How to run a giveaway on X, Discord, Twitch and Kick

Updated 8 November 2026 · By the Vast team

Pick a prize, write short rules, set an end date, choose how people enter, and draw the winner in a way you can explain. Each platform adds its own rules on top: X publishes contest guidelines, Twitch's Terms require a disclaimer on every promotion, Kick bans pay-to-enter giveaways, and Discord has no giveaway rule but bans spam, self-bots and inflated member counts.

Rules change. Everything below was checked on 2026-11-08; read the linked pages before you launch.

The rules every giveaway needs

Whatever the platform, put these in writing before you post:

• Prize. What it is, how many winners, and the value.
• Dates. Start, end and timezone.
• Eligibility. Minimum age, countries, and who can't enter (for example, you and your team).
• Free entry. Nobody should have to pay or buy anything to enter.
• How the winner is picked. Random draw, when it happens, and who runs it.
• How and when you contact winners, and how long they have to claim before you pick someone else.
• Who runs it. You, not the platform.

This isn't legal advice; check with a lawyer for your country and prize.

X (Twitter)

What X's rules say

X publishes Guidelines for Promotions on X. They say contests "may offer prizes for posting a particular update, for following a particular account, or for posting updates with a specific hashtag," and add:

• Multiple accounts. People who create many accounts to enter more than once are "liable to get all of their accounts suspended." X asks you to include a rule that anyone found using multiple accounts to enter is ineligible.
• Duplicate posts. Duplicate or near-duplicate posts break the X Rules, so don't reward volume (X's example is "whoever Reposts this the most wins"). X recommends a rule that "multiple entries in a single day will not be accepted."
• Mentions. Ask entrants to mention you so every entry shows in your notifications. A public search "may not show every single update."
• Hashtags. Keep any hashtag relevant to the post.
• Laws. Following the laws that apply "is your responsibility."

X's Authenticity policy also bans operating multiple accounts to "engage with the same posts, accounts, or polls," and "coordinating with and/or compensating others to conduct account metric inflation" in features such as reposts and follows. It also lets one person run up to ten accounts for different purposes, so limit entries per person, not per account.

How people run one

The common mechanic is a post that asks people to follow you, reply and repost, with a winner picked from the entries.

Honest limits:

• Throwaway accounts will enter.
• Replies and reposts are hard to audit by hand at scale.
• If you pick a winner by scrolling, people may call it unfair. Use a random number against a numbered list and show your work.

Checklist

1. Read the X promotion guidelines and the Authenticity policy.
2. Write your rules (prize, dates, eligibility, winner selection) and link them in the post.
3. Ask entrants to mention you, and keep any hashtag relevant.
4. Say that anyone using multiple accounts to enter is ineligible.
5. Accept no more than one entry per person per day.
6. Draw at random after the end date, and post the result.
7. Contact the winner by DM or email and set a claim deadline.

Mistakes

• Rewarding volume ("most reposts wins").
• Letting people enter many times a day.
• Having no written rules, only the post.
• Choosing a winner you haven't checked is a real account.

Discord

What Discord's rules say

Discord's Community Guidelines don't mention giveaways, contests or sweepstakes. They do ban things giveaways often drift into:

• Spam (guideline 13): "Do not send unsolicited bulk messages (or spam) to others."
• Automation on user accounts (14): "Do not use self-bots or user-bots. Each account must be associated with a human, not a bot."
• Inauthentic engagement (15), including "artificially inflating server membership."
• Fake profiles and impersonation (18).

A giveaway bot you invite is a bot application, not a self-bot. Bot makers follow Discord's Developer Policy, which doesn't mention giveaways either. It tells apps not to contact users without permission and bans "the inflation of server membership with bot or user accounts." Read the bot's own terms too.

How people run one

• A giveaway bot that runs a timer and picks a winner from people who click a reaction or button.
• A manual post in an announcements channel, with winners picked from replies or a role.
• A requirement to join your server before entering.

Honest limits:

• Alternate accounts are easy to make, and a click isn't proof of anything.
• Rewarding invites can pad your member count with alt accounts, and Discord bans "artificially inflating server membership."
• Check what a bot stores and who can see it.

Checklist

1. Write the rules in a pinned message.
2. Choose a bot you've read the terms for, or run the draw yourself.
3. Set the entry method (one reaction, one button) and an end time.
4. Keep the announcement in one channel.
5. Draw at random and post the winner.
6. Contact the winner by DM and set a claim deadline.
7. Re-draw if the winner doesn't claim in time.

Mistakes

• Pinging everyone repeatedly.
• Paying for or trading members to hit a number.
• Using a user-account script instead of a real bot.
• Letting a bot pick winners with no record of how.

Twitch

What Twitch's rules say

Section 8(d) of Twitch's Terms of Service, "Promotions," lets you run a contest or sweepstakes on Twitch if you follow its rules:

• You may run promotions "to the extent permitted by applicable law," and you alone are responsible for complying with it.
• You are the promoter, responsible for "drafting and posting any official rules; selecting winners; issuing prizes," and any required registrations and bonds.
• You may not say Twitch is a sponsor or co-sponsor.
• You must display or read out this disclaimer: "This is a promotion by [Your Name]. Twitch does not sponsor or endorse this promotion and is not responsible for it."
• Twitch can remove a promotion it "reasonably believes" breaks the Terms or the law.

The Terms' prohibited-conduct section (10) also bans spam, including bulk messages "related to promotional giveaways (such as raffles and contests)."

How people run one

• A keyword or command viewers type in chat, with the winner picked by a bot or by hand.
• Follow or subscribe requirements, or a channel points reward that people redeem to enter.
• Drawing a winner live on stream.

Honest limits:

• Chat is easy to flood. One person can type the keyword from many accounts.
• Twitch leaves legal compliance to you. If a paid sub is the only way in, ask a lawyer and consider a free route.

Checklist

1. Read section 8(d) of the Terms.
2. Write the rules and link them in your channel panels.
3. Display or read out the Twitch disclaimer when you promote or run the giveaway, and post it with the rules.
4. Choose a free way to enter.
5. Set a close time and tell chat.
6. Draw at random, ideally on stream, and confirm the winner is a real, eligible person.
7. Contact the winner and set a claim deadline.

Mistakes

• Implying Twitch is behind the giveaway.
• Making a purchase the only way to enter.
• Asking winners for personal details in chat instead of privately.
• Counting entries from accounts that look like duplicates.

Kick

What Kick's rules say

Kick's Community Guidelines (updated March 19, 2026) have no separate section on contests. Two rules matter:

• Gambling (Guideline 11): "Gambling involving funds provided by other users, such as requiring 'buy-ins' to participate in giveaways, is strictly prohibited." The same guideline says "Under no circumstances may minors participate in gambling-related activities."
• Integrity and authenticity (Guideline 7): "Deceptive or inauthentic behavior is not permitted." It also prohibits "the use of bots, engagement manipulation, or third-party tools to artificially inflate views, followers, or interactions."

How people run one

Same as Twitch: a keyword in chat, a follow or subscribe requirement, and a live draw.

Honest limits:

• Don't ask for money to enter, the one giveaway rule Kick names.
• Chat entries are easy to fake with extra accounts.
• Don't buy followers or chat activity to make the giveaway look bigger.

Checklist

1. Read Guidelines 7 and 11.
2. Make entry free.
3. Write rules with a minimum age.
4. Announce the entry method and the close time.
5. Draw at random on stream.
6. Contact the winner and set a claim deadline.

Mistakes

• Charging, or asking viewers to pool money, to enter.
• Using bots to pump chat.
• Leaving the minimum age out of your rules.

Run one giveaway across all four with Vast

Vast is our product, so weigh that. Running four separate giveaways means four sets of entries to merge and four draws to defend. One giveaway page with a list of actions avoids that.

What Vast does:

• Actions. Each giveaway has a list of actions, each worth a number of entries. Vast has actions to follow, repost or tag on X, join a Discord server, follow or subscribe on Twitch and Kick, and redeem a Twitch channel points reward. If you give entries for paid subscriptions, read our giveaway rules guide first.
• What is checked. With a connected Twitch account, Vast checks that someone follows or subscribes to your channel or redeemed a channel reward. Vast doesn't check X, Discord or Kick actions automatically today, so look over your winners before you announce them.
• Winners. Winners are drawn at random from everyone who entered. Actions worth more entries improve a player's odds. Winners show with masked usernames, and hosts can see the email on each winner's account.
• Rules. The builder writes official rules for you, covering dates, prizes, eligibility, winner selection and how winners are contacted. The generated rules don't include the minimum age or locations you set (they say the giveaway is open worldwide), so add them before you publish. You can edit them or use your own. They state that no purchase is necessary, bar entrants from using "multiple email addresses, identities, or devices," and ban bots and scripts, which fits X's advice on multiple accounts.
• Setup. The builder asks for a title, minimum age, prizes and winners, dates and timezone, and actions.
• Embedding. On the giveaway's Preview tab, choose Copy embed code and paste it into your site. It adds a link back to the giveaway under the widget. Visitors who aren't logged in enter their name and email in the widget.

Where Vast is weaker: it doesn't replace the platform rules above. You still run the giveaway and deliver prizes, and the generated rules say Vast isn't responsible for running it. Their third-party disclaimer names X and "any other social platforms," but not Twitch's exact wording, so add that and display or read it out on stream. Players sign up for a Vast account to enter, and some actions need a connected account.

Steps

1. Decide one prize and one end date.
2. Create the giveaway in Vast and add one action per platform.
3. Review the generated rules and add the Twitch disclaimer if you promote on Twitch.
4. Preview, then publish.
5. Post the link on X, in Discord, in your Twitch panels and on Kick.
6. After the end date, read the winner list and contact winners by email.

Run one giveaway across X, Discord, Twitch and Kick, with winners drawn at random. Start a giveaway

FAQ

Can I make people retweet and follow to enter on X?

X's promotion guidelines describe contests that reward posting an update, following an account or using a hashtag. They don't address repost-to-enter by name, but they say not to reward repeated posts and recommend one entry a day at most. Read them with the Authenticity policy.

Are Discord giveaway bots allowed?

Discord's Community Guidelines don't mention giveaways. They ban self-bots and require each account to belong to a human. Bot makers must follow the Developer Policy, which bans inflating server membership. Check the bot's own terms too.

What are the Twitch giveaway rules?

Section 8(d) of Twitch's Terms of Service covers promotions. You're the promoter, responsible for rules, winners and prizes. You can't say Twitch sponsors it, and you must display or read out Twitch's disclaimer.

Can I run a paid-entry giveaway on Kick?

No. Kick's Guideline 11 bans gambling with funds from other users, "such as requiring 'buy-ins' to participate in giveaways."

How do I pick a winner fairly?

Number the valid entries, draw with a random number generator, record the result, and have a backup winner. Say how you do it in your rules.

Sources

• Guidelines for Promotions on X — multiple accounts, duplicate posts, mentions, hashtags, laws, checked 2026-11-08
• X Authenticity policy — multiple accounts, engagement spam, ten-account limit, checked 2026-11-08
• Discord Community Guidelines — spam, self-bots, inauthentic engagement, impersonation, no giveaway rule, checked 2026-11-08
• Discord Developer Policy — rules for bot makers on contacting users and inflating membership, checked 2026-11-08
• Twitch Terms of Service — section 8(d) Promotions and section 10 spam rule, checked 2026-11-08
• Kick Community Guidelines — Guidelines 7 and 11, checked 2026-11-08
• Vast help center (How entering works, How winners are picked, Official rules and claiming a prize, Create your first giveaway, Embed a giveaway, Connect your accounts) and Vast's official-rules template — Vast features, checked 2026-11-08

More guides

• Best giveaway tools in 2026: Gleam, KingSumo and more: Compare Gleam, KingSumo, ViralSweep, RafflePress, ShortStack, SweepWidget and Vast: free plans, prices, entry actions, and which tool fits your giveaway.
• Giveaway rules template: what your official rules need: A free giveaway rules template plus a checklist of what official rules need: no purchase necessary, free entry, prize value, odds, and US, Canada and UK rules.
• How to get Steam wishlists before launch (indie guide): A practical plan for Steam wishlists before launch: when to post your page, demos, Next Fest, press, and how to run a wishlist giveaway within Steam's rules.