Imagine this: A pizza brand decides to capitalize on the popularity of March Madness, but instead of basketball, they create a "Best Pizza Topping" tournament on Instagram. Using a simple tournament bracket format in Google Forms, they let followers vote on each round—pepperoni vs. mushrooms, sausage vs. pineapple—until the ultimate pizza topping champion was crowned.
The result? The campaign went viral. Not only did the brand see increased engagement, but pizza lovers started creating their own pizza brackets, sharing them on social media, and encouraging their friends to join. By the end of the campaign, the hashtag had gained over a million views. The key takeaway here is that by incorporating a familiar tournament structure, the brand empowered users to generate content that spread organically.
Lesson learned? Brackets are not just for sports—used creatively, they can turn your audience into active participants, driving both engagement and user-generated content.
Now that we've got our pizza-bracket vibes going, let's talk strategy. Using a Google Form tournament bracket template allows brands to leverage competition and gamification to encourage users to create and share content. Here's why this works so well:
One of the biggest advantages of using a Google Form for your tournament bracket is how easy it is to set up. With just a few clicks, you can create a bracket, customize it with your brand's aesthetic, and share it with your audience. It's the perfect blend of ease and interactivity.
For example: Let's say you're a beauty brand. You could run a "Best Lipstick Shade" bracket, where followers vote for their favorites. At the same time, participants are encouraged to share their own selfies using your product, driving UGC and reinforcing brand loyalty.
Interactive elements like tournament brackets naturally inspire sharing. Each round of the bracket generates a sense of competition, prompting users to share their choices and rally their friends to vote. When you integrate User-Generated Content (UGC) into the mix, you exponentially increase your reach.
Unlike a one-off post, a bracket tournament spans multiple rounds. This means users return again and again to see results and vote in the next round, providing multiple touchpoints with your brand. The trick here? Make sure your bracket themes resonate with your audience—whether it's food, fashion, or sports, tapping into their passions is the key to engagement.
Using a Google Form to build your tournament is straightforward. You'll want to design the bracket with clear matchups, easy-to-follow progression, and some eye-catching visuals. Make it fun—add in team logos, colorful borders, and custom themes that align with your brand's vibe. You can find ready-to-use templates for various tournament sizes in Google Sheets or Google Forms, ranging from small 4-team setups to extensive 64-team structures.
Once your bracket is live, encourage users to vote by offering incentives like discounts, giveaways, or exclusive content. Create shareable graphics for each round, making it easy for users to post their picks and invite others to join the fun. You can also integrate Instagram Stories, Twitter polls, or Facebook ads to drive even more engagement.
To maximize UGC, incentivize participants to create and share their own content. Whether it's posting a selfie with the product in question or sharing a bracket prediction on their social media, give them a reason to get involved. The more they engage, the more organic reach your campaign will get.
Brands that have embraced tournament brackets for UGC have seen amazing results. Here are a few examples:
Running a UGC-powered tournament bracket sounds great, but keeping track of all those entries, votes, and shares can be overwhelming. That's where FAISCO comes in.
FAISCO is a powerful SaaS platform that simplifies the creation and management of interactive marketing campaigns, like tournament brackets. With features like:
Whether you're running a small giveaway or a large-scale tournament, FAISCO gives you all the tools you need to boost UGC and create a memorable, engaging experience for your audience. Ready to take your UGC strategy to the next level? Start your free trial today!