5 Days of Giveaways

Campaign Overview

Fallen Yet Not Forgotten sells apparel and collectibles, including shirts, long sleeves, hoodies and pins and coins, among them US Army and US Navy veteran pins. In November 2020 it ran 5 Days of Giveaways on contest.fallenyetnotforgotten.com, billed as "the biggest giveaway of the year" and framed as a thank-you: "To show our appreciation of all of you."

Entries opened at 12PM EST on November 4 and closed at 5PM EST on November 10, 2020, the day before Veterans Day. Open to US citizens aged 18 and over, the campaign drew 47,639 page views and 4,304 sign-ups, of which 1,334 confirmed their email. Those entrants completed 1,916 bonus actions, including 30 veteran pin purchases.

Campaign Strategy

The core idea was a countdown of daily draws rather than a single winner. Each day from November 6 to 10 had its own prize, and the prizes escalated: a t-shirt on Day 1, a long sleeve with three pins or coins on Day 2, a hoodie with three pins or coins on Day 3, a bundle of any three products on Day 4, and a Day 5 finale with three winners. First place took a hoodie, shirt, long sleeve, 10 pins or coins and $100; second a hoodie, shirt, three pins and $75; third a bundle of any five products.

Every prize was the brand's own merchandise, and most let the winner pick ("a hoodie of their choice", "any 3 individual products"). That keeps the prizes relevant to people who already like the line, and winners were announced daily at 5PM EST on Facebook Stories and by email, giving entrants a reason to check back every evening.

After confirming their email (10 pts), entrants could earn more points:

• Facebook: like the page (20 pts), like the giveaway post (30 pts), comment on it (30 pts) and share it (50 pts).
• Instagram: follow @fallenyetnotforgottenusa (20 pts), like the post and tag three friends (30 pts), and repost it to your story (30 pts).
• YouTube: subscribe to the channel (50 pts).
• Content, repeatable daily: upload an image (30 pts) or a video (40 pts) of yourself with Fallen Yet Not Forgotten products to your Instagram story.
• Purchases: buy the US Army Veteran's Day Pin, the US Navy Veteran's Day Pin or the US Navy Veteran Pin (70 pts each).

Putting purchases on the list, at the highest point value, linked the giveaway directly to the Veterans Day pins the brand was selling that week.

Viral Mechanics & Growth Engine

Referrals paid 50 points per friend, level with the most valuable social actions. The action data shows where the audience lived: 1,554 of the 1,916 completions (81%) were on Facebook. Page likes led with 750, and the giveaway post was shared 384 times, liked 276 times and commented on 144 times. Each share put the giveaway in front of the sharer's own friends.

Instagram accounted for 225 completions: 119 follows, 49 story reposts, 41 like-and-tag completions, and 8 image and 8 video story uploads. YouTube added 107 subscriptions. The three pin purchases were logged 30 times: 16 for the US Army Veteran's Day Pin, 8 for the US Navy Veteran Pin and 6 for the US Navy Veteran's Day Pin.

The reward list mirrored the schedule, with seven prize slots across the five days, one for each winner.

Results & Impact

• 4,304 sign-ups, of which 1,334 confirmed their email (31%).
• 47,639 page views over the campaign.
• 1,916 bonus actions, 1,554 of them on Facebook.
• 750 Facebook page likes and 384 shares of the giveaway post.
• 30 veteran pin purchases logged through the campaign, plus 107 YouTube subscriptions.

The confirmation rate is the number to learn from. Fewer than a third of sign-ups confirmed their email, so most of the people who showed interest never became entrants. The daily-draw format and the purchase actions worked; the biggest remaining gain was in getting sign-ups over the confirmation step.

Why This Strategy Works

A daily draw turns one moment into a week-long habit. Each evening's announcement is a small event, and the escalating prizes, ending in a three-winner finale with cash, give people a reason to keep earning points rather than enter once and forget. Framing it as a thank-you to the community, in the run-up to a date that matters to that community, makes the giveaway feel like part of the brand rather than a promotion bolted on.

The purchase actions show the second principle: when your audience is already buying for the occasion, reward the purchase inside the giveaway. For small community-driven merchandise brands, cause-led apparel and any brand with a commemorative date on its calendar, this is a template worth copying, with extra attention on getting sign-ups to confirm.

Key Takeaways

1. Build the calendar around a date your audience cares about. Closing the day before Veterans Day gave the campaign a reason to exist that week.
2. Announce winners every day. Five daily draws at a fixed time gave entrants five reasons to come back.
3. Let winners choose. Prizes like "a hoodie of their choice" suit everyone who already likes the line.
4. Put purchases on the action list. The pin purchases paid the most points and were logged 30 times.
5. Close the confirmation gap. Only 31% of sign-ups confirmed, so a clearer confirmation prompt is the cheapest growth available.