How to Run a Fair Giveaway or Raffle

Running a giveaway looks easy until someone asks "how do I know you didn't just pick your friend?" This guide gives you a method that produces a provably random winner on camera, using the Raffle Picker and the wheel. It takes about two minutes per giveaway.

Step 1 — Collect entries in one list

One entry per line. Copy them from your Instagram comments, a Google Sheet column, or a form export. Plain text only — no numbering, no formatting. If someone commented five times and the rules allow it, paste five lines.

Step 2 — Do you need weighting?

If entries are equal, skip this. If some people get more tickets (bought extra, are subscribers, etc.), use the weight column. Weighting by tickets is the difference between a fair raffle and a popularity contest — and because weights are visible, it's honest.

Step 3 — Spin it live and record

Screen-record the spin. The wheel's randomness comes from the browser's cryptographic random source, and the reduced-motion / tick-by-tick animation makes the spin verifiable: viewers watch the pointer cross every slice. Don't cut the clip between list and result.

Step 4 — Prove the pool size

Before spinning, scroll the list so the total count is visible, or state it: "137 entries." After the spin, the winner is highlighted. A recorded spin over a visible pool is more credible than any RNG screenshot — the audience watched every entry exist and every slice get a chance.

Step 5 — Announce and record the backup

Spin twice: winner and a runner-up (in case the winner is ineligible or doesn't reply). Announce the winner, tell people how to reply, and set a deadline.

Handling the awkward cases

Someone cheated entries. Remove them before the spin and say so. Better to correct the pool in public than to silently ignore it.

Winner doesn't respond. That's what the runner-up spin is for. Say clearly how long you'll wait.

You want the entry list reproducible. Copy link encodes the exact list into the URL — save that link in your post description or a pinned comment so anyone can re-open the identical pool.

Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

The flow is identical everywhere: export the entries, paste, spin on camera, show the count. Instagram favours a full screen-recording; YouTube lets you keep the whole thing as an unlisted video you link in the description. For a live stream, keep the wheel open in a browser tab and spin on cue.

Fairness rules worth stating up front

State: how to enter, whether multiple entries count, the entry deadline, the prize, and how the winner is chosen at random. Writing these down protects you from disputes later and makes the whole thing feel like a game rather than a favour.