How to run an online raffle for free in 5 minutes
Step-by-step guide to set up a raffle from scratch, generate professional art and start selling on WhatsApp in under 5 minutes. No credit card, no complicated install.
Paper raffles still work, but they are a pain: print, write by hand, lose the sheet, deal with people complaining their number was not marked. With a smartphone and an instant payment method, you can build a professional raffle in 5 minutes and start selling the same day.
This guide covers the shortest path, from zero to first sale. No credit card, no paid subscription, no Photoshop required.
What you need before you start
Get these three things into a notepad on your phone. It will save real time:
- Prize photo (a good one, vertical, with a clean background)
- Your payment key (the one that will receive the money: PIX in Brazil, your local equivalent elsewhere)
- Draw date ("June 15", or "when all numbers are sold", both work)
Done. Start the timer.
Step 1: open My Raffle (30 seconds)
Download the app from Google Play or the App Store, or open it directly in the browser at myraffle.app. Sign in with Google or Apple and you are in. No password to create, no email to confirm, no credit card.
The free tier covers raffles up to 200 numbers, which fits most beginner cases.
Step 2: create the raffle (1 minute)
Tap + or New raffle and fill in the basics:
- Title: what is being raffled ("iPhone 15 raffle", "Charity raffle for Peter")
- Number count: 50, 100, 200, 500. If unsure, start with 100.
- Price per number: how much each ticket costs
- Payment key: paste the key that receives the money
Step 3: upload the prize photo (1 minute)
Go to the prize tab and add the image you saved earlier. If there are multiple prizes (1st, 2nd, 3rd), add all of them with one photo each.
Vertical photos work better: WhatsApp shows them whole in the preview. Horizontal photos lose half the frame.
If the photo is dark or blurry, retake it with natural light. It does not have to be studio quality, it just has to be legible.
Step 4: pick a template and adjust the art (1 minute)
Every raffle starts with a default template, but you can swap with one tap. Templates already come with colors, fonts and layout chosen to read well on a phone screen.
Do not get stuck choosing. Pick the one that looks "cleanest" and move on. You can swap later without losing data.
Before you generate the image, confirm:
- Draw date is visible
- Payment key shows in big letters
- Title is not cropped
Tap generate art or save, and the image is ready in the right resolution for WhatsApp.
Step 5: share to WhatsApp (30 seconds)
Tap Share. The system opens the native WhatsApp share sheet, you pick the contact or group, send. Done, the first person can already buy a number.
To give it a push, send to:
- 3 family groups
- 2 work groups
- Status so everyone in your contacts sees it
Within 30 minutes you usually get the first sale.
What changes between online and paper raffles
| Aspect | Paper | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 1-2 hours (print + fold) | 5 minutes |
| Initial cost | Ink, paper, printing | Zero |
| Marking sold numbers | Pen on the sheet (if you remember) | Tap on screen |
| Sharing | Take a photo of the sheet | Image ready for WhatsApp |
| Updating after a sale | Reshoot the photo | Automatic |
| Losing the list | Happens | Cannot happen |
4 mistakes that stall the first raffle
Beginners trip on the same points. Avoid them upfront:
- Vague prize. "A grocery basket" sells less than "Basket with 25 items, $70 value". The more specific, the more clicks.
- No fixed date. A raffle without a date feels suspicious. Even if it is "when everything sells", write it down.
- Wrong price. Too expensive does not sell, too cheap leaves less profit than the work deserves. If unsure, read How much to charge per raffle number.
- Sharing the art only once. A raffle that grows is a raffle that keeps showing up. Resend the updated art to the same groups every 5-10 sales.
After the 5 minutes: what to do next
The raffle is running, but the work is not done. Next 24 hours:
- Confirm every payment as it lands and mark the number as paid in the app
- Resend the updated art to the same groups after 5-10 sales
- Reply to questions fast (someone who waits 6 hours for a reply gives up)
- Chase the reserved numbers that did not pay within 24 hours
Ready to start?
The 5 minutes count from the moment you open the app. Everything before (prize photo, payment key, date) is prep that fits in a phone note.
There is no ritual. Open the app, create, share, sell. The tenth raffle you run takes 2 minutes total, because you just duplicate an old one and swap the prize.