Because apparently, even the local quiz needs to go viral these days
Right, listen up. You’ve got a cracking quiz night running – teams are showing up, the banter’s flowing, and Dave from the Red Lions hasn’t tried to start a fight over the sports round in weeks. But here’s the thing: half your potential punters don’t even know you exist because they’re too busy scrolling through cat videos on their phones.
Time to beat them at their own game, innit?
Why Your Quiz Night Should Be All Over Instagram (And No, Not Just Your Nan’s Feed)
Look, I get it. You became a publican to pour pints and take the piss out of customers who think Cardiff is in England, not to become some sort of social media influencer. But here’s the mad bit – Reels (those short videos everyone’s obsessed with) are basically free advertising that actually works.
According to Meta’s own research, video content gets 1200% more shares than text and images combined. Think about it: you film Dave’s team celebrating their first win in six months, stick it online with a cheeky caption, and suddenly half the town knows your quiz exists. It’s like word-of-mouth, but faster and with less drunk rambling.
Dead Simple Video Ideas (That Even Your Most Technically Challenged Barstaff Can Handle)
The Victory Lap – Film the winning team doing their ridiculous celebration dance. Trust me, they’ll share it with everyone they know, and their mates will want to experience that glory themselves.
Team Name Hall of Fame – Get teams to shout out their brilliant (or absolutely terrible) team names. “Quiz Team Aguilera” and “Universally Challenged” deserve their moment of fame.
The Cheat Patrol – Do a sneaky over-the-shoulder shot of someone obviously Googling “What year did Coronation Street start?” Caption it with “We see you, Sharon.”
Sing-Along Chaos – Film the music round when everyone’s belting out “Don’t Stop Me Now” completely off-key. Pure gold.
Prize Reveal Drama – Build suspense around next week’s prize. “Will it be a bottle of wine or will Dave finally get that pint glass he’s been eyeing up?”
Pro tip: If your phone can’t handle basic filming, it might be time to upgrade from that Nokia 3310.
The “Accidentally Genius” Marketing Strategy
Here’s where it gets clever (and I use that term loosely, considering we’re talking about pub quizzes):
Step 1: Hook ‘Em Your Reels show up on local feeds because of hashtags like #pubquiz and #quiznightuk. New faces see your lot having a laugh and think, “That looks like a right good time.” The British Beer & Pub Association reports that social media discovery is now the #1 way people find new locals.
Step 2: Reel ‘Em In Your captions do the heavy lifting: “Fancy getting absolutely destroyed by our history round next Tuesday? Message us to book a table – we promise the questions are only slightly unfair.”
Step 3: Get ‘Em Back Share your booking details, mention your loyalty scheme (you do have one, right?), and maybe drop hints about themed rounds. Nothing gets quiz teams more excited than a good theme night.
Stop Overthinking Your Captions (Seriously, Just Be Yourself)
Here’s a proper example that doesn’t sound like it was written by a robot having an existential crisis:
“Well, that was a bloodbath. Team ‘Quizzy Rascals’ absolutely smashed it last night – probably because they actually knew who the Prime Minister was in 1987 (showing off, much?). Next Tuesday’s theme is ‘Songs Your Dad Pretends He Doesn’t Know’ – should be a right laugh. Book your table before we run out of good seats (looking at you, corner table crew). #quiznight #publife #tuesdaytrivia”
See? Conversational, a bit cheeky, and it tells people exactly what they need to know without sounding like a corporate press release.
The Secret Weapon: Making This Actually Easy
Look, nobody’s got time to sit around crafting perfect social media posts when there are pints to pull and punters to serve. That’s where a bit of smart planning comes in handy.
Instead of spending your evenings trying to think up witty captions and quiz questions (when you should be enjoying a well-deserved pint), why not let technology do the heavy lifting? Smart Pub Tools takes all the guesswork out of pub marketing – it writes your social posts, creates your quiz questions, and even suggests themed rounds based on what’s trending.
Think of it as your virtual marketing assistant, except it doesn’t call in sick on Mondays or nick biscuits from the staff room. You just tell it what’s happening at your pub – new menu, live music, or that Dave finally paid his tab – and it churns out professional social media content that actually sounds like you wrote it.
Real Talk: Why Most Pub Marketing Falls Flat
According to Hospitality & Catering News, over 60% of independent pubs struggle with consistent social media presence. Not because they don’t want to – they’re just too busy actually running their businesses to become part-time content creators.
The pubs that are thriving? They’ve figured out how to automate the boring bits while keeping their personality intact. They’re not spending hours on Instagram – they’re spending 10 minutes setting up content that brings customers through the door all week.
Your Next Move (Because Standing Still Is for Statues)
Your quiz night is already brilliant – people are laughing, drinking, and having a proper good time. All you’re doing is showing the rest of the world what they’re missing out on.
Here’s your action plan:
- This Week: Film one quick Reel during your next quiz night (nothing fancy, just capture the atmosphere)
- This Month: Set up Smart Pub Tools to handle your content creation – seriously, it takes less time than pulling a perfect pint
- Ongoing: Watch as your Tuesday nights go from “decent turnout” to “standing room only”
And if anyone complains that you’re “selling out” by going on social media, remind them that the winning team gets their photo on your wall anyway – this way, they just get it online too.
Ready to Stop Wrestling with Social Media?
Stop spending your free time trying to crack the Instagram code when you could be enjoying your own pub. Try Smart Pub Tools free for 7 days – no credit card required, no commitment, and definitely no corporate nonsense.
Create quiz questions, social posts, and promotional content that brings customers through your door. Because your time is better spent pulling pints than pulling your hair out over marketing.
Right, now stop reading this and go pour someone a pint. The internet can wait.