Saying goodbye to summer can be difficult, but fall has officially arrived, and Halloween decorations, pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, apple cider, and costume brainstorming are creeping onto everyone’s radar. Don’t get ghosted by the season—now is the perfect time to plan Halloween-themed promotions that surprise, delight, and engage your customers.
Here are a few fang-tastic Halloween contest and prize ideas to help you stir up seasonal excitement:
Pumpkin Carving Photo Contest or Sweepstakes: Fall is the perfect time to head to the farm for pumpkin picking, hayrides, and fresh apple cider donuts. Invite customers to turn their freshly picked pumpkins into something unique, creative, or delightfully spooky. Ask participants to post a photo of their jack-o’-lantern masterpiece using a designated hashtag for entry or for a chance to win a fall-themed prize. To keep the creativity flowing, consider categories such as scariest, funniest, and most creative.
Spooky Dessert Recipe Contest: Halloween is not only about candy anymore. Ask consumers to channel their inner baker and whip up a spooky Halloween-themed dessert. Set up a dedicated microsite for the contest and ask participants to submit a photo of their frighteningly delicious creation along with the complete recipe for a chance to win a kitchen upgrade or baking appliances. For extra buzz, bring in a spooky celebrity judge to help generate media coverage, and share the sweet results on your website and social channels.
Candy Swap or Candy Flop Contest: Everyone remembers the thrill of finding the best trick-or-treating houses—and the disappointment of receiving a treat destined for the bottom of the candy bucket. Ask people to describe the best or worst item they have ever received while trick-or-treating and post it using a designated hashtag. Entries can be judged based on the “best” or “worst” story, or if a sweepstakes is preferred, entries can be selected at random for a chance to win.
Themed Costume Contest: Take costume creativity to the next level by challenging followers on social media to create a “best of theme” costume. Anyone can pick up a standard witch costume, but themes such as “1980s Cartoon Character” or “Lovable Villains” invite participants to brew up more imaginative entries. Ask them to enter on social media using a designated hashtag and offer bragging rights or a themed prize.
Marden-Kane can help bring any of these spirited ideas to life! Just contact us, and we can conjure up the Official Rules for either a contest or sweepstakes as well as criteria for judging your contest.
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