Sweepstakes and Contests: which one works best for your brand

Two powerful giveaway formats—one smart choice. Learn how to pick the right fit for your brand goals and audience

Sweepstakes and contests are two of the best ways brands can spark interest in their products. The two might seem interchangeable, but they are quite different and help achieve different brand marketing goals. This means that before your next campaign, you need to understand each of them well to choose the one that works best for your brand.

In this guide, that’s what we’ll break down. We’ll also outline what you need to factor in when choosing between sweepstakes and contests.

What’s a Sweepstakes?

A sweepstakes is the simplest form of a giveaway, and it requires minimal effort from the participants. All they need to do is fill out a form, follow a social media account, share a post, comment, or sign up for a newspaper.

Then, the winner is decided purely by chance, with no judging, voting, or special skills involved. Everyone who participates in the sweepstakes has an equal chance regardless of how much time they invested.

Since the entry bar is low and anyone can win, this type of campaign is often focused on reaching as many people as possible. For example, it works quite well when launching a new product and when you are building a social media following/email list.

What’s a Contest?

A contest requires participants to do more than just register. They need to show some skill, effort, or creativity to win a prize. That can be something like writing a caption, submitting a photo, or designing something.

In contests, participants invest much more time and effort compared to sweepstakes, and winners are usually judged by a panel or subjected to public voting.

As participation takes time, the number of participants is usually lower than in sweepstakes. However, the tradeoff is worth it as the people who enter are typically more invested in your brand, and their effort creates a relationship that lasts beyond the campaign.

How to choose: key factors to consider

Choosing between a sweepstakes and a contest depends on several factors.

Your marketing goal

This is the first and biggest consideration you should make as the two campaigns achieve varied results. If your objective involves attracting as many people as possible, you need a sweepstakes campaign. It will be easy for people to enter, and it can go viral as people share it with their followers.

On the other hand, if you are looking for deeper engagement in your brand marketing efforts, a contest makes more sense. It doesn’t just ask people to show up but requires them to participate in a way that helps build a connection with your brand.

Audience behavior and motivation

Your audience habits should also play a role in choosing between a sweepstakes and a contest. Based on your product type and past social media interactions, are they casual followers who scroll quickly and are more likely to be interested in easy wins? In that case, sweepstakes will work best for your brand marketing as they ask for very little.

On the other hand, if your brand appeals to people who want to be seen or heard, you may want to go for a contest. Here, you’ll let them put their passion and loyalty to use in creating content related to your brand. They are more likely to share photos, write reviews, or rally votes from friends.

Your timeline and resources

How much time, energy, and team support can you realistically dedicate to the campaign?

Sweepstakes are easy to set up and run, so they won’t ask you much. All you need is a good campaign plan and the right tools. You can rely on automation for most activities, like collecting entries and selecting a winner.

Contests, meanwhile, will require more investment and planning. You’ll need some entry criteria, a submission system, and a judging panel. You may also need to moderate entries if the voting is public. Plus, you’ll also need a team to go through all submissions. If the prize is big, it means more effort.

However, for both types of campaigns, you can always rely on marketing agencies that have the expertise to ensure your promotion is smooth and successful.

Need expert support to launch your campaign the right way?

Whether you’re leaning toward a sweepstakes or planning a full-scale contest, Promosfera gives you the marketing expertise, logistical support, legal know-how, and years of hands-on experience to make it seamless. Let’s turn your idea into a campaign that delivers real results!