How to pick a giveaway winner on Bluesky
Bluesky giveaways run on replies and reposts, and only replies sit in one place you can copy. Ask for a reply, make sure everybody can post one, then load every reply on bsky.app and draw from everyone who followed your rule.
Draw your Bluesky winner
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Get your Bluesky entries
Ask for a reply
Reposts and quote posts spread your giveaway, but they scatter across other people's feeds. A reply lands under your post where you can collect it, so make the reply the entry.
Let everybody reply
Bluesky lets you limit who can reply to a post, for example to people you follow or mention. For a giveaway, leave it open to everybody, or people will see the post and have no way to enter.
Open every hidden branch
Open the post on bsky.app on a computer and scroll to the bottom. Some replies sit behind a link to show more or hidden replies; open them if your rules count those entries.
Copy the replies
Select from the first reply to the last and copy. Names, times and like counts come along. The Bluesky comment picker keeps each @handle, including custom domain handles like @shop.com, and the reply text.
Pick and check the winner
Paste and set the tag rule
If you asked people to tag a friend, set the number of tags. Bluesky mentions are full handles like @friend.bsky.social, and each different one counts once.
Exclude your own handle
Add your account and any co-host so your replies to entrants stay out of the draw.
Draw once and reply with the link
Draw the winner plus a backup, then reply to your giveaway post with the winner's handle and the results link so it sits in the thread everyone entered in.
Reach the winner
Bluesky has direct messages, but people can limit who may message them. Mention the winner in your announcement and ask them to message you if your note doesn't get through.
Mistakes that make a draw look rigged
- Limiting replies to people you follow, then wondering why nobody entered.
- Counting reposts as entries without a way to list every account that reposted.
- Missing entries behind the "show more replies" link at the bottom of the thread.
- Adding replies that arrived after the end time in your post.
- Leaving out who can enter, the end date and how the winner is picked. Check the sweepstakes rules where your entrants live.
Announce the winner
Post it where people entered, and link the results page so anyone can check the draw.
🦋 Giveaway winner: @[winner]! You've won [prize]. Check your messages, or message us if ours doesn't reach you. Drawn at random from [number] replies; check the draw here: [results link]. Thanks, everyone.
Questions people ask
Can I export replies from a Bluesky post?
The Bluesky app has no export button for replies. Copying them from bsky.app on a computer and pasting them into the Bluesky comment picker is the free route.
Do custom domain handles work?
Yes. A handle like @shop.com is read the same way as @ava.bsky.social, and tags count with the full handle.
Can I require people to follow me?
You can make it a rule, but nothing checks it for you. If following is required, open the winner's profile before announcing, and draw again if they don't follow, saying so publicly.
How do I keep bots out?
Write a rule for brand-new or empty accounts before the giveaway starts, apply it to everyone, and remove those accounts in the picker's preview before you draw.
Can I run the same giveaway on Bluesky and X?
Yes, if your rules say so. Copy each platform's replies separately, put every handle in one list for the Winner Picker, and remember the same person may use a different handle on each.