Friends Contest Question...

I got an email from someone I'll call "Josh M" who asked a question about the Friends Contest.

I thought his question and my answers would help some of you...

Scott,

I got a question for you, with your friend contest. Did you just announce that it was invite your friends contest or did you give your students ideas on how to invite people? How did you deal with the bait and switch idea?

Thanks,
Josh
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Hey Josh,

We just announced that it was a "invite your friends contest".

I told them that we wanted to encourage them to invite their friends and so this was a way to give them the incentive to actually do it! :)

I didn't need to tell them how to invite people.

Just by telling them about the contest and telling them about the special things we'd be doing was enough to help them invite people.

We were totally upfront about the whole thing to them and the friends they brought would hear it was a contest when they came. So I never felt like it was a "bait and switch".

Nobody - including the visitors - ever was bothered by it. In fact some of the visitors would come the next week and bring friends cause they wanted to win.

Hope that helps. If you have anymore questions, then let me know.

P.S. Do you mind if I post your question and my answer on my blog? I can just put "Josh M." if you want me to.
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(He replied back and said I could post his email then I replied...)

Another thing about the "bait and switch" concern...

You can tell your students to tell the people they invite why they're inviting them. They could say something like..

"We're having a contest called "The Friends Contest" at my youth group. Whoever brings the most friends wins 1 of 3 prizes. The prizes are ______________.

"They're going to be doing ________ this week. Do you want to come and be one of my visitors? If you have fun and like it, then you can even come back and bring a friend if see if you can win one of the prizes too."

Or something like that! :)

I know that some of my students straight out told their friends, "Come tonight and help me win this contest at my youth group!"

In some ways I think it made it easier for them to invite people, cause they could just use the contest excuse.

Let me know how it goes when it's all over. I'd love to hear how it goes.

(One other thing... It's always good to run ideas by your lead pastor to make sure he's cool with it. You might want to do that with this - if you haven't already.)