The best giveaway ideas for a small business are simple games with a prize your customers actually want: a scratch card with a discount for everyone, a product quiz with a draw, or a vote on your next product. Pick prizes from your own range, from a local partner or in the form of early access, and run the giveaway on your own page so the sign-ups and consent end up in your own email list.
A giveaway doesn't need a big budget. It needs a prize that fits your customers and a setup that turns entries into people you can reach again. Below you'll find 10 giveaway ideas, a list of prize ideas that cost little, and the two mistakes that make small giveaways fail.
For the full process, from goal to winner announcement, see our guide on how to run an online competition.
Why the Prize Should Attract Customers, Not Prize Hunters
The most common small business giveaway goes like this: "Win an iPad! Like, share and tag a friend." It gets a lot of comments. A month later, almost none of those people have bought anything.
The problem is the prize. A tablet, a big gift card or cash appeals to everyone, including people with no interest in your shop. A prize from your own range does the opposite: it only appeals to people who want what you sell. That is exactly who you want on your list.
Three simple rules:
- Make the prize about you. Your bestseller, a bundle, a service or an experience with your brand.
- Give everyone a small win. A discount code for everyone who doesn't win turns entries into first orders.
- Ask one or two good questions. "Which product would you choose?" tells you more than a like.
We go deeper in lead quality from competitions.
10 Giveaway Ideas for Small Businesses
1. Welcome scratch card for new subscribers
People scratch a card when they sign up for your newsletter. Most win a small discount, a few win a product. It turns a dull sign-up box into a reason to join. Format: scratch card.
2. Spin the wheel on your website
A wheel that pops up on your site and asks for an email before people spin. Rascals Brewing used a branded wheel of fortune to grow newsletter subscribers and reached a 259% ROI. Format: spin the wheel as a game pop-up.
3. Product quiz with a prize draw
Five questions about your products or your craft. Everyone who answers enters a draw. You learn what people know and like, and the quiz itself is good content to share. Format: quiz.
4. "Which one are you?" test
A short personality test that ends with a product recommendation and a chance to win it. Good for shops with a range that suits different tastes, like coffee, skincare or yarn. Format: personality test.
5. Vote on your next product
Let customers vote between two or three new flavours, colors or designs. Everyone who votes enters a draw for the winning product when it arrives. Format: vote game.
6. Customer photo giveaway
Ask customers for a photo of your product in use: their knitted jumper, their garden, their dog in your raincoat. You get real content, and the best photo wins. Format: photo competition.
7. Holiday giveaway with a short deadline
Valentine's, Easter, Mother's Day, Black Friday. A short game over a few days, with a clear end date. Rito.dk, a yarn and hobby webshop, ran a five-day Valentine's wheel that drove over €13,500 in revenue.
8. Birthday or anniversary giveaway
Your shop's birthday is a story people want to join. Swimming equipment retailer Watery celebrated its fifth anniversary with a wheel of fortune and got around 7,200 new sign-ups. More in anniversary campaign ideas.
9. Joint giveaway with a local partner
Team up with a business that has the same customers but doesn't compete with you: a bakery and a coffee roaster, a bike shop and a café. Each brings a prize and shares the campaign with their audience. Agree in advance how you'll handle the consent text and who gets to email the entrants.
10. Scan to win in your shop
Put a QR code at the till or on a table. People scan, play on their phone and leave their email. Now you can reach the people who walk through your door. Read more in in-store competition ideas.
Looking for more? Our list of competition ideas for business has 25 ideas, including bigger campaigns.
Need more ideas for your trade? Try the free competition idea generator. When you have picked one, the giveaway post planner writes the posts to announce it.
Giveaway Prize Ideas That Don't Cost Much
Good giveaway prize ideas share one thing: they are worth more to your customers than they cost you.
Your own products
- Your bestseller
- A bundle or gift box
- A new product before anyone else gets it
- A year's supply of something small, like coffee or socks
Experiences
- A workshop, class or tasting
- A behind-the-scenes visit
- A personal session with you: a styling, a fitting, a consultation
- Naming a new product or flavour
Partner prizes
- A product or voucher from a partner with the same customers
- Tickets to a local event
- A prize from your supplier, who may be glad to support the campaign
Discount codes and vouchers
- A discount code for everyone who doesn't win the main prize
- Free shipping
- A gift card for your own shop (not a general one)
Early access
- First access to a sale, a drop or a new collection
- A place on a waiting list
- A members-only evening in your shop
| Prize type | Cost to you | Who it attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Your own product | Low to medium | People who want your products |
| Experience with you | Mostly your time | Your most engaged fans |
| Partner prize | Often free | Customers you share with the partner |
| Discount code | Only paid when used | Shoppers ready to buy |
| Early access | Close to free | Loyal customers |
| Generic gift card or tablet | High | Everyone, including prize hunters |
A tip on discount codes: if the code can only be used on a purchase, it pays for itself when people use it. BonBon-Land gave codes as consolation prizes in a scratch card campaign and turned them into ticket sales. In Scratcher you upload your own unique codes, and the platform gives one to each winner. See prizes and winners.
Run It on Your Own Page So You Own the Data
Social media giveaway ideas usually look like this: comment, follow, tag. That gets reach, but you end up with a list of usernames and no way to reach those people again.
The better way is to use social media to spread the word and run the giveaway itself on your own page:
- Build the game on a landing page, or put it on your website.
- Share the link in posts, stories, your newsletter and with a QR code in your shop.
- People sign up with their email and tick a box if they want your newsletter.
- Sign-ups go straight to your email tool, such as Klaviyo, Mailchimp or Shopify.
Now you own the list. You can send a welcome email the same day and a winner announcement later, and you can see exactly how many sign-ups the giveaway brought.
It also helps you stay within the platforms' rules. Meta's policies for Pages, groups and events say a promotion must not require or incentivise people to share, repost or tag others. We go through this in Instagram giveaway rules.
Keep It Fair and Simple
- One entry per person. Limit entries per email address or phone number, so nobody wins by entering 50 times.
- Write short terms. Who can join, what the prize is, when the winner is picked and how they'll be told. Our terms and conditions checklist helps.
- Keep consent separate. Entering the giveaway and saying yes to your newsletter should be two choices.
- Pick the winner properly. A random draw that you can document. See how to pick a giveaway winner.
Rules for giveaways differ by country, and some depend on whether people must buy something to take part. This article is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules in your market with your lawyer before you launch.
FAQ
What is a good giveaway prize for a small business?
Your own bestseller, a bundle or an experience with your brand. These attract people who want what you sell. Add a small discount code for everyone who doesn't win the main prize.
How do I run a giveaway on a small budget?
Use prizes that cost you little, like your own products, early access or a partner prize, and give discount codes that only cost money when they are used. Share the giveaway through channels you already have: your newsletter, social media and your shop.
Should I run my giveaway in the comments on Instagram?
You can, but you won't get email addresses or consent. Running it on your own page and sharing the link on Instagram gives you a list you can use afterwards.
How long should a small business giveaway run?
One to two weeks is common. Short holiday giveaways can run for a few days. Always give a clear end date.
Start Small
Scratcher has 150+ templates, and Rex, our AI assistant, can design a giveaway from your website in minutes, with your logo, colors and fonts. Start your free 14-day trial (no credit card needed), see our public prices, or read more about online competitions and giveaways.
