What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform of Chinese origin; the original name of the application is Douyin, which is Chinese for “shake music”, and it involves creating short videos to share. This app was launched in 2016 but has grown exponentially since 2018. In 2024, it already has 1.2 million active users worldwide and has grown at a rate of 50% in the last three years. With these figures, it’s not surprising that hosting TikTok Giveaways is one of the most frequently asked questions among our clients and followers.
How to organize a TikTok giveaway or contest
The most common type of social media giveaway involves selecting a random winner from users who comment on content posted by the brand. With this action, the organizer can already identify users and include them as participants in the giveaway. In addition to commenting, the giveaway organizer usually asks users to like the post, share, mention, and follow brands, among other things. However, commenting is the main interaction.
No rule on TikTok prohibits hosting giveaways among users who comment on a post on TikTok. However, when there are many comments, it becomes essential to use a system that allows the automation of comment extraction.
Unfortunately, comment extraction on TikTok cannot be automated for giveaways.
Why can’t a TikTok giveaway be automated?
TikTok provides an API for extracting comments from a post, but this API can only be used for research purposes and not for commercial use. To access TikTok’s research API, its use case must be specified. TikTok does not authorize using this API for hosting giveaways as it is not a research use case and does have commercial use.
There are alternatives to TikTok’s official API, which are APIs that extract comments from posts through scraping techniques. Scraping is a technique used to collect data from web pages automatically using programs or scripts that crawl the content of the screen. However, this technique implies certain risks:
- It must be used ethically and respect the terms of service of websites.
- Websites can change their structure without notice, causing the API to stop working.
- Personal data, such as the names of users who comment on a post, should not be extracted without their consent.
TikTok’s terms and conditions specifically prohibit accessing data or content from the social network in any way other than through the Research API (including, among others, the use of scraping or other automatic or manual techniques for content extraction):
Therefore, from Easypromos, we strongly recommend against brands using the scraping technique to extract comments from TikTok posts as it violates TikTok’s terms and conditions, and consequently, the brand may receive a penalty from the social network.
However, there are indeed options for hosting automated and risk-free giveaways on TikTok! It involves taking advantage of the social network available tools, such as its Login API to identify users, the option of an external link in users’ profiles, and the option to download their videos. Let’s go over the alternatives for hosting a contest or giveaway on TikTok.
Giveaway with TikTok login and registration
This is the most recommended option if you want to host a legal and transparent TikTok giveaway among your community. It involves creating a microsite with an entry form and enabling login with a TikTok account. Once configured, activate it and link the giveaway URL to the brand’s TikTok profile. You can also advertise by directly sharing the giveaway URL. Try out the TikTok login-enabled giveaway DEMO to see its functionality from the user’s perspective.
All users who register for the giveaway must identify themselves with their TikTok profile. Therefore, you ensure that participants are members of this social network and that you are reaching the audience you are aiming for.
TikTok Video Contest
The idea is to create a voting contest where users have to upload videos created on TikTok. To do this, they must download the video to their mobile devices beforehand. As in the following example, this contest will have a registration form where users can upload the video, which will be presented in a public gallery along with the rest of the participants.
To promote the contest, share its link via email, on your website, or through your brand’s other social profiles. Additionally, you can announce it through entertaining videos on the TikTok platform itself, explaining the details of the contest, the prize, and where to find the link to participate.
Remember that you can download your TikTok video promoting the contest and share it on Instagram and Facebook Stories! It’s an incredibly easy way to create buzz around your campaign!
Gamified Giveaway on TikTok
Any type of game-like microsite can be promoted on TikTok thanks to the features of ads and the link available on this social network’s profile. So, if you want to gamify your TikTok giveaway, you can customize any of Easypromos’ games and promote them on TikTok. Activate TikTok login to confirm that users come from this social network and encourage participation with giveaways and direct prizes.
Share the URL of your TikTok Giveaway
Did you know that TikTok allows you to include a link in your profile if you have a business account? You can add it in the “edit profile” section, and it appears just below your user information.
Using the link in your TikTok profile is a great way to generate direct traffic from your account to another site. In this case, you can see that it is a simple and effective way to capture users’ attention, direct them towards an online promotion, and provide them with the opportunity to participate through this social network.
Use TikTok posts to promote your game, contest, or promotion, and direct users to your profile so they can participate. When setting up an application with Easypromos, you get the promotion link to share it in any space enabled for URL usage. You can also create ads on TikTok to spread awareness about your promotion, attract TikTok users, and direct them to the giveaway microsite.
Run a giveaway on your Instagram account and share it on TikTok
To carry out this type of action, announce the giveaway on TikTok with entertaining videos explaining the prize and that participation takes place on Instagram. Once users are there, prominently display the giveaway post so they can participate directly from Instagram by commenting on the post. After the participation period ends, select the winners using the Instagram Giveaway tool and announce the winners on all social profiles.
And that’s it! We hope this post has clarified any doubts you may have had about how to host a giveaway or contest on TikTok, and that you have learned a little more about the possibilities that this social network offers. For any inquiries regarding online promotions, you can contact us via live-chat.
