The Giveaway Trap Most Small Businesses Fall Into

“Like, share and tag to win a gift voucher.”

You see it everywhere.
And on the surface, it feels harmless. Even smart.

More reach. More engagement. A bit of buzz.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth.
Most giveaways like this do more harm than good.

1. You attract people who were never going to buy

Giveaways don’t attract customers.
They attract collectors.

People who enter every competition they see.
People who will never visit your shop.
People who disappear the moment the prize is gone.

Your post looks busy.
Your business stays quiet.

That’s not growth. That’s noise.

2. It quietly damages your analytics

This is the part most business owners never realise.

When people who don’t care about your business engage with your posts, platforms take note. They assume this is your audience.

So the next time you post a genuine offer, an update, or something that actually matters, it’s shown to more freebie hunters and fewer real customers.

Engagement looks fine on the surface.
Sales tell a different story.

Bad data leads to bad decisions.

3. You never see half the shares anyway

Another illusion.

Many shares are hidden by privacy settings. You don’t see them. You can’t track them. You can’t build anything from them.

It feels like momentum.
But there’s nothing solid underneath.

4. The moment of panic no one talks about

This usually comes later.

The business owner looks at their page and thinks,
“I’ve got thousands of followers… why is nobody interacting now?”

Posts get fewer likes.
Comments dry up.
Reach drops.

Nothing is wrong with the business.
The audience was never real to begin with.

It was built on giveaways, not interest.

A better question to ask

Instead of asking people to like, share, and tag, ask this:

Does this help me reach people who care, or people who might actually buy?

If the answer is no, pause.

Quiet growth beats loud numbers every time.

Attention is easy to borrow.
Trust takes longer.