3. How the wheel works: overview.
4.5. How to publish the Wheel.
1. Introduction.
With Cool Tabs you can create Prize Wheel campaigns to distribute prizes instantly in a dynamic and visually engaging way. Participants spin the wheel and find out on the spot whether they've won and what prize they've received.
From a technical standpoint, the wheel serves as a visual interface that displays the results of another mechanism running in the background: Instant Wins (or winning moments). It's the Instant Wins that determine who wins, when, and what prize they receive. The wheel is simply the way the result is presented to the user engagingly.
This type of campaign is particularly effective for boosting engagement, capturing leads, and building customer loyalty — because the element of chance and the spinning animation create anticipation and encourage participants to share their result.
2. Ideas and examples.
The most common combination is the Wheel with Instant Win: prizes scheduled by date and time, distributed randomly and instantly among participants.
Some frequent use cases:
Ecommerce promotions: discounts, free shipping or buy-one-get-one codes that users discover by spinning the wheel.
Loyalty campaigns: prizes for returning customers on key dates (such as anniversaries, Black Friday, etc.).
Point-of-sale activations: the customer accesses the wheel after a purchase and finds out if they've won a prize.
Wheel embedded in a web page or popup: appears directly in your store or website to capture leads and reduce bounce rate. Example of a Wheel embedded in a popup.
Wheel with consolation prize: users who don't win the main prize always get something (a discount, for example), so no one leaves empty-handed.
The wheel is also compatible with other mechanics. Here are some examples of what you can set up:
Wheel + Personality Test: the wheel doesn't distribute prizes but results. The section where it lands depends on the answers the user gave in the quiz.
Wheel + Points-based Quiz: the wheel section shown to the user is assigned based on the score they achieved when answering the questionnaire.
Wheel + Code Validation: the user must enter a code beforehand in order to spin the wheel. Ideal for promotions tied to a purchase. DEMO of Wheel with code validation.
3. How the wheel works: overview.
Before getting into the step-by-step configuration, it is useful to understand how this mechanic works and how its main components relate to each other.
The mechanic
The participation flow is as follows:
The user accesses the campaign.
They fill in a form with their details.
The wheel spins and stops on a section.
The user instantly finds out whether they have won and what prize they have obtained.
The user perceives the spin as random, but the result is already determined at the moment of participation: the system first decides whether a prize applies (based on the configured Instant Wins) and then moves the wheel to the corresponding section.
The sections
The wheel is divided into sections (the "slices" of the circle), which are the fields where the selector can stop when the wheel spins.
Each section is customized with a color, a text and, optionally, an image. The same section can appear multiple times on the wheel to increase its frequency and balance the visual design.
The default section
One of the sections is the default section. It is the one that will be shown to all participants who have not been assigned any Instant Win. In a wheel with instant prizes, this section should always be the "no winner" or "no prize" one.
If you want all participants to always win a guaranteed prize, set the lowest-value prize (for example, a 5% discount) as the default section. This way, users without an assigned Instant Win will always receive at least that consolation prize.
How the system decides which section to show
When a user participates, the system checks whether they are eligible for a prize based on the Instant Wins you have configured. From there:
If the user has a prize assigned, the wheel spins and stops on the section linked to that specific Instant Win.
If the user has no prize, the wheel spins and stops on the default section.
Example
Imagine a wheel like the one in the image, with 4 different section types, each repeated twice, giving a total of 8 sections.
Of those 4 different sections, 3 correspond to prizes, each linked to its own Instant Win:
Buy one get one free (2x1)
Mystery prize
Free shipping
The 4th section is a 10% discount and is the default section — the one shown to all participants who have not been assigned any Instant Win. In this case, it is not a blank "no prize" section, but a consolation prize that everyone receives.
Users with an Instant Win assigned will see the wheel stop on their specific prize section (2x1, mystery prize or free shipping). Everyone else will always land on the 10% discount.
4. Step by step.
4.1. Create the campaign.
First, you need to create your campaign and configure the basic settings. Is this your first time creating a campaign in Cool Tabs? The following tutorial shows you how to configure the basic sections of a campaign, as well as other recommended settings to ensure it works correctly and maximizes results.
How to start creating a campaign: basic settings.
If you have any questions, contact us at help@cool-tabs.com
4.2. Configure the Wheel.
Go to the 'Gamifications' section, select the wheel and click 'Configure'.
4.2.1. Wheel section setup.
Add the sections. These sections are the fields where the wheel selector can land when it spins.
For each section, you need to fill in the following fields:
Public name: the name that will appear on the wheel section.
Internal name: a name to help you identify each section internally.
Occurrences: the number of times this section will appear on the wheel.
Image (optional): You can add an image to display in the section.
Section images
Images must have specific dimensions to fit correctly. If you decide to include images, consult the full tutorial with all the technical specifications (dimensions, how to export each section, vertex orientation, etc.).
How to prepare your wheel images
Important: Make sure you define all your sections before moving on. When you set up the Instant Wins in the next step, you'll need to link each prize to a specific section of the wheel — so they need to exist first.
4.2.2. Other settings.
Set the default section
Indicate which section will be shown to participants with no prize assigned. As explained in the "Overview" section above, this is the section shown to all participants who have not been assigned any Instant Win.
In a wheel with instant prizes, this section should always be the "no winner" or "no prize" one.
4.2.3. Design.
When will the wheel be displayed?
You can choose at which point in the experience the wheel is shown to the user. There are two options:
a) On the data form.
The wheel is visible from the start, before and while the user fills in their details. Once the form is submitted, the wheel stops and the result screen appears.
This is how it will look:
Keep in mind that:
By default, the wheel is shown spinning while the user completes the form.
You can activate the option to show a button ("TRY YOUR LUCK") so the user clicks before accessing the form. When they click it, they are taken to the form page with the wheel already spinning. To enable this, check 'A button click is required on the data form for the wheel to start spinning'. This option also allows you to include content (text and/or images) as a landing page before the wheel, by completing the Description field.
This is how the wheel will look with the 'TRY YOUR LUCK' button.
b) On the final screen.
The wheel is not shown while the user fills in the form: it remains hidden until the end. Once the data is submitted, the result screen appears with the wheel spinning and stopping on the winning section.
This option is useful if you prefer the user to focus on filling in their details without the visual distraction of the spinning wheel.
Image for the center of the wheel
You can add a central image to customize the wheel with a logo or icon, highlighting your branding or theme. You can choose whether the image rotates with the wheel or remains static.
Tips for best results:
- Use a transparent, square PNG.
- Keep it small (50-100 px) to avoid overlapping with the segments.
- If you enable rotation, the central circle will not be displayed, so it is advisable for the image background not to be completely transparent and to include a color.
Border and arrow colors
You can customize the following elements:
Outer color of the border, arrow and wheel decorations.
Background color of the wheel border.
Font size for each section
You can adjust the font size of the texts displayed in the wheel sections to improve readability and match your campaign design.
Keep in mind that if the font size is increased too much, the text may slightly overflow the section area.
Wheel stopping time
You can adjust how many seconds the wheel spins before stopping to improve the user experience.
Wheel design
Finally, select the design style for your wheel:
Classic
Minimalist
Once you have finished configuring the wheel, save your changes and return to the campaign editor. Depending on the type of wheel you want to create, you will continue with one configuration or another as explained below.
4.3. Wheel with Instant Win.
The most common option is to configure a wheel combined with instant prize distribution.
To configure individual Instant Wins or winning moments, you need to have the wheel sections already defined (as explained in the previous step), so you can assign each winning moment to its corresponding section.
1. Go to the 'Instant Wins' section.
2. Enable the option 'Automatic winner selection via Instant Win'.
3. Click the 'Individual Instant Win Management' button and assign prizes to specific sections.
To configure the Instant Wins, consult the tutorial: How to create an Instant Win campaign with instant winners.
In the configuration of each Instant Win, you will be able to link it to the wheel section that corresponds to that prize.
4.4. Other combinations.
4.4.1. Wheel with a personality test.
In this case, the result isn't random — it depends on the participant's answers to a personality test. Each profile or category is linked to a section of the wheel, which becomes a more dynamic and engaging way to reveal what would otherwise be a static results screen.
When to use it: when you want participants to "discover" their result in a fun way. For example, "What kind of traveller are you?" — and the wheel lands on "Adventurer", "City Explorer" or "Beach Lover".
After configuring the wheel, you will need to configure the quiz.
1. Create the test from the 'Quiz' section. Assign categories based on the answers. Depending on the answers the user selects, they will be assigned a category and a final result.
You can refer to the tutorial How to create a personality test.
2. Go to the 'Final screen' section > 'Individual final screen management'.
3. In the Individual final screen management, configure each final screen and assign a category to each one. Don't forget to define the associated section on the wheel. This way, if a user answers the quiz questions and obtains a specific category, it will be displayed on the final screen with the wheel.
You can refer to the tutorial: How to configure thank you or results screens.
4. Save the changes.
4.4.2. Wheel with a points-based quiz.
Similar to the above, but here the section the wheel lands on is determined by the score the participant achieves in a knowledge quiz or trivia. You define score ranges and assign each one to a wheel section.
When to use it: when you want to reward knowledge or accuracy. For example, scoring over 80 lands on "Special Prize", between 50 and 80 on "10% Discount", and below 50 on "Better luck next time".
After configuring the wheel, you will need to configure the points-based quiz.
1. Configure the test from the 'Quiz' section, assigning points to each answer.
You can refer to the tutorial How to create a trivia or knowledge test.
2. Go to the 'Final screen' section > 'Individual final screen management'.
3. Configure the final screens and, for each one, define the points and link them to wheel sections.
You can refer to the tutorial How to configure thank you or results screens.
4. Save the changes.
4.4.3. Wheel with code validation.
Here, the participant must enter a code — previously distributed via product labels, receipts, emails, etc. — to spin the wheel. Each code can be linked, or not, to a prize and to a specific wheel section.
When to use it: when you want to connect an offline action (a purchase, an event, a mailing) with a digital experience. The customer buys, receives a code, and spins the wheel to find out if they've won.
To configure code validation:
1. Enable validation from the 'Validation' section and upload the codes (up to 15,000).
2. Add the codes that the application will validate when users enter them during participation. You can upload, free of charge, up to 15,000 codes. Add the codes in an Excel or CSV file.
If you have distributed repeated codes, enable 'Code reuse' so that the same code can be used by different participants.
In this case, the wheel is linked to Instant Wins (winning moments) that you must have previously configured, as described in section 4.3 of this tutorial. However, not all codes need to be winning codes. You can configure a campaign where users must enter a code to participate, and that code may or may not be linked to a prize.
3. Go to the 'Final screen' section to customize the message shown by default to users who enter a non-winning code.
4. Configure the screens that winners will see, in 'Final screen' > 'Individual final screen management'. You will need to add as many screens as types of prizes you are distributing, specifying which codes participants must enter to see each screen and linking it to a wheel section.
5. Save changes.
4.5. How to publish the Wheel.
4.5.1. As a microsite.
Each campaign has a unique URL that you can share on social media, blogs, etc.
Through this link, users will access the campaign and participate via the microsite. It is also compatible with mobile.
How to access your campaign's unique URL to publish it.
4.5.2. Embedded in a web page.
We provide a content widget so any campaign can be embedded in a website, blog, or microsite. There are two ways to embed a campaign:
a) Inline.
Add the HTML code we provide to your website.
b) Popup.
Display the wheel through a pop-up window.
See the tutorial: How to add/embed your campaign in a pop-up on your website.
Once you have created and saved your campaign, you can publish it. To do so, go to the main page where your campaign list appears.
Click the settings icon and then 'Publish'.
There you will find the campaign URL to publish it on your social media, blog, newsletter, etc.
5. Other specifications.
You can create a wheel with the following applications:
Cool Promo (Gold plan)
Cool Promo White Label (Diamond plan)
If you are not yet a Cool Tabs user, you can also create your wheel with the 7-day Free Trial, which lets you try any of our plans.
If you have any questions, contact us at help@cool-tabs.com.
6. Related content.
How to access your campaign URL to publish it.
How to create a Scratch and Win campaign to distribute instant prizes.
How to distribute Instant Win prizes based on participants' answers.
How to create a points or correct answers campaign.
How to create a personality test.
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