New Video Finally Clarifies Facebook Giveaway Rules

Confused by Facebook Giveaway Guidelines?

Many people are. To me, the rules that can be found on their site – Facebook Giveaway Guidelines – are pretty easy to understand, even though they’re not written as clearly as they probably should be. But, many people disagreed with my interpretation of them, and there has been a lot of discussion {and sometimes argument} the past few months, especially among bloggers, as to what exactly they could and couldn’t do on Facebook to promote their giveaways. So, I’m really excited to share this great video that does a great job of clearing things up. {Hint: I was right, lol.}

Comply with the Promotions Guidelines on Facebook Video

The Basics

Here is the basic idea that you need to know to be able to play by the rules – You CAN condition an entry on someone taking an action. That means you can say, “Only people who have ‘Liked’ my page can enter.” But, you CANNOT use Facebook functionality as a way to enter your giveaway. That means you CAN’T say, “Like my page and be entered to win!”

What is Facebook Functionality?

When they use this term, they mean anything that’s built in to Facebook – such as the Like button or commenting. If you use those as entry methods, it’s kind of like you’re using Facebook as an entry form. So, you have to use a separate entry form – Rafflecopter, Google Doc, Comment on blog – whatever you want. But using a button on Facebook cannot be the way that they get entered – they have to use YOUR entry form or method.

Final Answer

So, YES! You can have people “Like” your page as an entry method – as long as you have them do something other than that as the actual entry method. Using the “Like” button to enter – Not ok. Liking your page then filling out a form – That is ok! I hope that this helps clear up some of the confusion – Giveaways that include people “Liking” your page can be a great way to meet new faces on your Facebook page, so I hope that this clarification helps you to feel confident in adding it your entry forms again!

Questions?

If you still have questions – please leave a comment, and I’ll try my best to answer them for you!