How to Grow Your Subscribers with a Contest or Giveaway Using Instagram DM & Messenger Chatbots

Want more leads, a bigger contact list, and better engagement? Run an interactive contest or giveaway through Instagram DMs or Facebook Messenger — powered by ChitChatBot.ai.

Competitions are a time-tested way to generate buzz. But when you combine them with chatbots, they become more than just a marketing gimmick — they become a smart, scalable way to capture leads, collect zero-party data, and start meaningful conversations with potential customers.

In this post, we’ll show you how to use Instagram and Messenger chatbots to run high-converting contests that grow your audience and drive real results.

🤖 Why Run Contests Through Messenger or Instagram DMs?

Messenger and Instagram Direct offer something traditional web forms or static posts never could: a two-way conversation.

When a user enters your contest via chatbot, they instantly become a subscriber. From that moment on, you can follow up with them via direct messages — which see 70–90% open rates, compared to just 5–20% for email.

And because the entire process is interactive, automated, and personalised, you’ll create a smoother, more enjoyable experience that leads to higher conversion rates and better customer relationships.

🚪 Entry Points: Getting People into the Chatbot

The key to a successful giveaway is driving participation. With ChitChatBot.ai, you’ve got multiple ways to get people into your Messenger or Instagram DM experience:

✅ Click-to-Messenger Ads

Use Facebook and Instagram ads with a Click-to-Messenger objective to send users directly into your chatbot flow when they click.

This approach allows for detailed targeting — ideal for reaching the right audience based on location, interests, behaviour, or demographics.

💬 Instagram Comment Automation (Powered by ChitChatBot.ai)

One of the most powerful and underused strategies: turn your post comments into contest entries.

With ChitChatBot.ai, you can:

• Trigger automated DMs when someone comments on a specific Instagram post

• Guide them straight into the contest chatbot flow

• Automatically capture their entry and contact details

Example:
Post a giveaway graphic with a call-to-action like:
“🎉 Want to win? Comment ‘WIN’ below and we’ll DM you the details!”
ChitChatBot.ai handles the rest — no manual outreach, no delays, no missed leads.

📣 Promote Across Your Owned Channels

Amplify your contest by promoting it on:

• Facebook and Instagram Stories (with “Send Message” stickers)

• Email newsletters

• Your website popups or banners

• In-store displays (with Messenger QR codes)

Wherever you engage your audience, you can drive traffic directly into the chatbot funnel.

🎮 Contest Formats to Consider

Your chatbot contest can take many forms, depending on your goals. Here are some high-converting formats:

• Quick Poll or Survey: Gather audience insights while offering a chance to win

• Trivia or Puzzle Challenge: Make it fun and interactive — perfect for engagement and dwell time

• Instant Win or Spin-to-Win: Add gamification to increase excitement

• Referral or Share-to-Enter: Use follow-up messages to encourage viral growth

🎯 Campaign Goals Might Include:

• Growing your Messenger or Instagram DM subscriber list

• Collecting valuable zero-party data

• Boosting brand visibility and reach

• Qualifying leads for future campaigns

🧾 Capturing and Storing Entries

During the contest flow, your chatbot can capture:

• First name

• Email address

• Phone number

• Quiz answers or product preferences

Using ChitChatBot.ai’s integrations, you can automatically sync this data to:

• Your CRM (e.g. HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.)

• Email platforms like Mailchimp or Klaviyo

• Google Sheets or internal databases

No manual entry, no spreadsheets, no delays — just clean, structured data you can use immediately.

🔁 Automated Follow-Ups: From Entry to Loyalty

Once someone has entered your giveaway, the conversation doesn’t stop there.

Use chatbot automation to:

• Confirm their entry

• Send reminders about draw dates or winner announcements

• Offer exclusive discounts to non-winners

• Share personalised product recommendations

• Encourage newsletter sign-ups or future purchases

And because they’ve opted in via Messenger or Instagram DM, you’re engaging them in the channels they check daily.

🧠 Why Messenger & Instagram Chatbots Outperform Web Forms

Chatbots don’t just collect data — they open doors to deeper, more natural relationships with your customers.

🚀 Real Brand Success: Contests That Convert

• Online Retailer: Gained 7,000+ subscribers in 10 days using an Instagram giveaway and ChitChatBot.ai’s comment-triggered DMs.

• Local Gym: Ran a Messenger-based referral contest offering a free 6-month membership. 32% of entrants shared the offer with friends.

• Beauty Brand: Used a quiz-style Messenger giveaway to promote a new product line — and doubled their email opt-in rate in a week.

🤝 Ready to Launch Your Giveaway?

We help brands set up powerful Messenger and Instagram chatbot campaigns using ChitChatBot.ai — built to generate leads, spark conversations, and grow your business.

✅ Contest strategy & creative
✅ Full chatbot design & automation setup
✅ Comment automation using ChitChatBot.ai
✅ CRM & email integrations
✅ Follow-up flows for long-term impact

You can use our do-it-yourself service or reach out to us for our done-for-you service.