Could Someone Give me Advice on Engaging Trivia Content for Diverse Audience?

Trivia
,
1

Hello there,

I am working on creating a series of trivia events for a mixed audience that includes participants of various ages; backgrounds; and interests. I have noticed that keeping everyone engaged and entertained can be quite a challenge; especially when trying to balance questions that are fun yet accessible to all.

How do you strike a balance between general knowledge; pop culture; and niche topics? I aim to make the experience enjoyable for both trivia enthusiasts and casual participants. Do you have any tips for curating a diverse set of questions that caters to this broad spectrum?

I find it tricky to set a consistent difficulty level. While some participants enjoy challenging questions; others may find them frustrating. How do you gauge and maintain an appropriate level of difficulty to ensure everyone has a fair chance to participate and enjoy?

What are some effective ways to keep the audience engaged throughout the event? Whether it is through interactive elements; creative question formats; or engaging hosts; I am excited to hear about strategies that have worked well for others.

After each event; I want to gather feedback to improve future trivia nights. What are some effective methods for collecting constructive feedback from participants?

Also, I have gone through this post; https://www.crowdpurr.com/blog/create-a-team-trivia-game-and-boost-your-teambuilding-minitab/ which definitely helped me out a lot.

I appreciate any insights or experiences you can share. I am excited to learn from this community and improve the trivia experience for everyone involved.

Thank you in advance for your help and assistance.

3 Likes
2

These are wonderful questions and I’m hoping to offer some helpful advice. As head writer and trivia manager for Crowdpurr, many of your worries are the same that I struggle with day in and day out. What is the best way to structure a trivia game to maximize inclusivity?

First and foremost, it’s important to remember and accept that it is impossible to please all of the people all of the time. But there are ways to help design a more inclusive trivia event so that the majority in attendance feel satisfied with the experience. With our trivia library, we strive to cover as many bases as possible, hence the wide variety of available niche topics. These niche topic games are perfect for hosting a, let’s call it “branded” trivia event, such as a “Seinfeld Night” or a “Star Wars Night.” You’re absolutely correct in thinking that too many niche topic rounds can be quite alienating to certain audiences. It’s safe to say that the more diverse your audience is, the more diverse your trivia should be. Yeah, yeah, I know. How’s that for a generic non answer to your question?

How do you write a diverse game? Think of each trivia game like it’s a single card in a game of Trivial Pursuit. Every card in that game has a question for each of the possible categories. So if you eliminate the board and just ask the questions (one of my favorite road trip games, btw), you then have a well-represented cross section of topics: arts, science, politics, sports, food, history, geography, etc. Yes, some people will be upset that they don’t know ALL of the questions, that’s inevitable (see above), but opening your game to the widest scope of possible topics is the best way to ensure engagement from the widest possible audience. If you’ve got a trivia game with fifteen questions from as broad a scope of topics as possible, even a homogenous crowd of trivia players will be familiar with two-thirds of the topics, at least familiar enough to confidently participate.

As far as difficulty is concerned, our extensive database of trivia library games (1800 and counting) are structured to get more difficult as the game progresses; question one is easier than question fifteen. I know this seems like a bit of a bait and switch, but easing players in while slowly increasing the difficulty really does seem to be the most successful model. Players who’ve been cruising relish in then being presented with a challenge. And it engenders a feeling of “I know more about this than I thought” from players who might not otherwise be excited about the topic at hand. Watch any episode of Jeopardy! and the structure is the same. Start off simple and slowly turn up the heat.

I would also love to see other’s responses to your questions, especially with regard to effective ways to gather feedback from a live audience.

I hope that this was helpful, and please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions, comments, or advice of your own.

Happy trivia playing!

Philip Trickey
Head Writer/Trivia Manager at Crowdpurr

2 Likes
3

Great question and great answer Philip! :100:

I agree with all of the above. General trivia is always a great way to go.

Another option is if you do go specific in the topic, stick to a classic topic everyone knows (e.g. Famous 80’s Horror Films) or perhaps a more trending topic that is firmly planted in the current zeitgeist (e.g. Election 2024). Those will also connect well with general audiences.

I’m always amazed when I hear about the turnout at live venues when they announce “Taylor Swift Night” or “Bridgerton Night.” So there is potential for a great majority draw for the right theme night even if it turns away a slight minority. If you try this, just make sure it has broad appeal. As a theme night that is narrow will most definitely turn off some potential players.

1 Like