Facebook Picker: case study
Facebook Picker is a giveaway and comment-picker tool for Facebook, designed, built and operated by Maetheon Ltd. It gathers the comments and reactions from a public Facebook post and picks winners with a transparent, repeatable draw.
The problem we set out to solve
Who it's for
Facebook page owners, small businesses and community groups running competitions and prize draws.
The challenge
Facebook is still where many local businesses, community pages and small brands run their competitions. Picking a winner by hand from hundreds of comments is slow, error-prone and hard to prove fair, and hosts often need to check that entrants followed the rules, such as tagging friends.
The goal was a tool that turns a public post into a clean list of entries and a fair, verifiable winner in a few clicks, and that works well on the phones most page owners use.
Key features
Comment collection
Loads the comments from a public post the user pastes in, so nobody has to copy entries by hand.
Fair random draw
A transparent randomiser picks one or more winners, plus reserve winners if the first choice doesn't respond.
Entry filters
Removes duplicate entries and can require mentions of friends or a specific hashtag.
Exclusions
Lets the host exclude their own account and other accounts that shouldn't be eligible.
Repeatable, verifiable results
Draws can be repeated and checked, so the host can show their audience the result was fair.
Reaction-aware entries
Handles Facebook's mix of comments and reactions so hosts can run the type of competition their audience expects.
Freemium access
Three free searches after sign-up, then a monthly (US$5) or yearly (US$50) plan for unlimited use.
Designing for Facebook
Facebook competitions are often run by small businesses and community pages rather than full-time creators, so the interface avoids jargon and walks hosts through each step: paste the post link, set the rules, draw the winner.
Because many entries include tagged friends and reactions, the filters focus on the rules Facebook hosts use most, and results are presented in a way that's easy to screenshot and share back on the page.
What it took to build and run
Working with platform data
Every social platform structures comments differently and changes its rules over time. The tool has to collect entries reliably, handle large comment threads and cope with limits, and do it all without making the user wait.
Fairness users can trust
A giveaway tool is only useful if the audience believes the result. That shapes the product: clear filters, visible entry counts, repeatable draws and results the host can share.
Subscriptions and limits
The freemium model needs accurate usage tracking, a smooth upgrade path and reliable recurring billing, with accounts that work across sessions and devices.
Growth through search
Each tool runs on its own domain with its own blog, publishing guides for hosts on that platform. Technical SEO and helpful content bring in most new users.
How the product reaches its users
Facebook Picker runs on its own domain, fbpicker.com, with a blog that publishes practical guides on topics such as how to run a Facebook giveaway, Facebook competition rules, picking a random comment winner. This content answers the questions people search for and introduces them to the tool.
Every page is built for speed and clarity: fast loading on mobile, structured data, clean URLs and internal links between guides and the tool itself.
Lessons we bring to client projects
Product focus
Doing one job very well for one audience, then refining it based on how people use it.
Reliable operations
Monitoring, quick fixes and regular updates when third-party platforms change.
Search-led growth
Technical SEO and helpful content as a sustainable way to attract users.
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