August 27th, 2013: Facebook announced new rules on how users can run contests (aka Promotions) on their pages they admin. And that is that: there now are no rules. Well, sort of.

Facebook did something I rarely see from them or platforms like them. They lightened up their terms and made it easier for a business to do something without having to pay for it. Wait… what??? Did I just write that? Pinch me!

Until yesterday, if you wanted to run a contest you had to use a third party application which you would either have to make or buy. Either way, there’s a cost.

You were not allowed to incentivize likes or shares. you could not make liking your page a condition of entering.

Today, most of those rules have been thrown out the window. Party on, Wayne!

You still are not allowed to have people share things to their personal timelines but hey, you can’t have everything.  Party on, Garth!

Here’s an excerpt from Facebook’s official press release on their site:

“We’ve removed the requirement that promotions on Facebook only be administered through apps

Now, promotions may be administered on Page Timelines and in apps on Facebook. For example, businesses can now:

Collect entries by having users post on the Page or comment/like a Page post

Collect entries by having users message the Page

Utilize likes as a voting mechanism

This offers page administrators to finally not run illegal contests. Half the businesses, (statistics may vary), ran illegal contests anyway. Many businesses, even fairly big brands, just were not aware of the rules. Others didn’t care.

Here’s a couple of potential downsides to consider.

1: Everyone and their brother will now be running contests. If you follow a lot of brands, your timeline is about to get really crowded with contests. Which people may or may not like. My wife is going to be psyched. She will enter about any contest put in front of her.  But the bottom line is when everyone does something, the potency diminishes.

Here’s a screenshot of one I already saw today using Facebook’s new rules:

2: Apps had their place. They allowed you to add a lot of nice functionality. Such as collecting email addresses which I think is a really important feature. They also allowed you to easily manage the contest. There’s a reason Facebook wanted any responsibility for the contests off their plate.

Make sure to read the press release as well as the new terms. You still have to provide rules for your contest, you also need to make it crystal clear that the contest is not run by Facebook and that contestants completely release Facebook of any liability.

I am not sure why Facebook did this. I can only assume it’s to bump up add revenue. More contests being run may mean more ads being bought.

What Say You?

Facebook Contest Rules Have Changed…Why do you think Facebook has made this change?  Love to hear your thoughts.