the definitive guide to instagram photo contests€¦ · how to select the best theme, prize,...
TRANSCRIPT
The DefiniTive GuiDe To insTaGram
PhoTo ConTesTsEvErything you nEEd to know to crEatE and ExEcutE
a succEssful instagram photo contEst
piqoracomshare this ebook 2
1
2
insTaGram PhoTo ConTesTs
formula for suCCess
The new fronTier of visual
uGc promoTions has arrived
and opporTuniTies for
markeTers abound
clear objecTives Good
creaTive simple rules a
landinG paGe and hashTaG
TrackinG sofTware are
key To success
inDeX
3
4
6
5DesiGninG Your ConTesT
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTe
measurinG suCCess
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenT
how To selecT The besT Theme
prize conTesT hashTaG and
judGeselecT a winner
how To selecT The besT
Theme prize conTesT
hashTaG and judGe
selecT a winner
success meTrics for
phoTo conTesTs and
common causes of poor
performance
creaTinG a virTual home
and disTribuTinG The besT
uGc onGoinG is key To
maximizinG parTicipaTion
4
6 13
16
17
10
piqoracomshare this ebook 3
abouT The auThor
sharaD vermafounDer amp CeoPiqora
remY TennanTmarkeTinG manaGerPiqora
a social media visionary and
internet marketing futurist
sharad is frequently quoted by the
media on topics related to the impact
of social media on e-commerce and has been
a speaker and panelist at several leading tech
conferences such as ad Tech and smx
sharad spent the first ten years as a product
manager at leading silicon valley tech companies
most recently at yahoo where he launched sem
and advertising products that generated over
$100m in incremental revenue having made his
mark he left yahoo for the startup world in 2010
founding piqora in early 2012
a long-time social media junkie
remy wrote his mba thesis on social
media and high technology conducting
a first-of-its-kind consumer behavior study
and publishing and presenting his findings in
the us and europe
hersquos been deeply involved with social media
since 2008 at a wide variety of organizations
and is constantly monitoring the ever-changing
digital media landscape ndash always on the lookout
for new ways to help businesses increase their
social roi he believes the visual web is the
next big thing thatrsquos already here for marketers
follow him on heysharad
follow him on remyTennanT
piqoracomshare this ebook 4
instagram with its 150m+
users is emerging as the best
mobile-based social network
for marketers to tell a visual
story about their brand 71
of the worldrsquos major brands
are now on instagram and
marketers are rushing to grow
their communities hashtag
optimization and photo contests
especially when used together
have potent community building
power and should be considered
an integral part of any instagram
marketing strategy hashtags are
the key to brand discoverability
while photo contests are a great
way to increase visibility yet
given that few marketers even
attempted photo contests before
2012 and that software solutions
have only been around since
around the same time marketers
have limited experience ndash
probably about as much as they
did with facebook contests
back in 2009 so instagram
photo contests are relatively
new but there have been more
than enough successful ones to
make it clear that they can be a
driving force behind community
building
instagram is a mobile and image-
centric social network teeming
with original highly creative
uGc content photo contests are
insTaGram PhoTo ConTesTsThe new fronTier of visual uGc promoTions has arrived and opporTuniTies for markeTers abound
With most brands just getting started With instagram photo contests there
are huge opportunities to be had ndash and a lot to learn
instagram photo contests can produce valuable uGc such as this beautiful photo that won stylesitersquos spring street styles contest
1
a phenomenal way for brands
to source uGc photos They
enable consumers to express
their personal style and passion
for brands and the result is a
rich marketing experience that
piqoracomshare this ebook 5
includes powerful visual social
proof Through instagram photo
contests marketers can show
visually how their brand is
being incorporated into their
audiencersquos lives
with most brands just getting
started with instagram photo
contests there are huge
opportunities to be had ndash
and a lot to learn experience
running contests on other social
networks helps but itrsquos important
to remember that instagram is
distinct from other sites in terms
of both the way the network is
designed and how consumers
use it That the entire network is
mobile and outbound urls are
not supported fundamentally
changes the way contests must
be designed both in terms of
the contest itself and the web
infrastructure that supports it for their illume photo contest red bull took entries on instagram The winning photo is pictured above
piqoracomshare this ebook 6
There are 4 things you need
to run a basic instagram
contest
clear contest goals
and objectives
like with any marketing or
advertising campaign itrsquos a
good idea to start by defining
objectives because results
will vary widely depending on
how you design your contest
instagram contests are a great
way to
Grow your community
Generate brand awareness
source lifestyle content and
publish uGc photo streams
identify
users who
might like
your brand
so what do
you want
to do of course you may have
answered ldquoall of the aboverdquo you
may be able to have all or most
of the above but you will still
realize your goals to varying
degrees depending on how your
contest is set up for example
if you opt to have the winner be
selected by judges (as opposed
to being drawn at random) you
will get fewer participants ndash but
formula for suCCessclear objecTives Good creaTive simple rules a landinG paGe and hashTaG TrackinG sofTware are key To success
you will likely end up with higher
quality uGc
sweepstakes are a great way
to get a lot of photos likes and
followers judged contests yield
fewer but higher quality uGc
photos that could be integrated
into your other social or online
destinations judged contests have
a higher barrier to entry but attract
more brand advocates who you
may want to follow and gain as
followers
simple rules and creative
that clearly Explains them
contest creative is one of the
most important parts of your
instagram promotion it needs
to be visually appealing and
relevant to your audience The
hobo bags came up with clear and simple rules for their carry This wear That contest
2
1
2
piqoracomshare this ebook 7
vast majority of the users on
instagram are millennials so if
you are targeting them make sure
to keep your creative edgy and
interesting
beyond that creative should
explain the rules clearly and
simply The background color
of a landing page or other
image shouldnrsquot interfere with
the readability of the rules if
users canrsquot read and understand
the rules it could hurt your
participation rate as well as the
number of participants who end
up being qualified design your
creative in such a way that it
can be used both on a full web
page (landing page) or as a post
on instagram and Twitter if the
creative is simple and to the
point your instagram and Twitter
followers can see the creative in
their feed and quickly know what
they have to do to participate
keep the contest rules simple
most contests ask participants to
upload a photo and add a relevant
and unique branded hashtag
ldquoselfiesrdquo are the easiest to take
and have the lowest barrier to
entry photos that are time-of-day
dependent (eg sunset) or involve
other people (eg take a photo
with a best friend) are naturally
more difficult creating a brand-
relevant hashtag is key before you
host your instagram contest make
up a hashtag thatrsquos relevant to
your brand and the theme of
your contest make it unique
enough so that when someone
searches for your hashtag on
instagram you wonrsquot confuse fans
who find hashtags unrelated to
your contest
Great uGc highly influential instagrammer alyson haley submitted this stellar photo for hobo bagsrsquos carry This wear That contest shersquos even promoting the contest to her 12k followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 2
1
2
insTaGram PhoTo ConTesTs
formula for suCCess
The new fronTier of visual
uGc promoTions has arrived
and opporTuniTies for
markeTers abound
clear objecTives Good
creaTive simple rules a
landinG paGe and hashTaG
TrackinG sofTware are
key To success
inDeX
3
4
6
5DesiGninG Your ConTesT
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTe
measurinG suCCess
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenT
how To selecT The besT Theme
prize conTesT hashTaG and
judGeselecT a winner
how To selecT The besT
Theme prize conTesT
hashTaG and judGe
selecT a winner
success meTrics for
phoTo conTesTs and
common causes of poor
performance
creaTinG a virTual home
and disTribuTinG The besT
uGc onGoinG is key To
maximizinG parTicipaTion
4
6 13
16
17
10
piqoracomshare this ebook 3
abouT The auThor
sharaD vermafounDer amp CeoPiqora
remY TennanTmarkeTinG manaGerPiqora
a social media visionary and
internet marketing futurist
sharad is frequently quoted by the
media on topics related to the impact
of social media on e-commerce and has been
a speaker and panelist at several leading tech
conferences such as ad Tech and smx
sharad spent the first ten years as a product
manager at leading silicon valley tech companies
most recently at yahoo where he launched sem
and advertising products that generated over
$100m in incremental revenue having made his
mark he left yahoo for the startup world in 2010
founding piqora in early 2012
a long-time social media junkie
remy wrote his mba thesis on social
media and high technology conducting
a first-of-its-kind consumer behavior study
and publishing and presenting his findings in
the us and europe
hersquos been deeply involved with social media
since 2008 at a wide variety of organizations
and is constantly monitoring the ever-changing
digital media landscape ndash always on the lookout
for new ways to help businesses increase their
social roi he believes the visual web is the
next big thing thatrsquos already here for marketers
follow him on heysharad
follow him on remyTennanT
piqoracomshare this ebook 4
instagram with its 150m+
users is emerging as the best
mobile-based social network
for marketers to tell a visual
story about their brand 71
of the worldrsquos major brands
are now on instagram and
marketers are rushing to grow
their communities hashtag
optimization and photo contests
especially when used together
have potent community building
power and should be considered
an integral part of any instagram
marketing strategy hashtags are
the key to brand discoverability
while photo contests are a great
way to increase visibility yet
given that few marketers even
attempted photo contests before
2012 and that software solutions
have only been around since
around the same time marketers
have limited experience ndash
probably about as much as they
did with facebook contests
back in 2009 so instagram
photo contests are relatively
new but there have been more
than enough successful ones to
make it clear that they can be a
driving force behind community
building
instagram is a mobile and image-
centric social network teeming
with original highly creative
uGc content photo contests are
insTaGram PhoTo ConTesTsThe new fronTier of visual uGc promoTions has arrived and opporTuniTies for markeTers abound
With most brands just getting started With instagram photo contests there
are huge opportunities to be had ndash and a lot to learn
instagram photo contests can produce valuable uGc such as this beautiful photo that won stylesitersquos spring street styles contest
1
a phenomenal way for brands
to source uGc photos They
enable consumers to express
their personal style and passion
for brands and the result is a
rich marketing experience that
piqoracomshare this ebook 5
includes powerful visual social
proof Through instagram photo
contests marketers can show
visually how their brand is
being incorporated into their
audiencersquos lives
with most brands just getting
started with instagram photo
contests there are huge
opportunities to be had ndash
and a lot to learn experience
running contests on other social
networks helps but itrsquos important
to remember that instagram is
distinct from other sites in terms
of both the way the network is
designed and how consumers
use it That the entire network is
mobile and outbound urls are
not supported fundamentally
changes the way contests must
be designed both in terms of
the contest itself and the web
infrastructure that supports it for their illume photo contest red bull took entries on instagram The winning photo is pictured above
piqoracomshare this ebook 6
There are 4 things you need
to run a basic instagram
contest
clear contest goals
and objectives
like with any marketing or
advertising campaign itrsquos a
good idea to start by defining
objectives because results
will vary widely depending on
how you design your contest
instagram contests are a great
way to
Grow your community
Generate brand awareness
source lifestyle content and
publish uGc photo streams
identify
users who
might like
your brand
so what do
you want
to do of course you may have
answered ldquoall of the aboverdquo you
may be able to have all or most
of the above but you will still
realize your goals to varying
degrees depending on how your
contest is set up for example
if you opt to have the winner be
selected by judges (as opposed
to being drawn at random) you
will get fewer participants ndash but
formula for suCCessclear objecTives Good creaTive simple rules a landinG paGe and hashTaG TrackinG sofTware are key To success
you will likely end up with higher
quality uGc
sweepstakes are a great way
to get a lot of photos likes and
followers judged contests yield
fewer but higher quality uGc
photos that could be integrated
into your other social or online
destinations judged contests have
a higher barrier to entry but attract
more brand advocates who you
may want to follow and gain as
followers
simple rules and creative
that clearly Explains them
contest creative is one of the
most important parts of your
instagram promotion it needs
to be visually appealing and
relevant to your audience The
hobo bags came up with clear and simple rules for their carry This wear That contest
2
1
2
piqoracomshare this ebook 7
vast majority of the users on
instagram are millennials so if
you are targeting them make sure
to keep your creative edgy and
interesting
beyond that creative should
explain the rules clearly and
simply The background color
of a landing page or other
image shouldnrsquot interfere with
the readability of the rules if
users canrsquot read and understand
the rules it could hurt your
participation rate as well as the
number of participants who end
up being qualified design your
creative in such a way that it
can be used both on a full web
page (landing page) or as a post
on instagram and Twitter if the
creative is simple and to the
point your instagram and Twitter
followers can see the creative in
their feed and quickly know what
they have to do to participate
keep the contest rules simple
most contests ask participants to
upload a photo and add a relevant
and unique branded hashtag
ldquoselfiesrdquo are the easiest to take
and have the lowest barrier to
entry photos that are time-of-day
dependent (eg sunset) or involve
other people (eg take a photo
with a best friend) are naturally
more difficult creating a brand-
relevant hashtag is key before you
host your instagram contest make
up a hashtag thatrsquos relevant to
your brand and the theme of
your contest make it unique
enough so that when someone
searches for your hashtag on
instagram you wonrsquot confuse fans
who find hashtags unrelated to
your contest
Great uGc highly influential instagrammer alyson haley submitted this stellar photo for hobo bagsrsquos carry This wear That contest shersquos even promoting the contest to her 12k followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 3
abouT The auThor
sharaD vermafounDer amp CeoPiqora
remY TennanTmarkeTinG manaGerPiqora
a social media visionary and
internet marketing futurist
sharad is frequently quoted by the
media on topics related to the impact
of social media on e-commerce and has been
a speaker and panelist at several leading tech
conferences such as ad Tech and smx
sharad spent the first ten years as a product
manager at leading silicon valley tech companies
most recently at yahoo where he launched sem
and advertising products that generated over
$100m in incremental revenue having made his
mark he left yahoo for the startup world in 2010
founding piqora in early 2012
a long-time social media junkie
remy wrote his mba thesis on social
media and high technology conducting
a first-of-its-kind consumer behavior study
and publishing and presenting his findings in
the us and europe
hersquos been deeply involved with social media
since 2008 at a wide variety of organizations
and is constantly monitoring the ever-changing
digital media landscape ndash always on the lookout
for new ways to help businesses increase their
social roi he believes the visual web is the
next big thing thatrsquos already here for marketers
follow him on heysharad
follow him on remyTennanT
piqoracomshare this ebook 4
instagram with its 150m+
users is emerging as the best
mobile-based social network
for marketers to tell a visual
story about their brand 71
of the worldrsquos major brands
are now on instagram and
marketers are rushing to grow
their communities hashtag
optimization and photo contests
especially when used together
have potent community building
power and should be considered
an integral part of any instagram
marketing strategy hashtags are
the key to brand discoverability
while photo contests are a great
way to increase visibility yet
given that few marketers even
attempted photo contests before
2012 and that software solutions
have only been around since
around the same time marketers
have limited experience ndash
probably about as much as they
did with facebook contests
back in 2009 so instagram
photo contests are relatively
new but there have been more
than enough successful ones to
make it clear that they can be a
driving force behind community
building
instagram is a mobile and image-
centric social network teeming
with original highly creative
uGc content photo contests are
insTaGram PhoTo ConTesTsThe new fronTier of visual uGc promoTions has arrived and opporTuniTies for markeTers abound
With most brands just getting started With instagram photo contests there
are huge opportunities to be had ndash and a lot to learn
instagram photo contests can produce valuable uGc such as this beautiful photo that won stylesitersquos spring street styles contest
1
a phenomenal way for brands
to source uGc photos They
enable consumers to express
their personal style and passion
for brands and the result is a
rich marketing experience that
piqoracomshare this ebook 5
includes powerful visual social
proof Through instagram photo
contests marketers can show
visually how their brand is
being incorporated into their
audiencersquos lives
with most brands just getting
started with instagram photo
contests there are huge
opportunities to be had ndash
and a lot to learn experience
running contests on other social
networks helps but itrsquos important
to remember that instagram is
distinct from other sites in terms
of both the way the network is
designed and how consumers
use it That the entire network is
mobile and outbound urls are
not supported fundamentally
changes the way contests must
be designed both in terms of
the contest itself and the web
infrastructure that supports it for their illume photo contest red bull took entries on instagram The winning photo is pictured above
piqoracomshare this ebook 6
There are 4 things you need
to run a basic instagram
contest
clear contest goals
and objectives
like with any marketing or
advertising campaign itrsquos a
good idea to start by defining
objectives because results
will vary widely depending on
how you design your contest
instagram contests are a great
way to
Grow your community
Generate brand awareness
source lifestyle content and
publish uGc photo streams
identify
users who
might like
your brand
so what do
you want
to do of course you may have
answered ldquoall of the aboverdquo you
may be able to have all or most
of the above but you will still
realize your goals to varying
degrees depending on how your
contest is set up for example
if you opt to have the winner be
selected by judges (as opposed
to being drawn at random) you
will get fewer participants ndash but
formula for suCCessclear objecTives Good creaTive simple rules a landinG paGe and hashTaG TrackinG sofTware are key To success
you will likely end up with higher
quality uGc
sweepstakes are a great way
to get a lot of photos likes and
followers judged contests yield
fewer but higher quality uGc
photos that could be integrated
into your other social or online
destinations judged contests have
a higher barrier to entry but attract
more brand advocates who you
may want to follow and gain as
followers
simple rules and creative
that clearly Explains them
contest creative is one of the
most important parts of your
instagram promotion it needs
to be visually appealing and
relevant to your audience The
hobo bags came up with clear and simple rules for their carry This wear That contest
2
1
2
piqoracomshare this ebook 7
vast majority of the users on
instagram are millennials so if
you are targeting them make sure
to keep your creative edgy and
interesting
beyond that creative should
explain the rules clearly and
simply The background color
of a landing page or other
image shouldnrsquot interfere with
the readability of the rules if
users canrsquot read and understand
the rules it could hurt your
participation rate as well as the
number of participants who end
up being qualified design your
creative in such a way that it
can be used both on a full web
page (landing page) or as a post
on instagram and Twitter if the
creative is simple and to the
point your instagram and Twitter
followers can see the creative in
their feed and quickly know what
they have to do to participate
keep the contest rules simple
most contests ask participants to
upload a photo and add a relevant
and unique branded hashtag
ldquoselfiesrdquo are the easiest to take
and have the lowest barrier to
entry photos that are time-of-day
dependent (eg sunset) or involve
other people (eg take a photo
with a best friend) are naturally
more difficult creating a brand-
relevant hashtag is key before you
host your instagram contest make
up a hashtag thatrsquos relevant to
your brand and the theme of
your contest make it unique
enough so that when someone
searches for your hashtag on
instagram you wonrsquot confuse fans
who find hashtags unrelated to
your contest
Great uGc highly influential instagrammer alyson haley submitted this stellar photo for hobo bagsrsquos carry This wear That contest shersquos even promoting the contest to her 12k followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 4
instagram with its 150m+
users is emerging as the best
mobile-based social network
for marketers to tell a visual
story about their brand 71
of the worldrsquos major brands
are now on instagram and
marketers are rushing to grow
their communities hashtag
optimization and photo contests
especially when used together
have potent community building
power and should be considered
an integral part of any instagram
marketing strategy hashtags are
the key to brand discoverability
while photo contests are a great
way to increase visibility yet
given that few marketers even
attempted photo contests before
2012 and that software solutions
have only been around since
around the same time marketers
have limited experience ndash
probably about as much as they
did with facebook contests
back in 2009 so instagram
photo contests are relatively
new but there have been more
than enough successful ones to
make it clear that they can be a
driving force behind community
building
instagram is a mobile and image-
centric social network teeming
with original highly creative
uGc content photo contests are
insTaGram PhoTo ConTesTsThe new fronTier of visual uGc promoTions has arrived and opporTuniTies for markeTers abound
With most brands just getting started With instagram photo contests there
are huge opportunities to be had ndash and a lot to learn
instagram photo contests can produce valuable uGc such as this beautiful photo that won stylesitersquos spring street styles contest
1
a phenomenal way for brands
to source uGc photos They
enable consumers to express
their personal style and passion
for brands and the result is a
rich marketing experience that
piqoracomshare this ebook 5
includes powerful visual social
proof Through instagram photo
contests marketers can show
visually how their brand is
being incorporated into their
audiencersquos lives
with most brands just getting
started with instagram photo
contests there are huge
opportunities to be had ndash
and a lot to learn experience
running contests on other social
networks helps but itrsquos important
to remember that instagram is
distinct from other sites in terms
of both the way the network is
designed and how consumers
use it That the entire network is
mobile and outbound urls are
not supported fundamentally
changes the way contests must
be designed both in terms of
the contest itself and the web
infrastructure that supports it for their illume photo contest red bull took entries on instagram The winning photo is pictured above
piqoracomshare this ebook 6
There are 4 things you need
to run a basic instagram
contest
clear contest goals
and objectives
like with any marketing or
advertising campaign itrsquos a
good idea to start by defining
objectives because results
will vary widely depending on
how you design your contest
instagram contests are a great
way to
Grow your community
Generate brand awareness
source lifestyle content and
publish uGc photo streams
identify
users who
might like
your brand
so what do
you want
to do of course you may have
answered ldquoall of the aboverdquo you
may be able to have all or most
of the above but you will still
realize your goals to varying
degrees depending on how your
contest is set up for example
if you opt to have the winner be
selected by judges (as opposed
to being drawn at random) you
will get fewer participants ndash but
formula for suCCessclear objecTives Good creaTive simple rules a landinG paGe and hashTaG TrackinG sofTware are key To success
you will likely end up with higher
quality uGc
sweepstakes are a great way
to get a lot of photos likes and
followers judged contests yield
fewer but higher quality uGc
photos that could be integrated
into your other social or online
destinations judged contests have
a higher barrier to entry but attract
more brand advocates who you
may want to follow and gain as
followers
simple rules and creative
that clearly Explains them
contest creative is one of the
most important parts of your
instagram promotion it needs
to be visually appealing and
relevant to your audience The
hobo bags came up with clear and simple rules for their carry This wear That contest
2
1
2
piqoracomshare this ebook 7
vast majority of the users on
instagram are millennials so if
you are targeting them make sure
to keep your creative edgy and
interesting
beyond that creative should
explain the rules clearly and
simply The background color
of a landing page or other
image shouldnrsquot interfere with
the readability of the rules if
users canrsquot read and understand
the rules it could hurt your
participation rate as well as the
number of participants who end
up being qualified design your
creative in such a way that it
can be used both on a full web
page (landing page) or as a post
on instagram and Twitter if the
creative is simple and to the
point your instagram and Twitter
followers can see the creative in
their feed and quickly know what
they have to do to participate
keep the contest rules simple
most contests ask participants to
upload a photo and add a relevant
and unique branded hashtag
ldquoselfiesrdquo are the easiest to take
and have the lowest barrier to
entry photos that are time-of-day
dependent (eg sunset) or involve
other people (eg take a photo
with a best friend) are naturally
more difficult creating a brand-
relevant hashtag is key before you
host your instagram contest make
up a hashtag thatrsquos relevant to
your brand and the theme of
your contest make it unique
enough so that when someone
searches for your hashtag on
instagram you wonrsquot confuse fans
who find hashtags unrelated to
your contest
Great uGc highly influential instagrammer alyson haley submitted this stellar photo for hobo bagsrsquos carry This wear That contest shersquos even promoting the contest to her 12k followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 5
includes powerful visual social
proof Through instagram photo
contests marketers can show
visually how their brand is
being incorporated into their
audiencersquos lives
with most brands just getting
started with instagram photo
contests there are huge
opportunities to be had ndash
and a lot to learn experience
running contests on other social
networks helps but itrsquos important
to remember that instagram is
distinct from other sites in terms
of both the way the network is
designed and how consumers
use it That the entire network is
mobile and outbound urls are
not supported fundamentally
changes the way contests must
be designed both in terms of
the contest itself and the web
infrastructure that supports it for their illume photo contest red bull took entries on instagram The winning photo is pictured above
piqoracomshare this ebook 6
There are 4 things you need
to run a basic instagram
contest
clear contest goals
and objectives
like with any marketing or
advertising campaign itrsquos a
good idea to start by defining
objectives because results
will vary widely depending on
how you design your contest
instagram contests are a great
way to
Grow your community
Generate brand awareness
source lifestyle content and
publish uGc photo streams
identify
users who
might like
your brand
so what do
you want
to do of course you may have
answered ldquoall of the aboverdquo you
may be able to have all or most
of the above but you will still
realize your goals to varying
degrees depending on how your
contest is set up for example
if you opt to have the winner be
selected by judges (as opposed
to being drawn at random) you
will get fewer participants ndash but
formula for suCCessclear objecTives Good creaTive simple rules a landinG paGe and hashTaG TrackinG sofTware are key To success
you will likely end up with higher
quality uGc
sweepstakes are a great way
to get a lot of photos likes and
followers judged contests yield
fewer but higher quality uGc
photos that could be integrated
into your other social or online
destinations judged contests have
a higher barrier to entry but attract
more brand advocates who you
may want to follow and gain as
followers
simple rules and creative
that clearly Explains them
contest creative is one of the
most important parts of your
instagram promotion it needs
to be visually appealing and
relevant to your audience The
hobo bags came up with clear and simple rules for their carry This wear That contest
2
1
2
piqoracomshare this ebook 7
vast majority of the users on
instagram are millennials so if
you are targeting them make sure
to keep your creative edgy and
interesting
beyond that creative should
explain the rules clearly and
simply The background color
of a landing page or other
image shouldnrsquot interfere with
the readability of the rules if
users canrsquot read and understand
the rules it could hurt your
participation rate as well as the
number of participants who end
up being qualified design your
creative in such a way that it
can be used both on a full web
page (landing page) or as a post
on instagram and Twitter if the
creative is simple and to the
point your instagram and Twitter
followers can see the creative in
their feed and quickly know what
they have to do to participate
keep the contest rules simple
most contests ask participants to
upload a photo and add a relevant
and unique branded hashtag
ldquoselfiesrdquo are the easiest to take
and have the lowest barrier to
entry photos that are time-of-day
dependent (eg sunset) or involve
other people (eg take a photo
with a best friend) are naturally
more difficult creating a brand-
relevant hashtag is key before you
host your instagram contest make
up a hashtag thatrsquos relevant to
your brand and the theme of
your contest make it unique
enough so that when someone
searches for your hashtag on
instagram you wonrsquot confuse fans
who find hashtags unrelated to
your contest
Great uGc highly influential instagrammer alyson haley submitted this stellar photo for hobo bagsrsquos carry This wear That contest shersquos even promoting the contest to her 12k followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 6
There are 4 things you need
to run a basic instagram
contest
clear contest goals
and objectives
like with any marketing or
advertising campaign itrsquos a
good idea to start by defining
objectives because results
will vary widely depending on
how you design your contest
instagram contests are a great
way to
Grow your community
Generate brand awareness
source lifestyle content and
publish uGc photo streams
identify
users who
might like
your brand
so what do
you want
to do of course you may have
answered ldquoall of the aboverdquo you
may be able to have all or most
of the above but you will still
realize your goals to varying
degrees depending on how your
contest is set up for example
if you opt to have the winner be
selected by judges (as opposed
to being drawn at random) you
will get fewer participants ndash but
formula for suCCessclear objecTives Good creaTive simple rules a landinG paGe and hashTaG TrackinG sofTware are key To success
you will likely end up with higher
quality uGc
sweepstakes are a great way
to get a lot of photos likes and
followers judged contests yield
fewer but higher quality uGc
photos that could be integrated
into your other social or online
destinations judged contests have
a higher barrier to entry but attract
more brand advocates who you
may want to follow and gain as
followers
simple rules and creative
that clearly Explains them
contest creative is one of the
most important parts of your
instagram promotion it needs
to be visually appealing and
relevant to your audience The
hobo bags came up with clear and simple rules for their carry This wear That contest
2
1
2
piqoracomshare this ebook 7
vast majority of the users on
instagram are millennials so if
you are targeting them make sure
to keep your creative edgy and
interesting
beyond that creative should
explain the rules clearly and
simply The background color
of a landing page or other
image shouldnrsquot interfere with
the readability of the rules if
users canrsquot read and understand
the rules it could hurt your
participation rate as well as the
number of participants who end
up being qualified design your
creative in such a way that it
can be used both on a full web
page (landing page) or as a post
on instagram and Twitter if the
creative is simple and to the
point your instagram and Twitter
followers can see the creative in
their feed and quickly know what
they have to do to participate
keep the contest rules simple
most contests ask participants to
upload a photo and add a relevant
and unique branded hashtag
ldquoselfiesrdquo are the easiest to take
and have the lowest barrier to
entry photos that are time-of-day
dependent (eg sunset) or involve
other people (eg take a photo
with a best friend) are naturally
more difficult creating a brand-
relevant hashtag is key before you
host your instagram contest make
up a hashtag thatrsquos relevant to
your brand and the theme of
your contest make it unique
enough so that when someone
searches for your hashtag on
instagram you wonrsquot confuse fans
who find hashtags unrelated to
your contest
Great uGc highly influential instagrammer alyson haley submitted this stellar photo for hobo bagsrsquos carry This wear That contest shersquos even promoting the contest to her 12k followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 7
vast majority of the users on
instagram are millennials so if
you are targeting them make sure
to keep your creative edgy and
interesting
beyond that creative should
explain the rules clearly and
simply The background color
of a landing page or other
image shouldnrsquot interfere with
the readability of the rules if
users canrsquot read and understand
the rules it could hurt your
participation rate as well as the
number of participants who end
up being qualified design your
creative in such a way that it
can be used both on a full web
page (landing page) or as a post
on instagram and Twitter if the
creative is simple and to the
point your instagram and Twitter
followers can see the creative in
their feed and quickly know what
they have to do to participate
keep the contest rules simple
most contests ask participants to
upload a photo and add a relevant
and unique branded hashtag
ldquoselfiesrdquo are the easiest to take
and have the lowest barrier to
entry photos that are time-of-day
dependent (eg sunset) or involve
other people (eg take a photo
with a best friend) are naturally
more difficult creating a brand-
relevant hashtag is key before you
host your instagram contest make
up a hashtag thatrsquos relevant to
your brand and the theme of
your contest make it unique
enough so that when someone
searches for your hashtag on
instagram you wonrsquot confuse fans
who find hashtags unrelated to
your contest
Great uGc highly influential instagrammer alyson haley submitted this stellar photo for hobo bagsrsquos carry This wear That contest shersquos even promoting the contest to her 12k followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 8
myhabit did a great job coming up with a creative theme for their contest making it fun on-brand and reasonably easy to enter They selected an appropriate hashtag gave away a valuable and desirable prize added inspiring photos to the contest creative and showcased entries on the landing page (not pictured)
decide if you want to run a judged
contest or a sweepstakes where
the winner is selected randomly
let your participants know if their
entries will be judged or if the
winner will be selected at random
sweepstakes attract more
participants as everyonersquos winning
chances are equal however if your
goal is to get very high quality
uGc photos judged contests
are a great way to tap into the
creative genius of your audience
a contest landing page that
maximizes participation
a landing page provides a home
for the photo contest and allows
you to put more marketing
muscle behind it helping you to
go beyond just promoting it on
other social channels paid media
becomes an option for driving
traffic and it also allows you to
reach desktop users who can
visit the contest landing page to
learn about the promotion and
participate later through their
mobile devices
landing pages can also become
a living and breathing destination
that showcases the rich media
from the photo contest re-
publishing the best contest
entries is a great way to engage
new participants and visitors
instagram contests are creative
in nature and most participants
need a little help sparking their
ideas ndash seeing entries from other
participants is often an effective
trigger landing pages that
showcase participant entries
also create strong social proof
for potential new entrants
demonstrating the success of the
contest This in turns can lead to
more contest participation more
visits and more engagement from
the participants
landing pages can also contain
legal terms and conditions for
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 9
since instagram is a mobile-based network itrsquos extremely important that your landing page be mobile friendly including making it easy for participants to click through and follow your brand on instagram
piqorarsquos hashtag tracking software captures data on unique users potential impressions photos likes and comments
the contest and ensure that your
contest participants are entering
the contest legally
use hashtag tracking
software to identify your
participants and pick winners
in order to see the participants
for your contest hashtags and
pick a winner you need a hashtag
tracking tool (such as piqora) a
good hashtag tracking tool will
provide a list of participants their
photo entries allow you to see
participants on a certain day of the
promotion (for dailyweekly prize
promotions) and help you to easily
moderate and publish the photo
entries on a contest landing page
photo contest tracking tools also
provide landing page capabilities
via iframes fully hosted options
and facebook Tabs choose a
provider who offers fast loading
mobile-friendly landing pages
and can provide ongoing support
throughout the contest especially
if you are new to instagram
contests
bonus tip Provide some
examples At the outset take a
few photos that reflect the spirit
of the contest and highlight
them on the contest landing
page Entry photo examples are
a great way to nudge your
audience in the right direction
Once you have some good ones
be sure to update your landing
page possibly replacing your own
photos A contest management
tool (such as Piqora) can make
this easy
4
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 10
choose an appropriate
theme challenge
a good rule to remember is
that the more challenging
photo requirements are the less
participation you are going to get
some photo challenges can be
logistically difficult for example
snapping pictures of the moon at
midnight or taking a picture of the
clouds from your window seat
however if the submission criteria
are too broad you may end up with
photo entries that are not relevant
to your brand and inhibit your ability
to retell the contestrsquos story we
have seen contests that ask users
to post any photo while that is
incredibly easy to enter it does not
give you relevant and branded uGc
assets to use in future marketing
additionally if the photos are
completely undifferentiated they are
much less likely to be viral contest
photos when seen together as a
stream should tell a story and the
theme behind the contest should
be evident from the photo entries
for example pictures of a pre-game
tailgate party with friends is a great
story and a very coherent theme
select a relevant and
valuable prize
To maximize participation consider
DesiGninG Your ConTesThow To selecT The besT Theme prize conTesT hashTaG and judGeselecT a winner
having a grand-prize combined
with several prizes for runners up
participants like winning and being
rewarded and the more shots
they have to win the more likely
they are to participate and make it
through every step of the contest
offering a great prize is a way
to break away from the pack itrsquos
always a good idea to choose a
prize that you think will resonate
well with the interests and likes of
your fans so if yoursquore an online
clothing company offer a $500
gift card to your store mdash you
already know your fans like your
brand right or if yoursquore a resort
give away a one-night stay resort
package for two you get the idea
how valuable should the prize be
in order to maximize participation
The more valuable the better in
piqorarsquos research on pinterest
contests we found that prizes
valued at between $1000-$5000
generated 3x more participation
than prizes valued at $500-$1000
3
my habitrsquos substantial prize consisted of a $1500 gift card and a trip to new york for a photo shoot
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 11
and 5x more than prizes worth less
than $500
choose the right hashtag
your fans need a way to submit
photos and picking the right
instagram hashtag to promote
as part of your contest is
critical when selecting your
contest hashtag two important
considerations to keep in
mind are
is your chosen hashtag
brandableownable
while you canrsquot really ldquoownrdquo a
hashtag on instagram or any
social network for that matter
take some time to choose a
hashtag that is not likely to
be used by anyone else if the
hashtag is not unique you
may end up picking a winner
who just happened to use that
hashtag for some other purpose
and was not really a contest
participant
bull incorporate your brandrsquos
slogan
bull abbreviate your brand name
(if appropriate ndash ie
lululemon
becomes lulu)
bull incorporate the name of
your contest (what are
your habits becomes
thisismyhabit)
bull use dates and places for
campaigns at live events (ie
canucksGame6)
choosing the right hashtag doesnrsquot
have to be overly complicated just
remember that yoursquore asking fans
to type it into their mobile devices
each time they snap a photo to
participate making your hashtags
catchy and easy for them to
remember will help you maximize
the number of photos you receive
Best practices on winner selection
There are three ways to pick a
winner
Based on creativity originality
and relevance of the entry to
the contest rules
These judged contests are a
great way to source a special
selection of uGc photos that
are relevant to your brand
or campaign theme The
participation rate might be lower
but the quality of photos might
be much higher This is a great
winner selection strategy as it
yields limited but high quality
original and creative photos
enabling you to republish those
photos and tell a visual story
about your brand
tip Increase the reach and
impact of your contest by
using celebrity judges Not only
will they be endorsing your
contest and brand they will also
promote your contest to their
own audiences significantly
increasing the reach of your
promotion
broadway nailsrsquos impressrevolution fingernail painting contest was judged by two celebrities fashionista alli simpson and nail expert katie cazorla
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 12
at random
random selection of winners
is a great way to drive a huge
amount of participation and get
lots of photos random selection
signals equal chances of winning
and paired with multiple prizes
is a great way to get a lot of
participants more participants
does mean you may have to
do more work moderating and
selecting the best photos before
publishing them however if your
brand is new on instagram and you
are looking to build a community
and grow your followers this easy-
to-enter contest type is your
best bet
Based on the of likes ndash the
photo with the most likes is
chosen as the winner
while appealing on the surface
this might be the least effective
way of getting participants
This is because likes can be
unpredictable They are a function
of a userrsquos influence and as such
are not in your participantrsquos
control fewer users will
participate if they donrsquot believe
they have the same chance of
winning as the other person when
both entries are similar in quality
weeklydaily prizes
weekly or daily prizes are a great
way to keep the contest buzz
going strong for a long time
if you are consistently sharing
the best contest entries and
announcing winners on all your
marketing channels the buzz will
build on itself and keep growing
daily prizes also mean more
participation and even more
entries from participants as they
take multiple shots at winning
something long-running contests
should have a place in your overall
contest and community strategy
but should not be overdone lots
of long-running contests may lead
to fatigue
allowing Entries on twitter
we have come across several
contests that allow their
participants to enter either via
instagram or Twitter instagram
and Twitter are fundamentally
different while instagram is a
place users are sharing their life
moments in a very visual and
creative way Twitter is more of
a place for real-time news and
conversation because of this
an instagram photo contest is
best served when itrsquos limited to
instagram Twitter feeds move
very fast and only 14 of tweets
are retweeted so itrsquos hard to
grow your twitter followers via a
photo contest that is based on
instagram our recommendation
is to keep the community and
content strategy separate for
each networkfor their crazy about pets photo contest petco gave away two $500 gift cards weekly oce to the winner and another to their animal charity organization of choice
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 13
promote your contest heavily
and across channels
The participation rate of your
contest is directly proportional
to how well you spread the word
leveraging all existing channels to
let your audience know about the
contest is a very important step
and posting on facebook Twitter
and instagram is the bare minimum
consider reminding your audience
a few times during the contest
to boost participation sharing
the best photo entry of the day
or week is a great way to reward
participants and keep the contest
buzz going strong
email is another great channel
for promoting your contest over
50 of email opens happen
on mobile and can to lead to
speedy participation so be sure
your contestrsquos landing page is
mobile friendly depending on
your contest goals you can also
consider paid media options such
as promoted posts on facebook
(or any other facebook ads) or
promoted Tweets on Twitter
prep your audience before the
contest by generating buzz
before your contest officially
starts let followers know that
your business is going to be
PromoTe PromoTe PromoTecross-channel promoTion and acTive enGaGemenT durinG The conTesT is key To success
hosting a contest soon do this by
posting a photo of the creative on
use up to six additional
hashtags when you promote
your contest on instagram
in piqorarsquos research into instagram
hashtags we found that there
are substantial incremental
increases in likes as more
hashtags are added up to as
many as seven hashtags so
aim to add six hashtags on top
of the contestrsquos official hashtag
when you promote your contest
on instagram note that it is not
advisable to ask users to add
more than one hashtag although
it could increase reach the higher
barrier to entry would be likely
to reduce participation and
negate any potential benefits
for additional research findings
on hashtags and tips on how
to select and use hashtags for
4
over 50 of email opens happen on mobile and can to lead to speedy participation so be sure your contestrsquos landing page is mobile friendly
when it comes to promoting your instagram photo contests posting about it on your other social channels is the bare minimum
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 14
your campaigns download the
instagram hashtag report
maximize reach and impact by
leveraging influencers
increase the reach and impact
of your promotion by getting
influencers to promote your photo
contests you can have them serve
as a guest poster on your account
ndash they would be effectively
endorsing your contest and this
will likely increase participation
you can also have them promote
your contest via their own
instagram account and their other
social channels
There are dozens of extremely
influential instagram users in
fashion and beauty but they
exist in most other verticals
as well influencers have been
leveraged successfully by brands
large and small when Giorgio
armani launched the perfume si
they called on fashion bloggers
including highly influential
instagammer chiara ferragni who
has 12m followers
many of them have such a large
audience that they can command
a high price and some are even
represented by agents but
this form of paid media can
supercharge a contest especially
for smaller brands who have
limited organic reach of their
own so it can be money very well
spent how to find influencers
start by looking at the most
influential users who are using
hashtags that are relevant to your
brand and business vertical
of course not all brands can
afford to pay top dollar for
fashionistas like chiara ferragni
ndash but that does not mean they
canrsquot leverage influencers alyson
haley an influential instagrammer based on a study of 150000 instagram posts from 200 brands piqora found that adding 7-8 hashtags can increase likes by 200 or more
when Giorgio armani launched the perfume si they called on the highly influential instagammer chiara ferragni who has 12m followers
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 15
submitted three photos to hobo
bagsrsquos carry This wear That
photo contest garnering a total
of 1314 likes and reaching tens of
thousands of instagram users in
the process she also promoted
the contest to her network by
reposting the contest rules
including a url to the landing
page and as a bonus her pics
make for some great uGc so
whether or not you intend to
pay them identify and build
relationships with influencers in
advance of your contest because
if your contest is good enough
you may be able to substantially
increase the reach of your contest
without spending a dime
tip On the first day of your
Instagram contest post an image
with your contestrsquos official rules
Alternatively post a high quality
photo of your contest prize and
use the photo caption to explain
the rules and list other contest
details like the start and end dates
and how yoursquoll be selecting the
winner Either way this photo will
be a great resource for entrants
to refer back to if they have
questions about your contest
tip update your instagram bio
Temporarily update your
Instagram bio during the
timeframe of your Instagram
photo contest Use the space
to include a call to action your
contest hashtag and any web links
that are relevant to your contest
Doing this notifies all users who
visit your Instagram profile of
your contest and can help drive
more entries
hobo bags gave away a designer handbag for their contest itrsquos a good idea to post a picture of the prize at the outset
alyson haley an influential instagram user seen here in piqorarsquos dashboard posted three photos for hobo bagsrsquos contest netting a total of 1314 likes
post an image With your contestrsquos official rules alternatively post a high quality photo of your contest prize and use the photo caption to explain the rules and list other contest details
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 16
give your contest a home
if you want to truly give your fans
a memorable brand experience
give your contest a place to live
online where fans can view other
fan submissions as well as their
own in many cases brands have
been hesitant to aggregate and
display contest submissions from
instagram because of the potential
for undesirable content to appear
in the gallery which could have
a negative impact for the brand
with tools like piqora that offer
photo moderation for aggregating
hashtagged photos this risk is
diminished Giving your contest
campaign a place to live online
(web mobile and facebook)
enables you to increase the reach of
and awareness about your campaign
share your Best fan photos
wersquove seen many campaigns
miss the opportunity to share
fan photos through a brandrsquos
own social networks (Twitter
and facebook) when your
audience goes out of their way
to snap a photo for your brand
sharing their submissions with
your wider audience serves two
purposes first it makes your fans
feel rewarded for participating
and second it helps promote
your campaign and increase
participation
Engage your audience
if you are running a photo contest
on instagram make sure yoursquore
engaging with fans directly
through instagram in addition to
DrivinG ConTesT enGaGemenTcreaTinG a virTual home and disTribuTinG The besT uGc onGoinG is key To maximizinG parTicipaTion
5
for their booties and besties contest piperlime used piqorarsquos promotions platform to build a responsive landing page that showcases contest entries
sharing fan photos through your
brandrsquos social networks donrsquot
forget to like and comment on fan
submissions through instagram
and even follow users back
The great thing about using a
visual platform like instagram is
that it allows you to personalize
and tailor your comments on
fan submissions you can skip
the boilerplate ldquoThanks for
participatingrdquo message and
demonstrate a more genuine
approach by customizing your
comments for each photo
your fans will appreciate these
more than the copy and paste
standardized message
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 17
kpis for instagram contests
like with promotions on other
social networks the most
successful brands on instagram
run photo contests on a regular
basis you may not do everything
perfectly your first go-round but
if you learn from your successes
and failures you will ascend the
learning curve more quickly so
how do you know if your contest
was as success where you fell
short and how you could have
done better of course you will
want to compare your results
to the objectives you defined at
the outset but if you are using
instagram analytics software
you can look at established social
kpis like reach impressions
follower Growth comments
and likes
possible Explanations for
underperforming contests
as wersquove seen in the previous
examples many marketers are
doing a great job with instagram
photo contests and are getting
results still since most marketers
are new to instagram contests
not every one is going to be a
grand slam if yoursquore not satisfied
with the results you got here
are our top seven causes of
underperforming instagram
contests (in no particular order)
The contest was not designed
in a way that maximized the
likelihood of getting the results
you were hoping for for
example you wanted lots of
new followers but the winner
was selected not at random
but by a panel of judges The
latter can create the perception
measurinG suCCesssuccess meTrics for phoTo conTesTs and common causes of poor performance
piqorarsquos instagram promotions platform includes granular tracking and analytics for contests including participants media comments and likes
6
1
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 18
that the contest will be difficult
to win and participation may
be decreased as a result
on the other hand maybe you
got a lot of new followers but
didnrsquot get as much great uGc
as you were hoping for next
time you may want to raise the
content bar by having a panel
of judges select the winner
your contestrsquos theme was not
creativecompelling enough to
motivate people to participate
next time try something
different
The barrier to entry was too
high This can easily happen if
you ask participants to submit
a photo that has too many
complex requirements
The prize was too small This
is a common cause of an
underperforming contest if
your prize was worth less than
$500 try a prize that is valued
at $1000 or more and yoursquoll
most likely see better results
you didnrsquot promote your
contest enough This is a
common cause especially with
smaller brands next time be
sure to leverage every possible
channel you have access
to email all social channels
including your blog website
influencers and advertising
if necessary
The contestrsquos rules were not
clearly explained on instagram
and elsewhere
4
The adult swim channelrsquos comic-con costume photo contest required participants to put on a costume a high barrier to entry that may have reduced participation The image promoting the contest on instagram didnrsquot explain the contest at all ndash only a link was provided to a landing page There it was not clearly explained that entrants should use the contest hashtag adultswimcontest as a result the hashtag was used only 50 times making it difficult for photo entries to be accessed by instagram users for a brand that has 42m facebook fans and 38k instagram followers thatrsquos disappointing
6
5
7
2
3
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom
piqoracomshare this ebook 19
piqora helps brands build communites on pinterest
instagram and Tumblr the top three interest-based visual
networks we are the only social analytics company that
provides support for all of the big three visual networks
But we arenrsquot stopping there we are on our way to
mapping the entire visual web
we work with hundreds of major brands and retailers
including crate amp barrel Gilt zGallerie hautelook steve
madden piperlime etsy and many more
abouT PiqoraThe ComPleTe markeTinG suiTe for
PinTeresT insTaGram anD Tumblr
To learn more abouT The
indusTryrsquos only compleTe
markeTinG suiTe
for The visual web call
866-857-8433 or email
hellopiqoracom