How to Do a Giveaway on YouTube (Live Stream Steps and Rules)

To do a giveaway on YouTube, write official rules, choose a prize, let viewers enter for free, draw the winner at random and send the prize as your rules say. A live stream is the easiest place to run one, because viewers enter in the live chat and see the draw on screen. LiveReacting's live stream giveaway tool reads the entries from your YouTube live chat. YouTube's contest rules differ by country, and this post is not legal advice.

How to Do a Giveaway on YouTube in 5 Steps

1. Write your official rules. Say what the prize is, who can enter, how to enter, when the giveaway ends, how you pick the winner and how you contact them. YouTube requires official rules.
2. Choose a prize and one free way to enter. A comment with a set entry word is the simplest.
3. Set up the giveaway. In a live stream, build it in LiveReacting with the tutorial below.
4. Promote it before you go live, and again during the stream.
5. Draw the winner at random, announce the winner and check who they are before you send the prize.

Tutorial: Set up a Live Giveaway on Youtube

You build the giveaway in LiveReacting Studio, on any plan including the free plan. The pricing page lists the plan limits. Viewers type your entry word in your YouTube live chat, their photos appear on the stream, and LiveReacting draws the winner at random.

Step 1. Open LiveReacting Studio and click New Project.

Step 2. Open the menu on the right side bar, click New Layer, and choose Giveaway.

Step 3. Click Configuration. Set the rules of the giveaway: the entry word, the timer, the prize title and a picture or video of the prize.

Step 4. Click New Layer, then Image, to add a still background. Choose Video to put the giveaway over a camera video or a pre-recorded video.

Tip: you do not need a background if you add the giveaway to OBS or other streaming software with Plugin Mode, a browser source. It is on some paid plans, not on the free plan. Read the guide to adding a giveaway in OBS.

Here is how the giveaway looks on top of an image background and on top of a camera video.

Step 5. Adjust the design: the color, the font and the layout theme.

Step 6. Click the gear icon in the top panel, click the + icon and connect your YouTube channel with your login. Do not add it with a stream key. A stream key sends no comments back, so LiveReacting cannot see the entries.

Step 7. When you are ready, click Go Live. The stream appears on your YouTube channel.

Pick & Announce Giveaway Winners

When the timer ends, or when you click Draw Winner, the winner's name and photo appear on the stream. Draw again for the next prize. A viewer who has already won is not picked twice.

Thank everyone who entered. Check the winner before you send anything.

Anyone can type "I won" in the chat or copy the winner's name and photo. LiveReacting gives you a claim link that only the winning YouTube account can use to leave an email address. Read how to contact the winner of a giveaway on YouTube.

Send the prize on the date your official rules give. Then confirm that it arrived.

How the Draw Works

• One viewer is one entry, however many times the account types the entry word.
• The winner is picked at random among the entries when the timer ends or when you click Draw Winner.
• The timer runs from one minute to eight hours and starts at the first entry.
• To keep moderators or your team out of the draw, type their names in the Exclude users setting.
• For several giveaways in one show, put each in its own scene.
• Over a pre-recorded live video stream, you can set a timer and LiveReacting draws the winner with no one at the computer.

Live Stream Giveaway or Comments Under a Video?

YouTube says its contest rules apply to every contest that runs on YouTube or uses YouTube. LiveReacting's giveaway works in a live stream. It does not draw from comments under an uploaded video.

YouTube Giveaway Rules

YouTube's contest policies and guidelines cover every contest on YouTube. This summary is current as of October 27, 2026. Read the page itself before you launch, because YouTube can change it.

What YouTube requires of every contest

What your official rules must contain

• Links to the YouTube Community Guidelines, and a statement that entries that do not comply are disqualified.
• The disclosures that the applicable laws and regulations require, including U.S. sanctions.
• Terms that agree with the YouTube Terms of Service.
• A clear statement that YouTube is not a sponsor, and a term that requires viewers to release YouTube from any liability related to your contest.
• A legally compliant privacy notice that explains how you use the personal data you collect. You must then keep to that use.

YouTube also says you must run the contest and award the prizes as your official rules describe. Good rules add who may enter, for example a list of countries and a minimum age, the end date and how you pick the winner.

Rules and laws vary by country

YouTube tells you to check your local lottery laws and to seek advice in your jurisdiction. It does not say what those laws are. They differ by country and, in some places, by state or region.

Check the law where you live and where your winners live before you run a giveaway. YouTube writes: "We're not your attorneys and the info presented here is not legal advice." This post is not legal advice either.

Can you ask viewers to subscribe or like to enter?

YouTube's contest page does not say which entry steps are allowed. It does bar you from manipulating views, likes, dislikes or subscribers to fake real viewer engagement.

Its fake engagement policy bans content that "solely exists to incentivize viewers for engagement (views, likes, comments, etc)". The same policy says you can "encourage viewers to subscribe, hit the like button, share, or leave a comment".

YouTube does not say how these lines apply to a giveaway entry. Our recommendation, not a YouTube rule: run the giveaway inside a real stream or video, use one free entry step such as a comment, and invite viewers to subscribe without requiring it. Ask an adviser in your jurisdiction if you are unsure.

Bonus entries

YouTube's contest page does not mention bonus entries. Extra entries for a subscribe or a like could read as rewarding engagement. We recommend one entry method for everyone.

Promote Your Giveaway Before You Go Live

More viewers in the chat means more entries. Start a few days ahead.

Announce it on your other channels

• Post on your other social channels. Share the date, time, prize and how to enter.
• Put the giveaway in your social bios until the stream.

Tease it in your videos

• Mention the giveaway in your regular videos in the week before the stream. Show more of the prize each time.
• Pin a comment with the date, time, prize and how to enter.

Greet viewers in the chat

• Greet viewers as they join the stream.
• Explain the entry word again for new viewers and say when you draw the winner.
• Thank active chatters by name.

Giveaway on YouTube FAQs

Do I need official rules for a YouTube giveaway?

Yes. YouTube's contest policy says you must have a set of Official Rules. They must link to the YouTube Community Guidelines, say that YouTube is not a sponsor, release YouTube from liability and carry a privacy notice.

Can I make viewers subscribe or like the video to enter?

YouTube's contest page does not say which entry steps are allowed. Its fake engagement policy bans content that solely exists to incentivize engagement, and it allows you to encourage viewers to subscribe, like, share or comment. We recommend one free entry step, such as a comment, and an invitation to subscribe that is not a requirement.

How does LiveReacting pick the winner?

At random among the entries, when the timer ends or when you click Draw Winner. Each viewer account is one entry, however many times it types the entry word. A viewer who has won is not picked twice.

How do I contact the winner of a YouTube giveaway?

Share the claim link that LiveReacting gives you. Only the winning YouTube account can sign in on it and leave an email address, so a viewer who copies the winner's name cannot claim the prize.

Can I run a giveaway on a free LiveReacting account?

Yes. The giveaway is on every plan, including the free plan. The free plan streams for up to 30 minutes a stream, with the LiveReacting logo in the corner, and has no Plugin Mode.

Start Your First YouTube Giveaway

Now you know how to do a giveaway on YouTube. Open the live stream giveaway tool to set up your prize and entry word. For several days, read the multi-day giveaway playbook, and for Facebook, read how to stream a giveaway on Facebook Live.

If you need help with your giveaway, write to us in the live chat on the LiveReacting website.