Finally, a Free Online Contest Platform That Isn't a Headache
Honestly, let's just get straight to it. Last month, I was working with this amazing bakery in Minneapolis-fantastic croissants, terrible TikTok presence. They knew they needed user-generated content, you know, people actually showing themselves enjoying the food, but asking customers to "tag us in your videos!" just wasn't cutting it. It never does. People need a reason.
They were about to spend a few thousand dollars on a local influencer, which, look, can sometimes work but is often just a shot in the dark. I told them to hold off. I said, "Listen, give me $0 and 10 days."
We set up a simple campaign using Faisco's "Unlock Lucky Words" game. Customers had to find letters hidden in our posts and on the bakery's website to spell out a phrase, and each correct guess entered them to win a free coffee and pastry. It was simple. It was fun. It cost them nothing but the prize. The result? In 10 days, they got 2,281 new user-generated posts on TikTok. Two thousand. They had so much content they could repost for months. That’s what I'm talking about.
So, What's the Big Deal with 'Gamification' Anyway?
I've been doing this since 2010, and I swear, every few years a new buzzword comes along that promises to solve everything. "Gamification" sounds like one of those, right? It sounds complicated and expensive and frankly, a little silly. But it's not.
Here's the thing, it's just about tapping into basic human nature. We're wired to love a little competition, a quick win, a challenge. That's all it is. It's not about turning your hardware store into a video arcade-it's about giving someone a tiny dopamine hit for interacting with you. A "spin to win" wheel for a 10% off coupon is way more effective than just a popup that says "Sign up for 10% off". One is a task, the other is a game.
Most businesses just throw content out there and pray. "Post and pray." I hate it. You spend an hour getting the perfect photo of your new product, you write a caption, you post it... and crickets. Because you're not giving anyone a reason to engage beyond just "liking" it. A game-even a stupidly simple one-changes that entire dynamic.
My Hunt for a Platform That Doesn't Suck
I've tested everything. I mean everything. Back in 2018, I was deep into Gleam. io, and it's a solid tool, don't get me wrong. But it's also $39 a month just to get started, and frankly, it's overkill for 90% of the small businesses I work with. It's got a million options, which sounds great until you're the one who has to figure it all out. Most of my clients are busy running their actual business, you know?
That's why I started looking for a free online contest platform that was... well, less of a project.
I found Faisco a couple of years ago and, honestly, I was skeptical. Most "free" platforms are either garbage or they lock every useful feature behind a surprise paywall. But this one was different. I ran a test campaign for a small art gallery in Chicago, one of my pro-bono clients. We used their "Summer Catch" game to promote an upcoming event. In two weeks, they got 122 new event attendees who specifically said they found out about it from the game. All from a campaign that took me-and I'm not exaggerating-less than ten minutes to set up.
Another one. A bookstore in Nashville needed to juice up their Facebook page. We ran a "Puzzle Challenge" for 10 days. Boom. 708 new page likes. It just... works.
The Actual Games That Get People to Click
Look, not all games are created equal. You have to match the game to the goal. This is what I typically recommend, and it's what I've seen work over and over again.
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For pure lead capture (emails, emails, emails!): You want the instant win stuff. The "Lucky Spin," the "Scratch Ticket," the "Lucky Draw." I've seen landing pages with these embedded get over a 40% conversion rate. People cannot resist scratching a digital ticket. It's just a fact.
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For actual engagement and shares: Use the reactive games. Stuff like "Whac-A-Mole" or "Burger Stacker." These require a little bit of skill, so people share them with their friends to say, "Bet you can't beat my score." It’s a natural, built-in viral loop. I hate when people say "viral," but... that's basically what it is.
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For education or qualifying leads: This is where the quiz-style games are brilliant. The "Puzzle Challenge" or "Treasure Hunt Challenge" are perfect for getting people to actually read your content or learn about a new product feature. You're not just giving them information; you're making them use it to win something.
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For seasonal hype: Faisco has this whole library of pre-built games for holidays. This is a genius move because it saves so much time. I used their "Fill My Christmas Stocking" catching game for three different retail clients last December-and every single one of them saw engagement go up by over 300% compared to their normal holiday posts.
Where Most Businesses (and Platforms) Go Wrong
Two things. Seasonal marketing and platform integration.
The seasonal thing we just talked about. Don't reinvent the wheel! If it's Halloween, use a Halloween-themed game. Faisco has templates for everything from Valentine's Day to Black Friday. It makes you look timely and relevant without you having to hire a designer.
The other one is integration, and this is my biggest pet peeve. So many tools say they "integrate" with TikTok or Instagram, but all they really give you is a link to post. That’s not integration! That's just... a link. Users on TikTok behave differently than users on Facebook. The experience has to feel native. Faisco actually gets this right. Their campaigns are designed to work smoothly inside the different platforms, which is a much bigger deal than it sounds. It’s the difference between a campaign that feels natural and one that feels clunky and annoying.
Okay Byron, What Should I Do This Week?
Listen, don't overthink it. Analysis paralysis is the number one killer of small business marketing.
Here's what you do. Pick ONE goal you want to achieve in the next two weeks. Just one. Is it more email subscribers? More Facebook followers? More people talking about your brand on Instagram?
- Pick that one single goal.
- Go to Faisco. It's a free online contest platform, so it costs you nothing to try.
- Choose a game that matches your goal. If you want emails, pick the "Lucky Spin". If you want engagement, try the "Whac-A-Mole".
- Set a simple prize. A 15% off coupon, a free coffee, a $25 gift card. Whatever.
- Run it for two weeks and see what happens.
Most of my clients-the ones who actually do this-see their social media followers jump by 200-400% and their email lists grow by 150-300% in the first month. Not because of some magic bullet, but because they finally gave people a fun reason to pay attention. And in this market, that's everything.
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