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How Loop Giveaways Are Actually Affecting Your Account
Happy Tuesday! Today I'm talking about some of the flaws on social media because I've seen a lot of small businesses and influencers jump on these IG trends and later regret it. This post is out of my norm, but I hope it will help some of the newbies get clarity on whether or not loop giveaways are worth the hype.
This is something that I have wanted to address for awhile, but wasn’t sure how. If you didn’t know, I am a social media manager in Santa Cruz, California so I happen to spend my time online, working and building brand awareness for multiple accounts on Instagram. One trend on Instagram lately has been Loop Giveaways - a giveaway in which in order to win, people must follow on average 10-30 accounts. Loop Giveaways have both pros and cons in the Insta world, but what most people don’t know is how they’re actually affecting your account.
In the past couple of weeks, I have seen about 12-15 loop giveaways go up by bloggers looking to grow their Instagram following by 1,000-15,000. Yes, loop giveaways are great for gaining followers (obviously), but have you ever noticed the engagement after? I have watched an account grow from 1,000 to 6,000 by one giveaway. Although this influencer was able to gain 5K followers, their engagement stayed the same getting 100-200 likes per post and the same number of comments. Loops giveaways may give you a larger following, but they are affecting your account significantly so what needs to be asked, is are they worth it?
If you're participating in a loop giveaway to grow your following for brand deals, in my opinion it is NOT worth it. Brands are looking for genuine bloggers who have REAL engagement and personal relationships with their following. They are looking for bloggers who are going to produce sales and brand awareness. Loop giveaways are going to provide followers that are not there to engage with your content. They aren't there to hear what you have to say or what you have to promote and share. They are there to win and to be real with you, after the giveaway you're going to lose a good portion of followers because all they wanted to do was win. Yes, there are still companies out there that only look at your following, but most today are looking for genuine accounts that have an influence on their followers. You may be sitting there asking yourself "Well how else am I going to grow on Instagram?"
Growing on Instagram is a pain. It takes quality content, hours of engagement and personality... sounds impossible, but I promise it's not. IF you're going to do a giveaway, I recommend going a more authentic route and working one-on-one with a blogger or brand. If you're working with another blogger, I recommend choosing someone who has a similar style or aesthetic that you would be able to swap followers with. When you're working with a brand, choose a brand that you genuinely believe in and are interested in sharing. Giveaways are supposed to GIVE BACK to your followers who have been with you on your journey and encourage them to share your account with their friends or people that would be interested in your style + what you have to say. Giveaways are not supposed be money spent on "promised followers". I think thats the one thing that truly upsets me about loop giveaways. They weren't created to giveback, they were created for a "promised" following. The best way to grow your Instagram and name is to be organic, open and honest while creating content that you're proud of and want to share with the intention that people want to hear it.
So, if you are still considering participating in a loop giveaway, ask yourself, is it worth it, how am I benefiting and what is this going to do for me in the longterm?