If you think social media giveaways are so 2019, think again.

In 2022, giveaways are still in—and they can work wonders for your apparel brand.

You might be wondering why it makes sense to give away your custom apparel for free if your goal is to actually make money from selling it.

The answer is simple: social media giveaways are an effective way to generate interest in your brand and get people talking about your custom screen print shirts.

When done right, a social media giveaway can help you build an engaged following, increase brand awareness, and even drive sales.

(Custom screen print shirts make great prizes!)

To help you get started, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to host a social media giveaway to promote your custom screen print shirts.

screen print shirts

1. Eyes on the prize (a.k.a. your giveaway prize)

First things first, you need to decide what you’re going to give away.

You can start with your custom t-shirts. But if you want to mix things up, you could also consider giving away other items from your apparel line or merchandise from your online store.

Want to know which prize will excite your audience the most?

Simple. Just take a look at your analytics to see which apparel items are the most popular with your target audience.

instagram

2. Your game, your rules

Once you’ve decided on a prize, it’s time to set up the rules for your social media giveaway.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Make sure the entry requirements are easy to follow.

The last thing you want is for people to get frustrated and give up before they even enter.

Choose a timeframe that makes sense for your brand and audience.

A good rule of thumb is to run your giveaway for 1-2 weeks.

Decide how you’re going to select a winner.

You can use a random number generator or have people vote on their favorite custom screen print shirt design.

Let your audience know exactly when and where you will announce the winner.

By turning the announcement into its own event, you’ll build even more excitement around your giveaway.

social media giveaway

3. First impressions do matter

Once you have the logistics sorted, it’s time to start promoting your giveaway. Eye-catching visuals are your friend.

Think about it—when was the last time you entered a social media giveaway that didn’t have an attractive image or video accompanying it?

Exactly.

So, take some time to create visuals that will grab people’s attention and make them want to learn more about your custom apparel.

Stunning promotional graphics will attract more people so they can see the most important artwork of all—your t-shirt designs.

promote your giveaway

4. Tell everyone and their mother about your giveaway

Now that you have everything in place, it’s time to start promoting your social media giveaway.

Here are a few ways to get the word out:

Share your custom graphic across all of your social media channels.

Every platform counts—so, make sure to post about your giveaway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other platform where your target audience hangs out.

We also recommend converting your custom graphic into a video or animation because short-form video content performs the best on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

You don’t need to be an Adobe Premiere or After Effects pro to make videos.

You can even use Canva to make quick vertical videos to promote your giveaway on social media.

Make sure to use relevant hashtags so people can easily find your giveaway.

We recommend using hashtags that are specific to your niche, industry, and location.

You should also create a branded hashtag that is unique to your giveaway.

Branded hashtags will help you create hype and track the success of your social media campaign.

Promote your giveaway in your email newsletter.

Email is still one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. So, make sure to promote your custom screen print shirt giveaway in your next newsletter.

Use paid social media ads to give your giveaway some extra reach.

If you have a budget for your campaign, consider using paid social media ads to promote your giveaway.

Paid ads will help you reach a wider audience and significantly increase your chances of success.

If you decide to run a campaign on Facebook or Instagram, make sure you review the rules for promoting giveaways on each platform. You don’t want to accidentally breach any of their guidelines.

Reach out to influencers in your niche and ask them to share your giveaway with their audience.

Many influencers will want to be compensated for their work, but there are also many who are happy to share your content with their audience in exchange for exposure—especially if they think their followers will love your apparel designs. It never hurts to ask!

announce the winner

5. Make the big announcement!

Once the timeframe for your social media giveaway has come to an end, it’s time to select a winner.

If you’re using a random number generator, simply choose a number at random and announce the winner on your social media channels.

Or, if you decided to ask people to vote on their favorite custom screen print shirt design, tally up the votes and announce the winning design.

Make sure you thank all the participants for taking the time to enter your giveaway.

You should also consider running another social media giveaway in the future to keep your followers engaged and excited about your brand.

manufacture your custom apparel design

Ready to manufacture your viral-worthy apparel design?

As you probably know, we can help with that!

But why choose us?

Here are just a few of the many reasons why Scrappy is the best custom apparel partner for your brand:

  • Our estimates are free and 100% transparent. (No hidden fees!)
  • We source the highest-quality materials for our garments.
  • Our Scrappy Sales Reps are friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. They will answer all your questions about your project.
  • Scrappy Apparel’s Brand Building Process (BBP) takes all the stress out of custom apparel manufacturing so you can focus on your business.
  • Our shipping is quick and always on time. (Never, ever late!)
  • We offer free shipping to the USA.

Sounds fantastic? Let’s get your project rolling:

Grab Your Free Quote