Sharing & Distribution
By James
By James
Publish contests through standalone pages, theme blocks, embeds, and QR codes.
Standalone Contest Page
Every contest has a dedicated page hosted on your Shopify store. It is the quickest channel to launch because there is no theme section to place. Open the standalone channel 1. Open the contest editor. 2. Go to Launch. 3. Select Standalone page. From here you can preview the page, copy its link, download a QR code, and build tracked campaign links. Launch tools for the standalone page and other contest channels URL format https://yourstore.com/apps/contest/your-slug The slug is edited under Build > Contest settings. Avoid changing it after promotion because previously shared links do not automatically redirect. When the page accepts entries The page is available to customers after the contest is activated and while the current date is between its scheduled start and end dates. Its dashboard badge is Live during that window. Scheduled, Draft, Paused, Ended, and Archived contests do not accept public entries. Merchant preview remains available so you can inspect a contest before activation. Sharing ideas Use the link in email, social posts, SMS, paid ads, partner campaigns, or printed material. Add UTM source, medium, and campaign values in Launch when you want to compare traffic sources in Results and exports. What the page displays The standalone page uses the contest's Design settings and can include the header image, logo, title, description, prizes, dates, form fields, terms, success message, discount reward, and bonus actions. Bonus actions appear when they are live for the contest: normally on Pro, or on a grandfathered contest that already had actions when plan gating was introduced. On a new Free-plan contest, they remain visible in Preview but are hidden from entrants. Preview desktop and mobile before launch. For print sharing and tracking, see QR Codes & UTM Links. For status details, see Contest Lifecycle. See Bonus Entry Actions for plan-aware visibility and upgrade behavior.
Popup Block
The Contest Popup displays an active contest over the storefront. Its appearance comes from the contest Design stage, while triggering and targeting are configured in Shopify's theme editor. Enable the popup 1. Open the contest editor and go to Launch. 2. Select Popup and click the action to open Shopify's theme editor. 3. Open App embeds. 4. Enable Contest Popup. 5. Select the contest. 6. Configure the trigger, frequency, targeting, and popup-specific layout. 7. Click Save in the theme editor. Only active contests are shown to customers. Trigger options - Time delay — show after the configured number of seconds. - Scroll percentage — show after the visitor reaches part of the page. - Exit intent — show when a desktop visitor appears ready to leave. Frequency Choose once per visitor, once per session, once per day, or always. Remember when dismissed can prevent the popup from appearing again after a visitor closes it. For testing, use a private/incognito window or temporarily choose Always. Local browser storage can otherwise make a working popup appear to be missing. Targeting and layout Show the popup across the store or restrict it to selected page types. Choose a centered modal or bottom-right slide-in and adjust its width, border radius, overlay, title, and description options. Show header image is enabled by default and displays the image from the contest's Design tab at the top of the popup; turn it off when you want a text-first popup. Colors, prizes, dates, terms, button copy, and success content are controlled by the contest. Preview the Popup surface under Design before publishing theme changes. The popup is optional. You can activate a contest and use the standalone page or app block without enabling it. For preparing the shared asset, see Images & Logo.
Form Block
The Contest Form app block places the entry experience directly inside an Online Store 2.0 page. Unlike the popup, it stays visible as part of the page layout. Add the block 1. Open the contest editor and go to Launch. 2. Select App block and open Shopify's theme editor. 3. Navigate to the page or template where the contest should appear. 4. Click Add section or Add block and choose Contest Form. 5. Select the contest. 6. Configure the block and click Save. Only active contests are displayed to customers. If no contest is selected, the theme editor shows an empty setup state. Layout options - Vertical — content and fields stack; useful in narrower spaces. - Horizontal — content and form sit side by side on wide pages. - Compact — a reduced layout when space is limited. You can also set the maximum width and choose whether to display the header image, title, and description. Show header image is enabled by default and displays the image saved in the contest's Design tab at the top of the form. Turn it off when the surrounding theme section already supplies the campaign artwork. Styling and display The block can use the contest's colors and Build/Design display choices. If you disable Use contest colors in the theme editor, the block can use its own button, background, and text colors instead. Before launch, use the Design-stage App block preview on desktop and mobile. Then inspect the real theme page because surrounding theme spacing and typography can affect the final result. You can use an app block and popup at the same time; their placements and trigger behavior are independent. For preparing the shared asset, see Images & Logo.
QR Codes & UTM Links
Use the Launch-stage sharing tools to create scannable QR codes and tracked links for each marketing channel. Download a QR code 1. Open the contest editor. 2. Go to Launch. 3. Open the sharing tools. 4. Click Download QR code. The QR code opens the contest's standalone Shopify page. Use it on packaging, inserts, posters, receipts, event signage, or other print material. Before printing, activate the contest or schedule it appropriately, scan the code with more than one phone, and confirm that the destination URL and mobile layout are correct. Leave clear space around the code and print it at a practical size. Build a tracked link The UTM builder adds standard campaign values to the standalone URL: - Source — where the visitor came from, such as instagram, newsletter, or store-poster. - Medium — the channel type, such as social, email, or print. - Campaign — the initiative, such as summer-giveaway. Copy the generated URL and use it for that channel. Entries retain the UTM source, medium, and campaign so you can inspect acquisition data in Results and the entries CSV. Create a different tracked link for each meaningful channel. For example, use one for an email newsletter and another for a printed QR campaign. External websites UserLoop Contests no longer supplies a dedicated iframe embed snippet. For an external site, link to the hosted standalone page or use its QR code. Inside your Shopify theme, use the supported Contest Form app block.