No-bots standards for contest promotion

Which contest-promotion methods are within our boundary?

We promote an entry by helping eligible people discover it; we do not act on the voting mechanism. The distinction is whether a tactic informs people or tries to create activity on their behalf.

We do not use bots, scripts, fake accounts or click farms. We do not purchase votes, followers or engagement, and we will not help someone bypass a contest safeguard. That includes asking supporters to defeat a captcha, evade a daily limit or use extra accounts to cast additional votes.

Before choosing a channel, check the contest rules for restrictions on outside promotion, paid posts, repeated reminders and eligibility. If the rules prohibit a proposed activity, we remove that activity from the plan or decline the project. Our contest marketing overview explains the promotion formats we can assess.

What evidence do we use to review an audience?

We review the traceable source of attention and compare it with the activity visible to the client. The check is based on records the campaign can access, not claims about private platform systems.

1. Paid distribution: Use the advertising platform’s own reporting to record spend, impressions and clicks.
2. Creator fit: Before booking, review audience information the creator can provide, such as country and age bands, and compare it with the contest’s intended audience. See our creator outreach approach.
3. Visit trail: Use tracking links to separate campaign visits from other traffic. If the voting page does not show completed actions by source, mark that gap plainly.
4. Entry counter: Record the public counter alongside the campaign activity. If the two records do not align, note the difference rather than attributing it to our work.

A Spec Review records which evidence will be available before launch. Ask for the source behind each audience estimate, the reporting view you will receive and whether the contest page supports source tracking. For community and email activity, confirm that the group or list welcomes the message; our outreach service uses that consent-first standard. This gives the client a readable trail from planned channel to observable activity.

What do clients see before and during a campaign?

Clients receive the permitted-work boundary, channel plan and reporting approach before promotion starts. We put those items in the Launch Spec so the client can approve the actual activity, not just a broad campaign label.

The client should provide the contest link, current rules, entry details, target audience and any organizer guidance about outside promotion. We review those materials and flag restrictions before preparing ads, copy or outreach. The contest methodology page describes how channel planning and reporting fit together.

Our Run Log separates observed figures from projections. We do not present a projection as an outcome, and we do not promise a win, a vote total or a ranking. The client can see what work was agreed, what was delivered and which evidence supports each reported figure.

What happens if a request conflicts with contest rules?

We pause the conflicting tactic, explain the issue and offer only a permitted alternative. If the project requires prohibited activity, we decline it before campaign work proceeds.

• We identify the specific request or rule that creates the conflict.
• We document which proposed channels remain usable, if any.
• We provide the revised scope for approval; we do not make a hidden, smaller version of the prohibited tactic.
• If there is no suitable permitted route, we close the discussion without launching.

The organizer controls how contest rules are applied, and platform analytics may not identify each individual who sees an ad or follows a link. We report only what the available records support, while the organizer decides whether an entry meets its rules.

If you are unsure whether a channel is allowed, send the contest rules and entry link for a free contest analysis. We will review the restrictions, identify workable promotion options and tell you plainly what we would exclude.