Pinterest Giveaway Guide 2026: Rules, Pin Formats & How to Pick Winners
Pinterest giveaways are the most underutilized giveaway format in social media. While Instagram giveaways compete in a saturated market and disappear in days, Pinterest Pins circulate for months — sometimes years — giving your giveaway compounding reach long after you've moved on. Here's everything you need to run one effectively and legally.
1. Pinterest vs. Instagram Giveaways — How They Differ
Before deciding if Pinterest is the right platform for your giveaway, understand what you're working with:
| Aspect | Verdict | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry collection | Comments on Pins, follows, saves to boards | Comments, DMs, story interactions | Pinterest is harder — no API for comment export |
| Audience size typically needed | Pinterest works from 0 — search discovery is strong | Requires existing follower base for visibility | Pinterest advantage for new accounts |
| Content longevity | Pins circulate for months or years | Feed posts: weeks. Stories: 24 hours | Massive Pinterest advantage |
| Giveaway comment management | Manual — no bulk export tool exists | Semi-manual or third-party tools | Instagram easier for large giveaways |
| Platform giveaway culture | Less common — stands out more | Saturated — users are desensitized | Pinterest giveaways get relatively more attention |
Who Pinterest giveaways work best for: Lifestyle brands, food bloggers, home decor, fashion, crafting, wedding planning, fitness, parenting — niches that are already well-represented on Pinterest. Tech, B2B, gaming, and music don't perform as well.
2. Pinterest's Official Giveaway Rules
Pinterest's Community Guidelines and Merchant Guidelines both apply to promotions. Here are the key requirements:
Include 'not associated with Pinterest' disclaimer
Pinterest requires all promotions to state they are not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Pinterest Inc. Use this exact language or equivalent.
No inaccurate or misleading content
Don't use prize images you don't own or describe prizes inaccurately. 'Win a Dyson vacuum' when you're giving a generic knockoff violates this rule.
Comply with all applicable laws
Sweepstakes and contest laws vary by country, state, and province. Pinterest's rules don't override legal requirements — they're in addition to them.
Don't ask people to save specific Pins as contest entry
This is Pinterest-specific and widely violated: 'Save this Pin to win' is against Pinterest's rules. Pinterest doesn't want saves to be transactional. Comment-based entries are fine.
Don't create spam or low-quality content
Pinterest actively demotes spam-like behavior. Excessive hashtags, low-quality images, and repetitive pin descriptions can get your account flagged.
The "Save to Enter" rule is widely violated
"Repin this to enter" or "Save this Pin to your board to enter" is explicitly against Pinterest's guidelines. Many brands do it anyway, and many aren't immediately penalized — but Pinterest has suspended accounts for repeated violations. Comment-based entry is the safe alternative that also boosts Pin engagement (which Pinterest rewards).
3. Pin Formats for Giveaways
Pinterest supports several Pin formats — each with different engagement characteristics. Here's how to choose:
Standard Image Pin
Dimensions
1000×1500px (2:3 ratio)
Best for
Most giveaways — high feed visibility
Design tips
Prize photo occupying 60%+ of frame. 'GIVEAWAY' text large and clear at top. Entry instructions in readable font. Brand/account handle at bottom.
CTA: Drop a comment below to enter!
Video Pin
Dimensions
1:1, 9:16, or 4:5 ratio, up to 15 minutes
Best for
Products that benefit from demonstration, higher engagement
Design tips
First 3 seconds must hook immediately. Showcase the prize in motion. Include text overlay for silent viewers (majority watch muted).
CTA: Watch, save, and comment to enter
Carousel Pin
Dimensions
Multiple 1000×1500px images
Best for
Bundles or prize packages with multiple items
Design tips
Slide 1: headline + hero image. Slide 2: prize breakdown. Slide 3: rules + how to enter. Slide 4: your brand story.
CTA: Swipe through and comment to enter
Idea Pin (formerly Story Pin)
Dimensions
9:16 fullscreen, up to 20 pages
Best for
Community building, tutorials tied to prize theme
Design tips
Tell a story across multiple slides. Prize reveal at the end builds anticipation. Can't add links — use comment entry only.
CTA: Follow + comment on this Idea Pin to enter
4. Entry Mechanics — Pros and Cons
Your entry method determines how many people enter, how easy it is to collect entries, and what you get out of the giveaway beyond the draw.
Comment on the Pin
Manually read comments and copy usernames into a list. No export tool exists — budget 30-60 minutes for 500+ comments.
Pros
Creates visible social proof (others see the comments), boosts Pin engagement
Cons
Time-intensive for large giveaways, no automated export
Follow + Comment
Comment is verifiable (on Pin). Follow is verifiable at draw time manually — check winner's follower status before announcing.
Pros
Grows followers alongside engagement
Cons
Some entrants may unfollow after entry period ends
Comment on Linked Website
Drive traffic from Pin to your website/blog where a comment form or Gleam/Rafflecopter widget lives. Export entries there.
Pros
Much easier to export and verify, collects email addresses if desired
Cons
Friction reduces participation rate
Email Subscribe + Comment (Hybrid)
Pin drives to landing page. Entrants subscribe via email AND leave a comment. Verify both at draw time.
Pros
Builds email list (far more valuable than followers long-term)
Cons
Highest friction — lowest participation, highest quality entries
5. Picking a Winner From Pinterest Comments
Pinterest has no comment export API for regular users. Entry collection is entirely manual — but the selection process, once you have your list, is identical to any platform:
- 1
At close of entry period, compile all comment usernames from the Pin (manually or with a browser extension that can export page text)
- 2
Remove duplicate entries if your rules say one entry per person
- 3
Remove entries that didn't follow the rules (e.g., didn't answer the question you asked)
- 4
Check any follow requirements by searching for the winner's name in your followers list
- 5
Paste the final entry list into Real Wheel Picker (one username per line)
- 6
Screen-record the spin — show the entry list is loaded, then spin
- 7
DM the winner on Pinterest immediately
- 8
Comment on your giveaway Pin tagging the winner publicly
- 9
Upload the spin recording to YouTube or save it — link to it in your announcement if anyone asks for proof
Comment export workaround: Use your browser's "Find in Page" (Ctrl+F) to locate comments. Or use browser extensions like Comment Exporter (available for Chrome) that can scrape visible page content. Always manually verify any automated export before using it as your entry list.
6. Pinterest Giveaway Growth Strategy
Pinterest giveaways that work as growth tools follow specific patterns. Here's what actually moves the needle:
SEO your giveaway Pin title
Pinterest is a search engine. 'GIVEAWAY: Win a $200 KitchenAid Stand Mixer — Home Bakers' will get organic search traffic. Generic 'Giveaway!' will not.
Post at peak Pinterest times
Pinterest's best engagement hours: evenings (8-11pm local), weekends, especially Saturday mornings. US-focused: EST evenings outperform all other times.
Create a giveaway board
A dedicated 'Giveaways & Contests' board where you save all your giveaway Pins signals to Pinterest that you run them regularly and makes them findable.
Cross-promote to your other platforms
Pinterest alone won't generate thousands of entries from 0 followers. Share the Pin link to Instagram Stories, email list, and TikTok to seed initial engagement.
Prize relevance over prize value
A $50 prize perfectly relevant to your niche will get more quality entrants than a $500 Amazon gift card. Relevant prizes filter for your actual target audience.
The Pinterest advantage: longevity
A well-optimized Pinterest giveaway Pin doesn't die after 48 hours like an Instagram post. Pins circulate through search results and home feeds for months. It's common to see entries arrive weeks after the giveaway closed from Pinners who discovered the Pin organically. Close your entry period clearly in the Pin description with a specific date — and check comments after close to confirm no latecomers were included.
Pick Your Pinterest Giveaway Winner
Once you have your comment list, paste it in and spin. Free, no signup, cryptographically random.
Open the Giveaway Picker