Practical examples of social media disclaimers for contests

Short-form examples of social media disclaimers for contests

Most brands need a short, punchy disclaimer that fits in a caption, post, or tweet. Below are realistic examples of social media disclaimers for contests that work when space is tight but you still want to cover the big risk areas.

Example of a short Instagram giveaway disclaimer
“US, 18+. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Starts 3/1/2025, ends 3/7/2025 at 11:59 PM PT. Winner chosen at random and contacted via DM within 3 days. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. By entering, you agree to the Official Rules and our Privacy Policy: [link].”

This is one of the best examples when you’re trying to squeeze platform language, eligibility, dates, and a link to full rules into a single post. It tracks the kind of guidance platforms expect; for reference, see the policy-style language in the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s endorsement guides on clear disclosures.

Example of a short TikTok hashtag contest disclaimer
“Open to legal residents of the 50 US/DC, 18+. No purchase necessary. Contest runs 4/1/2025–4/15/2025. Post a video using #MyBrandMove and tag @MyBrand. One winner selected based on creativity by our panel. This contest is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by TikTok. By entering, you grant us the right to repost your video and agree to the Official Rules: [link].”

These two examples of social media disclaimers for contests show how you can tailor language to both random giveaways and judged contests while still including the platform non‑endorsement language that’s now standard.

Longer caption examples of social media disclaimers for contests

When you have more room—say, on Facebook or LinkedIn—you can add context and clarity. Here are expanded examples of social media disclaimers for contests that still read naturally but cover more detail.

Example of a Facebook sweepstakes disclaimer (long-form)
“Giveaway time! One (1) winner will receive a $250 gift card. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 years or older. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited by law.

How to enter: Like this post and comment with your favorite summer activity by 6/30/2025 at 11:59 PM ET. One entry per person. We will randomly select the winner on or about 7/2/2025 and announce in the comments. Winner must respond within 48 hours or an alternate winner may be selected.

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook. By entering, you release Facebook from any responsibility and agree to be bound by our Official Rules and Privacy Policy: [link].”

Example of a LinkedIn B2B contest disclaimer (long-form)
“Open to professionals currently employed in marketing or sales roles, 21+ and legal residents of the 50 US/DC. No purchase or payment required. Void where prohibited.

To enter, comment with your top 2025 sales tip by 5/15/2025 at 5:00 PM ET. Our internal review panel will select three (3) winners based on originality and practicality. Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries. Winners will be notified via LinkedIn message within 5 business days.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, LinkedIn. By participating, you agree to the Official Rules: [link], consent to our use of your name and company for winner announcements, and acknowledge our collection and use of data as described in our Privacy Policy.”

These longer examples of social media disclaimers for contests illustrate how you can explain judging criteria, odds, and data use without sounding like a statute.

Platform-specific examples include Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter)

Every platform has its own culture and, in some cases, specific promotional guidelines. The best examples of social media disclaimers for contests respect those differences while keeping the legal backbone consistent.

Instagram story + highlight disclaimer example

Stories move fast, but your disclaimer cannot be invisible. A practical example of an Instagram story approach is to keep the story caption short and house the full disclaimer in a Story Highlight.

Story text example:
“US only, 18+. Ends 5/10. No purchase necessary. Rules in ‘Giveaway Rules’ highlight. Not sponsored by Instagram.”

Highlight cover description example:
“Official rules and disclaimers for our current and recent giveaways. By entering any giveaway, you agree to these rules.”

In the first highlight slide, you can place a fuller version of the Instagram-style disclaimer shown earlier. This layered approach reflects the FTC’s expectation that disclosures be clear and conspicuous for the format people actually see.

X (Twitter) contest disclaimer example

X has tight character limits, so you need a lean structure. Here’s a realistic example of a repost-and-follow contest:

“Follow @MyBrand + repost this by 8/31/25 11:59 PM ET for a chance to win a $100 gift card. US/DC, 18+. No purchase necessary. Rules: [short link]. Not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by X.”

The key move here is the short link to full rules. Most of the best examples of social media disclaimers for contests on X use a similar pattern: minimal in-tweet legal language plus a landing page with the heavy lifting.

TikTok UGC rights disclaimer example

User-generated content is where brands often get into trouble. If your contest encourages people to post videos, you need to say what you’ll do with that content.

Sample TikTok caption add‑on:
“By posting a video with #MyBrandMove, you confirm you created the content, have permission from anyone shown, and grant [Brand] a non‑exclusive, royalty‑free license to use, share, and repost your video in connection with this contest and related marketing. Contest not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by TikTok. Full rules: [link].”

This is one of the more modern examples of social media disclaimers for contests because it reflects how brands actually repurpose TikTok and Reels content across channels in 2024 and 2025.

Examples of legal must‑have elements inside your contest disclaimer

The language you use will vary, but most real examples include the same core building blocks. Think of these as the ingredients you mix and match.

Eligibility and geography
You should clearly state who can enter. For example:

“Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 years or older.”
“Open to residents of the United Kingdom aged 16+.”

If you’re targeting multiple countries, consider how different laws apply. For cross‑border promotions, many brands limit entries to a smaller region to simplify compliance.

No purchase necessary and void where prohibited
In the U.S., sweepstakes law is heavily state‑driven. Most examples of social media disclaimers for contests include:

“No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited.”

This doesn’t magically fix a bad promotion, but it signals that you are not conditioning entry on payment, which matters for avoiding illegal lottery classifications. For more background, see the FTC’s guidance on promotions and unfair practices at ftc.gov.

Start/end dates and time zone
People will argue about deadlines. Avoid ambiguity:

“Begins 6/1/2025 at 12:00 AM ET and ends 6/15/2025 at 11:59 PM ET.”

Include a time zone—your followers are not all in the same city.

How winners are selected
Regulators care about how you pick winners. So do your followers.

“Winner will be selected at random from eligible entries.”
“A panel of three judges will score entries based on creativity (50%), relevance to theme (30%), and originality (20%).”

That second line is a good example of how to handle a judged contest where skill, not chance, is the deciding factor.

Platform non‑endorsement language
Most platforms require you to clarify that they’re not running your contest. This is why so many examples of social media disclaimers for contests repeat some version of:

“This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with [Platform].”

You can find platform promotion policies directly on their sites; for instance, Facebook’s page terms are linked from its help center, and they include specific language about promotions.

Link to full rules and privacy policy
The short disclaimer in your caption is only half the story. The best examples include a direct link to a landing page with full official rules and a privacy notice explaining how you handle data. For privacy law trends, check resources such as the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL.org), which tracks U.S. state privacy laws.

Real examples of clause language you can adapt

To make this concrete, here are more focused clause-style examples you can plug into your own disclaimers and rules.

Liability release example
“By participating, entrants agree to release and hold harmless [Brand], its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the promotion or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property.”

Publicity release example
“Except where prohibited, participation in the promotion constitutes winner’s consent for [Brand] to use winner’s name, likeness, city and state, and entry content for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.”

Rights to user content example
“By submitting an entry, you grant [Brand] a non‑exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty‑free license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, display, distribute, and create derivative works from your entry, in whole or in part, in any media now known or hereafter developed, for any lawful purpose, including advertising and promotion.”

These are not meant to be copy‑and‑paste for every scenario, but they reflect the kind of language you see in real examples of social media disclaimers for contests run by larger brands.

2024–2025 trends affecting contest disclaimers

The legal landscape around social media promotions keeps shifting. A few trends should influence how you write your disclaimers in 2024 and 2025.

Growing focus on influencer and endorsement disclosure
If influencers or employees are promoting your contest, the FTC expects clear disclosure of material connections. That means pairing your contest disclaimer with visible tags like “#ad” or “#sponsored” when someone with a relationship to your brand promotes the giveaway. The FTC’s updated endorsement guide FAQ at ftc.gov is a helpful reference.

More attention to kids and teens
If your contest might attract minors, you’re in more sensitive territory. U.S. rules like COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) restrict data collection from children under 13. While most brands simply state “18+,” if you run a youth-focused contest you should work with counsel and review guidance from sources like FTC COPPA resources and, for health‑adjacent promotions, even look at youth privacy discussions from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Data privacy and international entries
If you open your contest to people in the EU, UK, or other regions, data protection laws like the GDPR and UK GDPR come into play. You’ll need to be explicit about what data you collect, your legal basis, and how long you keep it. Universities often publish accessible summaries; for example, see overviews from institutions such as Harvard University on data and privacy policies (not contest-specific, but helpful for understanding the compliance mindset).

AI‑generated and edited content
As AI tools become mainstream, some brands now specify whether AI‑generated images or videos are allowed. If that matters for your contest, your disclaimer and rules should say so.

“Entries generated primarily by automated tools or artificial intelligence are not eligible and may be disqualified at Sponsor’s discretion.”

This is a modern example of language that would have sounded odd five years ago but is increasingly common in 2024–2025.

FAQ: examples of practical contest disclaimer questions

Q: Can you give an example of a bare‑minimum disclaimer for a simple Instagram giveaway?
A: If you truly have limited space, a stripped‑down example might look like: “US/DC, 18+. No purchase necessary. Ends 9/30/25 11:59 PM ET. Random winner. Not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Instagram. Rules: [link].” It’s short, but it hits eligibility, timing, winner selection, platform language, and a link to full rules.

Q: Do I always need the ‘not sponsored or endorsed by’ language?
A: If the platform’s promotion policies require it—and most do—you should include it. Nearly all best examples of social media disclaimers for contests on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok include some variation of that sentence.

Q: Are there examples of contests that don’t need a separate landing page for rules?
A: Very small, low‑risk promotions sometimes put all the rules directly in a long Facebook post or LinkedIn article. But once you have multiple eligibility restrictions, judging criteria, and prize details, a dedicated rules page is cleaner. Your disclaimer can then simply point people there.

Q: What is one example of something people often forget in their disclaimers?
A: Many brands forget to mention how they’ll contact winners and how long winners have to respond. Adding “Winner will be notified via DM and must respond within 48 hours” avoids a lot of confusion.

Q: Do I need different examples of social media disclaimers for contests in every country?
A: You don’t necessarily need entirely different text, but you may need localized rules and eligibility limits. For instance, some countries ban certain types of prize draws or require registration. That’s why many global brands run “US‑only” or “UK‑only” contests with disclaimers and rules tailored to that jurisdiction.

None of the examples of social media disclaimers for contests in this article are legal advice. They are educational samples to help you understand what real‑world language often looks like. Before you launch your next giveaway or sweepstakes, run your draft disclaimer and full rules past a lawyer familiar with promotions law in the places where your entrants live.