A Complete Summary of Facebook’s Promotion Guidelines

Earlier this month Jim, Ben and Doug recorded a podcast titled “ShortStack Podcast 8 – Facebook Promotion Guidelines overview and how-to.” For those interested in learning more about Facebook’s promotional guidelines, but don’t have 26 minutes to listen to the podcast, below is a bulleted summary of what was discussed.

However, if you do have the time to spare, here’s the video too.

Podcast Summary:

(1:55) Do research on the rules for running a promotion in your country/state/city, as they rules override all other rules– including the rules mandated by Facebook.

(2:32) Check out Facebook’s promotional guidelines online (section E)

(3:11) According to Facebook’s guidelines, all promotions must be administered within apps on Facebook.com using either a canvas Page or a Page app. Users are not allowed to run a contest, sweepstakes or promotion just on your Facebook wall. Facebook does this so there is a communication channel between the promotion winner and the Page running the promotion. This is one way of preventing suspicious spam.

(5:35) Promotions on Facebook must include the following: A.) A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.. B.) Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. C.) Disclosure that the participant is providing information to you (the company running the promotion) and not to Facebook.

(8:14) Section 3: A lot of users tend not to follow this rule. Facebook rules do not allow you to condition registration or entry by forcing users to do something within the normal Facebook channels (other than Liking a Page to view an entry form). Meaning, requiring that users like, comment or share a Wall post in order to be entered into the promotion is not allowed.

(9:52) Be careful with your wording. Someone just by the act of Liking cannot be automatically into a contest. You can still encourage sharing and commenting, but you just can’t make it a requirement.

(12:27) You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of Liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.

(18:42) Facebook only allows you to contact your promotion winners off of Facebook. You cannot contact winners through Facebook messaging, chat, etc.

(19:23) There is difference between notification and announcement. Do not think that the announcement of a winner counts as the notification of the winner.

(21:42) If you’re running a voting contest, should the contest be based off the person with the most votes wins? Never. It’s a poor idea because it’s easy to create fake profiles and engage in fraudulent voting. If you suspect cheating, it’s important to write in your promotion’s guidelines (before the promotion runs) that your business reserves the right to eliminate entries if fraudulent activity is suspected.