Bonus actions let entrants earn extra chances after the base entry. You can build, edit, save, and preview them on Free or Pro, but actions on a new Free-plan contest stay paused for entrants until you upgrade to Pro.
Add an action
- Open the contest editor.
- Go to Build > Bonus actions.
- Click Add bonus action.
- Choose a type and configure its required fields.
- Set the number of entries it awards.
- Save and test the preview.
On Free, each action in the dialog has a Pro label. You can still add and configure it. The editor shows Paused on the Free plan · live for entrants when you upgrade, and the action-settings panel links to View plans.
When actions are live
- Pro — saved, complete actions are live for entrants.
- Free, new contest — actions remain editable and visible in the merchant preview, but entrants do not see or complete them on the live standalone page, popup, or app block.
- Upgrade from Free — paused actions become live immediately; you do not need to relaunch the contest. The billing success message confirms how many contests now have live actions.
- Existing grandfathered contest — a contest that already had bonus actions when plan gating was introduced keeps those actions live on Free. New contests, including copies and contests created from templates, follow the current plan rules.
If you activate a Free-plan contest with paused actions, Launch names the actions that entrants will not see. A running contest can also appear under Needs attention as Activate bonus actions, with an Upgrade to Pro action.
Available actions
| Action | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Email signup | Collect an email where an additional signup action is useful; the base entry already requires email |
| Photo Upload | Collect user-generated images |
| Visit URL | Send entrants to a product or landing page |
| Answer Question | Collect text, single-choice, or multiple-choice answers |
| Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, YouTube | Prompt a social profile or channel visit |
| Referral Share | Award entries when invited friends enter |
| Secret Code | Gate entries using a known code |
Entry values and limits
Set rewards in proportion to the effort required. A profile visit might be worth one entry, while a photo submission might be worth more. Random winner selection is weighted by each entrant's total earned entries.
Referral Share uses Entries per referral and Maximum referral entries instead of the normal one-time entry value. It always remains optional. Copying or sharing earns nothing by itself; the reward is added when a new entrant submits through the unique link.
See Referral Sharing for the storefront flow and the Referred entries and Top referrers reports.
Other actions can be marked Required to enter. Required actions appear on the entry form and must be completed before submission, so use them only when essential.
Edit or remove an action
Saving changes to an existing action updates it without deleting entrant completions, photos, answers, or other submissions.
Removing an action is different. If entrants have completed it, the editor shows a warning with Remove anyway and Keep action. Removing it permanently deletes those action submissions. Entrants keep the bonus entries they already earned, so their weighted draw total does not decrease.
Complete configuration
An incomplete action is not shown on the storefront. For example, URL and social actions need destinations, choice questions need options, and Secret Code needs a code.
Keep the action list focused, write clear instructions, and preview both entry and success states. For photo contests, use Results to review the gallery, votes, and hidden submissions. See Billing & Plans for current plan limits.