points in your plan?
– Choose which type of contest you wish to hold and for how long
– Use hashtags that are contest-friendly. Surf through Instagram to know common hashtags
– Do not forget to have a theme for your contest
– Make sure you add some attractive giveaways with the contest

Look Good: Once your plan is set, design your contest. Make an attractive banner using catchy taglines and photos. You may also include a video to strike a chord with the audience.

Be your own promoter: Promote your contest on your blogs, website, portfolio and all other social networking mediums. Create a buzz around the contest so that the user interest is generated and they do not fail to miss the D-day. You can also spread the buzz by word of mouth. The more people talk about it, the more buzz gets created around the contest.

Follow your users: Stalk your users in good sense of course. Make sure your winner is notified not just via email but also through your website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Blog and spread the word among other participants too. This ensures that your users come back to you for future contests.

Your work doesn’t end by holding one successful Instagram contest. Before you start working on the next, sit down and accumulate your reports from the first contest. Figure out the loopholes, if any and work on them to ensure a smoother sail next time.

Have you already started working on your Instagram contest? If not, then start rightaway. Check out Hypez, a great source to learn how to boost your Instagram standings the easy way.