How to Pick a Random Winner from YouTube Comments

Quick Answer: Running a giveaway is the fastest way to drive engagement growth. But manually scrolling through 1,000 comments is impossible. You need a Random Comment Picker tool to ensure fairness. In this guide, we show you how to run a viral giveaway that is legal, fair, and effective.

Why Run a YouTube Giveaway?

Engagement = Growth. The YouTube algorithm loves two things:

Comments: It signals "Community".
Likes: It signals "Satisfaction".
Watch Time: If people watch your whole video to hear the rules.

A giveaway bribes people to comment. "Comment 'I Want It' below to win!" can turn a 1,000 view video into a 10,000 view video because of the engagement spike.

How to Use a Comment Picker

Do NOT do it manually. People will accuse you of picking your friend.

Go to a valid tool (like ours, coming soon!).
Paste your Video URL.
Filter Duplicates (One entry per user).
Filter by Keyword (Must include "Giveaway" in comment).
Click "Pick Winner".

Transparency: Always screen record this process and post it on your Community Tab or Instagram Stories. Proof is everything.

YouTube's Legal Rules (Contest Policies)

If you break these, your channel can be terminated. Read carefully.

No "Artificial" Metric Modifications: You cannot ask people to "Like, Subscribe, and Share" to enter. (Technically legal to ask, but YouTube's algorithm policies frown on 'forcing' actions). The safest entry method is "Leave a Comment".
Disclaimer: You MUST state "YouTube is not a sponsor of this contest".
Privacy: You cannot ask for private info (Address, Email) in the public comment. Ask them to DM you on Twitter/Instagram if they win.

Writing Terms & Conditions (Template)

Copy paste this into your description:

"This giveaway is free to enter. Ends on [Date]. Winner selected randomly via comment picker. Prize: [Prize Name]. YouTube is not a sponsor. Privacy Policy: [Link]. Void where prohibited."

This protects you from legal trouble.

How to Collaborate with Brands for Giveaways

You don't always have to pay for the prize.

The Pitch: Reach out to a company in your niche (e.g., a Mouse company). Say "I want to host a giveaway for my 10k subscribers. If you send me 3 mice, I will make a dedicated video about them and give them away.".

Brands LOVE this. It is cheap marketing for them. You get free content and a happy audience.

Top 5 Giveaway Prize Ideas

Cash (PayPal/Gift Cards): The most popular, but attracts "Beggars" who don't care about your content.
Tech (iPhone/PS5): Massive viral potential, but expensive.
Merch (Your Hoodie): Best for building community loyalty.
Review Unit: If you review tech, give away the product after the review.
Consultation: "30 Minute Call with Me". High value for educational channels.

Digital Prizes: The Best Option

Shipping physical items is a nightmare. Customs fees, lost packages, broken items.

Better Idea:

Amazon Gift Cards (Email delivery).
Game Keys (Steam codes).
E-books / PDF Guides.
Software Subscriptions (1 Year of Photoshop).

How to Avoid "Bot" Winners

Giveaways attract bots. A comment like "Great video! Contact me on WhatsApp +12345" is a scam bot.

Filter Strategy:

Require a specific answer. "Comment your favorite color". Bots usually comment generic praise like "Nice video".
Use the "Filter by Keyword" setting in the picker tool.
Manually verify: Go to the winner's channel. Does it look real? If it was created today with no photo, pick another.

The "Scarcity" Tactic

Don't let a giveaway last forever. 48 to 72 hours is the sweet spot. It creates urgency. "Enter NOW or miss out".

How to Announce the Winner Safely

Do NOT post the winner's name in a new public video title. This attracts scammers who will impersonate you.

Correct Way: Reply to the winner's comment. Pinned comment on the video. Community Tab post (but blur their name slightly to protect privacy).

The "Scavenger Hunt" Strategy

Want to increase watch time? Hide a secret code in your video.

Method:

Hide a small emoji (e.g., a Pineapple) at a random timestamp (e.g., 4:20).
In the video, say "To enter the giveaway, you must comment the timestamp where the Pineapple appears".

This forces people to watch the whole video carefully. Retention skyrockets.

Detailed Breakdown: Gleam.io vs Manual Picking

Many creators use Gleam.io. Here is why we prefer Comment Pickers.

Gleam Pros: Collects email addresses (Builds your newsletter). Validates Twitter follows.
Gleam Cons: High friction. Users must click a link, sign in, and authorize apps. 90% of people drop off.
Comment Picker Pros: Zero friction. Users are already on YouTube. They just type.

Unless you are selling a product via email marketing, stick to the Comment Picker. It is better for the YouTube Algorithm.

Case Study: MrBeast's Giveaways

MrBeast built his empire on giveaways. But he doesn't just say "Comment to win". He makes the giveaway the content.

Example: "Last To Leave Circle Wins $10,000".

Lesson: Even if you can't give away $10k, make the stakes feel high. "I am giving away my FAVORITE mouse that I used to reach Diamond rank" is better than "I am giving away a mouse". Story tells.

Community Engagement Strategy

Don't just launch and leave. Reply to comments for the first hour. This signals to YouTube that the video is "hot".

Pin a comment with a clear call to action. "Subscribe to be notified of the winner here: [Link]".

The "Consolation Prize" Tactic

1,000 people enter. 1 person wins. 999 are disappointed. This can actually HURT your brand sentiment.

The Fix: "If you didn't win, don't worry! Everyone who entered gets a 20% discount code for my shop."

This turns a loss into a win, and drives massive sales for you.

How to Handle "Professional Sweepers"

"Sweepers" are people who search Twitter/YouTube for the word "Giveaway" and enter thousands per day using bots or scripts. They are not your real fans.

How to Spot Them:

Their channel has 0 videos and 5,000 subscriptions.
Their public playlist is "Liked Videos" containing 5,000 giveaway videos.

The Rule: Add a clause: "We reserve the right to disqualify suspicious accounts". If the winner looks like a bot, pick another.

Template: Winner Announcement Post

Don't just ghost your audience. Post this on your Community Tab:

"🎉 GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT! 🎉

Huge congrats to [Winner Name] for winning the [Prize]! Please check your pinned reply on the original video to claim it.

Didn't win? Don't worry! We are doing another one at 50k subs. Stay tuned! 🔔"

The "Secret Code" Verification Trick

To stop bots, ask the winner to edit their comment.

The Script: "Congrats [Name]! To prove it is you, please edit your original comment and add the word 'BANANA' at the end. Then DM me on Instagram."

Bots cannot edit past comments. Only the real human owner can. This is 100% foolproof.

The "Golden Ticket" Strategy

Willy Wonka was a genius. Hide something physical in your merch.

How to do it: "I am selling 100 hoodies. One of them has a Golden Ticket inside worth $1,000."

This sells out your inventory in minutes. Just make sure it complies with your local gambling laws (No purchase necessary rules often apply in USA, so offer a free entry method via mail-in).

Why You Should Never Use "Random Number Generators" (Excel)

Don't just export comments to Excel and use =RAND(). Use a verifiable 3rd party tool. Why? Because if you use Excel, people will claim you just kept re-rolling until your friend won. You need a public audit log.

Conclusion

Giveaways are rocket fuel. But don't use them every video, or your audience will only care about free stuff. Use them for milestones (10k Subs, 100k Subs) to celebrate.

Glossary

Gleam: A 3rd party tool for complex contests.
TOS: Terms of Service.
Scam Bot: Automated accounts that impersonate you to steal from winners.