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How to pick a giveaway winner on Mailchimp

A giveaway for your email subscribers rewards the people who already gave you their inbox. Mailchimp exports your audience as a CSV, so the draw is mostly about choosing who's eligible: everyone subscribed, or only people who clicked a specific email.

Draw your Mailchimp winner

Who's in?

0 entries
How many win?
Prizes (optional)

Doo draws with public randomness that doesn't exist until after your list is locked in. Anyone can check the result.

Get your Mailchimp entries

  1. Decide who's in

    "All subscribers as of Friday" is the simplest rule. "Everyone who clicked the giveaway link" rewards engagement. Pick one and write it in the email.

  2. Export the audience

    In Mailchimp, go to Audience, then All contacts, then Export Audience. You'll get a ZIP with CSV files split by status. Use the subscribed file only.

  3. Or export a segment

    For a clickers-only giveaway, build a segment of contacts who clicked that campaign's link, view it, and export the segment as a CSV.

  4. Trim it to a name column

    Open the CSV, delete the columns you don't need and keep first name plus last initial for the public list. Hold the full email column privately to contact the winner.

Pick and check the winner

  1. Upload to the Winner Picker

    Upload the trimmed CSV. The picker reads the first name column, and the draw uses public randomness you didn't choose.

  2. Pick a winner and a reserve

    Email winners go unclaimed more often than social ones, because messages land in promotions tabs. Draw a reserve in the same go.

  3. Announce in the next newsletter

    Feature the winner (with permission) and the results link in your next send. It's proof the giveaway was real and a reason to open the next one.

Mistakes that make a draw look rigged

  • Including unsubscribed or cleaned contacts from the wrong file in the export ZIP.
  • Adding everyone who signed up after the deadline because the export ran late.
  • Posting full email addresses on the results page.
  • Sending the "you won" email from a new address that looks like phishing.

Announce the winner

Post it where people entered, and link the results page so anyone can check the draw.

Mailchimp winner post
Subject: You picked the winner (well, randomness did) 🎉 Last week we gave away [prize] to one subscriber. The winner is [first name, last initial] from [city]! We drew from [number] subscribers at random, and you can check it here: [results link]. Next giveaway lands in this inbox on [date].

Questions people ask

Does Mailchimp have a giveaway picker?

No. Mailchimp can segment and export your audience, but it doesn't choose random winners. Export the CSV and upload it to a picker.

Does this work with Klaviyo, Kit or Beehiiv?

Yes. Every major email platform can export subscribers as a CSV. The column names differ, but the steps are the same: export, trim, upload, draw.

Do email giveaways need a free way to enter?

Joining an email list is free, which is why list giveaways are popular. Still post official rules with eligibility, dates and odds, and keep it to places you can legally run it.

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