How to pick a random winner on Instagram

What should you decide before the giveaway ends?

Write down how the winner will be chosen before anyone enters, and put it in your giveaway post. Most arguments after a giveaway come from rules that were vague or changed halfway through.

Your rules should cover, at minimum:

• How to enter, and whether extra actions give extra entries.
• The deadline, with a time zone.
• Who can enter: age limits and countries you can ship to.
• How the winner is picked, for example "chosen at random from eligible comments using an online wheel, recorded on screen".
• How and when you will contact the winner, and how long they have to reply.

Instagram's Promotion Guidelines also ask anyone running a promotion to publish official rules and eligibility terms, to acknowledge that the promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram, and not to encourage people to tag content inaccurately. The guidelines are updated from time to time, so read the current version on Instagram's Help Center before you post.

Step 1: How do you collect the entrants from the comments?

Stop entries at the deadline, then copy each eligible commenter's username into a plain list. SpinDecide does not connect to Instagram and cannot read comments, so this part is up to you.

1. Close entries. Note the exact time you stopped. You can also turn off commenting on the post so nobody can argue a late comment should count.
2. Copy usernames into a note or spreadsheet. Scroll through the comments and paste one username per line. For a small giveaway this takes a few minutes; for a few hundred entries, a spreadsheet makes it easier to sort and check.
3. Check any hidden or filtered comments. If your account filters comments, make sure genuine entries were not filtered out by mistake.

Some creators use third-party tools to export comments. If you do, read what access the tool asks for, and still review the exported list yourself, because the steps below apply either way.

Step 2: How do you clean the entry list?

Apply your published rules to the list, and only your published rules. Decide the criteria before you look at who entered, so nobody can accuse you of removing someone on purpose.

• Duplicates. If the rule is one entry per person, keep one line for each username. Pasting the list into the wheel and pressing Sort A–Z puts repeated names next to each other, which makes them easy to spot.
• Your own accounts and team. Remove your account, co-hosts, and anyone your rules exclude, such as staff.
• Ineligible entries. Remove comments that did not follow the entry rules, and anyone outside your stated age or location limits, if you can tell.
• Obvious spam. Comments that are clearly bots or promotional spam can go, but be consistent and keep a short note of what you removed and why.

If your rules give bonus entries, for example one extra entry per friend tagged, either list those people once per entry or use weights in the wheel. Say which method you used when you announce the winner.

Step 3: How do you spin for a random winner?

Paste the clean list into the giveaway picker and spin once. The wheel gives every name the same chance; if your followers want the details, point them to our explanation of how the wheel's randomness works.

1. Open the giveaway picker and choose Edit as text.
2. Delete any sample names and paste your list, one username per line.
3. Check the number of options matches your cleaned list. If it does not, find the missing or extra line before you spin.
4. For more than one prize, turn on "Remove the winner after each spin" so nobody wins twice.
5. Choose the Long (8 second) spin length if you want some suspense on camera.

The wheel holds up to 200 entries. For a bigger giveaway, number the rows in your spreadsheet and draw a row number with the random number generator instead, recording the spreadsheet and the draw in the same video. For raffles with numbered tickets, the raffle wheel works the same way.

Step 4: Should you record the draw and how do you announce it?

Yes. Record your screen from before you paste the list until after the result appears. Phones and computers both have built-in screen recorders. A good recording shows the full list scrolling past, the number of entries, the spin itself and the winner's name in the result pop-up.

Some hosts go further and spin live, which removes any doubt. Either way, the results list under the wheel keeps every draw from the session, and you can copy it for your records.

When you have verified the winner (see the next step), announce it where your entrants will see it: a story with the recording, a comment on the giveaway post, or both. Tagging the winner is common, but check they are happy to be named if the prize is sensitive. For more on building trust around a draw, read our guide on how to run a fair giveaway online.

Step 5: How do you contact the winner safely?

Before announcing, check the winner meets the rules: the account is real, the comment was on time, and they are in an eligible location. Then send one message from your own account and wait for a reply.

Giveaways attract impersonators. Scam accounts often copy a creator's name and profile photo, then message entrants saying they have won and asking for a "shipping fee", card details or a login code. Protect your community:

• Say it in the post. "We will only message the winner from this account. We will never ask you to pay, click a link or share a password."
• Never ask for payment of any kind. The US Federal Trade Commission is clear that a real prize never requires the winner to pay.
• Ask only for what you need, such as a postal address, and only after the winner replies to you.
• Report fake accounts. Instagram lets you report an account for impersonation from its profile. Warn your followers in a story when you spot one.

If the winner does not reply within the time your rules state, draw again from the remaining list, record that draw too, and explain in your announcement that the original winner did not respond.

Do giveaways have legal rules?

Yes, and they depend on where you and your entrants live. Rules can cover age limits, whether entrants can be asked to pay or buy something, how prizes are taxed, and what the official rules must say. In the United States, for example, a promotion that combines a prize, chance and a required payment is generally treated as a lottery, which private hosts cannot usually run.

This guide is practical advice, not legal advice. For a large prize, a business giveaway or a promotion across several countries, check the rules that apply to you or talk to a lawyer.