STEP 1

Welcome: Create Your First Giveaway

Giveaway Ninja runs giveaways on your Shopify store. Entrants join with a purchase or an email, then complete entry actions to earn more entries (points). Every entrant becomes a lead on your list.

Your first giveaway takes about five minutes.

Steps

1. Open Giveaway Ninja from your Shopify admin.
2. Click Create Giveaway.
3. Name your giveaway. Shoppers will see this name.
4. Set the prize. Be specific. "Win a $100 gift card" beats "Win big."
5. Set start and end dates. Two to four weeks work for most stores.
6. Choose your entry methods. Start with a purchase entry. You can add more later.
7. Click Save, and then Publish.

STEP 2

Displaying Your Giveaway

A live giveaway with no placement gets zero entries. Put it where shoppers already look.

By default your giveaway appears as a launch icon that opens the giveaway form and entry actions list. Users can enter on the form, perform the actions and check their entries there.

Beyond that default, there are several ways to render your giveaway across your store so you can meet shoppers wherever they are and get the most entries out of every visit. The placements below each serve a different moment in the shopping journey — use as many as make sense for your store.

2.a. Embed Giveaway

1. Open the theme editor and navigate to pages.
2. Create a new page template.
3. Add the Giveaway Embed app block.
4. Copy your Giveaway ID.
5. Configure the app block.
6. Save and create your page.

2.b. Entries Block on the Product Page

Show the giveaway on product pages. Shoppers see it while deciding to buy.

1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize in Shopify.
2. Open a product page template.
3. Click Add block and select the Giveaway Ninja Entries Block.
4. Position it near the add-to-cart button.
5. Save.

2.c. Your Purchase Entries Block

Add a Your Purchase Entries block. Shoppers track their entries in one place. More visibility means more return visits. Add it to your account page or a dedicated page.

STEP 3

Multiplying Entries

This is where giveaways beat every other lead channel. Entrants bring you more entrants.

Referral Entries

Each entrant gets a unique referral link. When a friend enters through that link, the referrer earns bonus entries.

1. Open your giveaway settings.
2. Enable Refer-a-friend entries.
3. Set the bonus. Three to five extra entries per referral is a strong start.
4. Save.

Why it works: entrants do your marketing. Every share reaches people you'd otherwise pay to reach.

STEP 4

Trust & Protection

Fake entries kill giveaways. They inflate your list with dead emails and can hand your prize to a bot. Three settings protect you.

Email Verification + Confirmation

Entrants confirm their email before their entry counts.

1. Open giveaway settings.
2. Enable Email verification.
3. Save.

Verified emails are the entire point. An unverified list is worthless in your email tool.

Terms & Rules

Require entrants to accept your giveaway terms.

1. Enable Terms, Privacy Policy & GDPR.
2. Link your terms page. If you don't have terms yet, you can use our Rules Generator.
3. Save.

Bot Protection

Blocks automated entries before they reach your list.

STEP 5

Emailing Your Entrants

Every verified entrant is a lead. Connect your email platform — Klaviyo, MailChimp, ActiveCampaign, Omnisend and more — so entries flow straight into your list, tagged and ready for your campaigns.

Start with the two Klaviyo guides below, or browse all Klaviyo articles in our help center.

STEP 6

Drawing Winners

The giveaway ends. Two jobs remain: pick winners and move your leads where they make money.

Draw Winners

1. Open your ended giveaway.
2. Click Draw winners.
3. The app picks winners at random from valid entries.
4. Review the drawn winners before anyone is contacted.
5. Announce the winners on your channels. Public winners build trust for your next giveaway.

STEP 7

Playbook: Giveaway Ideas That Work

Formats that perform for DTC stores:

• Product launch giveaway. Give away the new product before release. Builds a launch list of people who already want it.
• Bundle giveaway. Prize a bundle of your bestsellers.
• Partner giveaway. Team up with a complementary brand. Both audiences enter. Both lists grow. Split the prize cost.
• Seasonal giveaway. Black Friday, holidays, back-to-school. Demand is already high. The giveaway captures leads from traffic you're already paying for.
• Continuous giveaway. Offer a complimentary giveaway prize for your product line; for instance, an espresso machine for a coffee roaster.

Want the full strategy? Read The Giveaway Ninja Playbook — the complete field manual for purchase-based Shopify giveaways.