Overview

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to run contests to boost user engagement, with a focus on setting clear goals, incentivizing participation, and utilizing leaderboards. It offers creative contest ideas, ready-to-use email templates for communication, and best practices for contest duration and promotion to establish user habits and increase platform activity.

 

Information

How to Run a Contest

Running a contest can significantly increase user engagement on your platform. Here, we'll explore the steps and best practices to ensure your contest is successful.

 

4 Contest Ideas

Need inspiration for your next contest? We've compiled four creative contest ideas that can help re-engage your audience and encourage sharing.

 

Contest Email Templates

Effective communication is key to contest success. Use our ready-made email templates to streamline your contest announcements and follow-ups.

 

 

How to Run a Contest

Want to improve a specific behavior among your users? Run a contest! Contests help you establish habits among your users such as sharing posts and suggesting content.

 

Tips for Running Your Contest

• Set a specific goal. Be clear and intentional about what you want to achieve with the contest.

• Base the contest around one of these 4 habits: signing in, sharing, suggesting, and/or registering. The Leaderboard can be adjusted accordingly to reflect the specific goals of your contest.

• Use prizes to incentivize users (e.g., gift cards, half day PTO, lunch with the CEO).

• Promote the contest for 2-3 weeks beforehand on all available communication channels (e.g., email newsletters, Slack/Teams reminders, team meeting updates).

• Run the contest for at least 4 weeks as it takes 21 days to establish a habit (and the goal of running contests is to establish habits).

• Brand the contest in a fun way, using creative names (e.g., Sharing is Caring, Game of Shares). Make sure execs get in on the excitement!

 

4 Contest Ideas

Utilize your Leaderboard(s) to create exciting contests! Award prizes for the top 3 highest achieving users and keep the team regularly updated on the standings during the contest. Users can also see how they are doing in the Leaderboard and will be motivated by their competitive spirit.

 

Registration Contest

Goal: Get more users to sign up/register for PostBeyond.

How: Enter users who have registered in the past 2 weeks in a raffle for a prize. In the Admin side of the platform, you can select the date range and look up who has registered in that time period.

 

Sign-In Contest

Goal: Getting users to sign in regularly.

How: Try a 30-day challenge, offer raffle entries for sharing 3-5 times a week. Find the data in the Analytics tab on the Admin side of the platform. Consider doing a combination sign-in and share contest!

 

Share Contest

Goal: Increase your user's share rates. Get them sharing more posts to social media!

How: In the Leaderboard settings, add zeros for every other category and assign your desired point value to shares.

 

Suggestion Contest

Goal: Get users in the habit of suggesting content. Make sourcing articles less time-consuming for your content teams and create more content your users want to see.

How: In the Leaderboard settings, add zeros for every other category, assign your desired point values to suggestions.

 

 

Email Templates for Contests

Take advantage of our Newsletter function to send out emails to inform and update your team on contests. Keep the emails short and sweet and don't forget to include the contest timeline, the prize(s), and how to win. See below for some inspiration to get you started!

 

SUBJECT: Let's Get Registered: PostBeyond Contest

Hi there,

Have you registered for PostBeyond yet? Register in the next 2 weeks to be entered in a raffle to win *insert prize here*!

PostBeyond is an employee advocacy platform with a content library full of interesting and relevant posts that are just waiting to be shared. Connect your social media accounts to share directly from PostBeyond! Grow your network today.

 

SUBJECT: Sharing is Caring: PostBeyond Contest

Hi there,

Ready to win? Share today on PostBeyond! Stay top of mind and stand out as an industry thought leader by sharing relevant content to your network. Keep score using the Leaderboard and see how you rank amongst the team. Share away!

 

SUBJECT: Suggest Away: PostBeyond Contest

Hi there,

Get suggesting, folks! We want to know what content you want to see in PostBeyond. Suggest articles that you find interesting and relevant to earn points and make your way up the Leaderboard. There are exciting prizes for the top 3 suggesters!

 

 

Helpful Resources

Explore the following resources for more information:

• Best Practices for Running Contests
• Team Leaderboards Overview (for Admins)
• Email Templates to Boost User Sharing

 

FAQ

What are some creative contest ideas to re-engage users?

The article suggests four contest ideas: a registration contest to encourage sign-ups, a sign-in contest to promote regular logins, a share contest to boost social media sharing, and a suggestion contest to involve users in content curation.

How long should I run a contest to effectively establish user habits?

It is recommended to run a contest for at least four weeks, as it typically takes around 21 days to establish a new habit.

What type of prizes can be used to incentivize users to participate in contests?

Prizes can range from gift cards and half-day paid time off (PTO) to lunch with the CEO, depending on what motivates your user base.

How can I use leaderboards to enhance the contest experience?

Leaderboards can be used to track and display user achievements, encouraging a competitive spirit and motivating users to engage more with the platform.

What are some tips for promoting a contest effectively?

Promote the contest 2-3 weeks in advance using all available communication channels such as email newsletters, Slack/Teams reminders, and team meeting updates, and ensure the contest is branded in a fun and engaging way.