How to run an event giveaway that grows your email list

An event giveaway is one of the few things that gets people to stop at a booth, or pull out a phone at the end of a talk, without being asked twice. Run it well and it grows your email list with people who chose to come to your event. Run it badly and you get a pile of entries from people who wanted a free gadget and will never open your email.

The difference is in three choices: the prize, how people enter, and what you do after the draw.

Pick a prize your best customers want

The prize decides who enters. A generic prize, like a gift card or the latest gadget, gets entries from everyone walking past, including people who'll never buy from you. A prize tied to what you do attracts the people you want to follow up with.

You are	A prize that attracts the right people
A software company at a trade show	A year of your product, or a setup session with your team
A speaker or consultant	A one-on-one strategy session, or a signed copy of your book
A band	A meet-and-greet, signed merch, or tickets to the next show
A nonprofit at a gala	A behind-the-scenes visit, or a night out with the team
A conference organizer	A pass to next year's event

A smaller prize that's exactly right for your audience is worth more to you than a bigger one anyone would want.

Make the email part of entering

The giveaway is the reason to text in. The email is the price of entry. Ask for it before people are entered:

1. They text a keyword or scan a QR code: "Text PRIZE to 33777 to enter." Pick a word tied to your prize or event; generic words like WIN, ENTER, and FREE are reserved on Textiful’s short codes.
2. They're asked for their first name, then their email.
3. They're entered, and get a text confirming it.

Keep it to those two questions. You can ask what they're hoping to solve, or which product they're interested in, but each extra question costs entries. Across Textiful flows over 90 days in 2026, completion was 89.5% for one question and 83.1% to 85.0% for two or three (How many questions should I ask?).

One entry per person keeps it fair and keeps your list clean. If someone texts again, they're told they're already in.

Say when the draw happens

A draw time gives people a reason to come back, and gives your team a reason to talk about it. "We're drawing at 3:00 at the booth" brings people back to the booth. "We're drawing at the end of the session" keeps the room through to the end.

Put the draw time on the sign and the slide, and say it out loud. If your giveaway page shows a countdown, put it on a screen at the booth.

Draw the winner in front of the room

A draw on the big screen is a small event in itself. People who entered watch, and people who didn't ask how to enter next time.

• Close entries first, so nobody joins after the draw.
• Draw at random, with every entry given the same chance.
• Show the winner without oversharing. A first name, or the last four digits of their phone number, is enough for the winner to recognize themselves. Never put a full phone number or email on screen.
• Have a plan if the winner isn't there. Draw a replacement, and keep a note of who was drawn first and why they were replaced.
• Text the winner with how to claim the prize, so someone who stepped out still finds out.

Follow up with everyone who didn't win

This is where the giveaway pays off. Most entrants didn't win, and they all gave you their email.

Send them something within a day:

Subject: You didn't win, but here's something for you

Hi [first name],

Thanks for entering our giveaway at [event name]. [Winner's first name] took home [prize], but we didn't want you to leave with nothing: [a discount, a resource, a free trial, a consultation].

[One line on what you do and the next step.]

A runner-up offer turns the disappointment of not winning into a reason to try you. What to send event leads in the first 24 hours has more follow-up templates.

Check the rules

Rules for giveaways and prize drawings vary by state and by how the giveaway is run, especially if entering requires a purchase. Check with your own legal advisor before the event. If you have official rules, link them from the sign or the giveaway page.

When people enter by text, say plainly what else they're signing up for, such as your email list, in the same line as the entry instructions: "Text PRIZE to 33777 to enter and get our monthly email." Is text-to-join legal? covers consent.

The giveaway is one part of a bigger plan. The event lead capture playbook covers the offer, the ask, and the follow-up for the whole event.

How Textiful helps

Textiful giveaways take entries by text, one per phone number. The "Run a giveaway" template asks for a first name and email and enters each person. Draw winners at random from the giveaway's page, and they appear on a live page for the projector, showing a first name, the last four digits of the phone number, or just that a winner was selected. Draw replacements, text the winners, and send every entrant to Mailchimp, HubSpot, Kit, or ActiveCampaign.

Try it at your next event → Start a free trial