GOOD TO KNOW · LUCKYCOMMENTPICKER

What can an Instagram picker actually verify?

“Eligible” only has meaning when the tool explains which requirements it checked. A comment picker and a complete social-action verification service are different products.

What this version checks

• A required phrase anywhere in the comment, ignoring capitalization.
• A complete hashtag token: #goodluck does not match #goodlucky.
• A comment timestamp at or before the selected deadline.
• A minimum number of distinct other accounts tagged within one comment. Self-tags and repeats do not count; friendship is not verified.
• Explicitly excluded usernames.
• Duplicate usernames, with one qualifying entry per person.

If someone first comments without the required hashtag and later adds a qualifying comment, the qualifying comment can enter. An earlier invalid comment does not use up their entry.

What remains unverified

Uploaded and pasted comments are organizer-supplied data. LuckyCommentPicker cannot establish that they are authentic or complete. This release does not verify whether someone liked, shared or followed, and it cannot inspect private activity. Missing deadline timestamps are labeled unverified and excluded from the draw.

Connecting a professional Instagram account

Meta documents comment access for authorized professional Instagram accounts with specific permissions. Public use requires the appropriate Meta app setup and access level. A public post URL alone is not proof that your app can retrieve that post’s comments. Read Meta’s Instagram API documentation ↗

The post-link importer uses a private operator session and an unofficial Instagram web endpoint. Visitors do not connect their Instagram account. It retrieves top-level comments only, with a 40-page cap and no replies. The review shows why retrieval stopped. An exhausted cursor does not establish completeness. Draws use the retrieved top-level comments, and records retain the unverified completeness label.

Set supported rules

Use comment-based requirements for this version. Do not label a participant fully qualified for a like-and-share giveaway solely because their comment appears here. Before running a promotion on another platform, check that platform’s current promotion rules and data access separately.