10.12.2016

I Tried Loop Giveaways And Here's What Happened

Like most of us, I want to grow my social media and get seen by as many as possible. Over a year ago, I was contacted for participation in a loop giveaway on Instagram. After seeing a few of them, I decided to try it out. I used them for a few months and then abruptly stopped. That was a year ago. Here are my thoughts on loop giveaways:


What is a loop giveaway?

Essentially, you are in a giveaway with many other Instagrammers and each person has paid towards the prize. The average is 30 from what I've experienced but they can be smaller or much larger. At the same time, all participants post the same image on Instagram announcing the giving away a certain prize(s). The text for all pics is the same. The directions indicate to "like" the picture and to follow someone mentioned in the text by clicking on their account, which sends the entrant to that account. The account is followed and the entrant looks on that person's giveaway pic and text to see who to follow next. This liking and following is repeated until the entrant ends up where she started, thus the name "loop" giveaway.


Why did I enter loop giveaways?

As mentioned earlier, I wanted to grow my social media, which could possibly lead to blog visits. At that point I had been blogging nearly 5 years and wanted faster growth. And I had heard there were people who paid for followers, aka spam bots. That is not what I am after at all. I wanted real followers. The follow/unfollow method (a very, very, very basic definition: follow a ton of people, and once they follow you back, you delete them*) made me uncomfortable and felt fake. I wanted real followers, real people, and I thought loop giveaways were the way to do it.

Did I get results?

The first loop giveaway I tried, I got over a thousand followers. That never happened again. Never. But I was hooked. The most I would get after that was maybe 500. One time I got 20. I was able to double my following to 20 thousand. It depended on the group you were hosting with. If they had a good amount of followers, it would help. Sometimes I was the one with the followers and the others benefitted, not me.



 What I didn't like:

-Some hosts were unorganized, not available, you had to beg them to find out who the winner was
-Some people are idiots and wouldn't post on time, thus messing up the loop, or somehow screw it up (I can give examples but this post is long enough, hehe)
-Sore losers--there are some crazies out there

Another reason I don't like loop giveaways:

Scammers. Although I never encountered it, I heard from many people who entered loops that some would take your money. The recipient never got the prize and the host kept it for herself. That's the risk you take. I insisted on knowing who the winner was as well as package tracking info.

Here's where it went TERRIBLY wrong:

I used the same giveaway hosts over and over, because they had good loops. That meant the chances of me getting new followers went down every time. I was too nervous to really venture out and find other hosts because of scam worries (see further down for clarification)

Everyone started doing loops, thus making making an over saturation. People got tired of seeing loops clog up their feed. 

Some people have an Instagram just for giveaways. That is their hobby and I will never hate on a hobby. But those people aren't always into your Instagram and never engage with you. They just like entering giveaways.

You WILL get unfollowed. Some people only follow you for giveaways, and once they lose, they unfollow you. Some are mad they didn't win and unfollow. Some were mad at seeing loops in their feed and unfollowed for that. Sometimes I would lose every new loop follower.

My engagement with comments and likes went down. Now, with Instagram's new algorithm, my posts are barely seen by my followers. It looks like I have fake followers and it frustrates me SO much.

What happened after I stopped:

It's been a year since I've done loop giveaways. I lost a lot of engagement and followers. I think I went down to 18k. Using old-fashioned hard work and no Instagram tricks, I was able to grow to 25.4k.



My advice:

I completely regret doing loop giveaways. I'm never going to say I'd never enter one again (sometimes the prizes are so cute), but for me, it wasn't worth it.* 

*Note: I will never hate on anyone's hustle. If you earn money from hosting loops, go for it. If you love participating in them, go for it. If you love entering them, go for it. If you love using Instagram tricks because they do work, then go for it! You do you, sugar.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments.


56 comments:

  1. I participated in a loop giveaway once and it wasn't very successful. And you're right, you lose a good chunk of the followers after the giveaway is over. I know it works for others but it's not for me.

    Jill
    Doused In Pink

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  2. Well, since I didn't know what Loop giveaway was, this was helpful. Glad you tried it and now you know . . . and now I know not to do it! Ha!

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  3. This is an interesting post and I've heard similar stories from others who have tried them. I entered one loop give away a couple of years ago and, like you said, felt it clogged up my feed. I also noticed a winner was never announced. So, I just don't enter them anymore. If I'm following someone who is participating in one, I don't hold it against them and unfollow because I respect a business woman trying to build her business. I just keep scrolling. Interesting post though.

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  4. Elle, thank you so much for your openness about this. I remember when I was on IG (I'm not anymore) and you did this. TBH, I was already your follower then so I didn't think any different. I didn't know that many peeps follow just for giveaways! I'm so naive! Even when I followed due to a contest, it's always because I found the blog interesting to begin with! Anyhoo, you rock, not just for your honestly but for seriously caring about what you put out there. XOXO

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  5. This is a great post, Elle. When loop giveaways first started, I did them, but you're right: people unfollow when they don't win and when it comes down to it, I want real followers. I don't want to say I will never do a loop again, although I am very skeptical of them. There are just too many loops out there now and when I scroll through my feed at night it's all I see! Thanks for sharing your honest opinions!

    xo, Rachel
    A Blonde's Moment

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  6. I did one loop giveaway and I saw the drop in numbers immediately after the loop was over so I decided to steer clear of them! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  7. this post is very interesting. I don't enter them unless the prizes are amazing but I never thought of it from the other side before.

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  8. i had a mixed experience. it was great the first time then meh the second. and then i just felt like i was trying too hard to get people to follow me which is never what i really want. and they mostly disappeared after. this is a great review though!

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  9. Interesting. I just joined Instagram, right before the whole algorithm switch. It made me so mad because I got on there to connect with people in real time, not to be told who to see. It kinda killed my drive.

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  10. Omg i love the honesty in this post!!! And i was looking for someone to just be honest about it with me so THANK YOU!
    XO Ellen from Ask Away
    www.askawayblog.com

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  11. I have entered loop giveaways before, but it frustrated me that I HAD to follow so many blogs/social media accounts in order to enter. I hated the clutter it added to my feeds, especially from blogs I wasn't really interested in. I would rather do what you said and really engage. Or at least read content I trust and enjoy! Thanks for the testimonial : )

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  12. I am not a huge fan of loops. I entered one back in August and I "won," but I've yet to see the prize and I'm getting frustrated. I contacted someone who hosted who was not in charge of the shipping to let them know I hadn't gotten my prize and they just kind of threw their hands up in the air and said it was out of their control. I don't even know who was all in the loop anymore to let them know I didn't get my prize since they all deleted the loop post after the fact. I feel sad for people who continue to do loops and are cheated. I was told It would take 6+ weeks to get the prize to me. I could walk it across the country in less than 6 weeks so I just don't understand.

    Becky
    www.bybmgblog.com

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  13. Loop giveaways aren't my thing. It seems like too much work to have to follow everyone for a very slim chance to win. I think that in the long run (and you have proven this!), hard work and perseverance win out!

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  14. I've never done a loop giveaway because I was concerned it wouldn't benefit me enough. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts on these! It was such a helpful post!

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  15. Thank you so much for your honest take on loop giveaway, Elle! I've only joined one and that was it. I think I gained 500 followers but I lost 100plus after the giveaway ended. And you are right with over saturation of loop giveaways, there are so many these days to the point I roll my eyes whenever I see one.

    Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

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  16. I'm totally with you! The minute the loop is over everyone unfollows you and I totally think some people just take the money and the prize is never given.

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  17. I honestly didn't even know what an Instagram Loop Giveaway was until this post, ha! Obviously I'm behind on the times. ;) But kudos to you for growing your social media following organically and with hard work. Atta girl!

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  18. I've never heard of a loop giveaway before! I think I would only do one with bloggers that are similar to me and that I trust/are friends with. I like the idea in general but I can see why they would become detrimental after a while!

    www.beautyfromkatie.blogspot.com

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  19. Good article- I appreciated your honesty! I HATE seeing them in my feed and tended to unfollow if I saw more than one- and to be honest I never saw a winner.

    IG'a algorithm is just nonsense and I hate it. That being said, I've seen so many bloggers recently buy followers- and that sucks too!

    I stick with the post good content and let it speak for itself- and that's what I've always thought of you! I'm glad you're off loops- you don't need them!

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  20. I'm glad you spoke about this! I've never participated in loop giveaways honestly, they seem spammy to me. I also do not like the new algorithm change with Instagram. Engagement is low and trying to get followers the right way is hard. But, I still love IG regardless and will post whatever I like. If others like it, great. If not, no big deal!

    Katy
    skinstuffbykaty.blogspot.com

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  21. Could not love this post more! I was hesitant to join loop giveaways in the past because I was worried there would never be an actual winner/prize given out and I knew I'd lose the majority of the followers I "bought" if not all as soon as it was over. The few loop giveaways I've entered drive me batty since it seems to go on forever, and you truly aren't engaged with the new accounts you're following because you're only after the prize.
    Green Fashionista

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  22. I did a loop giveaway once over a year ago and I wasn't a big fan. It's a good idea in theory, but like you said it only benefits a few and it's not worth it to get so many followers who then unfollow you. I want real followers. People who actually want to follow me and engage.
    ~Sara

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  23. I tried to enter a few sometimes & one, I swear, it was so freaking long, I was like forget that. It was awful. They can get out of hand. I've given up even considering entering them now.

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  24. I have never participated in giveaways or loop fiveaways for fear of the reasons you mentioned...mainly scams and the fact that people just go and unfollow you after. I would rather have 5 engaged followers than 5,000 who could care less about me. I have entered a few blog giveaways here and there, but never considered a loop. Too much to do and they do start to clog up your feed.

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  25. I think I fully entered ONE and it took me like twenty minutes to like and follow everyone and after that I was like NOPE.

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  26. I have never helped host one but I have entered and find them annoying. And I go back and unfollow most of the people unless I was already following them or they don't post too much.

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  27. Thanks for your honesty hear Elle. I have been doing loops but less and less these days because I am experiencing exactly what you said about each time getting less followers. I think you have convinced me to take a break and see what I can do on my own.

    http://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  28. As you know I have asked your opinion on loop giveaways and took your advice and didn't do them... and honestly, as someone that has entered them before.. they are pretty annoying. I end up just giving up because it was so much work following 30 different people with the chance of maybe winning. I'm not a fan either.

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  29. I've never participated in a loop giveaway before, but I didn't really understand how they worked when I started seeing them on Instagram so I didn't actually click on other people to follow. I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with your engagement afterwards!

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  30. I honestly have been seeing less and less loop giveaways on IG and I'm not sure if it's because IG isn't showing them in my feed OR if they just aren't as popular. I did do a really big one once and one of my IG friends actually won it. She went through hoops to get her prize (a $500 MAC gc), but finally received it. It made me really doubt the person in charge and I would never do a loop with her again.

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  31. I've honestly never heard of loop giveaways until now. I've tried to build followers on Instagram the old way, but that doesn't always work, either. I'm stuck around 500+ followers and, for the most part, I'm quite happy with that. Sure, I'd love to see it grow and get a lot more interaction and such, but it is what it is.

    I guess eventually, I'll need to learn how to build the followers on social media a little better! :)

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  32. I have never done a loop giveaway, but I have thought about it. I am so glad you did this post because it brings up some things I haven't thought about.

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  33. I never tried loop giveaway seeing I want real followers. Happy to see informative post. Can you please do a post on how to increase genuine follower count. Thank you

    http://naturelbellefemme.blogspot.com

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  34. I have taken a break from the blogosphere and haven't done any giveaways in a loooooong time, but with getting back into it and the holidays coming up, I'm definitely looking at some different giveaway methods. I've never tried a loop giveaway so it was great to read your thoughts on it! I remember seeing several you had posted on Insta a while back and I had noticed that you weren't doing them anymore. It's a bummer that they turned out to be mostly not worth the time but as they say, you never know until you try. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the rest of us!

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  35. I've never done a loop giveaway...although I've been asked, I just figured it wasn't going to benefit me much in the long run. I want real followers. I happen to be really good friends with Dani from CoffeeBreakwithDani and she wished me a happy birthday on IG and that gave me a boost of real followers. But even then...I can't get to 1.5k! I feel like I put out good content...but it's just not working. And I hate the whole follow and then unfollow game!
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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  36. I did a loop giveaway twice and I have to admit, once I was one of the idiots who messed it up but it kinda wasn't my fault. They told me the time but the time was in Central not EST and I'm in EST so it was confusing. But yeah, now they are SO over saturated. I get sick of seeing them. <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  37. This was a really informative post; thanks so much for sharing! I know this makes me sound out of the loop (pun intended), but I never really understood what these giveaways were. I am slow to get on the bandwagon! Thanks for explaining and congratulations for the growth of your blog and instagram account. I know you work hard and are genuine!

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  38. This was such an interesting post, I've never been interested in them mainly because I'm way too lazy to click through a bunch of posts and follow a bunch of accounts. I never really thought about everything that went into actually being a host in one of the giveaways though!

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  39. I loved hearing your thoughts on this. I've never been part of a loop giveaway before, but I have entered some of them before to win the prizes. I got tired having to follow so many different people and like you said, I also got tired of seeing loops clog my news feed. I'd also be afraid of those scammers you mentioned!

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  40. Thanks for opening up and sharing your experience. I've never participated in a loop giveaway and have been curious about whether they're worth it.

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  41. Great post, Elle! I experienced much of the same. I never got really into giveaways but I did try the loop giveaways a few times. The first time, I was blown away by the success! I forget how many followers I gained but it was a lot. Each loop I tried after that one was a disappointment because I never reached that level of success, again. You're almost better off just saving your money and putting it into a really good Facebook ad. I'm really struggling to grow my account, though! The new Insta algorithm is making it seem impossible :(

    Christie
    The Closet by Christie

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  42. I've entered a few loop giveaways but have been turned off because I'm not really going to keep on following 20-50 accounts. I think 10 accounts and a good prize would bring me back!
    I was just chatting with a blogger friend about the small Follow Fridays (4 people). Would you be interested in doing that? I would love real followers on IG and frankly need to put in more time on that. I'll get there though and probably won't use a loop giveaway!

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  43. I sincerely appreciate your candid thoughts on this. I have thought about participating in loop giveaways because I've had a hard time gaining followers. But. I see some accounts that have built a huge following ONLY because of loop giveaways. That's frustrating.

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  44. My thoughts exactly, although I only participated in one and it was a bit of a headache. And plus most people unfollow you shortly after anyway, so... I've realized I am not following you on IG, let me change that!! ;)

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  45. Thanks for honestly sharing your experience with these Elle! Sometimes I get frustrated by my blog and social media's slow growth and want to find quicker ways to expand my audience. I don't think I would do one of these based on what I read here, so thanks for sharing!

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  46. I did a few loops as well and I said never again! Definitely not worth it, a good bump at first but they just werent those amazing followers that engage like you want :( I agree with everything you said!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeat Soles

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  47. I never heard of loop giveaways, and I am not on Instagram, my choice. But it was very very good to know it, thanks for teaching that, I like to learn! It's a bit scary, yes, if you don't know people... and on internet, normally we don't... so well done that you really take care of whom to follow. You are so right, fake followers are not OK, real ones that engage are way better :)
    DenisesPlanet.com

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  48. They seem like too much hard work & too unauthentic for me! Thanks for your honestly! xx

    Beautylymin| Kat Von D Contour Palette & brush Giveaway

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  49. To be brutality honest, I hate loop giveaways too. lol For the longest time my feed was nothing but giveaways. It got the point where I no longer look at my IG feed. Instead, I'll think of someone who I want to check out their IG and visit their page that way. That's been a personal thing for awhile. That feed thing just doesn't make sense. I think you were right to stop doing these loop giveaways!

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  50. I'm not a fan of loop giveaways AT all. they are annoying to go through and i hate how they clog up my feed. at first they were a nice way to be introduced to new accounts or shops but after awhile it just got old. xo jillian - cornflake dreams

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  51. I have to be honest, I was definitely one of those who got tired of seeing the loop giveaways all the time on my feed. Giveaways are great, but sometimes I just want to see real content. It's not that I don't think people should do them, I just feel like maybe there's a separate area for them. Good to know all the in's and out's though. Great post!

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  52. I love this post. I don't usually enter them because I only want to enter those people who I truly want to follow and if there are so many hosting then the chances of me winning are zilch. Sounds like there are pros and cons, but glad you figured out what was best for you and your account.

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  53. I did a loop giveaway for the first time recently and I agree with you 100%. I don't think I'll do another one. I would rather use that money to buy some new products or put towards my blog in another way. Some of the prizes are so lavish that the buy in is expensive and there are way too many participants. I don't want anything bad enough to follow 50 people, like that many pictures, and tag 3 friends that many times. It's not worth. Loved this post and your honesty!

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  54. I appreciate the honest thoughts on this.
    I've entered a couple of these, but it seems harder than I liked---so I don't even enter them anymore!
    jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  55. I did two loop giveaways. The first was really small. I had maybe 300 followers and joined in with 7 or so other bloggers with 250-1000 followers each. It only cost $10 to join. I gained maybe 25 new followers.

    The second one was with bigger accounts. It cost about $40 to join. I gained 200-300 new followers. HOWEVER, then I found out how the winner was chosen. Each of us "randomly" chose one person who had commented on our post. Then the host put those names in a randomizer. So, while a follower did actually win, the selection was far from truly random. I found out that's how most loops choose their winners. It's dishonest to me, and I haven't done a loop since.

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  56. Interesting POV! Thanks for sharing, Elle. I've never participated in hosting a loop giveaway and only entered a few. When I was blogging, I felt like people came out of the woodwork just for free stuff any time I mentioned a giveaway on any social media platform and then wouldn't engage in the way I'd hoped, or unfollow after the giveaway ended. The last giveaway I did was only mentioned at the bottom of an actual blog post (I didn't even mention "giveaway" in the blog post title), so the only people who entered were actual readers who frequently commented and engaged with me on the blog which was awesome! I never found giveaways successful for gaining meaningful followers. The best thing I did was engage genuinely with people and other bloggers. Like you said - no tricks! Just being genuinely interested in other people and having them respond in kind. I think the old fashioned way of making friends is truly the best! :)

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