Launch Day Predictions

This template sets up an individual prediction contest around a launch, reveal, or announcement. The organizer posts the questions in advance, such as release date, price, specs, or a surprise feature, and entrants submit their picks before the reveal. After the event, the organizer scores the predictions and awards the badge to the top forecasters. It is designed for one-time or short-run launch moments, not an always-on leaderboard.

Use it when the fun comes from guessing an outcome that will be revealed later. It works well for product launches, roadmap announcements, internal town halls, and marketing reveals where people already want to speculate. A quiz is better when there is a correct answer known up front; this template is better when the answer is hidden until launch time. It creates anticipation without turning the event into a passive announcement.

The template is set to 10 days, which fits a short pre-launch window well. That gives entrants enough time to think, compare notes, and submit before the reveal without dragging past the moment of interest. If your launch is sooner, shorten the duration; if the reveal is farther out, keep the contest tightly bounded so it still feels like a contest rather than a standing prediction board.

Usually the launch owner, product marketer, internal communications lead, or event organizer runs it. That person should post the prediction questions, lock the entry window, and enter the actual results after the reveal. If the launch touches multiple teams, one organizer should own the scoring so the contest stays consistent and fair. Managers can participate unless you choose to exclude them for a more level playing field.

Scoring is based on how close each entrant’s predictions are to the actual launch results. The template uses highest_score, so the winner is the person with the strongest overall forecast across the questions. Because this is a prediction contest, the organizer authors the event and records the real outcomes after the reveal. Keep the scoring rules simple and visible before entries close so people know what counts.

Yes. You can swap in the questions that matter for your event, such as launch date, price, feature set, naming choice, or announcement theme. You can also adjust the number of questions to match the size of the reveal. The best version keeps the questions specific enough to be interesting but not so many that people feel they need insider information to compete.

The biggest mistake is making the contest too vague, such as asking people to predict everything about the launch. Another common issue is changing the rules after entries close, which undermines trust. Avoid using it for open-ended speculation with no reveal date, because that becomes a leaderboard instead of a contest. Also avoid questions that only a few insiders could reasonably answer, since that makes the game feel unfair.

Yes. It works well for internal launches like policy rollouts, org announcements, office moves, or company town halls. In those cases, the prediction questions can focus on timing, format, or the contents of the reveal. The same structure still applies: entrants submit before the reveal, the organizer scores after the fact, and the winner gets bragging rights or a badge.

A chat thread is easy to start but hard to score fairly, especially once people start editing guesses or reacting to each other. This template gives you a fixed entry window, a clear set of questions, and a defined way to determine the winner. That makes the contest easier to run, easier to explain, and easier to reuse for the next launch. It also creates a cleaner record of who predicted what before the reveal.