How to Promote a Competition in Australia
Social media, paid advertising, email marketing, aggregator sites, influencer partnerships, PR, and a week-by-week promotion timeline to maximise entries.
3,500%
Email ROI
Average return on email marketing
83%
Choose Facebook
Of AU SMBs using paid social
67%
Mobile Traffic
Of all AU internet traffic
61%
Report Sales Uplift
AU SMBs using Facebook Ads
Why Promotion Is the Most Important Part
Most competitions don't fail because of a bad prize. They fail because not enough people know about them. You can have a $10,000 prize, perfect T&Cs, and a seamless entry mechanic, but if you only post once on your Facebook page and walk away, you'll get a fraction of the entries you should.
The Promotion Rule of Thumb
Budget at least as much time and money for promoting your competition as you spend on the prize itself. A $500 prize with $500 of well-targeted promotion will outperform a $2,000 prize with zero promotion every time.
Of entries come from promotion
Only a small fraction of entries come from organic discovery. The rest come from your promotion efforts across multiple channels.
More entries with multi-channel
Businesses that promote across 3+ channels typically see 3-5x more entries than those using a single channel.
Purchase from email
Over half of consumers have made a purchase directly from an email, making it one of the highest-converting channels.
Know Your Audience First
Before you spend a dollar on promotion, be clear about who you're trying to reach. Different audiences live on different platforms, respond to different messaging, and enter competitions at different times of day.
Broadest reach (18M+ AU users). Skews 25-54. Best for: family prizes, household goods, travel, food & beverage. Facebook guide
Visual-first (15M+ AU users). Skews 18-34. Best for: beauty, fashion, food, lifestyle, experiences. Instagram guide
TikTok
Fastest growing (8.5M+ AU users). Skews 16-30. Best for: entertainment, tech, fashion, food, UGC-driven brands. TikTok guide
Highest ROI channel. Works across all demographics. Best for: existing customers, loyalty programs, repeat entries.
Aggregator Sites
Targeted comping audiences. All demographics. Best for: maximising entry volume quickly with highly engaged users.
Google / SEO
Intent-driven traffic. People actively searching for competitions. Best for: longer-running promotions (4+ weeks).
Don't Try Everything at Once
Pick 2-3 channels that match your audience and do them well. A focused campaign on the right channels will always outperform a scattered approach across six platforms with thin effort on each.
Free Tools to Get Started
Before you promote, make sure the basics are covered. Use our T&C Generator for professional competition rules, and our Pick a Winner tool to run a fair, recorded draw when the competition ends.
Paid Social Media Advertising
Organic reach alone won't cut it for most competitions. Even a small paid budget can dramatically increase entries. 83% of Australian SMBs using paid social choose Facebook, and 61% report increased sales from their campaigns.
Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram)
The most effective platform for competition promotion in Australia. You can boost your competition post directly or create dedicated ad campaigns.
Budget: Start with $10-20/day. Scale up what works.
Targeting: Location (Australia), age range matching your audience, interests related to your prize category.
Objective: "Engagement" for comment-to-enter. "Traffic" for landing page entries.
Creative: Use eye-catching images of the prize. Video ads typically outperform static.
Tip: Create a lookalike audience based on existing customers for the best cost per entry.
TikTok Ads
Strong for reaching 16-30 demographics. TikTok's Promote feature lets you boost organic videos with minimal setup.
Budget: Minimum $50/day for ad campaigns. Promote starts from $3/day.
Targeting: Age, gender, interests, and behaviour targeting available.
Objective: "Community interaction" for comment entries. "Website visits" for landing pages.
Creative: Native-looking video content outperforms polished ads. Film on phone, not in studio.
Tip: Test Promote first on an organic video before committing to a full campaign.
Suggested Budgets by Prize Value
Prize under $500
$100-300
Total ad spend over 2-4 weeks
Prize $500-$2,000
$300-800
Total ad spend over 2-4 weeks
Prize over $2,000
$800-2,000+
Total ad spend over 4-8 weeks
These are starting points. Monitor cost per entry and adjust. A well-targeted $200 campaign can outperform a poorly targeted $1,000 campaign.
Retargeting: The Secret Weapon
Install the Meta Pixel (or TikTok Pixel) on your competition landing page. Then create retargeting ads that show to people who visited but didn't enter. These "reminder" ads typically convert at 3-5x the rate of cold ads because the person already knows about the prize.
You can also retarget people who engaged with your organic competition post but didn't click through.
Email Marketing
Email delivers an average ROI of 3,500% and over half of consumers have made a purchase directly from an email. If you have an existing email list, it should be one of the first channels you use to promote your competition.
What to Include
- Subject line: Lead with the prize. "Win a $500 [Prize]" outperforms "Our Latest Competition"
- Hero image: High-quality photo of the prize
- Prize value: State it clearly and prominently
- Entry steps: Numbered, simple, no ambiguity
- Deadline: Create urgency with the closing date
- CTA button: "Enter Now" - one clear action
- Mobile-first: 67% of Australians browse on mobile
Email Cadence
- Launch email: Send on day 1. This will be your highest-performing send.
- Reminder email: Send at the halfway point to non-openers of the first email
- Last chance email: Send 48-72 hours before closing. Creates urgency.
- Winner announcement: Send after the draw. Builds excitement for future competitions.
- Segmentation: If possible, segment by interest. Someone who buys beauty products is more likely to enter a skincare competition.
Don't Have an Email List?
The competition itself can be your list-builder. Require an email address as part of the entry process (with proper consent and a privacy collection notice). Promote via other channels first, and use the competition to grow your list for future campaigns.
Competition Aggregator Sites
Competition aggregator sites (like Competitions.com.au) list competitions from across the web in one place. They attract a dedicated audience of people who are actively looking for competitions to enter. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to drive entries because you're reaching people who are already motivated.
Why List on Competitions.com.au
Engaged Audience
Thousands of active Australian compers visit daily, specifically looking for competitions to enter.
Email Promotion
Featured listings are promoted to our subscriber base via dedicated email sends.
Fast Turnaround
Your competition goes live within 24-48 hours of submission.
Cost-Effective
Lower cost per entry than most paid advertising channels because the audience is pre-qualified.
Tips for Aggregator Listings
- Use a clear, descriptive title - "Win a $500 Woolworths Gift Card" beats "Our Big Giveaway"
- Include the prize value - Listings with explicit values get more clicks
- Set a realistic end date - Compers prioritise competitions closing soon
- Make entry simple - One-click or single-form entries get the most completions
- Choose "Featured" placement for maximum visibility at the top of listings and in email newsletters
Influencer & Partner Promotion
Partnering with influencers or complementary brands can dramatically extend your reach to new audiences. Co-hosted competitions combine prize budgets and follower bases for better results than going solo.
Influencer Partnerships
- Micro-influencers (5K-50K followers) often deliver better engagement rates and lower costs than mega-influencers
- Choose relevance over reach - a food blogger with 10K followers will drive more entries for a kitchen appliance than a fashion influencer with 100K
- Provide clear creative briefs but let influencers create in their own style
- AANA disclosure required - all paid partnerships must include #ad or #sponsored per Australian advertising standards
- Budget: Micro-influencers $200-1,000/post. Some will collaborate for product/prize only.
Brand Partnerships
- Co-host with complementary brands - a travel company + a luggage brand, a gym + a supplement company
- Split the prize cost and combine your audiences for double the reach at half the cost
- Cross-promote on each other's channels - social media, email lists, websites
- Create a prize bundle from multiple partners for higher perceived value
- Agree on lead sharing upfront if collecting email addresses
Finding Partners
Look at brands your customers already buy. Check who follows your competitors. Search Instagram hashtags in your niche for active micro-influencers. Use platforms like The Right Fit or Tribe for Australian influencer discovery.
Website & SEO
Your website is the hub that ties all promotion channels together. Every ad, email, and social post should drive traffic to a well-optimised competition landing page.
Landing Page Essentials
- One clear CTA - Enter the competition. Remove all other distractions.
- Prize front and centre - Large image, clear value, prominent placement
- Simple entry form - Every extra field reduces completion rates. Name + email is ideal.
- Mobile-optimised - Test on phone. 67% of Australian traffic is mobile.
- Fast loading - Each second of load time reduces conversions by ~7%
- Trust signals - T&Cs link, privacy policy, brand logo, permit numbers
SEO for Competitions
- Title tag: "Win [Prize] - [Brand] Competition Australia [Year]"
- Meta description: Include prize value, entry method, and closing date
- Dedicated URL: yoursite.com.au/competition/ (not a popup or modal)
- Internal linking: Link from your homepage, navigation, and relevant product pages
- Blog post: Write an article about the prize or competition theme for additional search traffic
SEO takes time to index. For short-term competitions (1-2 weeks), paid promotion will deliver faster results. SEO works best for competitions running 4+ weeks.
Website Promotion Quick Wins
Homepage banner or announcement bar
Pop-up or slide-in on exit intent
Footer link on all pages
Sidebar widget on blog posts
Order confirmation page mention
Customer account dashboard link
PR & Media Coverage
For high-value competitions ($5,000+), PR can generate significant free exposure. Local media, industry publications, and deal-hunting blogs are often happy to share competitions with their audiences.
Where to Pitch
- Local newspapers and news sites - Urban or regional media love local business stories
- Industry publications - Trade magazines in your niche
- Deal and freebie blogs - Sites that aggregate deals, freebies, and competitions
- Radio stations - Some stations will mention competitions in exchange for prizes for their listeners
- Community Facebook Groups - Local area groups, parenting groups, hobby groups
Press Release Tips
- Lead with the prize value - "$10,000 prize" in the headline gets attention
- Include a human angle - Why you're running it, what it means for winners
- Provide high-res images - Of the prize, your brand, and any relevant visually appealing content
- Make it easy - Include all key details (prize, entry method, dates, link) in the first paragraph
- Follow up once - Journalists are busy. One polite follow-up email is enough.
Week-by-Week Promotion Timeline
Here's a practical promotion schedule for a typical 4-week competition. Adjust timing for shorter or longer promotions.
Pre-Launch (1-2 Weeks Before)
Create all promotional assets (images, videos, copy)
Set up landing page and test entry form
Draft email sequences (launch, reminder, last chance)
Contact influencers and partners
Set up Meta/TikTok pixels for retargeting
Submit to aggregator sites (Competitions.com.au)
Week 1: Launch
Post competition on all social platforms
Send launch email to your list
Start paid social ads (small budget, test creatives)
Pin competition post on Facebook/TikTok
Update website banner/homepage
Share in relevant Facebook Groups
Week 2: Optimise
Review ad performance, kill underperformers
Scale budget on best-performing ads
Post social reminders with different creative angles
Influencer posts go live
Start retargeting campaigns
Send reminder email to non-openers
Week 3: Sustain
Continue paid ads on top performers
Post mid-point social update (entry count, excitement)
Instagram Stories / TikTok videos showing the prize
Engage with all comments and shares
Reach out to any remaining PR contacts
Consider partner cross-promotion push
Week 4: Final Push
"Last chance to enter" social posts (highest urgency)
Send "Last Chance" email 48-72 hours before close
Increase ad spend for final days
Instagram/TikTok Stories with countdown stickers
Close competition and draw winner
Announce winner across all channels
Measuring Your Results
Track these metrics to understand what worked and improve your next competition.
Entry Metrics
- Total entries - Your primary success metric
- Unique entrants - How many individuals entered
- Cost per entry (CPE) - Total promotion spend / total entries
- Entry rate - Landing page visitors / entries (aim for 20-40%)
- Entries by channel - Which channel drove the most entries
Growth Metrics
- New email subscribers - List growth from the competition
- Social followers gained - Net new followers across platforms
- Website traffic - Sessions during the competition period vs baseline
- Social engagement - Likes, comments, shares, saves
- Brand mentions - UGC and organic mentions generated
Calculating Cost Per Entry
For example: $500 prize + $300 ads + $50 permits = $850 total. If you get 2,000 entries, your CPE is $0.43. Compare this to the $2-5+ cost per lead from typical Facebook lead ads. Competitions almost always deliver a lower cost per lead when promoted effectively.
Competition Promotion Checklist
Target audience defined
Promotion channels selected (2-3 minimum)
Promotion budget allocated
Landing page live and mobile-tested
Tracking pixels installed (Meta, TikTok)
Social media posts created and scheduled
Email sequences drafted (launch, reminder, last chance)
Paid ad campaigns created and targeting set
Submitted to competition aggregator sites
Influencer/partner outreach completed
Website banner/homepage updated
Retargeting audiences configured
Analytics/UTM tracking in place
Winner announcement plan ready
Ready to Promote Your Competition?
List your competition on Competitions.com.au and reach thousands of engaged Australian consumers actively looking for competitions to enter.
List Your Competition Now
Social Media Promotion (Organic)
Organic social media is your foundation. Even if you plan to run paid ads, your organic posts create the content that ads can amplify. Here's how to maximise free reach on each platform.
Facebook Organic Tips
Full details in our Facebook Competition Guide
Instagram Organic Tips
Full details in our Instagram Competition Guide
TikTok Organic Tips
Full details in our TikTok Competition Guide