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Instagram giveaway ideas for hair salons

People overdue for a cut who follow local stylists for ideas, and clients ready to try a new look. Here's how hair salons can win them over on Instagram, then pick a winner everyone can check.

Pick your Instagram winner

Your comments

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Copy your Instagram comments in three steps
  1. On desktop, open your Instagram post and expand the comments and replies you want to include.
  2. Select and copy the visible authors and comments. Load more comments first; a copied selection can't include hidden ones.
  3. Paste below, or upload an author/comment CSV. On mobile, use your browser's desktop site if copying is available, or transfer an export to this page.

0 comments → 0 eligible entries. 0 didn't tag 0 friends; 0 duplicates; 0 excluded; 0 missing the word; 0 removed.

Paste comments to see who's in.

Check this list before continuing. You can edit names on the next step. Parsing stays in your browser; eligible names are sent to Perkadoo when you draw and appear on the public results page.

5 ideas that fit Instagram

  1. Before-and-after glow-up

    Post a two-slide carousel: the before, then the after with the stylist's handle. Ask followers to comment what color they'd try next and tag a friend overdue for a cut. Transformations are the most saved posts in the industry.

  2. Reel: color melt reveal

    Film the foils, the rinse and the spin in the chair, timed to a beat drop. The reveal moment is what gets replayed. End with text: comment your dream shade to win this exact service.

  3. Stylist takeover in Stories

    Let one stylist run your Stories for a day with a Q&A sticker. Wrap up with a feed post giveaway for a service with that stylist. Followers get to know who they'd actually be booking with.

  4. Name this shade

    Post a swatch of a custom color your colorist mixed and ask followers to name it in the comments. The winning name goes on your color menu, and its author gets the service free.

  5. Bring-a-friend carousel

    Offer two prizes: one for the winner and one for the friend they tag. Slide two explains both get a cut. Friends tagging friends is how salons grow, and this makes the tag worth something.

A caption you can post today

Swap in your own name, prize and end time. Entry is simple: like the post, follow your account and tag a friend in the comments.

Instagram caption
✨ GLOW-UP GIVEAWAY ✨
One winner gets a cut, color and blowout with @mia.atgloss at Gloss Studio (worth $250).

Follow @glossstudio, like this, and tag a friend who's overdue. Closes Saturday 6pm ET. US 18+. Random draw, announced in stories. Instagram isn't affiliated with this giveaway. Rules: link in bio.

Prizes hair salons can afford to give

Pick something that brings the winner back through your door, not just a gift card.

  • A cut, color and blowout with your senior stylist (about $250 retail)
  • A full-size shampoo, conditioner and styling product set (about $70)
  • A blowout every week for a month (about $160 retail)
  • A bridal or event trial session (about $100 retail)
  • A gift card for a friend's first visit, plus one for the winner ($50 each)
  • A deep conditioning treatment add-on for a year of visits

Run it on Instagram

  1. Post a carousel, not a single photo

    Prize first, then a slide with the entry steps and end date. Skipped carousels get a second chance in the feed, often with the next slide showing.

  2. Keep entry to one comment

    Every extra hoop costs entries. Only add rules you will actually check, because an unchecked rule is just a hurdle.

  3. Pin the rules comment

    End time, who can enter, rules link in bio. It answers the same three questions before they get asked.

  4. Draw from the comments

    Paste them into the Instagram comment picker, check your tag rule, draw and share the results link in Stories.

Watch-outs for hair salons

  • Say travel isn't covered.
  • Color prizes need a patch test first.
  • Set a 60-day booking window.
  • Get a parent's consent before a minor's chemical service.

Instagram's promotion rules

  • Include a release saying Instagram doesn't sponsor, endorse or run the promotion.
  • Don't ask people to tag themselves in photos they're not in.
  • Official rules and eligibility are on you, not Instagram.

Team up for a bigger reach

A collab doubles the audience for the same prize budget. For hair salons, good partners are a nail salon down the street, a local wedding photographer, a boutique that dresses your clients. Each of you posts, and entries from both posts go into one draw.

Questions people ask

What should a hair salon give away?

A service with a named stylist. It puts the winner in a chair where they can rebook.

Can I use client photos in a salon giveaway post?

Only with the client's permission, ideally in writing.

Is it allowed to ask people to tag friends on Instagram?

Yes. What Instagram forbids is inaccurate tagging, like asking people to tag themselves in a photo they're not in.

Can I run the same giveaway on a Reel and a feed post?

Yes. Paste both comment lists into one, drop anyone who entered twice, then draw.

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