We’ve all seen those prize draws that seem to pop up everywhere—from social media to email newsletters—and they’re brilliant for grabbing attention. But have you ever wondered how long a prize draw should run to get the best results? Whether you’re organising a giveaway for your business or entering one yourself, the duration of a prize draw can make or break its success.
If you’re planning your own prize draw or simply curious about what goes into the perfect giveaway, stick with me, and we’ll chat through the key factors to consider when deciding how long your prize draw should last.
Table of Contents
1. What’s the purpose of your prize draw?
First things first—why are you running a prize draw in the first place? Are you aiming to build your email list, increase social media followers, promote a new product, or just create some buzz around your brand? The purpose of your prize draw will help determine the ideal length.
For example, if you’re running a short-term promotion to coincide with a product launch or seasonal event, a shorter time frame (say, 7 to 14 days) might be more effective at creating urgency and excitement. On the other hand, if your goal is to collect as many leads as possible or to grow a community over time, a longer giveaway (up to 90 days) could give more people a chance to participate.
Research from Interests Marketing shows that contests lasting up to 90 days tend to perform best for long-term engagement. It gives your audience time to discover the draw, but be careful not to let it drag on too long—people can lose interest if it’s open forever!
2. Consider the size of the prize
Let’s face it, the size of the prize you’re offering plays a huge role in how long you should run your draw. A high-value prize, like a holiday or tech gadget, might justify a longer time frame because people will need time to get excited, spread the word, and make sure they enter. In contrast, smaller prizes, like vouchers or gift cards, don’t need as long to build up momentum.
Research shows that contests with prizes of £1,000 or more receive an engagement rate of 5.8% per 100 followers. When the prize is more valuable, you can afford to keep the competition open for longer periods, as people will be willing to invest their time and effort to win. But be mindful of keeping it interesting—if it runs too long without regular reminders or updates, entrants may lose interest.
A good rule of thumb: Big prizes = longer duration; small prizes = shorter run time.
3. Keep it short for social media
If you’re running your prize draw on social media, you’ll want to keep it short and snappy. Attention spans on platforms like Instagram and Facebook are notoriously short, so a giveaway that lasts more than a week could start to lose momentum. Data from contest studies show that the majority of social media giveaways run for less than 7 days.
It makes sense, really. People scroll, see the competition, enter, and then move on. Keeping the competition short keeps the urgency high and ensures people take action right away. If you’re giving away something like a product sample, gift card, or small prize, 3 to 7 days is the sweet spot for social media.
Also, remember to include regular updates and reminders to keep it fresh in people’s feeds. You can use stories, countdown timers, and posts to encourage last-minute entries before it closes.
4. Timing around holidays and events
When you’re thinking about how long to run a prize draw, consider timing it around holidays or special events. For example, running a Christmas competition in December or a back-to-school giveaway in late August means you’ve already got a built-in audience who’s excited about the season.
According to industry statistics, the best times of the year to launch contest campaigns are in June and November. These months are perfect for capturing people’s attention when they’re getting ready for summer breaks or gearing up for the festive season.
If your prize draw is linked to a holiday or event, keep it shorter—10 to 14 days is ideal. Any longer and you risk missing the buzz of the holiday excitement.
5. How often are you running giveaways?
Are you planning a one-off prize draw, or are regular giveaways part of your marketing strategy? If you run regular prize draws, shorter runs might make more sense so you don’t burn out your audience. Monthly or bi-monthly competitions can build anticipation and excitement without overwhelming people with long waiting periods.
If your brand regularly runs competitions, keeping the run time to 7 to 14 days creates a sense of urgency and anticipation for the next prize. This approach works especially well if you’re doing seasonal or recurring giveaways. People will keep coming back if they know there’s always something new around the corner.
6. Audience behaviour and preferences
Another key factor to consider is your audience. What kind of people are entering your prize draws? If your target audience is young, tech-savvy, and social media-driven, shorter giveaways will likely resonate better. If you’re targeting a broader or older demographic, giving them a bit more time to enter might increase participation.
According to a study, 68% of contest participants are above 18 years old, with the average age being around 30. This suggests that your audience is likely comfortable with online competitions, but may prefer shorter time frames so they can get on with their busy lives without waiting around for weeks to hear the results.
If you’re unsure, it might be worth experimenting with different time frames and using data to track how your audience responds.
7. Building anticipation
Sometimes, a longer prize draw can work wonders, especially if you’re building up to a big launch or event. For example, if you’re about to launch a new product, running a prize draw for a few weeks leading up to the launch can help create anticipation and excitement.
You could offer weekly updates, behind-the-scenes content, or even mini prizes throughout the draw to keep people engaged. Just make sure you’ve got a clear plan for keeping your audience interested—maybe through email newsletters or regular social media posts—so they don’t forget about the draw before it’s over.
8. Making use of email and reminders
Let’s not forget the importance of email marketing during your prize draw. If you’re running a longer campaign—say, 30 days or more—you’ll need to send regular reminder emails to your audience. After all, people’s inboxes get full quickly, and it’s easy to forget about entering a competition if they don’t get nudged.
Statistics show that contest emails have an average open rate of 8.8%, which is 5.5% more than general email marketing campaigns. So don’t hesitate to send a few well-timed reminders during the run of your prize draw. Just make sure you don’t overdo it—nobody wants to be spammed!
9. Consider the platform and method of entry
Finally, think about how people are entering your prize draw. If it’s a simple entry form where all they need to do is pop in their name and email, you don’t need to keep it open for too long. But if the entry method is more complex—like submitting a video, writing a caption, or gathering points—it’s worth extending the time frame to allow people the chance to enter properly.
Studies show that social media auto-fill options in participation forms can increase conversion rates by 189%, so make sure your entry process is simple and easy to complete. The more barriers to entry, the longer the competition may need to run to reach a good number of participants.
Wrapping up
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how long a prize draw should run, but considering the prize value, your audience, the platform, and your objectives can help you find the sweet spot. Whether you’re aiming for a quick win on social media or building a long-term marketing campaign, the key is to keep it engaging and relevant to your audience.
So, whether it’s a week-long social media blitz or a 90-day lead generation extravaganza, make sure your prize draw is well-timed, and you’ll have eager participants lining up for a chance to win!
Stats from Outgrow.co.