sales-skills/sales-rafflepress

RafflePress Platform Help

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

1. What are you trying to do?

   • A) Send entrants out to your own endpoint (outbound webhook) as they sign up
   • B) Sync contestants to an ESP/CRM (native integration) or to Zapier (500+ apps)
   • C) Set up entry actions / refer-a-friend viral mechanics and a giveaway landing page
   • D) Pre-fill the entry form or gate access via WordPress hooks / URL parameters
   • E) Handle giveaway fraud / fake entries, or pick a winner fairly
   • F) Decide Lite (free) vs Pro license, or which entry actions to enable

2. Code or no-code? Hosting your own endpoint → outbound webhooks. No endpoint → native ESP integration, Zapier, or Uncanny Automator.

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already provides enough context, skip to Step 2.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... | |---|---| | Giveaway / audience-growth strategy across tools (which tool, viral mechanics) | /sales-audience-growth {question} | | Connecting RafflePress to a CRM/ESP generically (iPaaS) | /sales-integration {question} | | Email sequences for the list you collect | /sales-email-marketing {question} | | Deliverability of giveaway/notification emails | /sales-deliverability {question} |

When routing, give the exact command, e.g. "This is a strategy question — run: /sales-audience-growth maximize referrals on a viral giveaway".

Step 3 — RafflePress platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full reference — the giveaway/entry-action model (what's webhook vs native-integration vs UI-only), the one-time/lifetime pricing and Lite-vs-Pro gates, the entrant data model with JSON shapes, and quick-start recipes (receive a webhook; sync to an ESP; prefill the form via URL params).

Read references/rafflepress-api-reference.md for the integration surface — RafflePress is WordPress-only (no REST API): outbound webhooks (Settings → Webhooks; JSON/FORM; fields fullname/first_name/last_name/email/giveaway_id/giveaway_name/sign_up_date; no HMAC), the Zapier New Contestant Created trigger (API key from the Join-an-Email-Newsletter action), the 15+ native ESPs, Uncanny Automator, and WordPress hooks + URL-parameter prefill.

Answer using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Focus on the user's specific situation:

• Webhooks only carry the email-signup identity. The payload has name/email/giveaway fields, but third-party social-action data (Facebook/X/YouTube/Instagram/Pinterest) is NOT sent. Don't expect per-action analytics from the webhook — use it to capture the contestant + which giveaway.
• No HMAC on webhooks. Secure the Request URL as a secret and/or add a custom auth header (RafflePress lets you add headers per webhook); dedupe on email + giveaway_id since a signup can re-fire.
• Zapier needs the per-action API key. The key lives on the giveaway's Join an Email Newsletter action (pick Zapier from its dropdown). The only trigger is New Contestant Created, and you can have one Join-an-Email-Newsletter action per giveaway when using Zapier.
• Prefer a native ESP integration when you can. RafflePress syncs directly to 15+ ESPs (Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, MailerLite, Brevo…) — simpler than a webhook if you just need the list.
• It's WordPress-only. No SaaS API/MCP — everything runs on your WordPress site. To pre-identify a user or carry UTM/identity from a landing page, use URL-parameter prefill; to gate who can manage giveaways, use the access-permission filter.
• Plan for fraud. Viral giveaways attract fake/disposable entries and self-referral abuse. Built-in fraud protection helps, but validate emails before fulfilling and review the leaderboard before awarding refer-a-friend prizes.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.

Gotchas

Best-effort from research (2026-06) — pricing/feature specifics verified against the marketing site, docs, and reviews; confirm in-account.

1. Webhook omits social-action data. Only fullname/first_name/last_name/email/giveaway_id/giveaway_name/sign_up_date are sent; data from Facebook/X/YouTube/Instagram/Pinterest actions is explicitly not shared.
2. No documented webhook HMAC. Treat the Request URL as a secret, add a custom auth header, and make handlers idempotent (key on email + giveaway_id).
3. One newsletter action per giveaway with Zapier. You can't wire multiple Join-an-Email-Newsletter actions to Zapier on the same giveaway — plan a single sync action.
4. WordPress-only. No hosted REST API, no MCP — automation is webhooks/Zapier/native integrations/Automator/PHP hooks. You need a self-hosted WordPress site.
5. Pro is a paid license. The free Lite plugin runs basic giveaways; webhooks, refer-a-friend, many entry actions and integrations are Pro. Pro is sold as a one-time/lifetime license (~$299 single site / ~$349 unlimited — best-effort).
6. Giveaways attract fraud. Fake/disposable emails and self-referrals are common — validate before rewarding; built-in fraud protection isn't a guarantee.
7. Email is the identity. Entrants are keyed by email across webhooks/Zapier/ESPs — design your dedupe and reward logic around it.

Related skills

• /sales-audience-growth — Giveaway / audience-growth strategy across tools (RafflePress is one of the giveaway/contest platforms covered) — viral mechanics, tool selection
• /sales-email-marketing — Email sequences for the list you grow with a giveaway
• /sales-integration — Connecting RafflePress to a CRM/ESP via webhooks/Zapier/Automator
• /sales-deliverability — Inbox placement and list quality for the emails you collect
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code

Examples

Example 1: Capture entrants to my own endpoint via webhook (developer/automation)

User says: "When someone enters my RafflePress giveaway, how do I POST their email to my own API?" Skill does: Walks Recipe 1 — enable Settings → Webhooks, set the Request URL, pick JSON, and (since there's no HMAC) add a secret custom header for auth. Explains the payload carries fullname/first_name/last_name/email/giveaway_id/giveaway_name/sign_up_date but not social-action data, and to dedupe on email+giveaway_id. Offers the native ESP integration or Zapier New Contestant Created as no-code alternatives. Result: Entrants stream to the user's endpoint securely and idempotently.

Example 2: Sync giveaway entrants into an ESP

User says: "I want everyone who enters added to my Mailchimp list automatically." Skill does: Recommends the native Mailchimp integration via the giveaway's Join an Email Newsletter action (simplest), or Zapier's New Contestant Created → Mailchimp if more routing is needed (noting the one-newsletter-action-per-giveaway Zapier limit and that the Zapier API key comes from that action). Flags double-opt-in and fraud filtering before nurture, and routes deliverability to /sales-deliverability. Result: Entrants land on the right list, ready to nurture.

Example 3: Refer-a-friend or affiliate — which, and how do entries count?

User says: "Does RafflePress do referrals, and should I use it instead of an affiliate program?" Skill does: Explains RafflePress refer-a-friend is a giveaway entry mechanic (+10 entries per referral, share actions +2–5) to grow a list/virality — not a commission-based affiliate program. Recommends RafflePress for viral list growth and routes commission-based partner programs to /sales-affiliate-program. Notes entries are credited via the referral link and to watch for self-referral fraud. Result: User picks the right mechanic and understands how referral entries are counted.

Troubleshooting

My webhook isn't receiving social-follow data

Symptom: The webhook fires on signup but never includes which social accounts the entrant followed. Cause: By design — RafflePress does not share data from third-party social actions (Facebook/X/YouTube/Instagram/Pinterest) over the webhook; only the email-signup fields are sent. Solution: Use the webhook for the contestant identity (email, giveaway_id, name, sign_up_date) and read social-action completion inside the RafflePress dashboard/reporting. If you need per-action automation, use Uncanny Automator on the WordPress side instead.

My Zapier zap won't connect / no trigger data

Symptom: RafflePress won't authenticate in Zapier, or "New Contestant Created" returns nothing. Cause: The API key wasn't taken from the Join an Email Newsletter action (it's per-action, not a global key), the website URL was wrong, or there's more than one newsletter action on the giveaway. Solution: Add a Join an Email Newsletter action, choose Zapier in its dropdown, copy that API key, and connect with your website URL + API key. Keep to one newsletter action per giveaway. Use a sample contestant to test the trigger.

My giveaway is full of fake entries

Symptom: A spike of disposable-email or duplicate entries. Cause: Viral giveaways attract fraud — disposable emails, multi-entry, self-referral. Solution: Rely on built-in fraud protection but add your own checks — validate/verify emails before counting, watch for refer-a-friend self-referrals, require double opt-in, and review entrants before awarding prizes. For list quality/deliverability afterward, use /sales-deliverability.