Below are some tips we have learned for setting up successful challenges.  Most important to setting up a successful challenge is your involvement; make sure you check in on your challenge several times a day, and widely distribute your challenge via your social networks, email, or other channels.

When you do check in on the challenge, make sure to leave encouraging comments, suggestions, and feedback for participants.

Also, search for keywords on Slap to determine what other related challenges might already exist, and to see what tips you can learn from those challenges.  For instance, what sort of rewards did the other challenge creators use?  How long did they run their challenges for?  Which hashtags did they use?

 

The name of your challenge should be a catchy name; to increase interest, you might want to refer to pop culture, a song, a movie, a famous person or quote.  You should also consider including an appropriate hashtag in the title of your challenge.

 

This is an important section where you give a clear description of what the challenge is, what you want people to do, what limitations they face, and what rewards they will receive.  You should also prompt participants with ideal participation ideas and suggestions:  what sorts of solutions should they be thinking about, what has worked in the past, and why is the goal difficult to achieve?

When developing your challenge, start with the end mind:  what is it that you want to accomplish?  People contributing content on your website?  People helping you solve a problem?  Bringing in new people to your business?  Developing a video or a logo for your company?

Don’t forget to tap into social forces.  Most people like to help, like to learn, and like to solve problems with others.  If you position your challenge in this way, it will likely attract greater involvement.  Let people know why your challenge is important to you, to them, or to others, and why you need their help.

Be clear about how you’re going to select the winner; will you be the judge, and what sort of things are you looking for in a winner?  Will there be multiple winners, or only 1?

 

Explain what participants have to do to meet the challenge’s requirements.  Examples of proof required might include:

For instance, a challenge might require you to post a picture of yourself working out, wearing a certain article of clothing, or being in a specific place.

Pick an end date on the drop-down calendar (don’t pick a date too far away, because people’s interest can drop off if the challenge goes on for too long).  If the challenge naturally requires a longer time to complete (like losing weight, or getting into shape), try running the challenge for a month (but no longer).  You can re-launch the challenge again in the future for an additional month if you want to continue losing weight or getting into shape, but it’s important to recognize short-term wins as well.

 

Pick a challenge category that will help people who are searching by a category to find this challenge.  For instance, if your challenge revolves around yoga, choose the “fitness” category so that people searching under that topic will find your challenge.

 

Use an attractive image that will encourage people to open the challenge.  Make sure that you own the image, or have the necessary rights to use it.  Also, since the world will be seeing this image, use good judgment to decide whether it will offend others before uploading the image.

 

Specify exactly and clearly what the winner will receive.  Remember that social rewards (status, ability to help others, desire for fairness) can be more effective than financial rewards.  Social rewards include giving the person “props” on Facebook or other social media, free lunches and dinners, and choice parking spaces at work.

 

Here you determine how many winners you want to get rewards – you can choose 1 or more.  Just remember that you are responsible for providing these rewards to the winners of your challenge.