How to make an engaging creative contest
Many commercial accounts host a repost contest, well, at least once. We see much fewer creative competitions, and often from big brands. The main reason why small businesses avoid such activity is that they rarely participate in creative competitions. This happens because of the poor organization of this interactive. In this article we will tell you what a creative competition should be like in order to interest the audience.
Attractive Prize
Any competition involves victory, and a prize is awarded for victory. And the prize must be worthy. It can be one thing, or consist of several. The main thing is its value and desirability. The easiest way is to offer the latest iPhone. Yes, the audience will probably participate more, but the chance that it will be non-targeted and will not be interested in the product in any way is great. And the business arranges a competition just to attract those who will become a client in the future.
The prize must be a company product or service. Something from the range with a check above average. So the prize will be coveted, and people will participate interested. Try to create a generous offer that will definitely seem interesting to your target audience, so that you want to work hard for it.
Several awards
There may be three of them, as on the podium of sports competitions. But the more chances people have to take at least some prize-winning place, the more willingly they will take part in the interactive. Extreme places can receive purely symbolic gifts, but still at least somewhat valuable.
Also, places can be arranged not by the number of points or votes scored, but by category. For example, there is a main winner, but there is a sympathy prize, a prize for the most difficult implementation, and so on. Depending on the conditions of the competition, you can come up with different categories.
One main condition
The less action in the competition, the better. Each additional stage repels part of the audience from the desire to take part in the activity. Even formats with reposts are often complicated by a bunch of requirements: subscribe to 5 accounts, leave a comment under the contest posts there, put likes and so on.
A creative competition will require more effort anyway, so it’s not worth burdening people with additional conditions. The main condition should not be a subscription, but the implementation of a creative idea. Then let the person either send it for evaluation, or post it with a contest hashtag. Nothing more is required of him. So there will be more participants.
Realization of creativity
If the competition allows it, then it would be ideal to realize the creative idea of the winner. For example, brand contests among illustrators are also interesting because their drawing can end up on clothes, a skateboard, or at least a phone case. This will create great motivation. If some people are not interested in the main prize, then the implementation of their idea in any format will definitely attract.
Heat up interest
For the duration of the competition, do not forget to remind about it on your sites. But not messages in the format “5 days left until the end of the acceptance of works”. Share the “life” of the competition: post user-generated content of preparation for the competition, tell more about the prize, show the creativity of those who participated in past interactives. This will create an atmosphere that activity is gaining momentum, and those people who do not like to miss all the interesting things will take part.