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Pick a Social Media Giveaway Winner Fairly and DM Them

· · Amida-san

When you run a giveaway on X or Instagram, the hard parts are choosing the winner and contacting them. Picking by hand from the comments invites "Was that really random?", and tools that only pick a number don't tell you who won. This article shows how to pick the winner with Amidakuji and DM them right away.

A host holding a phone showing an amidakuji, and a winner holding a gift

Have Entrants Join with Their @Handle

On Amida-san, participants enter their own name (display name) to join the Amidakuji. Ask them to use their social media handle as that name.

If an entrant joins as @tanaka_design, that handle appears in the results too. You don't need to match winners against a separate list; you can DM them straight from the result.

Entering a social media handle in the join form

Prevent Duplicate Names

Turn on "Require unique display names" under "Additional Options" on the edit page, and a name that's already in use can't be used to join. This stops repeat entries under the same handle. The setting is free. Turn it on before entries start coming in.

Turning on "Require unique display names"

However, there's no way to verify that an entered handle belongs to the person who typed it. Someone could join first with another person's handle, so when you contact the winner, confirm in the DM that they are the account that entered.

Steps for a Giveaway

  1. Create an event on Amida-san with as many "win" allocations as there are prizes
  2. Turn on "Require unique display names"
  3. Post the join URL on social media and ask people to join with their own @handle
  4. At the deadline, the organizer starts the draw to decide the winners
  5. DM the @handles shown in the results on X or Instagram

Because the result is decided as balls trace the lines, posting the result screen or showing the start on a livestream lets followers see you chose fairly. For extra visual effect, you can use Amida3D.

Six people join a holiday party prize draw, and every ball traces the lines to decide the first, second, and third prize winners

Announce conditions such as "follow and repost to enter" in your social media post. Amida-san doesn't check whether entrants met them, so verify when you contact the winner. Also check beforehand that your campaign follows each platform's promotion rules and any local laws on prizes and sweepstakes.

FAQ

Is it free?

Yes. Creating an Amidakuji and the "Require unique display names" setting are both free. Up to 299 people can join one event.

Do entrants need to create an account?

No. They open the URL and enter their own @handle.

Does Amida-san contact the winners for me?

No. Amida-san doesn't send DMs, so the organizer contacts winners from their own social media account.

Summary

Have entrants join with their @handle and turn on "Require unique display names," and you can DM winners straight from the result. Checking that the handle really belongs to them and that they met the entry conditions is still up to you, so confirm both in the DM when you contact the winner.

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