In this tutorial, you'll learn how to run a random draw among entries imported from an Excel or CSV file. We'll explain the two available draw modes, their limits, and the entire process step by step, from setup to obtaining the Certificate of Validity and exporting the results.

1. Draw modes

2. Limits and Pricing

3. Single Draw

   • Step 1. Configure the basic aspects of the draw

   • Step 2. Review the finalist list and apply exclusions

   • Step 3. Define the number of winners and substitutes

   • Step 4. Run a test and activate the giveaway

   • Step 5. Prepare the publication of the winners

   • Step 6. Manage the winners and alternates

4. Draw by groups

   • Step 1. Configure the basic aspects of the draw

   • Step 2. Map the list fields to the draw fields

   • Step 3. Review the list of imported users and groups

   • Step 4. Define the number of winners and alternates

   • Step 5. Conduct the draws

   • Step 6. Check the draw results

   • Step 7. Publish results

   • Step 8. Manage the winners and alternates

1. Draw modes

The Pick-a-Winner app allows you to run two draw modes, depending on how you want to organize the winner selection:

1. Single Draw. Allows conducting a single draw among all participants in the imported list and selecting one or multiple winners.

Example: A company has its own system where it records all purchases made by its customers. At the end of the month, it exports a file with all purchases and wants to draw 10 prizes among all entries. It can import the complete file and conduct a single draw to select the 10 winners.

2. Draw by groups. Allows automatically conducting multiple independent draws from a single list. For this, the file must include a column identifying the group each participant belongs to, such as a store, city, category, department, or any other criterion.

Example: A chain of stores wants to select 5 winners among the customers of each store. Instead of preparing a separate file and draw for each store, it can import a single list with all participants and include a column indicating each participant's store. The app will automatically group participants by store and conduct an independent draw for each location, selecting 5 winners in each. 

2. Limits and Pricing

• To use the "Pick-a-winner app" you need to have an active plan. The required plan depends on the number of entries included in the list:
  • Basic Plan (€29 / $29 per month): limited to a maximum of 5,000 entries.
  • Basic PRO Plan (€49 / $49 per month): up to a maximum of 100,000 entries.
  • Premium Plan (€149 / $199 per month): Up to 500,000 entries.
  • White Label Plan (€349 / $399 per month): Up to 1,000,000 entries.
• The Draw by Groups mode is available from the Basic PRO plan onwards. In addition to the entries limit, each plan has a maximum number of groups:
  • Basic PRO Plan (€49 / $49 per month): up to a maximum of 100,000 entries and 10 groups.
  • Premium Plan (€149 / $199 per month): Up to 500,000 entries and a maximum of 100 groups.
  • White Label Plan (€349 / $399 per month): Up to 1,000,000 entries and a maximum of 500 groups.

Note: For draws with more than 1,000,000 entries or more than 500 groups, please contact our Sales team. 

3. Single Draw

To conduct a single draw among all users in the imported list, follow these steps.

Step 1. Configure the basic aspects of the draw

To get started, access the Easypromos dashboard and follow the steps below:

1. Click the "Create New Promotion" button and select "Pick-a-Winner" app:

2. Next, select "Single Draw":

3. Then select the organizing brand and give the draw a title.

4. Next, choose from where you want to import the participants (users) who will enter the draw:

• CSV File: This option allows you to upload a .CSV or .TXT file if you have the participant information in one of these two formats. Maximum file size: 150 MB.
• Copy/Paste from a file: This option lets you enter the names of the draw participants if, for example, you have them saved in a Word file or similar.

Upload the file or copy and paste the information in the appropriate box and click the "Import" button.

5. When importing the file information, import options will be presented in step 3:

1. If the imported file has headers, activate this option to make column identification and management easier.

2. By default, the information is presented with the most appropriate tabulation. Adjust the options if the information is not separated into columns as it should be.

3. You can use the "Manage fields" option, which allows combining columns as a display field. For example, if your CSV file has the columns "FIRST NAME" and "LAST NAME," with the "Combine fields" option, you can display participants' names by combining both columns.

4. You can preview how the data is being imported. As you will see, not all records are shown, only a sample and the last one as a reference for the total number of rows/users.

5. Main field. This is the field that uniquely identifies the participant and with which the random selection of winners will be made. The tool presents by default the field it considers most appropriate. We recommend it be the 'email' field, so you can use email notification to winners and the tool for winners to identify themselves and claim the prize.

6. Display field. This field will be used to publicly present participants/winners.

Note: if you have a file with 'name' and 'email' fields, we recommend indicating the name as the 'display field' and the email as the 'main field'.

7. Number of entries field. If you want to give additional entries for the draw, you can include a column in the CSV file to indicate the number of additional entries for each participant in the list.

8. The tool asks how to act if there are duplicate records in the main field. They can be ignored or counted as additional entries.

This option allows giving additional entries to users who appear multiple times in the list, thus rewarding them with more chances of winning the draw. To do this, select the option "Give 1 additional entry per row":

Next, the system will import the list and determine the number of entries each participant will have in the draw.

Note: In the next step, you can check the number of participants in the draw, which corresponds to the number of "unique" users in the list, and by clicking the "View" button, you can check the list with each participant's name along with the total number of entries for each in the draw:

Once all these options are configured according to your draw's characteristics, click the "Continue" button to start selecting winners.

Step 2. Review the finalist list and apply exclusions

You are on the open draw page. Below the title, you will find the number of participants and options to view the list data. From here, you can also exclude participants or add them to the blacklist.

Select the option "Exclude blacklisted users" if you want the exclusion to apply.

Step 3. Define the number of winners and substitutes

Next, indicate how many winners you want to obtain and also specify how many alternates. We always recommend requesting alternates for easier and more effective prize management.

Note: the total number of winners and alternates must be maximum 1,000.

Clicking "Continue" will take you to the Test page.

Do you have different prizes to draw?

With the "Costumize prizes" option, you can create all the prizes you plan to draw, and for each prize, you can define the number of winners you want. For example, you might have a first prize of movie tickets with 2 winners, and a second prize of concert tickets with another 2 winners. Since these are two distinct prizes, this option lets you manage the number of winners you want for each prize type, and when publishing the winners, they will also be presented separately.

To manage the different prizes in your draw, click "Configure prizes." A pop-up will open where you can define the name and number of winners for each prize:

Step 4. Run a test and activate the draw

It is possible to conduct draw tests using the test functionality within the "Pick-a-Winner" app. This option lets you simulate the entire process before conducting the final draw: from uploading the file and field mapping to the actual selection of winners.

Check this tutorial for all the steps to perform a draw test.

Once you are ready to conduct the draw, the system will allow you to finalize it to obtain the winners and alternates. If you do not have a subscription plan, depending on the number of entries in the list, the system will request payment to activate the draw. Check the Pick-a-winner app prices here.

After payment and just before conducting the random draw, you will have the option to run multiple test draws to understand how the tool works.

When ready to finalize the draw, click the “Ready! Pick the winners” button, and the draw will be performed randomly.

Finally, a window will open with a summary of your draw configuration, which you must confirm to continue the process. Additionally, you can activate the option "View the draw as an animated presentation," which lets you visualize the winner and substitute selection process as a more visual and graphic animated presentation, creating an exciting effect. See examples.

Step 5. Prepare the publication of the winners

Congratulations! The draw has been conducted, and a screen with the results is presented. Now you can think about publishing the winners and managing the prizes.

A. "Winners and alternates" section:

Here, the list of users who have won or are alternates in the draw will be shown. You can also manage the winners here to change them if necessary.

B. Winner Notification section

In this section, you will find the option to notify winners directly (as long as you have their email). To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click the envelope icon:

2. Write the text that the winner(s) will receive by email and send it. Once the winner(s) have been notified, the icon will turn green:

Note: If you have the "Claim your prize" module activated, the default email text will direct to the 'Claim your prize' URL.

C. "Winner Publication" section:

When conducting the draw, the tool generates two very important URLs you should note:

• Certificate of validity. A certificate confirming that the draw was conducted only once and completely randomly has been issued. This certificate cannot be modified and identifies the draw. Share its URL alongside the winners so participants can see your draw is transparent.
• Winners page. A microsite has been generated where winners and substitutes are presented. This makes communicating the results easier. You can customize this page to fit your brand and needs.
• Show Mode: This option allows presenting the draw results in an animated format to display winners more entertainingly and add a surprise and fun element to your draws. This option is only available with the Basic PRO plan or higher. More information.

Click the pencil icon to edit and customize the winners page to your liking:

These are the elements you can customize:

D. "Claim your prize" section:

Do you want winners to be able to claim their prize and confirm their details? From here, you can configure and enable this module for better prize management. This way, users visiting the winners page can claim their prize there and confirm their details indicating their interest in receiving it.

To enable it, click the "Enable" button and follow the steps in this tutorial to customize all module options.

Step 6. Manage the winners and alternates

From the "Winners and alternates" section, you can:

• See if they have claimed the prize and the personal data they have provided.
• Manage the winners to change them if necessary.
• Download all the information provided by the winners in a file.

4. Draw by groups

To conduct a draw with a group of users, follow the steps below.

Preliminary step. Prepare the participants file

Before configuring the draw, you must prepare the file with all participants and indicate the group each belongs to.

Consult the guide How to prepare the file for a Pick-a-Winner by group? to learn the required file format and how to correctly map its fields during draw configuration.

Step 1. Configure the basic aspects of the draw

To get started, access the Easypromos dashboard and follow the steps below:

1. Click the "Create New Promotion" button and select "Pick-a-Winner" app:

2. Next, select "Draw by groups":

3. Then select the organizing brand and give the draw a title.

4. Next, choose from where you want to import the participants (users) who will enter the draw:

• CSV File: This option allows you to upload a .CSV or .TXT file if you have the participant information in one of these two formats. Maximum file size: 150 MB.
• Copy/Paste from a file: This option lets you enter the names of the draw participants if, for example, you have them saved in a Word file or similar.

Upload the file or copy and paste the information in the appropriate box and click the "Import" button.

Step 2. Map the list fields to the draw fields

When importing the file information, the “Preview” will present import options. At this step, it is important to correctly map the fields to indicate which list column corresponds to each piece of information:

1. If the imported file has headers, activate this option to make column identification and management easier.

2. By default, the information is presented with the most appropriate tabulation. Adjust the options if the information is not separated into columns as it should be.

3. You can use the "Manage fields" option, which allows combining columns as a display field. For example, if your CSV file has the columns "FIRST NAME" and "LAST NAME," with the "Combine fields" option, you can display participants' names by combining both columns.

4. You can preview how the data is being imported. As you will see, not all records are shown, only a sample and the last one as a reference for the total number of rows/users.

5. Main field. This is the field that uniquely identifies the participant and with which the random selection of winners will be made. The tool presents by default the field it considers most appropriate. We recommend it be the 'email' field, so you can use email notification to winners and the tool for winners to identify themselves and claim the prize.

6. Display field. This field will be used to publicly present participants/winners. In this case, you must select the column containing the data used to identify participants.

Note: if you have a file with 'name' and 'email' fields, we recommend indicating the name as the 'display field' and the email as the 'main field'.

7. Group field. This field allows dividing your CSV file into as many draws as you want. In this case, you should select the column that identifies the group of each participant.

By mapping this field to the segment column in the file, the system will detect the total number of different segments contained in the list.

8. Number of entries field. If you want to give additional entries for the draw, you can include a column in the CSV file to indicate the number of additional entries for each participant in the list.

9. The tool asks how to act if there are duplicate records in the main field. They can be ignored or counted as additional entries.

This option allows giving additional entries to users who appear multiple times in the list, thus rewarding them with more chances of winning the draw. To do this, select the option "Give 1 additional entry per row":

Next, the system will import the list and determine the number of entries each participant will have in the draw.

Note: In the next step, you can check the number of participants in the draw, which corresponds to the number of "unique" users in the list, and by clicking the "View" button, you can check the list with each participant's name along with the total number of entries for each in the draw:

Once all these options are configured according to your draw's characteristics, click the "Continue" button to start selecting winners.

Step 3. Review the list of imported users and groups

Once the list import is complete, you will access the draw configuration page, where you can see the following information:

1. Total number of imported groups.

2. Details of the names of all imported groups.

3. Number of participants in each group.

4. View the detailed list of participants for each group. Clicking opens a pop-up window with the following management options for participants in this specific group:

• a) Export the participant list to a .CSV file.
• b) List with information of imported participants, which includes:
  • Display field.
  • Main field.
  • Number of entries each user has in the draw.
• c) Option to exclude the user from the draw temporarily.
• d) Option to add the user to the blacklist.

5. Export the participant list to a .CSV file.

Step 4. Define the number of winners and alternates

Next, indicate how many winners you want to obtain and also specify how many alternates. We always recommend requesting alternates for easier and more effective prize management.

The number of winners and alternates will be applied independently to each group. Therefore, specify how many winners and alternates you want to select per group.

Example: If you have 5 groups and want 1 winner and 3 alternates per group, enter 1 winner and 3 alternates.

Clicking "Continue" will take you to the Test page.

Do you have different prizes to draw?

With the "Configure prizes" option, you can create all the prizes you plan to draw, and for each prize, you can define the number of winners you want. For example, you might have a first prize of movie tickets with 2 winners, and a second prize of concert tickets with another 2 winners. Since these are two distinct prizes, this option lets you manage the number of winners you want for each prize type, and when publishing the winners, they will also be presented separately.

To manage the different prizes in your draw, click "Configure prizes." A pop-up will open where you can define the name and number of winners for each prize.

Important: All groups will have the same number of winners and alternates. It is not possible to specify a different number of winners and alternates by group.

Step 5. Conduct the draws

Once you have indicated the number of winners and alternates you want, click the "Continue" button to proceed with the draw:

Note: the total number of winners and alternates must be maximum 1,000.

When ready to conduct the draws, click the "Ready! Pick the winners" button:

Finally, a window will open with a summary of your draw configuration, which you must confirm to continue the process:

By clicking the "Continue" button, the system will start the process to conduct the different draws, one for each group.

Step 6. Check the draw results

When the process finishes, you will arrive at the results screen of the different draws conducted, where you can quickly see the winners' names for each group in the imported list and all information related to each draw's results.

Specifically, you can consult the following information:

1. "Winners" button. Allows downloading a .CSV file that includes the name of the winner(s) and alternate(s) for each group, so it includes winners of all individual draws conducted.

Below is an example of the data included in the winners CSV:

2. "Certificates of validity" button. Allows downloading a .CSV file that includes the validity certificate generated for each individual draw conducted, as well as the name of the winner(s) and alternate(s) of each group.

Below is an example of the data included in the Certificate of validity CSV:

3. Winners detail by group. Allows consulting all information related to each individual draw conducted through the following management options:

a) View winners. Allows seeing the name of the winner(s) and alternate(s) of each draw. From here, you can also access the tool to make replacements and consult the information provided by winners if the Claim your prize tool is enabled.

b) View draw. Allows accessing the configuration and management page for each individual draw. This can be useful, for example, to use the following features:

• Review the details of all participants who entered the draw.
• Send a notification to winners (if you have their email).
• Make a replacement if needed.
• Enable the Claim your prize tool to obtain information from winners.
• Download the Show Mode video for an animated presentation of the draw result.

c) Winners page. Allows obtaining the link to the individual winners page for this draw.

d) View certificate. Allows viewing the individual validity certificate for this draw.

e) Export participants. Allows exporting the list of users who participated in this draw.

Step 7. Publish results

When conducting the draw, the tool generates a global winners page, which is a public microsite presenting the winners and alternates of all draws conducted.

To facilitate result consultation, the page includes a selector that allows filtering winners by group, as well as a search tool users can use to easily check if they have won.

Step 8. Manage the winners and alternates of each individual draw

For each draw conducted, you can click "View draw" to access the management page where you will find the following information:

• See if they have claimed the prize and the personal data they have provided.
• Manage the winners to change them if necessary.
• Download all the information provided by the winners in a file.