Giveaways and contests continue to rank among the most effective marketing tactics for audience growth and lead generation. By exchanging prizes and rewards for simple actions like email signups and social shares, brands across industries have found immense success driving website traffic, subscribers and social followers.
But operating smooth, successful giveaways at scale requires the right technology. That‘s where WordPress giveaway and contest plugins come into play!
This comprehensive guide will:
- Explain why giveaway marketing is so effective
- Compare the top WordPress contest and giveaway plugins
- Offer actionable tips for maximizing contest success
Let‘s dive in!
Why Giveaways and Contests Work
Giveaways are powerful because they utilize the psychological principles of reciprocity and scarcity.
When brands offer the chance to win fun prizes in exchange for an email signup, social share or other micro-conversion, users feel compelled to take action. This nets brands emails and organic reach.
Furthermore, the limited duration and limited prize inventory tapped into people‘s fear of missing out, driving urgency.
As a result, giveaways generate massive engagement and conversions.
In fact, contest marketing platform Rafflepress shared that:
- 70% of people have entered an online contest or giveaway in the past 12 months
- Contests grow email lists 2-10X faster than other tactics
- Contest landing pages convert 50% higher than regular opt-in pages
For these reasons, giveaway and contest marketing has become ubiquitous across sectors.
Whether you want to grow your audience, subscriber base or client prospects, giveaways merit experimentation in your marketing mix.
Key Factors For Choosing Giveaway Plugins
When evaluating WordPress giveaway and contest plugins, focus on the elements below:
| Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Costs range from free to $200+/month. Balance against budget. |
| Ease of Use | The plugin should make giveaway creation simple without needing coding expertise. |
| Entry Methods | The number of entry methods (email opt-in, content sharing, quiz completion etc) available. More is better for flexibility. |
| Winner Selection | Built-in randomized winner selection is ideal for fair giveaways. Platforms focused on contest marketing also allow users to vote on submissions to identify winners. |
| Email + Social Integrations | Key platform integrations include top email services like Mailchimp and social networks like Instagram and Twitter that have high user bases. |
| Customization | Look for custom CSS, templates and styling options to match contest landing pages to your brand visual identity. |
| Contest Metrics | The ability to track giveaway and contest campaign analytics related to entries, conversions and social sharing. |
Now let‘s compare some of the top WordPress plugins available using this criteria.
8 Top WordPress Giveaway and Contest Plugins Compared
RafflePress – Best Overall Giveaway Plugin
RafflePress is designed from the ground up giveaway features at affordable pricing. It contains every tool needed for simple, successful giveaways.
Features
✅ 20+ Entry Methods
✅ Beautiful Templates
✅ Random Winner Picker
✅ Social Sharing
Pros
- Extremely simple setup and editing
- Unlimited campaigns on all paid plans
- Outstanding customer support reputation
- Integrates with all top email/social platforms
Cons
- Very limited design customization options
- Contesting features are limited
Wishpond – Most Marketing Integrations
Wishpond is renowned having every marketing app a business needs under one roof. For contests and giveaways, it provides beautiful templates and virtually endless platform integration capabilities.
Features
✅ Giveaways & Contests
✅ Drag & Drop Editor
✅ Robust Integrations
✅ A/B Testing
Pros
- Contests and giveaway features unified
- Graphic editor is extremely intuitive
- 300+ marketing integrations via Zapier
- Dynamic UTM parameters for campaign tracking
Cons
- Can get very expensive for mid-large businesses
- Event management features not available in base plan
