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How to pick a giveaway winner on YouTube

YouTube comment giveaways reward viewers who actually watched, but YouTube's spam filters can quietly hold real entries for review. Clear the held comments, copy the full thread from the watch page, and draw from everyone who followed your rule.

Draw your YouTube winner

Your comments

0 comments
Copy your YouTube comments in three steps
  1. On desktop, open your YouTube video's comments and choose newest first if you want to review entries in order.
  2. Load the comments and expand replies you want included, then copy their authors and text.
  3. Paste below or upload an author/comment CSV. On mobile, try desktop web or transfer an existing export. A video URL alone won't import comments.

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.

Get your YouTube entries

  1. Review held comments in YouTube Studio

    Go to Studio, then Comments, and open the "Held for review" tab. Approve real entries caught by the spam filter, especially ones with links or lots of emoji, before you copy anything.

  2. Sort by Newest first

    On the watch page, change the comment sort from "Top comments" to "Newest first" so you can see everything in time order and spot entries posted after the deadline.

  3. Scroll to the bottom of the thread

    YouTube loads comments as you scroll. Keep going until the oldest comment appears. Expand replies only if your rules allow entries as replies.

  4. Copy the comments block

    Highlight from the newest comment to the oldest and copy. Handles start with @ on YouTube, and the YouTube comment picker reads them along with the comment text.

Pick and check the winner

  1. Filter for the answer you asked for

    Creators often ask a question ("What's your dream setup?"). If the answer had to include a word, filter on it; if any answer counts, leave the filter empty.

  2. Exclude your channel and mods

    Your own pinned comment and your moderators' replies shouldn't be in the pool. Add their handles to the exclude list.

  3. Draw on camera if you like

    Open the picker in a screen recording and draw. The results page proves the outcome came from public randomness, so the clip is a bonus, not your only evidence.

  4. Pin the winner comment

    Post a comment naming the winner with the results link and pin it. Ask the winner to reach you by email, since YouTube has no direct messages.

Mistakes that make a draw look rigged

  • Forgetting the "Held for review" tab and leaving real entrants out of the draw.
  • Asking the winner to DM you. YouTube has no DMs, so impersonators fill the gap with fake "you won" replies.
  • Not warning viewers that you will never ask for payment or card details to claim a prize.
  • Running a giveaway without official rules; YouTube's contest policies make the creator responsible for the rules and for following the law.
  • Picking from "Top comments", which favors comments with the most likes.

Announce the winner

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

YouTube winner post
📌 WINNER: Congrats @[winner], you won [prize]! Email us at [email] within 7 days to claim. We'll never ask for payment or card details, so ignore anyone who does. Picked at random from [number] comments; check it here: [results link].

Questions people ask

How do I contact a YouTube giveaway winner?

YouTube removed private messages, so name the winner in a pinned comment and ask them to email you from an address listed on your channel. Say clearly you'll never ask for money.

Why are scam accounts replying to my giveaway?

Bots copy your channel name and avatar, then tell commenters they won. Pin a warning, use the "Held for review" filter, and add blocked words in Studio to slow them down.

Can I pick a winner from a YouTube live chat?

Live chat is a different stream from video comments. Ask people to leave a comment on the video after the stream, or use a chat bot that records entries, then paste that list into the Winner Picker.

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