=== Contests by Rewards Fuel ===
Contributors: Rewards Fuel
Tags: contests, giveaways, sweepstakes, embed, shortcode, social media, referrals, newsletter, widget, marketing, promotion, engagement, instagram, facebook, twitter, youtube
Donate link: https://rewardsfuel.com/pricing
Requires at least: 5.8
Requires PHP: 7.4
Tested up to: 7.0
Stable tag: 3.2.6
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Embed Rewards Fuel contests on your WordPress site with a shortcode or block. Create and manage campaigns in the Rewards Fuel dashboard.

== Description ==

**Contests by Rewards Fuel** connects your WordPress site to the Rewards Fuel platform. Use this plugin to embed live contests on any post or page. Create contests, entry methods, prizes, and rules in the **Rewards Fuel web dashboard** — the plugin handles connection and embedding.

= What this plugin does =

* Connect your site with an API key from **Account → WordPress Integration** in the dashboard
* View your contests inside **WordPress admin → Rewards Fuel**
* Copy a shortcode or use the **Rewards Fuel Contest** Gutenberg block
* Embed the contest widget on posts, pages, and most themes
* Link out to the dashboard to edit contests, view stats, and pick winners

= What you build in Rewards Fuel (not inside WordPress) =

* Contest schedule, rules, prizes, and appearance
* Entry methods (social actions, newsletter signup, questions, referrals, and more — by plan)
* Hosted contest page at `r-f.page` or embed on your own site
* Statistics, CSV export, winner selection, and prize claim flow

= Popular entry methods =

Available entry methods depend on your plan. Examples include:

1. **Click to enter** — simple one-click entry
2. **Newsletter signup** — collect email addresses (with optional confirmation for newsletter entries)
3. **Refer a friend** — bonus entries when friends enter via a share link
4. **Answer a question** — collect feedback or quiz answers
5. **Visit a URL** — drive traffic to a landing page
6. **Code word** — entrants enter a secret phrase
7. **Social actions** — Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, LinkedIn, Discord, Telegram, Twitch, and more (link-based actions; availability varies by plan)
8. **Email list member** — allow pre-approved emails on your contest list to enter
9. **File upload** — photo or document submissions

= Platform features (dashboard) =

* **Physical and digital prizes** — upload digital prize files; winners claim online
* **Geo restrictions** — block selected countries from entering
* **Bot protection** — optional Cloudflare Turnstile per contest
* **Custom appearance** — colors, fonts, backgrounds, and widget wording
* **11 widget languages** — English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese
* **Contest statistics** — entries, methods, countries, traffic, referrers, device breakdown, and entrant summaries
* **CSV export** — download confirmed entrants from the dashboard
* **Winner tools** — random or manual winner selection; optional auto-pick and winner notification emails when the contest ends
* **Scheduled draws** — weekly, daily, or end-of-contest prize draws while live
* **Copy a contest** — duplicate setup for your next campaign

= Embed on WordPress =

After connecting your API key, embed any contest with:

`[rewardsfuel id="YOUR_CONTEST_REF"]`

Legacy shortcodes still work:

`[rf_contest id="123"]`

Or add the **Rewards Fuel Contest** block in the block editor.

= Pricing =

Rewards Fuel offers a free tier plus paid plans with more entry methods and stats. All paid plans include unlimited contests and entries. See current pricing at [rewardsfuel.com/pricing](https://rewardsfuel.com/pricing).

= Get started =

1. [Create a free account](https://app.rewardsfuel.com/signup)
2. Create a contest in the dashboard
3. Generate an API key under **Account → WordPress Integration**
4. In WordPress: **Rewards Fuel → Your account** → paste your key
5. Copy the shortcode from **Rewards Fuel → Contests** into any post or page

Questions? Email [info@rewardsfuel.com](mailto:info@rewardsfuel.com).

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` or install from the WordPress.org plugin directory
2. Activate **Contests by Rewards Fuel** under **Plugins**
3. Go to **Rewards Fuel → Your account** and paste your API key from the Rewards Fuel dashboard
4. Open **Rewards Fuel → Contests**, copy a shortcode, and paste it into a post or page

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Do I create contests inside WordPress? =

No. Contests are created and managed at [app.rewardsfuel.com](https://app.rewardsfuel.com). This plugin lists your contests and embeds them on your site.

= How do I connect my account? =

Sign in to Rewards Fuel, open **Account → WordPress Integration**, generate an API key, then paste it on **Rewards Fuel → Your account** in WordPress.

= How do I embed a contest? =

Use the shortcode shown in the plugin contest list, for example `[rewardsfuel id="2BB52"]`, or insert the **Rewards Fuel Contest** block and choose a contest.

= Does the plugin sync entries to Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or other email tools? =

No. The WordPress plugin does not export or sync entrants to third-party email providers. You can collect emails with a newsletter entry method and export entrants to CSV from the Rewards Fuel dashboard.

= Can I export my contestants? =

Yes — from the Rewards Fuel dashboard **Stats** tab for each contest (CSV download). That export is not built into the WordPress admin screens.

= What statistics are available? =

In the dashboard: total and unique entries, entries by method, top countries, traffic and referrers, device breakdown, live entry feed, entrant summaries, and winner history. Depth of stats views depends on your plan.

= Are social entries verified automatically? =

Most social entry methods use trackable links or on-page actions. They encourage the desired action but are not the same as deep API verification for every network. Facebook Like and Instagram follow verification is limited industry-wide.

= Can I run the contest on a hosted page instead of WordPress? =

Yes. Every contest has a hosted URL at `r-f.page` in addition to the embed shortcode.

= What does this cost? =

There is a free tier. Paid plans add more entry methods and statistics. See [rewardsfuel.com/pricing](https://rewardsfuel.com/pricing).

= Something we missed? =

Email us at [info@rewardsfuel.com](mailto:info@rewardsfuel.com).

== Screenshots ==

1. Rewards Fuel contest list in WordPress admin with shortcodes and dashboard links
2. Connect your account with an API key
3. Gutenberg block — pick a contest to embed
4. Classic editor meta box — copy a shortcode into post content
5. Embedded contest widget on the front end of your site
6. Contest builder and stats in the Rewards Fuel web dashboard (manage at [app.rewardsfuel.com](https://app.rewardsfuel.com))

== Changelog ==

= 3.2.6 =
* Material-inspired admin UI refresh (Roboto, cards, chips, pill buttons)
* Fix Gutenberg contest block not appearing on the public site (server-side block registration)
* Unified account connection card; dashboard links include your site URL for API key setup
* Contest list: full-width table, fixed shortcode copy, cleaner Edit/Stats/Visit action group
* Winner Picker admin page shipped in the plugin package
* Block editor and Winner Picker styling aligned with the new admin UI

= 3.2.1 =
* Fix critical error on update: register the weekly cron interval before scheduling (3.2.0 used an invalid schedule name)
* Safer plugin activation — telemetry runs on shutdown and cannot white-screen the site
* Fix meta box callback that could trigger "Cannot redeclare function" on some editors
* Harden contest telemetry snapshot parsing

= 3.2.0 =
* Site telemetry for the Rewards Fuel platform: plugin/WP/PHP versions, theme, locale, embed post count, contest counts
* Weekly heartbeat (`POST /api/wp/ping`) so we know which sites are still active
* Sends `disconnected` before removing the API key; all API calls include site URL headers for last-seen tracking
* Connect and activate events now include a full site snapshot

= 3.1.2 =
* Declared compatibility with WordPress 7.0

= 3.1.1 =
* Production URLs: dashboard at app.rewardsfuel.com, API at app.rewardsfuel.com/api/wp/
* Plugin-side error logging to Rewards Fuel admin Logs (connect, API failures, deactivation)
* Fixed deactivation hook (no longer calls removed legacy helpers)

= 3.1.0 =
* Fixed widget embed markup (`rf-widget` mount div required by the v2 widget)
* Encoded contest refs in shortcodes; `[rewardsfuel id="REF"]` matches the web dashboard
* Updated dashboard and app URLs for the v2 Cloudflare API
* Dynamic Gutenberg block with server-side render
* Legacy embed upgrade path for older saved blocks
* Rewrote plugin readme for accurate v2 features (removed outdated email-provider export claims)

= 3.0.0 =
* Complete rewrite for v2 infrastructure: API key auth, new widget URLs, simplified WordPress admin

= 2.0.66 =
* Maintenance release for legacy platform

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 3.2.6 =
UI refresh, reliable contest block embeds on the front end, and Winner Picker in admin. Re-save posts that use the Rewards Fuel block after updating.

= 3.2.1 =
Fixes a site-breaking error some hosts saw after updating to 3.2.0. Recommended for all 3.2.0 installs.

= 3.2.0 =
Adds optional site telemetry and a weekly heartbeat so Rewards Fuel can support your install better. No settings changes required.

= 3.1.2 =
Compatibility update for WordPress 7.0. No functional changes.

= 3.1.1 =
Production cutover: connect with an API key from **Account → WordPress Integration** at app.rewardsfuel.com.

= 3.1.0 =
Connect with an API key from **Account → WordPress Integration** in the Rewards Fuel dashboard. Preferred shortcode: `[rewardsfuel id="REF"]`. `[rf_contest id="123"]` still works.

== Translations ==

Widget copy supports 11 languages (configured per contest in the dashboard). The WordPress plugin admin UI is English.
