Turning Costumes into Clicks: Wildcat 91.9’s Halloween Contest

Yes, it’s June, and yes, I’m talking about Halloween. But this project was a standout moment from my time as Promotions Director at Wildcat 91.9 and a great example of digital engagement, community outreach, and campus collaboration in action.

In Fall 2024, I helped lead a fully online Halloween costume contest with the goals of increasing student engagement, strengthening our social media presence, and rebuilding relationships with local businesses. By the end of the campaign, we had multiplied our Instagram story engagement by five, gained new followers, and laid the groundwork for partnerships that continued throughout the year.

Strategy and Setup

Halloween fell on a Thursday, which meant students would likely be celebrating over multiple days. We launched the campaign early in the week before to take advantage of that window. One of our committee members took the lead in reaching out to local businesses and secured donated prizes for the contest winners. This outreach was especially valuable, as our station had struggled to maintain off-campus relationships due to the frequent turnover of student leadership. This project gave us a reason to reconnect with the community and begin warming up those relationships again.

Instagram story from tabling.

To promote the contest, we tabled in front of the K-State Student Union using posters I designed and small handouts with a QR code linking to the submission form. We also posted across our social channels and encouraged our team to share the contest with their friends and followers.

An added boost came from a partnership with several Depop Campus Ambassadors (I had developed a good relationship earlier in the semester). They joined us at the table and handed out free merch like tote bags, sewing kits, and stickers, which helped draw students in and sparked conversation. The turnout and energy were strong enough that we ended up collaborating with them again for future events.

Examples of the social graphics, posters, and smaller handouts.

Going Fully Digital

The contest lived entirely on Instagram. Participants submitted costume photos through a form, and after reviewing and approving them, we uploaded matchups in a bracket format to our Instagram stories.

This is where the fun (and the stress) really picked up. Each round of voting happened in real time, with updated graphics and tagged contestants encouraging their own audiences to vote. This created a natural ripple effect, significantly boosting our reach and visibility.

We saw our typical story views and interaction rates multiply during the contest period. While creating and uploading graphics for multiple rounds in quick succession was challenging, the engagement stayed high throughout. Our Instagram story that day was longer than usual, but I made the decision to let it run that way intentionally. Because it was a one-off campaign, I felt confident it wouldn’t fatigue our audience, and based on the numbers, that proved to be true.

Outcomes and Takeaways

This campaign delivered on multiple fronts. We saw a major spike in engagement, brought new people into our digital space, and made it easy for students to participate without needing to show up in person. The format also lowered barriers for involvement, which made it more inclusive and more fun.

It also reminded me of the importance of collaboration. Partnering with the Depop Ambassadors gave us added visibility and presence during the tabling event, and reconnecting with local businesses gave us a foundation for future outreach.

In the end, this project wasn’t just about costumes. It was about finding creative, accessible ways to get students involved while growing our reach in the process.

And for the record, after a flurry of Instagram voting and some very close matchups, it came down to a neck-and-neck finish between Steve from Blue’s Clues and a frosted Pop-Tart. The Pop-Tart took the win. No crumbs left.