How to run a fair online giveaway

Most giveaway complaints are not about the draw itself. They come from things decided too late: a rule nobody wrote down, an entry window that ended in a different time zone than people assumed, or a winner who went quiet and a host who quietly picked someone else. A random picker solves only one step. The rest is planning, and that is what this guide covers.

I build the picking tools on ExesTools, so I will be specific about what they do and what they don't. They pick fairly from the list you give them. They don't collect entries, check eligibility or make a giveaway legal where you live. ExesTools is a free tool, not a certified drawing service. If your platform or local law requires a certified or supervised draw, use one.

Step 1: Write the rules before you announce anything

Write the rules first and post them with the giveaway, pinned or linked, not buried in a reply. Once entries start, any rule you add looks like it was written to favour someone.

A rules post that heads off most disputes covers these points:

• Who can enter. Age, country or region, and whether staff, moderators or family members are excluded.
• How to enter. "Comment with your favourite flavour" is clear. "Like, share and tag three friends" is hard to check by hand, and some platforms restrict tagging and sharing requirements, so check their promotion rules first.
• How many entries each person gets. One per person is easiest to defend. If extra actions earn extra entries, say exactly how many each one is worth.
• The entry window, with a time zone. "Closes Friday 16 October, 11:59 pm PKT (UTC+5)" leaves no room for argument. "Closes Friday" leaves plenty.
• The prizes, in draw order. Say which prize is drawn first and whether each person can win only once.
• How the winner is picked. For example: "Winners are drawn at random on a livestream on Saturday at 8 pm, using an online random picker."
• How winners are contacted and how long they have to reply. 48 or 72 hours is common. Say whether you will draw a replacement if they don't respond.
• What you will publish. A first name or handle is usually enough. Never promise to publish personal details.

Step 2: Collect and clean the entry list

This is where fairness is most often lost, usually by accident.

ExesTools doesn't connect to Instagram, YouTube or any other account, and it doesn't import comments. You copy the entrants yourself, from a comment export, a form's response sheet or your own notes, and paste them one per line. That manual step is an advantage: it forces you to look at the list.

Clean it in this order:

1. Remove anyone who doesn't qualify under the rules you published, such as entries after the deadline or from outside the eligible region. Keep a short note of who you removed and why.
2. Apply your entry limit. If the rule is one entry per person, remove duplicates. On the wheel tools this happens automatically: duplicate lines are skipped, and capital letters don't count as a difference, so "Sam" and "sam" become one slice. It also means you can't give someone extra chances by pasting their name twice on a wheel.
3. Split people who share a name. Two different entrants called Ayesha need handles or initials, or the wheel will treat them as one person.
4. Count the result. Write the final number of entrants in your notes. If you announce "214 entries" and later someone counts 230 comments, you can explain the 16 you removed.

Step 3: Pick the right tool for the size of the draw

Each ExesTools picker is set up for a different kind of giveaway. All of them pick at random with the browser's secure random number generator, but they handle lists differently.

Small list, one or a few winners: prize wheel or name picker

The prize wheel holds up to 60 entries. Tap Entrant names, paste your list and spin. For more than one winner, switch on Remove winner after spin (no repeats) so each winner leaves the wheel. The random name picker works the same way, with remove-winner already on by default. A wheel is good for a live stream because everyone can watch the spin.

People with several entries, or a big list: raffle generator

If someone earned three entries, a wheel can't show that, because duplicate lines are skipped. The raffle generator can. Switch on Multiple tickets per person and write the count after the name, such as Sam x3. It holds up to 10,000 tickets, 100 winners and 20 alternates in one draw. By default each person can win only once: when someone wins, their other tickets leave the draw.

Spinning for the prize, not the person

Some hosts draw the winner first, then spin a second wheel of prizes to see what they get. That works well on streams. Load Prize rewards or Stream giveaway on the prize wheel and edit the list. Remember every slice has the same chance, so a gift card and a sticker are equally likely. Plan your budget around that.

Step 4: Do the draw where people can see it

A draw nobody saw is a draw you will be asked to prove. Pick one of these and say in your rules which one you'll use:

• Live on stream. Put the wheel on screen before you start. Read the number of entrants out loud, scroll through the list, then spin.
• Screen recording. Record your whole screen from the moment you paste the list to the moment the winner appears. Don't cut the video. Post it, or keep it in case someone asks.
• Share the exact list. On the wheel tools, Copy share link creates a link to the exact wheel you spun. Anyone with the link can see every name on it, so only share it if your entrants are comfortable with their handles being visible.

The raffle generator adds a written record: the date and time on your device, a draw code, the number of names and tickets, the rules used, each winner with their prize and ticket number, and the alternates. It also shows a list fingerprint, a short code made from your final entry list. If you publish the list before the draw, anyone can paste it into the page and check that the fingerprint matches. That proves the list didn't change. It doesn't prove anything about how the winner was picked, so pair it with a recording.

One thing worth knowing about the wheels: the result is chosen first, then the animation spins to land on it. How long or how hard the wheel spins changes nothing, so don't let anyone tell you a "better spin" exists.

Step 5: Announce winners and handle no-shows

Announce in the same place you ran the giveaway. Post the handle, the prize and when they need to reply by. Then contact the winner directly, and be clear that you will never ask for a password or a payment to release a prize. Scammers copy giveaway accounts and message entrants with fake "you won" notes, so warn your audience in the announcement too.

Decide before the draw what happens if a winner doesn't reply. There are two fair options:

1. Draw alternates at the same time as the winners. The raffle generator does this in order: if the winner doesn't claim, Alternate 1 is offered the prize, then Alternate 2. If you need another backup later, Draw another alternate adds one without changing anyone already drawn.
2. Redraw on camera from the same list, minus the previous winner. On a wheel, leave Remove winner after spin on, and the non-responder is already off the wheel.

The unfair option is picking someone yourself because they seem keen. Even if it is well meant, it is the fastest way to lose trust.

A worked example

Say you run a giveaway with 3 prizes and 140 commenters. After cleaning you have 128 eligible entrants, and 10 of them earned a bonus entry by answering a question, so there are 138 tickets in total.

• In the raffle generator, switch on Multiple tickets per person, mark those 10 entrants x2, set 3 winners and 2 alternates, and draw.
• A two-ticket entrant has 2/138 ≈ 1.45% chance of winning the first pick. A one-ticket entrant has 1/138 ≈ 0.72%. That ratio is the whole meaning of "two entries", and it is worth saying in your rules.
• With Each person can win only once on (the default), a winner's second ticket leaves with them, so nobody can take two of the three prizes.
• Download or print the record and keep it with your recording.

What I checked for this guide

Every feature named above was checked against the live tool pages on 2026-10-13: the 60-entry limit on the wheels, how duplicates are skipped, the raffle generator's limits, alternates and draw record, and the list fingerprint. The percentages are plain division you can check on a calculator. If a tool changes, this page will be updated and the date above will change with it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use ExesTools for an Instagram or YouTube giveaway?

Yes, as long as you follow that platform's promotion rules. ExesTools doesn't connect to your account or import comments, so copy the entrant names yourself, paste them in, and spin or draw on screen.

How do I give someone more than one entry?

Use the raffle generator with Multiple tickets per person switched on and write the count after the name, such as Sam x3. The wheels skip duplicate lines, so pasting a name twice on a wheel won't work.

What should I do if the winner never replies?

Follow the claim window in your published rules. If you drew alternates, offer the prize to Alternate 1. If not, redraw on camera from the same list without the previous winner.

Is an ExesTools draw legally valid?

ExesTools is a free random picker, not a certified drawing service, and nothing here is legal advice. Giveaway and raffle laws vary by country and region. If a certified draw is required, use one.

Can entrants check the list I drew from?

Yes. On a wheel, Copy share link gives a link to the exact list you spun. In the raffle generator, publish your list before the draw and anyone can compare the list fingerprint on the record.