Spin the Names

You’ve got a great prize. You’ve got an excited chat. Now comes the part that most streamers rush through — the actual draw.

Picking a winner doesn’t have to be a two-second formality. With the right setup, the selection itself becomes content: a climactic moment that keeps your audience watching, chatting, and coming back for the next one.

Why the Draw Matters as Much as the Prize

Think about the last time you watched a giveaway on stream. The energy in chat during the buildup is usually incredible — everyone’s name is in the pool, anyone could win. But then the streamer minimizes to some random number generator, types something in, and announces a winner. The moment collapses.

A visible spinning wheel changes the entire dynamic. Chat can see every name on screen. The spin creates a real arc of suspense. And when the wheel slows down and lands on a name, the payoff is earned.

That’s content. That’s a clip. That’s something people screenshot and share.

Setting Up Your Giveaway

Decide on entry method

Common approaches:

Type a keyword in chat (simple, high participation)
Follow + chat entry (grows your audience)
Subscriber-only or bits-tier entry (rewards supporters)
Manual list from a sign-up form (for big milestone giveaways)

Pick one based on what you’re trying to accomplish. Keyword entries maximize participation; subscriber-only entries reward loyalty.

Collect your entries

For chat-based entries, most streamers use a chat bot or third-party tool to harvest entries. Export the list, then paste it directly into the name wheel. The paste-in-bulk feature means you can go from list to spinning in about 30 seconds.

Time your giveaway

Don’t bury the giveaway at the end of a long stream when half your audience has already left. Run it when viewership is at its peak — often 30–60 minutes into the stream, or timed to a milestone like hitting a sub goal.

Running the Spin on Stream

Share your screen before you spin. Let chat see the wheel fully populated. You’ll see a wave of messages as people spot their own names. This is pure engagement — lean into it.

Build anticipation before spinning. Count down. Read out a few names on the wheel. Let the hype build naturally. Chat will start PogChamp-ing before you’ve even clicked spin.

Spin it live. Watch chat explode as the wheel spins. The names fly by too fast to read, which is intentional — it’s exciting, not rigged. When it slows down, you’ll often get “no no no no YES” from viewers watching their name come close.

React genuinely to the outcome. Whoever wins, make it a moment. Congratulate them in chat. If they’re a regular, acknowledge that. If they’re a lurker who finally won something, that’s wholesome content.

Multi-Prize Giveaways

If you’re giving out multiple prizes, remove each winner from the wheel before spinning again. This keeps things fair (no one wins twice) and gives you multiple climactic moments across the same giveaway sequence.

You can also run tiered giveaways: spin for the smaller prize first, leaving the big prize for last. The anticipation compounds with each round.

Keeping It Fair and Transparent

The biggest trust issue with stream giveaways is the perception that the streamer can influence the outcome. A visible random wheel addresses this directly — chat watched every name spin, and they saw where it landed. There’s no “trust me, it was random.”

Some streamers go further: they let a viewer in chat call the spin, or they ask mods to verify the entry list before spinning. These small gestures build enormous goodwill.

After the Giveaway

Clip the winning moment. A good wheel spin is a ready-made highlight. The reaction, the spin, the landing — clip it and post it. It’s also social proof for future giveaways (“this could be you”).

Follow up with the winner. Reach out promptly, deliver the prize quickly, and if the winner shares anything on social, amplify it. This closes the loop and shows your community that the giveaways are real.

Thank your participants. Even if 200 people entered and 199 didn’t win, acknowledging their participation keeps morale high and entries flowing next time.

Ideas for What to Give Away

Game codes or Steam gift cards
A gaming peripheral (mouse, headset, controller)
A subscription to a game or service
Custom emotes drawn by a community artist
A “play with the streamer” session
Merchandise from your store
A commission for something community-voted

The best prizes are ones your specific audience actually wants. A $10 gift card to a platform your community uses beats a generic $25 prize every time.

Ready to run your next giveaway? Try Spin the Names free — paste your entry list, share your screen, and spin live. No account required.