Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even Snapchat seem to be the hot ticket for social promotions these days, but don’t forget that Tumblr still has a strong user base. If your target demographic uses Tumblr, and you consider running a contest or sweepstakes, make sure to keep the Tumblr Contest Guidelines on your radar.
The guidelines follow many of the same parameters as other social platforms do. Namely, that Tumblr is not responsible for your contest, you must have legal Official Rules, and you must follow community guidelines.
However, Tumblr’s Contest Guidelines have a few quirks that other social channels don’t. These include:
- Tumblr must approve any contest or sweepstakes if prizes are worth over $1,000.
While there is no specific delineation as to whether that means total value of all prizes or the value of any individual prize, in our experience if you are running a Tumblr promotion, you should ask Tumblr and get their approval just to be on the safe side. No sense taking the chance of having Tumblr shut your promotion down. (Marden-Kane can help you with this approval process if you contact us.)
- Your Tumblr contest can only be for ages 18 and older.
Some social channels allow entrant ages to be set by the brand, or by the laws of your country. Tumblr sets the age threshold for you. This one could impact you if your brand demographic skews young, so take note.
- Following, reblogging or liking on Tumblr can’t be used as a method of entry in your sweeepstakes.
This means you can’t use Tumblr as a platform to share about your sweepstakes for extra entries, or use “likes” to vote on a top entry. If your goal is to use a platform to share or vote, use Twitter or Instagram instead.
- You can only offer your contest or sweepstakes in the country your brand is running the contest from.
If you are in the US, offer your promotion only in the US. If you are a global company and wish to run an international promotion, the best bet is to clear it with Tumblr.
One final note: Tumblr’s Contest Guidelines were last updated in 2012, and are subject to change, given that was quite some time ago. Marden-Kane keeps tabs on social channels to be in the know so you don’t have to constantly research platform guidelines. Contact us and we can help plan your next Tumblr promotion.
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