Facebook photo contests have become an extremely popular way for brands and businesses to engage with their audience. By encouraging users to submit photos around a certain theme or topic, photo contests allow brands to crowdsource visual content and increase engagement. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook provides an huge platform to gain valuable user generated content.
Running a successful Facebook photo contest requires some strategic planning. Here is an overview of how to run an effective Facebook photo contest.
Set Goals and Objectives
Before launching your Facebook photo contest, think about what you aim to achieve. Some common goals for Facebook photo contests include:
- Increase engagement and grow your audience
- Crowdsource visual user generated content (UGC)
- Promote a product, service or event
- Collect user data or build an email list
Define your main objectives upfront so you can optimize the contest to achieve your goals. For example, if your goal is to increase engagement, you may want to keep the contest simple with a broad theme to get as many entries as possible. If you want high-quality UGC, you may opt for a more specific theme and advanced submission criteria.
Choose Your Contest Theme or Topic
Selecting the right theme or topic is crucial for an engaging, successful Facebook photo contest. Consider these factors when choosing a theme:
- Relevance: Pick a theme that’s relevant to your brand, products, services or niche.
- Specificity: A more specific theme (e.g. “Dogs wearing sunglasses”) can elicit more creative and on-brand submissions than a broad one (e.g. “Summer photos”).
- Seasonality: Tie your theme to seasonal events, holidays or awareness months for timeliness.
- Originality: Avoid overused concepts to stand out.
Test your theme idea by asking customers and employees for feedback. An exciting, novel theme will help your contest stand out and get more entries.
Determine Your Contest Rules and Guidelines
Contest rules and guidelines specify the who, what, when, where and how of your photo contest. Include details on:
- Eligibility: Who can enter? Geographic location, age, employment and other limits.
- Photo criteria: Specs for resolution, orientation, file types, image enhancements allowed, etc.
- Quantity: Limit on number of entries per participant.
- Rights: Usage rights for photos submitted, i.e. royalty-free perpetual license.
- Judging criteria: Who will judge, criteria for selecting winners, number of winners.
- Prizes: Details on prizes for winners and runners-up.
- Entry method and deadline: How and where to submit, contest close date.
Include other legal items like taxes, general conditions and liability releases. Have your legal team review the complete official rules before publishing.
Offer Engaging Prizes and Incentives
Prizes give your audience added incentive to participate and submit their best shots. Offer prizes that appeal to your target demographic. Some prize ideas:
- Cash
- Gift cards
- Free products or services
- Discount codes
- Merchandise
- Trips or experiences
You can offer multiple prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winners and runners-up. Prizes should align with your budget and overall contest goals.
Promote Your Photo Contest
Spread the word across your marketing channels to drive awareness and entries. Here are some tips for promoting your Facebook photo contest:
- Create a Facebook event and invite fans to RSVP.
- Post announcements across your social channels.
- Run Facebook and Instagram ads targeting relevant audiences.
- Send emails to your subscriber list with contest details.
- Add a link and banner on your website and blog.
- Follow up with reminder posts and notifications.
Promote early and remind people often. Fully leverage Facebook’s event features like cover images, updates and comments.
Choose Your Contest Entry Method
You need to decide how participants will submit their photos. Here are some options:
- Photo post to Facebook: Entrants post their photo to Facebook with a custom hashtag. Easy for entrants but photos are public.
- Facebook comments: Users submit entries by commenting with their photo on your contest post. Can get disorganized.
- Facebook messenger: Participants message their photo to your Facebook page. More private but time consuming.
- Third party contest app: Use a platform like Wishpond for submissions. More options and analytics but costs more.
- Email: Entrants email their photo entry. Simple but submissions could get missed.
The best method depends on your goals, target audience and budget. Weigh the pros and cons of each approach.
Appoint Unbiased Judges
Your judging panel holds significant responsibility for picking the contest winners. Consider these tips when selecting judges:
- Choose 3-5 judges for best results.
- Pick qualified, impartial people like industry experts, influencers or photographers.
- Avoid anyone with close ties to participants.
- Establish clear judging criteria and share with judges.
- Use a judges’ scoring sheet to rank entries based on criteria.
- Have judges assess entries independently before discussing as a group.
- Document the judging process and final standings.
Keeping judging fair and transparent is key to a successful contest your community has faith in.
Showcase and Share Entries
To maximize user generated content from your photo contest, display entries across your marketing channels. Share entries by:
- Posting a Facebook photo album of submissions.
- Sharing entries in real time as Instagram stories or feed posts.
- Embedding a social stream on your website to automatically showcase entries.
- Featuring standout shots in email newsletters and social posts.
Credit and tag users when sharing their photos. Showcasing entries keeps people engaged until winners are announced.
Announce and Promote Winners
Spotlight your victorious photos with a dedicated contest results post. Be sure to:
- Tag and congratulate winners.
- Embed or link to the winning entries.
- Showcase 2nd and 3rd place photos too.
- Share judges’ reactions and insight from the selection process.
- Explain when and how winners will receive their prizes.
Prominently announce results on your main social media channels and website. Email winners with next steps and consider sending a newsletter with highlights to all entrants.
Collect User Generated Content Rights
To legally use photo submissions, have entrants agree to contest terms granting you usage rights. Typical rights include:
- Royalty-free use of photos submitted.
- Non-exclusive worldwide license to display, distribute and reproduce photos across your marketing channels.
- Right to edit, adapt, modify or alter photos.
- Use of submitter’s name, likeness and social handle in regards to their photo.
Review the exact wording with your legal team. Collecting full rights to use submissions allows you to maximize your new UGC.
Evaluate and Learn from Your Contest
Analyze key metrics and gather feedback after your photo contest wraps up. Review:
- Total entries and submissions over time.
- User engagement on contest posts and entries.
- Traffic and conversions driven by the contest.
- Email capture and growth of your mailing list.
- Qualitative feedback from entrants and judges.
Identify what worked well and where there’s room for improvement. Apply these learnings to make your next photo contest even more successful.
Conclusion
Launching a photo contest on Facebook provides an excellent opportunity to engage your audience while collecting visually compelling UGC. Define your goals and strategy upfront, promote the contest extensively, display entries in real time, and analyze results after. With strategic planning and promotion, your Facebook photo contest can help boost brand exposure and community engagement.