How to Run a Tumblr Giveaway

Running a Tumblr giveaway might sound simple. Just post a motivational quote or a cute image, tell people to reblog it, and wait for the entries to roll in. Easy, right? Well… not quite. Tumblr has its own rules, quirks, and unique culture that make giveaways both powerful and tricky to pull off.

Unlike other social media platforms, Tumblr isn’t driven by an algorithm or flashy ads. Instead, it’s much more community-based. This means that your giveaway on Tumblr must feel authentic, creative, and fair. If it doesn’t, users will scroll right past it.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly how to run a Tumblr giveaway the right way: from understanding Tumblr’s contest guidelines to setting up automated entries and tracking your entry actions (spoiler: you don’t need to do it manually).

6 Things to Remember to Run a Successful Tumblr Giveaway

Running a Tumblr giveaway isn’t rocket science, but it’s also not just “Reblog to win!” Sure, you could try to wing it… and that might’ve worked back in 2013. But Tumblr has changed (and so have its contest rules).

If you want your giveaway to actually get engagement and survive the Tumblr police, you’ll need a game plan. Or, at least, a couple of best practices to make sure you know what you’re doing.

1. Decide What Kind of Giveaway You Want to Run

Before you hit “post,” figure out what kind of giveaway you’re actually running. Tumblr may be chaotic by nature, but your giveaway shouldn’t be.

If you’re going for maximum reach, the classic “Reblog & Win” giveaway is your go-to. It spreads fast, gets tons of eyes on your post, and works perfectly with Tumblr’s art blog culture. A follower milestone giveaway is a little more personal. You know, the “we’ve hit 1,000 followers” kind of giveaway. It helps reward your community, draw attention to your content, and strengthen long-term engagement.

And if you want to be more unique and creative, a photo or themed contest might be your best bet. These usually ask participants to post their own content, for example, photos, illustrations, videos, GIFs, or fun text art, under specific tags. It’s a great idea for generating authentic content and building a social media community, but it takes more effort to collect and verify entries.

The good news is that you don’t have to track all that manually, like it’s 2012. With Socialman’s Tumblr integration, you can define entry actions, like Reblog, Like, or Follow, and track everything automatically. So, less counting entries by hand, more time celebrating your growing audience.

2. Write Clear, Transparent Giveaway Rules

Before you announce your giveaway, take a minute to read Tumblr’s official contest guidelines. Yes, I know, no one likes legal stuff. But ignoring it is how you end up on Tumblr’s naughty list.

Tumblr requires that every giveaway clearly state its terms and conditions, including details such as who is eligible to enter, when the giveaway starts and ends, and how winners will be chosen. You also need to make it clear that your giveaway isn’t sponsored, endorsed, or run by Tumblr itself. And while you’re at it, avoid overtagging your giveaway with spammy tags like #giveaway or #contest. That’s a one-way ticket to getting flagged.

To stay on the safe side, tools like Socialman make compliance simple. It lets you generate the terms and conditions of your giveaway directly in your campaign setup, so you don’t have to write them up manually.

You should write the terms and conditions of your giveaway before publishing it. People may not read them (we all know they probably won’t), but having them written out properly covers you legally and saves you a headache if anything goes wrong.

3. Use Tools That Do the Heavy Lifting

Once upon a time, running a Tumblr giveaway meant opening a spreadsheet, manually counting reblogs, and praying you didn’t miss someone’s username. Then you’d paste everything into a random number generator, cross your fingers, and pick the winner. In 2025, we don’t need to do that anymore. With giveaway tools like Socialman, you can automate the entire process and cut out the manual entry counting.

With Socialman, you can set up Tumblr-specific entry actions, like Reblog, Like, or Follow, and track everything for you in real time. You can also combine your giveaway with actions on other social media platforms, like Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and more.

And if you want to get started fast, Socialman’s pre-built campaign templates give you a shortcut. Just set up your prize, entry actions, and terms and conditions in the Socialman dashboard, hit publish, and voilà! Your giveaway gets its own landing page with all the entry actions built in. Share the link with your followers, and they can enter by completing each action directly from the page.

4. Promote It the Right Way (Without Getting Flagged)

Tumblr can be picky about what it considers spam, and giveaways are no exception. If you flood your post with tags like #giveaway, #free, and #win, it’s likely to get flagged or buried by the algorithm.

Stick to relevant, descriptive tags that match your niche instead. These help your post reach people who are interested in what you’re offering, and run your giveaway authentically, without spamming the platform.

Also, don’t forget Tumblr’s golden rule: make it look good. A clear image, a nice layout, and a caption that sounds like you will go a long way. Tumblr users value authenticity, so keep your tone consistent with the rest of your blog.

5. Pick Winners Fairly and Publicly

When it’s time to choose a winner, transparency matters. Whether you’re doing a random draw or judging creative submissions, make sure your process is clear and consistent with what you outlined in your rules. If it’s a random draw, say so. If it’s based on creativity or effort, explain what you’re looking for and stick to it.

With Socialman, you can choose winners in a few different ways. You can let the platform pick someone at random from all participants, or only from those with the highest scores if your giveaway includes a points system. If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can also download the participant list, review entries yourself, and manually select a winner.

Once you’ve picked your winner, make it public. A short post announcing the result, tagging the winner, or linking to their Tumblr adds a nice touch of transparency and lets everyone know your giveaway was legit from start to finish.

6. Build on the Momentum

One of the biggest mistakes creators make is letting the momentum die once the giveaway ends. Sure, your giveaway might be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ride the wave. Keep your new followers interested by teasing future contests, inviting them to join your newsletter, or sharing exclusive updates they won’t find anywhere else.

And when it’s time for round two, you don’t have to start from scratch. Simply duplicate your last Socialman campaign, tweak the details, and hit publish. It’s the easiest way to keep the momentum going and your followers coming back for more.

Ready to Run a Giveaway on Tumblr?

A successful Tumblr giveaway isn’t about chasing random followers who only care about the prize, but about growing an audience that actually connects with your brand. The best campaigns play to your strengths and give your community something they genuinely enjoy participating in. The ones that really take off are clear about how to enter, easy to join, and effortless to track.

With Socialman, you can do all that without lifting a finger. It automatically tracks reblogs, likes, and follows, verifies entries in real time, and even handles the random winner selection for you. If you’re ready to run your next Tumblr giveaway, check out Socialman’s pricing plans and start turning your reblogs into real growth.