Valentine's Day Giveaway Ideas: Dates and Launch Plan

Valentine's Day Giveaway Ideas

Last updated 20 Oct 2026

Valentine's Day is on 14 February. If your prize is a gift for someone else, it has to arrive before the day, so plan to close entries in early February.

Start about three weeks before. Ten days of entries, then about a week and a half to pick the winner, wait for a reply and send the prize. If the prize is a voucher, a booking or something digital, you can run it closer to the day.

Not every Valentine's giveaway has to be about couples. Treat-a-friend, treat-yourself and pet themes include more of your followers, and they fit shops that don't sell gifts for partners.

Working out the next date…

Dates

Valentine's Day dates for 2026–2028, with the suggested launch and end of the giveaway
Year	Valentine's Day	Launch by	Giveaway ends
2026	Sat 14 Feb	Sat 24 Jan	Mon 2 Feb
2027	Sun 14 Feb	Sun 24 Jan	Tue 2 Feb
2028	Mon 14 Feb	Mon 24 Jan	Wed 2 Feb

Giveaway ideas

Tell us who you'd treat

Ask people to comment the first name of someone they would give the prize to, and one line about why. Every comment is an entry, and the winner is drawn at random, not picked for the best line. Close entries early enough for the prize to arrive by 14 February.

Prize idea: A gift box for two, or a bundle the winner can share with the person they named.

Date night with a local partner

Team up with a restaurant, cinema or florist and post the giveaway on the same day from both accounts. Agree in writing who collects the entries, who runs the draw and who contacts the winner.

Prize idea: Dinner for two, flowers and a small gift from your shop.

Giveaway picker

Pet valentines photo contest

Ask for a photo of a pet with something red or pink. Score every photo on a simple scorecard with two or three judges, or draw at random from all the photos if you would rather not judge. Say which one you are doing in the rules.

Prize idea: A pet treat hamper, or a voucher from a local pet shop.

This or that: Valentine's edition

Post a run of this-or-that questions, such as chocolate or flowers, dinner in or dinner out. Each answer in the comments is an entry into one draw at the end of the week.

Prize idea: A box of whichever option got the most votes.

Captions for this event

Ready-made captions for the launch, the reminders and the winner post. Open the caption generator and pick the “Holiday” stage.

Questions and answers

When should a Valentine's Day giveaway close?

In early February if a physical prize has to arrive by 14 February. Our suggested window closes about twelve days before the day.

Can I make it about friends rather than couples?

Yes. Treat-a-friend or treat-yourself themes include more people, and they fit more kinds of business.

Is a photo contest or a random draw better?

A random draw is simpler and quicker. A photo contest gets more creative entries but needs judging criteria written in advance. The judging scorecard helps with that.

What should the rules say?

Who can enter, the start and end dates, how the winner is chosen, the prize and how long the winner has to reply. Keep the rules short and clear.

Who can enter a Valentine's giveaway?

Say it in the rules: a minimum age, the countries or states you can ship to, and whether your staff and their families can enter. If the prize includes wine or other alcohol, set the minimum age to the legal drinking age where you are.