10 ways to incorporate hackathons into your marketing plans

Turn onboarding into a challenge

Instead of walking users through a product step-by-step, invite them to complete a mission using your tool. Give them a goal, a time limit, and maybe even a leaderboard. Learning by doing > reading the docs.

Make product usage a team sport

Host a live session where teams compete to solve a problem using your product. It’s a great way to showcase new or advanced features and build community, all while showing off real-life use cases.

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Use challenges to drive demand

Want more qualified and engaged leads? Run a mini “hack-style” campaign where prospects have to solve a relevant industry challenge using insights or tools from your brand. Make it fun, time-bound, and high-value.

Build a "what's possible" showcase

Challenge your users (or internal teams) to come up with the most creative or unexpected way to use your product. Think: showcase meets Shark Tank. Great for social proof and fresh content.

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Level-up your webinars

Ditch the passive webinars. Instead, run hands-on, hackathon-inspired sessions where attendees build or solve something in real time with your product. They walk away with something tangible and you get live product feedback.

Let people co-create your roadmap

Invite customers or prospects into a focused, fast-paced workshop to pitch new ideas or vote on feature priorities. You’ll get better insights and they’ll feel way more invested in what’s coming next.

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Show your value prop through action, not copy

Got a strong POV or differentiator? Set up a short challenge that puts it to the test. Make it a live event or async experience where people can experience that “aha” moment themselves..

Host an internal hackathon

Hackathon principles aren’t just external. Use them internally to get sales, product, and marketing aligned fast. One room, one challenge, one afternoon. You’ll be shocked what gets unstuck.

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Add some spark to your community

Online communities are great—until they get quiet. Run a light-touch async challenge to get your users sharing ideas, experiments, or mini-projects. Keep the bar low and the energy high.

Kick off new launches with a bang

New product? New campaign? Invite customers or influencers into a private sprint to test, build with, or react to what you’re launching. Great for buzz, content, and honest feedback before you go live.

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Need even more ideas?

Need help translating these ideas to your product and audience? That's our specialty. Let's set up a time to chat and we'll help you come up with a plan to drive more growth and pipeline.