By Koen Knol on .
Running a contest, giveaway, or promotion on Facebook is an excellent way to engage your audience and grow your presence. However, it’s crucial to follow Facebook’s official rules and guidelines to ensure your contest is legal and compliant. This article will walk you through the key rules you need to know before launching your promotion.
Required Facebook Giveaway Rules
When running a giveaway on Facebook, you must include the following rules in your promotion:
- Release of Facebook: Make sure to include a statement releasing Facebook from any liability related to your giveaway. This protects Facebook from being held responsible for any issues that may arise.
- Acknowledgement of Facebook’s non-association: Clearly state that the giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook in any way.
Here’s an example of how to word this in your contest rules:
"This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook. By participating, you agree to release Facebook from any liability related to this promotion."
Which Facebook Contest Requirements Are Not Allowed?
While Facebook allows contests and giveaways, there are specific actions that are not permitted under their guidelines:
1. No "Like to Win"
It is against Facebook’s rules to require participants to "like" a page as a condition for entering the contest. You can encourage people to like your page, but it cannot be a mandatory entry requirement.
2. No Sharing or Tagging as Entry Requirements
Facebook does not allow you to ask participants to share your post on their personal Timeline, share it on a friend’s Timeline, or tag friends in the comments as a means of entering the contest. These actions can’t be used as official entry methods.
However, you can encourage sharing or tagging, but it must be optional.
This rule is reflected in Facebook’s policy:
"Your promotion must not require or incentivize participants to share, repost, tag others, or in any other way publicize your promotion."
Official Facebook Promotion Guidelines
For the most accurate and detailed information, you should always refer to Facebook’s official promotion guidelines. These guidelines cover all the necessary rules and regulations for running promotions on Facebook pages, groups, and events.
You can access the official guidelines here: Facebook Promotion Guidelines
Conclusion
Running a successful Facebook contest or giveaway can be a powerful way to engage with your audience and grow your brand. However, it’s essential to follow Facebook’s rules to avoid any legal issues or penalties. By including the required disclaimers and avoiding prohibited practices like "Like to Win" or mandatory sharing, you can ensure your promotion is both effective and compliant.
If you have any questions or need further guidance on running a Facebook giveaway, feel free to reach out or consult Facebook’s official resources.