Contest Settings

MIXER provides great flexibility when it comes to determining your contest behavior and mechanics. In this article, we're going to look specifically at CONTEST SETTINGS, how they work and what they do.

In the image below, we're looking at the Contest Settings of a repeat-engagement Sweepstakes. In other words, a contest that is open to members and non-members, and also allows listeners to engage repeatedly in an effort to increase their odds of winning. 

Note that in this image, we're in Contest Settings, on the General tab.

This contest allows 5 total entries. 

What does that mean?

Total entries is the total number of entries a listener can earn through any or all of the following:

• Initial Entry (the entry they receive just for registering or their first engagement)
• Keywords successfully redeemed
• Check-ins (which may or may not be a part of any given contest. That's up to you.)

So it's possible, depending on your configuration, that a listener might be able to reach 5 total entries just by checking-in repeatedly. Or, perhaps they can reach 5 total entries by registering and then submitting 4 keywords. Or maybe it's a combination of the initial entry, some keywords and some check-ins.

MIXER gives you the flexibility to author how you want the contest to behave. 

The rebound messaging below the Total Entries Allowed is related to text-to-win contests. Adjust that language to change the text rebound your listeners receive when they submit a keyword via SMS (if enabled). Take advantage of the non-member rebound language to encourage non-members to join. 

In this next image, we're still on Contest Settings, but have moved to the Keywords tab. 

What does this image show us? Let's start with some definitions.

• USE TOTAL: Use Total is the number of times that any listener can successfully redeem any given keyword attached to this contest. So in this example, a Use Total of 1 means that every listener could conceivably redeem keyword "thunder" one time in this contest. They could not use "thunder" again after successful redemption. But every listener has the opportunity to use it once.
• VALUE: The Value is the number of entries that a listener receives for redeeming ANY keyword associated with this contest. 
• TOTAL ENTRIES ALLOWED: This is the total number of entries that a listener can earn USING KEYWORDS. Often, this number will match the Total Entries Allowed we previously configured on the General tab, but not always. 
• INTERVAL: The interval on the Keywords tab determines the frequency with which a listener can successfully redeem any keyword associated with this contest. You can read more about Intervals on the Definitions page.

So the image above is telling us that a listener can redeem any valid keyword for this contest one time each, receive a single entry for each keyword, earn up to five total entries from keywords but only enter a maximum of one keyword every 24 hours.

In the next image, we're still on Contest Settings but have moved on to the Initial Entry tab.

Initial Entry is simply the number of entries a listener gets when they register (if you're using a survey/form for entry) or make their first engagement (if you're using keywords or check-ins). 

When running a contest that offers repeat engagement, rewarding listeners with multiple entries for their first engagement can serve as a good incentive.