Running Facebook competitions – stick to the rules
Hosting a competition on Facebook is a great way to engage people. Both your existing followers and others will jump at the chance to win something if it's a prize worth having. Running a competition on your Facebook page is surprisingly easy, but there are some rules that you need to follow.
Facebook has a set of policies that you need to keep in mind if you want to run your competition “by the book”. If you don't, you run the risk of having your competition removed or perhaps even having your page deactivated.
Here's how to make sure you follow the rules and avoid getting in trouble, and why you should run a competition in the first place.
The benefits of Facebook competitions
Before getting into the rules, why should you use Facebook to promote a competition?
A competition on Facebook engages your current followers and can help you to be seen by other people too; a new audience of people! Your competition can promote your services and you might even give away a prize relating to your services. By encouraging more engagement on your Facebook page, you can boost your SEO for your page and your website.
Competitions can also be great for collecting information, like the email addresses of your entrants.
Set out the rules of your competition
When you decide to run a competition or any other promotion, Facebook asks you to be clear about the rules.
They want you to run your competition lawfully, which includes having a list of official competition rules, terms and eligibility requirements. You should make the rules for your competition clear and easy to access so all your entrants know what they're agreeing to when they enter.
You can set out rules like who can enter (age, location and other requirements) and what they have to do to enter - whether they need to submit their email address or do something creative.
Follow the law
Facebook asks you to comply with any rules and regulations governing your competition and the prizes you're offering. You should be doing this anyway, even if your competition isn't on Facebook!
There are two types of competition - games of skill and games of chance.
A game of skill involves anything where competitors are asked to do something, even if it doesn't technically require any skill. A game of chance is where a winner is selected at random.
A game of skill usually doesn't require a license, but in NSW for example, a game of chance does require a permit. Some higher value prizes might need a permit too, so check the rules for your state.
Release Facebook from responsibility or association
Facebook wants to be sure that no one thinks they're involved in your competition.
So, they ask you to make it clear that they have nothing to do with it. They ask you to acknowledge that your competition isn't sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook.
Plus, you need to have a statement that releases Facebook from any responsibility to participants. Basically, make sure everyone knows that Facebook is not connected to your competition in any way.
Use your business Facebook page
One of the biggest things to remember is that your competition needs to be on your business page, not your personal page.
You can also use a group or event page, or you can administer a competition within an app on Facebook. But Facebook says you can't use "personal timelines and friend connections".
This means you can't post your competition on your personal page or encourage people to share your post on their timelines or tag their friends. These kinds of things are against the rules, even though you might see some people trying to get away with it.
Run the right type of competition
Only some types of promotion are allowed on Facebook. As we indicated earlier, you can run a competition where the winner is chosen at random. You can also run one that's judged based on skill or creativity. However, you're not allowed to run a lottery that requires anyone to buy a ticket.
Collect information responsibly
Competitions are good for collecting data but you need to do it in a responsible way. Facebook wants you to make it clear that you're collecting the data, and not them.
They also say you should get consent from users for using the information and content that you collect from them. Tell your competition entrants how you're going to use their data or content and make sure that they agree.
A Facebook competition is a great way to promote your business, but don't risk having your competition removed or your page deactivated, for not following the rules.
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