Creating a competition in Advocacy

Competitions let you turn your Advocacy leaderboard into a time-boxed contest. Set a start and end date, choose how activity is scored, and disqualify advocates whose activity shouldn't count.

What this does

• Runs a leaderboard contest with a defined start and end date
• Lets you set scoring weights for the competition, separate from your program's default leaderboard weights
• Lets you disqualify individual advocates whose activity shouldn't count toward the competition
• Gives you an activity breakdown for every advocate in the competition

How to create a competition

1. Hover over the main menu on the left and click Advocacy.
2. Open the advocacy program you want to run a competition for.
3. Click Competitions.
4. Click New competition.
5. Under Competition details, enter a Title, Start date, End date, an optional Description, and a Motivation message that advocates see on the leaderboard while the competition runs.
   
6. Toggle Active on to run the competition, or leave it off to save it without activating.
7. Expand Leaderboard ranking to set the scoring weights used for this competition.
8. Expand Disqualified users to exclude specific users from the competition and control their visibility.
9. Click Create.

Your competition now appears in the Competitions list with its title, dates, and status. Filter the list by All, Live, Upcoming, Ended or Inactive. Each row also shows the current leader, and the winner once a competition has ended.

How to disqualify an advocate

1. Go to your advocacy program and click Leaderboard.
2. Use the Select competition filter to choose the competition you want to manage.
3. Find the advocate's row, then click the three-dot menu on the far right.
4. Select Disqualify.

The advocate is removed from the active leaderboard ranking and tagged Disqualified. Their activity still appears in the competition's review activity table.

Reviewing advocate activity in a competition

1. Go to your advocacy program and click Competitions.
2. Click the competition you want to review.
3. Under Review activity, you'll see each advocate's Rank and Score, along with a breakdown by Reposts, Shares, Comments, Mentions, Likes, and Reach.
4. The Connected and Disconnected columns show how many times the advocate connected or disconnected their linked social profile during the competition window.
5. Click the arrow next to an advocate's name to expand more detail.

Important notes

• Competition scoring can use its own weights, set separately from your program's default leaderboard ranking weights.
• Disqualifying an advocate removes them from the active leaderboard ranking, but keeps their activity visible in the competition's review activity table.
• The Select competition filter on the Leaderboard tab also controls the date range shown, so confirm you've selected the right competition before disqualifying anyone.

Best practices

• Set your start and end dates before announcing the competition so advocates don't lose eligible activity to a gap.
• Share your leaderboard ranking weights with advocates before the competition starts so expectations are clear.
• Check the review activity table periodically for unusual connected/disconnected activity.
• Disqualify an advocate as soon as an issue is confirmed, since it only affects that advocate's standing in the current competition.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: Can I run more than one competition at a time?

A: Yes. Create as many competitions as you need, then switch between them using the Select competition filter on the Leaderboard tab.

Q: Do competition scoring weights affect my program's overall leaderboard?

A: No. Weights set under Leaderboard ranking when creating a competition only apply to that competition.

Q: Can I exclude an advocate from a competition without disqualifying them mid-run?

A: Yes. Use Disqualified users when creating or editing the competition to exclude specific advocates and control their visibility.

Get help from Ask Vista

The /advocacy-coach skill can plan a competition and write the announcement for you. To find it, open Ask Vista, click Skills, then click /advocacy-coach. To use it, type / in an Ask Vista chat and choose it, or ask something like "Plan a competition for my advocates." Femi, your advocate engagement coach, also writes personal notes to advocates who have gone quiet. To find the agents, open Ask Vista, click Agents, then click + New agent and scroll to the Employee advocacy category. Learn more in Ask Vista agents.

Need help?

Reach out to our support team, and we are happy to help.

Related Reading:

Managing your Employee Advocacy Admin Dashboard

Leaderboard ranking weights in Advocacy: How to reward what matters most

What is Employee Advocacy?

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