Unlock it.
A participation-driven prize strategy
The bigger the community gets,
the bigger the prize gets.
Big prizesare part ofthe story.
I Want Abz has built a reputation for giving away prizes people talk about.
The size of the prize has become part of the mythology of I Want Abz.
We don’t wantto make that smaller.
- 1st placeMercedes-Benz
- 2nd placeCustom Rolex
- 3rd placeCash orexclusive experience
Additional prizesfor 4th–10th
But the mathhas to work.
Big prizes make sense when participation is big.
When participation falls but the prize expense stays fixed:
The economicsget upside down.
Big prize
Bad economics
Smaller prize
Less excitement
Change the mechanism.
The communityunlocksthe prize.
Start with a compelling guaranteed prize package.
That’s the floor.
It’s real. It’s guaranteed.
But it isn’t necessarily the ceiling.
More prizes unlock.
The community determines how big this thing gets.
Build theprize ladder.
The Benz is the boss level.
Final thresholds get set from Max Effort’s actual subscription economics — nothing here is a committed number.
- Base thresholdGuaranteedprize package
- Next milestoneCustom Rolexunlocked
- Next milestoneExpandedprize stack unlocked
- Target milestoneMercedes-Benzunlocked
Now every signuphelps everyone.
I enter
because
I want to win.
I enter
because
I want to win.
And…I want more people
to enter
because it makes
the prize bigger.
Every entrant has a reasonto recruit the next entrant.
Make theprogressvisible.
Show the community exactly where things stand.
Cory can talk about the progress constantly- “We’re 37 people away.”
- “We just unlocked the Rolex.”
- “Who are you bringing with you?”
- “You guys want the Benz?”
- “Go unlock the Benz.”
Expanded prize stack
153 moreto go.
The exact thresholds will depend on the final economics. The important behavior is visibility.
The signup numberbecomes content.
Every unlockis a moment.
Each threshold gives Cory another reason to talk about I Want Abz.
- Prize guaranteed.
- Rolex unlocked.
- Prize stack expands.
- The Benz unlocks.
- Content.
- Celebration.
- Social proof.
- Urgency.
- A reason to share.
- A reason to join.
The prize creates a story throughout the signup period.
Let the communitypush it forward.
Give participants a reason to help move the number.
- Top recruiters
- Gyms with the most entries
- Cities with the most entries
- This week’s biggest movers
Who’s going tounlock the next level?
- Columbus
- Cleveland
- Cincinnati
- Indianapolis
- Pittsburgh
People aren’t just waiting for I Want Abz to happen.
They’re helpingbuild it.
The prizefollowsthe revenue.
The customer never needs to think about this. But we do.
For each unlock threshold, understand what the participation actually pays for.
Then determine how much incremental value we’re comfortable putting back into the prize pool. The specific model needs to be built using Max Effort’s actual economics.
- New subscribers
- × Expected customer value
- – Cost of goods
- – Acquisition cost
- – Operating cost
= Available contribution
Don’t commit the prize firstand hope the revenue follows.
Let participationunlock the prize.
More participation
More revenue
More prize capacity
“We need enough signups to afford the car.”
“Prizes are smaller this year.”
You wantthe Benz?Unlock it.
The Benz is here.
The community just has to go get it.
Turn theconstraintinto thechallenge.
How do we keep giving away massive prizes when participation changes year to year?
You wantthe big prizes?Unlock them.
- 01Guarantee a strong floor.
- 02Let participation expand the prize.
- 03Make the progress visible.
- 04Turn each unlock into content.
- 05Let the community push the number.
- 06Unlock the grand prize.
The prize matches the participation.
The economics stay healthy.
The community has something to chase together.
And the mythology of I Want Abz gets bigger — not smaller.