How to Create a Cannabis Sweepstakes in Recreational and Medicinal States

Happy 420! Do you know what just one successful cannabis sweepstakes can get you? To start with, it can help you tap into what your customers think about your brand. Even better, it can bring in lots of sales!

To help you get started, here is what you should know about creating and running a cannabis sweepstakes.

Why Should You Run a Cannabis Sweepstakes?

A cannabis sweepstakes can help you grow your audience and drive a host of actions that can help you achieve virtually any goal, especially sales. Running a cannabis sweepstakes with Sweeppea is a powerful method to promote your cannabis business for a few reasons:

• With Sweeppea, you can launch a sweepstakes to reach your cannabis audience, unlike social media platforms where cannabis sweepstakes are not allowed.
• Cannabis sweepstakes entry is fast and easy which increases participation.
• Any campaign which gives prizes away is sure to grab your customers’ attention. This makes a cannabis sweepstakes ideal for engaging your existing customers and generating brand awareness with new audiences.
• Sweepstakes will help you build a customer audience with data points like name, email, address, age and product preferences for remarketing.

Choose a Prize

When you run a cannabis sweepstakes, you can easily add multiple prizes to your campaign, which allows you to attract a larger pool of participants and to offer runner-up prizes.

Even if you only offer one prize for your sweepstakes, there are a few things you can’t give as prizes:

• Free cannabis flower
• Discounts and coupons for your store or brand
• Other cannabis products designed for consumption, such as edibles and topical products

However, when it comes to cannabis accessories, you are free to giveaway cannabis products as prizes, such as glassware, vaporizers, cannabis events, growing equipment, and branded merch.

Choose a Method of Entry

Cannabis sweepstakes are prohibited on social media. You’ll need to use a platform like Sweeppea to launch your campaign. As a result, the method of entry for your sweepstakes will likely be via SMS messaging (think text-to-win) or a web based Entry form.

Cannabis Sweepstakes Entry Requirements by State

When it comes to the entry requirements, these are the rules for U.S. cannabis sweepstakes:

Cannabis sweepstakes can be offered in recreational states long as:

Also Read: Running a Sweepstakes for Marijuana or Cannabis Marketing? Our Suggestions…

Cannabis sweepstakes can be offered in medicinal states long as:

• They are open only to residents of states (Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin) where cannabis is legal for medicinal consumption
• Entrants are 18+ years of age
• Entrants show proof of a Medicinal Cannabis License for the state where the sweepstakes is offered
• Do not give cannabis (in any form) as a prize

Promoting Your Cannabis Sweepstakes

One of the most important factors that will determine the success of your cannabis campaign is the promotion. With cannabis sweepstakes, promotion is a bit trickier since you won’t be able to use social media.

Instead, consider the following methods of promotion:

• Insert a post card or note about the sweepstakes with your customers deliveries
• Take advantage of word of mouth advertising among your customers
• Advertise the sweepstakes on your website (permitted as long as the site has an age gate)
• Email promotion to your existing customer list
• Partner with a sponsor for cross-promotion to their audience

Need help with sweepstakes or contest management? Call 305-505-5393 or email us with your questions.