Common questions
Can you require a purchase to enter a giveaway?
Not for a random draw — a purchase supplies consideration and makes it a lottery. Either keep entry free for everyone, or add a free route of equal prominence and equal weight.
Can paid subscribers or members receive giveaway entries?
It depends on how the promotion is structured and which laws and platform rules apply. A members-only random drawing with no free route is the variant that carries real exposure; tier weighting is unsettled.
What does "no purchase necessary" actually require?
That no entrant has to spend money to be in the draw. Where a paid route exists, the free route must be genuinely free, equally prominent, and worth the same in the draw.
Is my giveaway a sweepstakes, a contest, or a lottery?
Chance without payment is a sweepstakes. Judged skill is a contest. Prize, chance, and payment together is a lottery. Most creator giveaways are sweepstakes.
Do I need a skill-testing question in Canada?
By convention, yes — the selected winner answers a multi-step arithmetic question before the prize is awarded, alongside free entry and adequate disclosure of prizes and odds.
Do I still have to exclude Québec from a Canadian giveaway?
Not for the old filing and fee reasons: Québec's publicity-contest regime ended with a law assented to on 27 October 2023. Federal rules and language obligations still apply.
What does Instagram require for giveaways?
Meta makes you solely responsible for lawful operation, and requires official rules, a release of Meta by entrants, and a statement that Meta is not associated with the promotion.
What does YouTube require for giveaways?
You act as sponsor, publish official rules, and never require payment to enter — a paid channel membership or Super Chat cannot be an entry condition.
Do giveaways actually grow followers?
Follower count almost always rises; audience is a design outcome that depends on the prize. Nobody has reliable public churn data, so measure your own at 30 days.
Why do people unfollow after a giveaway?
Because the follow was the price of entry. Generic prizes, follow loops, an unclear draw, and silence after the announcement each make it worse.
How should a winner be selected?
Freeze the eligible pool at close, remove duplicates and ineligible entries on published criteria, draw randomly by a method that records its result, and keep the record.
General information, not legal advice
Dollar Fan Club provides general educational information, not legal advice. Laws, regulations, and platform policies vary by jurisdiction and can change, and the information on this page may not apply to your specific circumstances.
Reading this page does not create a lawyer–client or any other professional relationship. Verify current requirements using the primary sources cited on this page, and consider consulting a qualified legal professional where appropriate. Dollar Fan Club does not guarantee that any promotion is legally compliant.