How To Hold A Successful Naming Contest

When it comes to starting a naming contest you might have some questions. How do you communicate to the creatives what you are looking for? Do you ask for changes? Can you include image files?

Here is an overview of what you can do to help ensure that your Hatchwise naming contest is a success!

When filling in the contest brief:

Whether you are holding a naming contest for a new business or looking for a name for your new product, the same rules apply. The more information that you give the creatives the more successful your contest will be.

Try to think of all the small details that you can, such as who your target audience is, what type of business you are starting, and how long of a name you need.

If you are asking for a product name you will be able to upload image files after your contest is active. We recommend adding an image of the new product (if possible) for the creatives to view, since it will help them in entering relevant name suggestions.

Don’t include too much info. While it may seem helpful to give lots of details, when it comes to a naming contest, less is more. As the contest progresses and you see submissions come in you are encouraged to leave feedback. However, don’t add too much information in the contest brief, since that may limit the submissions to exactly what you are looking for, and you may not see the variety that you want.

While the contest is active:

As with most of the Hatchwise contests, you will see the bulk of the submissions come in towards the last 48 hours of the contest, so please don’t be discouraged if it seems that the submissions are coming in slowly. The best way to encourage participation is to leave feedback by commenting and rating the entries. That helps to creatives get a better idea of what you do (and don’t) like about the submissions.

Ask for revisions. While most of the Hatchwise creatives are more than happy to make edits to their submissions, they are not required to. Maybe you like a name suggestion, or it seems to be leaning in the right direction of what you are looking for. Don’t hesitate to let the creative know that you like it and ask them to upload some other variation of the name for you.

Leaving feedback is the best way to get great contest results, and that is why we encourage you to interact with the creatives. The more active and reciprocal you are, the more creatives will be inclined to enter in your contest.

If you find that you are getting too many variations of the same name, and are not seeing enough variety, feel free to Eliminate some of the names completely from the contest. Also, leaving a note on the general message board (on the bottom of the contest page) is a great way to communicate with all the creatives at the same time.

If you have any questions or concerns about your contest feel free to contact our support team at ​support@hatchwise.com​ at any time!

Don’t Forget!

After you’ve got your new brand name, Flocksy can create a killer brand guide and marketing materials that’ll jump start your start-up!