The ultra contest Your Customers Actually Want to Join

Listen, I want to tell you about this one client. A fantastic little bakery in Minneapolis I was working with last year. They were making these incredible sourdough loaves-I mean, truly world-class stuff-but they were just bleeding money on Facebook ads. They'd set up a "like and share" contest, boosted the post for $500, and got a handful of new followers and, like, zero new customers. The owner was so frustrated. He said to me, "Byron, I feel like I'm just shouting into the void."

And that's it, right there. That’s the problem I’ve seen for 15 years.

We're all told to run an ultra contest to get engagement, but honestly, most of them are just plain boring. They're chores. Small businesses do not need another chore to manage, and your customers certainly don't need another one to do. They need something that works.

Honestly, Most Contests Are Just... Noise

Here's the thing that drives me absolutely crazy. You see this advice everywhere from so-called gurus: "Just run a contest! Go viral!" I hate when people say "go viral" like it's a button you can just push. For most small businesses, the standard "like our page, tag 3 friends, and share to your story" contest is dead. It was okay back in 2018, maybe. But now? People have banner blindness to that stuff. It feels transactional and, frankly, a little desperate.

It doesn't build a real connection. It just clutters up a newsfeed for 48 hours and then it's gone. And you're left with a bunch of low-quality followers who will never buy from you and will probably unfollow you next week. It's a sugar rush, not a sustainable meal. That's not a marketing strategy-it's just lazy.

This is where I started really digging into gamification. Because what if your [ultra contest] wasn't a chore, but was actually... you know... fun?

So, How Do You Make a Contest That Doesn't Suck?

Look, you make it a game. It's that simple. People are wired to play. I've been doing this since about 2015, and back then, the tools were clunky and expensive. But now... platforms like Faisco have made it ridiculously easy. It solves the exact problem I see constantly: businesses want to do this stuff, but they don't have a developer on staff or a $10,000 agency budget.

And it works. I'm not just saying that.

• I set up a "Pet Match & Win" game for a yoga studio in Calgary. They wanted newsletter subscribers. In two and a half weeks, they got 893 new subscribers.
• For a craft brewery in Milwaukee, we ran a "Summer Catch" game on Instagram. Their goal was just raw engagement. They got 2,735 new Instagram story views in about 10 days. People were sharing it like crazy.
• I even did this for a little independent bookstore in Vancouver-we ran a "Quick Catch" game, and they got 685 new Facebook page likes in two weeks. And these weren't just random people; they were people who actually played a book-themed game.

The point is, you're not just asking them to "engage." You're giving them a fun, 30-second distraction. It's an [ultra contest] that provides actual value in the moment, and that changes everything.

The Kinds of Games That Actually Get People Clicking

Okay, so what actually works? You can't just throw any old game at people. It's got to match your goal. Here's what I've found works best for my clients, and these are all things you can build in Faisco in minutes.

For pure lead capture: Go with the Instant Draw games. I'm talking "Lucky Spin," "Scratch Ticket," or a "Lucky Draw." I've seen landing pages with a "Spin to Win" wheel hit over 40% conversion rates on email signups. It's that little immediate dopamine hit... you know? People can't resist finding out if they won right now.

For social sharing: Reactive games are your best bet. Think "Whac-A-Mole" or "Burger Stacker." These require a bit of skill, so people get competitive. They share their high scores and challenge their friends. This is how you get that organic reach everyone's chasing.

For holidays (this is genius): Catching Games are killer for seasonal marketing. Faisco has pre-built templates for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day... all of it. I had three different retail clients run the "Fill My Christmas Stocking" game last December, and every single one saw their engagement spike over 300% compared to their regular posts. It’s a no-brainer.

There are others, too-Quizzes for qualifying leads, Action Games for younger crowds. You basically find a game that fits your brand and your goal for the [ultra contest].

Faisco vs. The Other Guys (Yeah, I'm Talking About Gleam)

People ask me all the time, "Byron, what about Gleam. io?" And look, Gleam is a solid tool. It's powerful. But frankly, for 90% of the small businesses I work with, it is total overkill. It’s like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame. Their plans start at $39/month and its way more complicated than it needs to be.

I can get a client's Faisco campaign live in under 10 minutes. No joke. I timed it once. With Gleam, I'm still fiddling with the settings and integrations an hour later, trying to explain to my client why we need six different entry methods. Faisco gives you what you need-the fun game, the lead capture form, the easy social sharing-without all the bloat.

And the platform integration is key. Faisco's games feel more native on Facebook and Instagram. They don't just feel like a random link you're dumping on your feed, which is a problem I've had with some other tools. That little bit of friction can make a huge difference in whether someone actually plays or just keeps scrolling.

Okay, So What Can You Actually Expect?

An [ultra contest] built with gamification isn't a magic wand. I want to be clear about that. But it is an incredibly effective tool when used correctly.

What I typically tell my clients to expect is something in the ballpark of a 200-400% increase in social media followers and a 150-300% growth in their email list within the first month of running a campaign. And these aren't empty numbers-I've seen this pattern repeat across dozens of businesses, from cafes to chiropractors.

Why does it work so well? Because you're shifting the entire dynamic. You're not begging for attention. You're earning it by providing a moment of fun. It's a gift, not an ask.

So, here's my advice. If you're thinking about running a contest, stop. Don't just post another "like and share" graphic. Instead, take 15 minutes this week. Go look at a platform like Faisco. Think about the next holiday coming up-Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, whatever. Imagine running a "Catch the Falling Hearts" game instead of just another "Win a dinner for two!" post.

Which one do you think your customers are actually going to remember? Which one will they talk about? That's the one you should build.

Transform Your Marketing with Faisco: Gamify, Go Viral, Grow Faster

Tired of seeing great marketing ideas stuck in development limbo? Want to launch interactive campaigns that not only engage but explode organically, driving predictable growth? Meet Faisco, your all-in-one SaaS platform for gamified marketing and lightning-fast viral growth. Design and deploy high-converting contests, engaging quizzes, viral giveaways, and interactive lead-capture forms in minutes – absolutely no coding needed. Faisco provides an unfair advantage for achieving measurable, engagement-driven marketing success.

Launch Instantly with 100+ Proven & Customizable Campaign Templates

Stop starting from scratch. Jumpstart your user acquisition and build lasting customer engagement with our arsenal of over 100 professionally designed, battle-tested gamified templates. Effortlessly launch captivating spin-to-wins, viral giveaways, competitions, leaderboards, and engaging games in mere minutes. Each template is engineered for maximum participation, shares, and high-quality conversion rates, ensuring your campaigns hit the ground running. No technical skills required - just your creativity.

Click to see more exquisite campaign templates.

Unlock Explosive Growth with Our Built-In Viral Marketing Engine

Go beyond basic sharing and truly ignite word-of-mouth. Faisco's integrated viral marketing toolkit is designed to supercharge your organic reach and turn your audience into your most effective advocates:

• Smart Social Sharing: Seamless one-click sharing optimized for today's top social platforms (X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & more).
• Incentivized Referrals & Viral Loops: Motivate users to spread the word with customizable rewards and Points Systems, dramatically boosting your campaign's K-factor (viral coefficient).
• Automated Network Effects: Watch your participant numbers and brand mentions multiply as Faisco's system encourages natural, exponential amplification of your campaign message.

Amplify Your Reach with Seamless Multi-Channel Distribution

Don't limit your campaign's potential. Faisco empowers you to:

• Effortlessly Distribute: Push your interactive campaigns across all major touchpoints – embed directly onto your website or landing pages, share via unique links on social media, include in email newsletters, and more.
• Maximize Social Proof & Brand Consistency: Our optimized sharing framework ensures your campaign looks professional and functions flawlessly everywhere, strengthening vital social proof and maximizing word-of-mouth potential where your customers live online.

Optimize & Scale with Actionable Data-Driven Insights

Stop guessing, start growing strategically. Faisco's comprehensive analytics dashboard translates raw data into your actionable growth plan:

• Real-Time Performance Tracking: Monitor crucial KPIs live, including participant engagement rates, detailed conversion funnels, viral lift (amplification rate), sources of traffic, and campaign ROI.
• Gamification Effectiveness Analysis: Understand which interactive elements and game mechanics truly captivate your audience and drive desired actions.
• Optimize for Virality & ROI: Identify your most influential advocates and most effective sharing channels to continuously refine your approach, ensuring every campaign dollar works harder.

Ready to Experience the Faisco Effect? Launch Your First Viral Campaign in Under 3 Minutes

Seeing is believing. Turn marketing theory into tangible results and witness the power of easy, gamified, viral marketing firsthand. Try Faisco Absolutely Free: Click Here to Start Your Free Trial

• No credit card required to start.
• Experience just how simple it is to build and launch an engaging, professional-grade campaign in minutes.
• It's the perfect, no-risk way to explore our powerful template library and viral marketing tools. Say goodbye to weeks of custom development and hello to instant engagement!

Ready to consistently exceed your marketing goals? Explore our Transparent Pricing Plans and Choose Your Growth Path