Bonus Entries Explained: Rewarding Your Most Loyal Followers
Every giveaway has its regulars: the customers who've bought from you for years, the community members who comment on everything, the people who show up for every launch. It's natural to want to give them a little something extra. Bonus entries let you do that inside a fair draw, as long as you're open about it.
What bonus entries are
Normally, after filters are applied, each eligible person has one entry in the draw. With bonus entries, you name specific accounts and give them extra chances. Someone with two extra entries has three entries in total, so their chance of winning is higher than someone with one.
Everyone is still in the same draw, and the result is still random. Bonus entries change the odds for named people; they don't guarantee anyone a win.
Bonus entries, sometimes called "extra chance," are available on the Silver plan and above.
When bonus entries make sense
Bonus entries work best when there's a clear, fair reason for them that anyone could have qualified for. Some common examples:
- Customers: people who bought something during a launch week get an extra entry.
- Members: newsletter subscribers or members of your community group get an extra entry.
- Event attendees: people who came to your market stall, workshop or live stream.
- Cross-promotion: people who also shared the giveaway in a way you can verify.
The key phrase is "anyone could have qualified." If the criteria are open and announced, bonus entries feel like a reward. If they're secret or seem personal, they feel like favoritism.
When to skip them
Bonus entries aren't right for every giveaway:
- When the goal is reaching new people. Weighting the draw toward existing fans can put newcomers off.
- When you can't verify who qualifies. If you can't reliably match buyers or members to their social accounts, you'll end up guessing.
- When the platform's rules don't allow your method. Some platforms restrict how you can ask people to engage, for example by sharing. Check the platform's promotion guidelines first. This is general guidance, not legal advice, and some places also have rules about requiring purchases to enter, so check those too.
Bonus entries vs. repeat comments
Some giveaways let people comment many times for many entries. That rewards whoever has the most time, not necessarily your most loyal supporters, and it fills your comments with noise. A cleaner approach is to keep the duplicate filter on, so everyone has one entry from their comment, and use bonus entries for the specific people you want to reward. You decide who gets extra chances based on criteria you set, not on who can type the fastest.
How to announce bonus entries
Put the bonus rule in your giveaway rules from the start. Be specific about who qualifies and how many extra entries they get:
"Everyone who comments gets one entry. Newsletter subscribers get one bonus entry, so make sure the Instagram handle you use matches the one on your subscription form. Entries close Sunday at 8 pm Pacific."
Notice the instruction about matching handles. Bonus entries are applied to named accounts, so you need a reliable way to know which account belongs to which customer or member. Asking people to tell you their handle, through a form or at checkout, saves a lot of guesswork.
Keep the numbers modest
One or two bonus entries are usually enough to feel like a thank-you without making the draw feel lopsided. If you give a handful of people ten extra entries each, other entrants may reasonably feel they had little chance. A small reward also keeps the focus on the fun of the giveaway rather than on the math.
Setting it up in RaffleSelect
- Load the comments from your post.
- Turn on the filters your rules call for, such as the duplicate filter and hashtag filter.
- Add the accounts that qualify for bonus entries and set how many extra entries each gets.
- Add any ineligible accounts, such as staff, to the block list.
- Choose your number of winners and substitutes, then draw.
Keep a record of who received bonus entries and why. If anyone asks, you can explain exactly how the draw was set up.
Announcing the result
Be transparent in the announcement too. A line like "Picked at random from all eligible entries; newsletter subscribers received one bonus entry, as announced" reminds everyone the rules were public. If a bonus-entry holder wins, that sentence is what keeps the result from looking like a favor to a friend. Sharing the winner certificate alongside it helps.
Summary
- Bonus entries give named accounts extra chances in an otherwise equal draw.
- Base them on open criteria anyone could meet, and announce them up front.
- Keep the numbers small and keep records.
- Use them with the duplicate filter, not instead of it.
Bonus entries are included on Silver, Gold and Platinum. See the plans, or start your giveaway.