A useful benchmark comes from comparable campaigns with a clear sample, date range, and measurement method. This guide does not publish Revup customer averages or promise a conversion rate. It explains how to build a baseline from your own results and evaluate external research before using it.
Define What You Are Measuring
| Metric | Calculation or evidence | Keep consistent |
|---|---|---|
| Entry conversion | Completed entries divided by measured visits | Traffic source, visit definition, and campaign period |
| Cost per new opted-in contact | Total campaign cost divided by new marketing opt-ins | Exclude existing subscribers and contacts without permission |
| Referral participation | Valid referred participants and earned referral entries | Separate people from bonus-entry counts |
| Claim completion | Completed claims divided by winners asked to claim | Use the same claim deadline |
| Return on investment | Incremental profit less campaign cost, divided by campaign cost | Include costs and an appropriate comparison baseline |
Use the same numerator and denominator across reports, and count only valid entries — see sweepstakes fraud prevention for removing duplicates and bot traffic. A campaign with many bonus entries has not necessarily acquired more people. Email open rates, social followers, and sales are different outcomes and should not be substituted for one another.
Compare Campaigns With Similar Conditions
Group campaigns by audience, channel, prize, season, entry effort, and objective. A photo contest asks more of a participant than a short sweepstakes form. A purchase-linked promotion has a different funnel from a newsletter signup. These differences make a single industry-wide average a poor planning tool.
Revup currently supports sweepstakes, photo and video contests, instant wins, forms, surveys, quizzes, and Shopify purchase sweepstakes. Referral bonus entries are available within supported promotions. Standalone Referrals and Coupons are coming soon.
Evaluate External Benchmarks
- Find the original report and check its publication date.
- Check sample size, geography, industry, and whether the sample includes paid and organic traffic.
- Confirm whether the reported cost includes prizes, platform fees, staff time, and fulfillment.
- Distinguish measured customer results from hypothetical examples or vendor estimates.
- Do not compare a sales-qualified lead with an unqualified promotion entry as if they were the same outcome.
Build a Budget Using Explicit Assumptions
Start with a small campaign and a spend limit you can evaluate. Use a range of assumptions rather than a promised acquisition cost. The following numbers are hypothetical arithmetic examples, not observed Revup results or recommended targets.
| Hypothetical campaign cost | New opted-in contacts | Calculated cost per contact |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | 250 | $8 |
| $2,000 | 500 | $4 |
| $2,000 | 1,000 | $2 |
For each scenario, estimate the incremental profit needed to recover campaign costs. Revenue alone is not profit. Include prize sourcing, fulfillment, refunds, and the staff time required to operate the promotion.
Measure Beyond Entry Volume
For list growth, measure new opted-in contacts and later engagement in your email platform. For social campaigns, obtain follower and post metrics from the social platform. For purchase sweepstakes, compare eligible Shopify order activity with a suitable baseline and account for other offers and refunds.
Revup records promotion participation, conversion funnels, and traffic sources. Combine those records with costs, sales, and follow-up data from the relevant systems to calculate business ROI. Revup does not automatically measure every downstream sale, follower change, or marketing expense.
Maintain Your Benchmark Library
Record the campaign settings, audience, costs, measurement window, and results after each promotion. Review differences before changing your targets: a new audience or different prize may explain a change better than the promotion format itself.
When reporting results, show the baseline and calculation alongside the outcome. If you lack a control group, describe the result as an association rather than proof that the promotion caused all observed growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good ROI for a first campaign?
There is no universal target. Define the business objective, cost limit, and measurement period in advance. A first campaign can establish a baseline, but learning value should be stated separately from financial return.
Are sweepstakes leads cheaper than paid-ad leads?
It depends on targeting, prize, channel, costs, and lead quality. Paid ads can also send people to a sweepstakes. Compare acquisition methods using the same definition of an opted-in or qualified contact and include downstream conversion.
Where should I start?
Read the ROI measurement guide, compare sweepstakes and paid advertising, and use the illustrative campaign examples to plan your first test. Review current Revup plans and trial terms when budgeting platform costs.
