Create ideas using: Consumer contest
Why run a contest when I could just make great content myself?
Because people care more about what their peers create than what brands create. A contest turns your audience into creators. They invest emotionally because they've made something. They share because they're proud. They recruit others to vote. You've turned passive consumers into active advocates creating content for you. That's way more powerful than anything you could produce alone. Plus, user-created content feels real in ways brand content never does.
How do I make a contest people actually want to enter instead of ignore?
Make it easy to participate and meaningful to win. The barrier to entry has to be low—maybe 30 seconds of effort, not an hour. The prize should matter to your audience, not just be free stuff. But the real incentive is visibility and recognition. People enter contests to be seen. Show previous contest winners prominently. Make the act of creating feel fun and rewarding. The contest is the campaign; if people are having fun participating, you've already won.
Example: How it could look
A coffee brand could run a contest: 'Show us your morning ritual in 15 seconds.' The barrier is low—anyone with a phone can enter. The prize matters: winners get featured in their actual marketing, get free coffee for a year, become ambassadors. But the real motivation is 'I'm going to be in their ads.' People create, share, recruit friends to vote. The brand gets thousands of authentic moments showing how people actually use the product. That's content gold.
Or like this:
Why is Consumer contest a great technique?
Contest campaigns work because they turn consumers into creators—user-generated content feels real and spreads further than brand content ever could.
Generates authentic user-created content
Creates emotional investment through participation
Builds community around shared challenge
Spreads further because people share their entries
The best contests don't feel like you're asking for something—they feel like an opportunity for people to show up. When participation is fun and easy, and recognition is real, people become your most powerful marketing force.
! When not to use the Consumer contest Technique
When the barrier to entry is too high or when you can't actually deliver meaningful recognition. If you run a contest but then bury the winners or don't actually feature them, you've broken the trust. Also skip it if your audience isn't actually creative or doesn't care about visibility—some communities don't want to participate in contests, and forcing it feels desperate.
Technique first described by www.deckofbrilliance.com