Shortstack Review: The Most Powerful Contest Tool in 2024?

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Full range of contest types. Contest templates. Extensive customization. Landing pages. Email autoresponders.

How powerful is Shortstack for marketing teams and agencies?

If you need robust contests and more marketing features, you should see what Shortstack offers.

To select any giveaway tool, you need to consider how it performs in various aspects of running giveaways.

• How many social media channels does it support? 
• How does it manage entrants? 
• Does it have a winner-picker tool? 
• What lead generation features does it have?

In this detailed Shortstack review, we’ll consider how it stacks up on all the important contest features.

In addition, you’ll see if Shortstack can replace your landing page creation tool.

Let’s dive into all the details.

What is Shortstack?

Shortstack is a lead generation tool for running engaging contests and creating landing pages. The software was created by Pancake Labs.

In Shortstack, there are two major lead generation tools available to your business:

• Running contests and giveaways: through contests and giveaways, your audience will perform the required tasks for a chance to win a gift. This way, your business can increase awareness, boost social media followership numbers, acquire leads, and more. Shortstack gained popularity as one of the best tools for running contests and giveaways. In fact, Shortstack is featured in our lists of the best giveaway tools for Facebook and Instagram. 
• Creating landing pages: over time, Shortstack has integrated landing page creation features into its stack of features. With landing pages, it’s easy to promote an offer for your campaigns and collect leads’ personal information in exchange for the offer.

If you want to generate leads through giveaways and landing pages, why should you consider Shortstack?

Below, you’ll discover the key features and common tasks to perform on Shortstack.

Who is Shortstack for?

Shortstack is a great fit if you want to run various types of contests and create landing pages. This works well to generate leads for your business.

Shortstack also has an editor that gives you the design freedom to create unique pages for your business.

However, if you just want to create giveaways in minutes and care less about extensive design features, consider SweepWidget.

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Key features of Shortstack

The benefits you derive from any marketing tool come from how you exploit its features. Which Shortstack features can help you run and manage successful contests?

Of course, there are so many features on Shortstack.

Here, I’ll only explore Shortstack’s key features that you’ll likely use.

Templates

Let’s be honest, very few people want or have the skills to build a contest campaign from scratch. That’s where templates can be a lifesaver.

In light of this, Shortstack provides professional templates for different types of contests. For example, you’ll find templates for giveaways, contests, quizzes and games, social media, pop-ups, and more.

Beyond that, you’ll find templates to collect user-generated content (UGC), leads, or user data. More so, there are templates for video and gallery display.

While browsing through the templates, there are a few options like using the template, adding it to your favorites, previewing it, or copying the template link.

With templates, it’s easier to design your campaigns in a short time.

Drag-and-drop editor

While there are professional templates on Shortstack, you still need to tweak them for your campaigns. The drag-and-drop editor allows you to edit your templates with different elements.

Once you find a template you like, preview it and then click on “Use this template.” This will take you to the editor.

In the Shortstack campaign builder, you can add and edit widgets, select and edit themes, create popups, edit forms, and more. Thanks to the preview feature, you can view your page while editing it. 

Then, the last step is to publish your campaign.

Landing pages and forms

If you’ve run marketing campaigns before, you know that landing pages are one of the most crucial lead generation tools.

In Shortstack, your landing page can provide details about your contest and host the forms for contest entry.

But beyond contests and giveaways, Shortstack allows you to create landing pages for social media campaigns, PPC campaigns, and other marketing campaigns.

In the template section, you’ll find a suitable landing page template to edit. On your landing pages, Shortstack allows you to edit your lead capture forms for your brand.

Beyond your forms, you can use pop-ups on other website pages for lead capture.

Contest administration

Shortstack provides a few features to manage your contests while it’s running.

There’s an “Entries” section where you’ll see the details of every contest entrant. Here, you can moderate entries to display in a gallery.

It’s also easy to pick winners from the list of entries. There’s a random winner picker and an option to select instant winners.

Then, you can prevent fraud from participants.

Email marketing

Shortstack lets you set up autoresponder emails to confirm giveaway entries. Also, you can inform and congratulate contest winners through emails.

But beyond your contests, Shortstack lets you run independent email marketing campaigns. So, you can create email sequences to nurture email subscribers you acquire through contests or other means.

Campaign analytics

While you want to give your prospects and customers gifts, contests are still a marketing strategy. So, you want to track your performance based on your campaign goals.

There’s an overview of your analytics on the Shortstack dashboard with metrics such as campaign views, entries and email opens. 

For each campaign, you can dive deeper into the campaign metrics. Here, you’ll find more details, such as views by device, traffic sources, views by country, and more.

If you want even more metrics, integrate  Shortstack  with Google Analytics.

Team collaboration

Since Shortstack provides features suitable for marketing teams and agencies, it’s no surprise that it has collaboration features.

With these features, it’s easy to add team members and clients and select permissions.

To control what each team member can do, there’s an option to customize permissions.

You get 1 seat for the agency plan and 5 seats for the business plan.

However, if you need more seats, you’ll have to pay $29 per additional seat.

There’s no collaboration feature for the business plan.

So if you need to add team members, keep that in mind when picking a plan.

Custom services

If you want to run contests but lack the skills or time to execute them, engage Shortstack’s custom services.

All you have to do is explain your needs and goals for the contests. In return, the Shortstack team will design your contests, monitor entries, and manage other aspects of your contests.

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How to create giveaways and landing pages with Shortstack

With the Shortstack features explained above, you can execute various tasks at different stages of your giveaway campaigns. Some of these tasks include:

Run contests and giveaways on multiple channels

One significant benefit you’ll obtain from using Shortstack is running so many types of contests. To begin your contest, click “Campaign” on the top left side of your dashboard.

Doing this will launch the templates available on this contest tool. In this list, there are types of contests such as:

• Sweepstakes/Giveaways
• Contests
• Voting
• Social media
• Quizzes/Games
• Pop-ups
• Holiday

Select any of these options according to the campaign type you want to run. Once you see a template you like, hover on it and click “Use this template.” 

You also have the option to create a campaign from scratch. After selecting a template, Shortstack will take you to the campaign setup form to enter the campaign name and tags.

After this, edit your template in the Shortstack campaign builder. The builder has various editing tools to customize sections of your page.

Each section is a widget that contains elements such as forms, navigation bar, text, image, video, buttons, etc. On each widget, you can perform actions such as: 

• Editing widget settings
• Locking position
• Moving widget
• Viewing and editing form entries
• Designing form
• Deleting widget

Since many of your contest participants will be using mobile devices, you want to ensure that your contest page is mobile-friendly. Shortstack has an interesting trick to see the mobile version of your page.

All you have to do is click on the mobile icon at the top of your editor and scan a barcode with your smartphone. This will link you to a mobile version on your smartphone browser.

Plus, you’ll see changes in your smartphone browser as you make changes in your campaign builder.

Once you’re done editing your contest, click on “Preview” at the top of your editor. If you’re satisfied with the page, click “Publish Campaign.”

Shortstack lets you embed the contest on your website or publish it as a separate landing page.

If you want to embed it on your website, enter the page URL for your contest. Otherwise, Shortstack will provide a URL for the contest landing page. Luckily, you can use a custom domain for your landing page.

Create hashtag feed

An easy way to run contests is to specify a hashtag for it on your preferred social media platform. This way, participants can enter your contest by using a hashtag in their social media posts.

How can you manage and monitor these posts? Through Shortstack hashtag feeds.

To do that, click on “# Hashtag Feed” at the top right corner of your dashboard. Doing this will trigger a pop-up providing the option to pull posts from Twitter or Instagram.

Next, you’ll have to log in to your selected account and authorize the Shortstack app. After this, you can view hashtag entries from your Shortstack account.

If you want to feature some of these entries in a gallery, there’s an option to approve them in the entries section.

Import social media comments (run comment-to-enter contests)

In some cases, your contest can be as simple as telling customers to comment on a social media post. Then, you can go through these comments to pick a winner.

Shortstack allows you to import these comments into your Shortstack entries. To do this, click on “Social Import” at the top right corner of your dashboard.

Then, connect your Facebook or Instagram to import comments.

Pick giveaway winners

At the end of your giveaway campaign, you need to pick a winner or winners. For some contests, you can pick your winner based on votes, skills, or other criteria.

However, you only need to pick randomly in some cases. To pick a random winner, navigate to your entries and select “Choose” at the top right corner.

Here, specify the number of entries you want to pick. More so, you can give extra weight to entries with votes and points. Another option is to add filters for winner selection. 

Create landing pages

Apart from creating contest pages, Shortstack has features to create landing pages for other marketing campaigns. Creating landing pages requires similar steps to creating your contest page.

The main difference is to pick a template that fits your needs. Then, edit the landing page and the lead collection form.

Collect user-generated content (UGC)

One of the most convincing ways to market your business is to let your customers do it for you. What results have they achieved while using your products?

Create a contest to collect these pieces of content. You can even let other people vote to determine the winner.

Shortstack allows you to collect content types such as text, images, and videos. If you want to collect user-generated content (UGC), select “UGC” in the templates section to find one suitable for your campaign.

After picking the template, edit it with your campaign and brand elements. If you’re displaying your UGC in a gallery, there’s an option to approve entries before they show up in the public gallery.

Create an autoresponder on Shortstack

When contest participants enter their details, you can send a confirmation email to them. In this email, provide details about how you’ll pick winners and when the contest will end.

An autoresponder helps to send this email automatically once a participant submits their details. To set up an autoresponder on Shortstack, click on “Emails” at the top bar of your dashboard.

Then click on the “+ New Email” button on the next page.

This will provide three options: autoresponder, follow-up email, and scheduled email. Selecting “Autoresponder” will take you to the next page to select your company profile.

Then, you’ll have to select the contest you want to create an autoresponder for. Beyond this, select whether to add a coupon code or discount to your email. 

On the next page, there are autoresponder templates depending on the type of information you want to deliver to participants.

After selecting an email template, customize it to fit your needs. At the left sidebar, there are available merge fields such as first name, email address, entry URL, email subscribe URL, etc.

After creating your email, click on “Continue.” On the next page, you’ll see your email details.

Finally, you can confirm the details of your email. To see a preview of your email in an inbox, Shortstack allows you to send a test email.

After confirming the details here, click on “Save & Activate.” After activation, every contest participant will receive this email once they submit their details.

Pros of Shortstack

• Extensive contest campaign types
• Allows white labeling option for agencies
• Mobile-friendly contests
• Email autoresponders for giveaway participants
• Professional templates for different purposes
• Detailed analytics
• Robust contest management tools
• Has a free plan

Cons of Shortstack

• Steep learning curve for beginners
• Expensive for freelancers and solopreneurs
• Low number of views and entries on low-tier plan
• Shortstack branding on business plan

Customer support

Sometimes, you’ll face challenges in performing tasks in a tool. Whenever you face such a situation, reach out to Shortstack customer support.

Shortstack offers customer support through:

• Live chat
• Email 
• Knowledge base

Thanks to the support icon at the bottom left corner of every page, you can easily contact Shortstack customer support.

Shortstack pricing

How much does it cost to use Shortstack? It depends on your needs and your budget. Shortstack has 6 plans, which are:

• Startup: This plan comes with 2,000 stored entry limit and unlimited campaigns. It comes with all publishing options and campaigns like sweepstakes, story contests, and public voting contests. The Startup plan costs $49 monthly or $39 if you pay annually.
• Business: This plan comes with 10,000 stored entry limit and photo upload contests. The Business plan costs $99 monthly or $79 if you pay annually.
• Growth: This plan comes with 25,000 stored entry limit and every other feature in the Business plan. The Growth plan costs $149 monthly or $119 if you pay annually.
• Pro: This plan comes with 50,000 stored entry limit, a team member, and contest analytics. You can also run Instagram hashtag contests, use a custom domain, and run video upload contests. The Pro plan costs $249 monthly or $199 if you pay annually.
• Elite: This plan comes with 200,000 stored entry limit and an account manager. You also get 5 team members, custom themes, and country-based content visibility settings. The Elite plan costs $499 monthly or $399 if you pay annually.
• Enterprise: The Enterprise plan is a custom plan. So, reach out to the Shortstack team with your needs to know how much it will cost.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Shortstack

Here are some questions you may have when considering Shortstack as a contest tool:

Can I use Shortstack for free?

Yes, Shortstack allows you to go through a free trial before purchasing a paid plan. However, you’ll have limited entries and views during this trial period.

Is Shortstack suitable for large businesses and marketing agencies?

Yes, it is. In fact, Shortstack allows agencies to run various types of contests for their clients. There’s also a team collaboration feature that makes it easy to add coworkers and clients.

What if I exceed my Shortstack plan’s limits?

When you run viral campaigns that exceed your plan’s views, entries, and other limits, Shortstack will upgrade your account to a higher plan. Of course, they’ll inform you before the upgrade.

Can I change my Shortstack plans?

Yes, you can. If you find out at any time that you’ll be better served with a lower or higher plan, you can make the change. Beyond that, Shortstack allows you to pause or switch between monthly and annual billing.

Will I get a refund after canceling my Shortstack subscription?

If you’re on an annual plan and cancel within the first three months, Shortstack offers a prorated refund of up to 50% of the total plan value. Unfortunately, month-to-month subscriptions are ineligible for refund.

Is my data safe in Shortstack?

Shortstack meets or exceeds ISO 9000 standards, so your data is safe on the platform.

Does Shortstack send emails to contest winners?

Yes, you can send an email to your contest winner through the email marketing tools on Shortstack.

Is Shortstack editor easy to use?

That will depend on your skill level. Frankly, most marketers will be able to customize their pages with the editor. And by choosing the right template, you’ll make your work easier.

Does Shortstack have good contest templates?

Yes, Shortstack has many professional templates for different contest types. Beyond that, there are templates for landing pages and emails.

If you have more questions about this tool, drop a comment or visit the Shortstack site for more details.

Conclusion

Running contests and creating landing pages are critical tasks to improve your brand reputation and lead generation.

Over the years, Shortstack has proven to be one of the best contest tools in the market.

That’s why it made my lists of the best giveaway tools for Facebook and Instagram.

Do I recommend this tool? If you’re on a tight budget, this may not be the tool for you.

But if you can afford it,  Shortstack is a tool that will make you and your contest participants happy.

And since a free trial is available, try Shortstack now.

If you have any question about Shortstack, drop it in the comments.

Also, check Shortstack alternatives for more relevant options.