Facebook changes it’s guidelines on how you can run promotions such as competitions on Facebook periodically so if you are Reading this past Nov 2019 I would advise you double check their current policy before you run a promotion.
Step 1
Communicating a Promotion
If you use Facebook to communicate or administer a promotion (eg: a contest or sweepstakes), you are responsible for the lawful operation of that promotion, including:
- The official rules – State the rules of the competition clearly
- Offer terms and eligibility requirements (ex: age and location restrictions) Location restrictions are often very important for local small businesses as the winner may need to collect the prize in person.
- Compliance with applicable rules and regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered (ex: registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals).
Step 2
You probably didn’t know you had to do this…
Promotions on Facebook must include the following:
1) A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant. Translation (yes please!) Simply add
a) a mandatory checkbox to your entry form and
b) a written disclaimer to your rules saying that your promotion is completely independent of Facebook.
2) Acknowledgement that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook.
Ok so how you can do it…
Promotions may be administered on Pages, Groups, Events, or within apps on Facebook.
Personal Timelines and friend connections must not be used to administer promotions
(eg: “share on your Timeline to enter” or “share on your friend’s Timeline to get additional entries”, and “tag your friends in this post to enter” are not permitted).
Yes, that is what Facebook state! Most people use these tactics when running promotions and Facebook will now penalise posts which ask for like and share etc, yet you will still see large companies using these tactics to gain followers.
Your best bet to comply with these rules (rules are rules) would be to create a landing page for the competition entry and link the Facebook promotion to that (clearly stating the information in step 2)
Also worth noting that Facebook will not assist you in the administration of your promotion, and you agree that if you use our service to administer your promotion, you do so at your own risk.
Happy Facebook promoting.