Manage Contest 5: 

The Master Guide: How to Manage Your Contest

Once your contest is live, the "Contest Details View" page becomes your command center. As the owner, you shift from "Creator" to "Moderator and Analyst." This isn't just a summary—it's a live dashboard. Use these tools daily to ensure your contest remains engaging, fair, and highly visible.

1. Entry Management & Quality Control

If you chose Manual Approval during setup, you must actively manage submissions to maintain the quality of your campaign.

• Approve/Deny Entries: Review submissions to ensure they meet your Terms & Conditions. Approved entries immediately become visible to the public and eligible for voting.

• Filter Quality: Protect your brand by denying ineligible entries or those that do not meet your creative guidelines.

• Direct Interaction: Use Live Chat or Messaging to ask contestants for more information or offer feedback on their submissions.

2. Real-Time Analysis & Data Insights

Data is key to understanding your ROI and making informed marketing decisions. Monitor your progress via the Statistics section:

• Engagement Metrics: Track total entries (how many participants joined), total votes, and view counts in real-time.

• Views & Shares: See how far your contest is spreading across the web and social platforms.

• Audience Activity Logs: Analyze where your traffic is coming from and identify which users are most active in your contest community.

• Monitor Revenue: If you chose "Pay to Vote," you can track the revenue generated from voting activity as it happens.

3. Strategic Voting & Ranking

• Real-Time Leaderboard: The system automatically ranks entries based on votes and views, giving you an instant standings report.

• The "Surprise Reveal" Strategy: Start your contest in Private Mode (votes hidden) to build suspense. Switch to Public Mode in the final 24 hours to create a high-energy "Leaderboard Climax" for a grand reveal.

• Validation: Before the clock runs out, review the top-ranked entries to ensure they have followed all contest rules before making the final winner announcement.

4. Audience Engagement & Social Ecosystem

Contest 5 is a social ecosystem. Use these tools to keep momentum high and foster a community:

• Live Chat & Messaging: Engage directly with voters and contestants to answer questions or offer encouragement.

• Status Feed & Announcements: Post updates like "Only 24 hours left to enter!" or "Top 10 Finalists Announced!"to keep the audience coming back.

• Followers & Invites: See who has "favorited" your contest and send them targeted invites to ensure they participate or vote.

5. Dynamic Visibility (Register Services)

If your contest needs more traction, you don't need to start over. You can apply Register Services at any time after the contest is live to boost its profile:

• Feature/Un-feature: Highlight or remove your contest from the featured sections.

• Premium/Un-premium: Toggle premium status to increase prestige and visibility.

• Ending Soon: Manually mark your contest as "Ending Soon" to trigger urgency and drive a spike in last-minute entries.

6. Troubleshooting & Payments

• Failed Payments: If a publishing or service fee fails, navigate to your Payment History or the contest detail page to "Re-initiate Payment."

• Coins: Check your balance to see if you can fund new promotions or services using your accumulated Coins.

• Support: If you encounter technical issues, refer to the "Manage Your Contest" help article or contact Showbizplus Support directly.

The Bottom Line

Successful management is about visibility and engagement. The more you interact with your entries and share updates, the more successful your campaign will be.