Forum contests and real growth

[Shawn Gossman]

Have you ever run a forum contest before?

Member of the Month, referral competition, posting competition, photo contest, etc. There are so many great types of competitions and contests to choose from.

The idea behind a contest is to help the forum gain something (maybe new members, posts, etc.) while also rewarding those who perform the most.

But are forum contests actually doing that?

It seems like prize hunting is the extent of a forum contest these days. People just want the prize, and they'll do anything to get it including getting generic referrals that never visit again after the contest is over and etc.

How do you feel about this? Are contests even worth it anymore? If so, how do you justify them being worth it versus protecting the competition from prize hunters who are not actually looking to help the forum?

 

[Uncrowned Guard]

I think the real challenge with contests is figuring out how to turn that temporary spike in activity into something that actually fuels long‑term, organic growth. A contest can absolutely create momentum, new posts, new conversations, and even new members who show up because the place suddenly looks active. If even one of those people sticks around because they saw a lively community, that’s a win.

But there’s no hiding the downside. Once the contest ends, activity almost always dips, and sometimes it drops below where it started. If the new members only came for the prize, they would disappear just as fast. And running constant contests to keep the numbers up isn’t sustainable for most communities, financially or culturally.

I’ve found that smaller, more frequent events can work better than big, high‑stakes competitions. Things like monthly posting challenges, themed discussion weeks, or low‑pressure achievements give people reasons to participate without attracting pure prize hunters. Layering events can help, too, for example, a long‑term “Most Likes This Year” award running in the background while shorter monthly or weekly challenges keep things moving.

The goal isn’t to replace organic growth with contests, but to use contests as a spark that helps organic growth actually take root. If the community feels active, welcoming, and worth returning to even after the contest ends, that’s when the strategy pays off.

 

[Jennifer]

I have never ran a contest on my forum, so I do not exactly know whether contest can actually add value, or say whether you get enough value to justify your monetary spending on contest prize. I am particularly interested in running a posting contest, where those who create maximum posts get rewarded. But I also fear about quality posting