Starting up a new pub quiz night? Here are some tips to help you make the night a success. Some do’s and don’ts.
Internal & External Advertising
Internal Promotion
Internal advertising is so important to building a busy quiz night. If you go round the tables handing out quiz sheets and the customers say “Oh, is there a quiz on tonight”? then you still have a lot of work to do with internal advertising.
POS (Point of Sale)
The obvious are posters and chalkboards. A more effective method is to use services such as www.crunchclips.com to create TV screen advertising graphics.
Flyers
Flyers placed within food menus or on tables during the day works well as you have the full attention of customers throughout the week.
Personal Invite
Best of all though is word-of-mouth. Bar staff and food waiting staff can attract more customers than any poster, flyer or advert.
A simple “Are you coming in tonight / tomorrow / for the quiz”? is like a personal invitation. And of course will follow with the questions such as “What time does it start, what do you win, how much to enter, is it easy….”. Your PR has all been done.
Regulars
All successful quiz nights are based on regular teams returning week after week. So make a fuss of them. It’s difficult to remember everyone’s names, but make a point of learning as many of them as you can over time.
Never announce that “If anyone would like to play the quiz, come and collect a quiz sheet”. Instead – Get out there. Walk around the venue and hand them out yourself. Chat to the customers on your rounds. This allows you to form an introduction to newcomers and strengthen your rapport with the regulars. This is so important.
External Advertising
Social Media
Social media such as Facebook and Instagram are great tools to use if they are used correctly.
Don’t use the same old graphic every week that you have copied from Google Images.
The way to improve post reach on social media is to have users share and comment on the post.
Take a picture of this week’s quiz winners holding their prize. Get it posted onto social media with a title that uses words like “winners”, “champions”, etc. They will share it. Their friends will comment on it. Post reach will multiply.
Better still, use a social media cardboard frame with the venue’s branding on it.
Don’t just post to the site for the venue. If there is a local Facebook page for your town that allows advertising, post occasionally on there. If there isn’t, create one.
Go Live
If you have a big cash builder type prize, Go live on Facebook. During the webcast, take the time to address and speak to the online audience directly, introduce yourself and plug the quiz. You don’t always get that many viewers watching live, but within a few hours the video could be viewed by hundreds, even thousands of people.
Facebook Live has to be the most powerful, yet under utilised tool out there. You could even put a quick live promotional trailer feed out an hour before your quiz starts. Customers in the bars across the road and in the bars round the corner get a notice on their mobiles that you are live. They watch the video, they decide they want to play your quiz and head to your venue.
Facebook Live jumps to the top of news feeds and generates a red notification icon.
If you use this feature every week, get imaginative with your content or pitch. Try not to be repetitive.
Free Newspaper Advertising
A lot of local newspapers run a What’s On guide. Quite often this is a free listing. In terms of how effective this method is, who knows. But it’s worth the time it takes to send one email to the newspaper, who may list your event every week.
Free Local Radio Advertising
Local commercial radio stations are understandably reluctant to mention anything that is outwith their advertising sponsorship. But there are more and more local Community radio stations now broadcasting. Tie this in with a one off charity fundraiser event and contact your local Community station with the details.
Here is a link to a list of Community Radio stations that are currently licensed in the UK. These stations operate a non-profit basis and are keen to highlight charity events taking place locally. Be sure to return the exposure by thanking them and linking to them on your own (venue) Facebook page.
