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How To Set Up A Pub Quiz - 6 steps to success  

OK, here we run through how to prepare a top quality pub quiz of the type you can run for money or pub chain as a way to get more business on quiet nights – or just for fun anytime anywhere, no pub required! 

Summary of the 6 steps  

1.       Design your quiz structure. 

2.       Get questions. 

3.       Teams and entry fees 

4.       Prizes 

5.       Rolling jackpots – A great way to get them back again and again. 

6.       Advertise your quiz 

1) Design your Quiz structure 

Most quizzes last 1 to 1 and half hours and have 6-8 rounds (toilet and drink breaks essential!) 

First - Outline a base structure.  

• Basic - Each round is a set of general knowledge trivia questions.

More advanced –  

• Specialist rounds like music or movies.
• Or a seasonal or special event theme like Xmas, big sports events, national days, Mothers Day etc.
• Different formats like a picture quiz round or “name that tune! 

2) Get Questions 

Next - Assign sets of questions to your structure. 

Questions must be –  

• Up to date in the subject they’re on! 
• Answers MUST be correct. Take particular care with any questions where answers change over time, e.g., which team has won some event the most. 
• If you've got wrong answers you’ll lose credibility fast and the whole thing will be a nightmare!  

Happily getting questions is easy -  

• Free but hard work - Online, books and newspapers to look for current and historical questions and answers (good if you like that sort of thing or have lots of time)  
• Free trivia quiz question packs. Get 10,000 free through the link at the top of this page - But do check answers on any questions that might have a time changed answer. 
• Pay for questions – See Freequizzes who supply pre-researched, guaranteed correct questions. Costs vary but are not that high – Plus you know you’re getting professional quality.  

If you’re in a hurry or want to do a themed quiz or one with extras like a picture quiz then paid is the best way by far. 

3) Teams and Entry fees 

• I suggest no limit low or high on team numbers.
• Unless it's just for fun make an entry fee like £1 per person.

The result = No unnecessary restrictions and small teams of 2 or 3 are not discouraged from entering. Plus the small fee makes entrants focus on playing and puts off tight fisted timewasters who want something for nothing - Oi mate, if you can't afford a quid what are you doing in the pub anyway?

4) Prizes 

• Big cash prizes are great but you will attract quiz geeks from all over. If that’s what you want then that’s how to do it!  
• BUT if you want a full pub for a fun night then things like a barrel of beer works well. And people play again as it comes over as fun rather than over serious.   

Once you get rolling and have lots of people in you could even have prizes for different rounds – why not ask your local brewery or other suppliers to donate prizes to the quiz?  

5) Rolling Jackpots - See Freequizzes Quiz Lotto for an easy way to run this
 

What to do with the entrance fees? You could keep them, pay the quizmaster or (the best idea) have a rollover cash jackpot designed to keep teams coming back.  

1. Think of a number between 1 and 1000 and put it in a sealed envelope. Make sure that the person running the quiz knows the number and can be trusted not to sell it or pass it on!  
2. At the end of the quiz each team tries to guess the number by handing in written “bid” 
3. The number is the same every week and stays in the same envelope until it’s guessed.   
4. You collect all papers and write on each Higher or Lower depending on the guess. I.e. If the number is 50 and they wrote 142, you write Lower on the paper and return it to the team.  

The beauty of this is that a lucky team could win the cash at any point and a team that attends every time is guaranteed to get the answer within 10 weeks (Because they keep their weekly guesses) and missing a week could lose a team the jackpot.  

6) Advertise your quiz
 

Assuming you’ve got dates set you now need players - So you've got to advertise in some way. 

• If you can have an extra “carrot” like a free drink or pub snack plate for each team.
• Advertise the ever-increasing cash jackpot prize hard. 

Posters/flyers -  

• If you know anyone who’s good at design you can knock some up.
• Or ask the brewery if they have blanks that can be personalised.
• Or get them from the Freequizzes website. 
• Or when you download our 10,000 Free Quiz Questions set as part of the "bonus" sign up for details. It is free I promise you!

Put them up…anywhere and everywhere taking care not to break any laws on bill posting! 

Word of mouth - 

Tell friends, family and workmates. Tell all the pub locals and ask them to tell anyone they think might be interested. Ask the landlord and bar staff to mention it to all and sundry. 

Local Media -  

Papers – Write a brief “PR release” and send to your local papers and radio station. E.g., the “Red Lion” has a new weekly fun pub quiz starting on –date- at –time- with –xyz- as prize. £1 per player, any numbers per team and all welcome. Free bowl of cheesy chips for each team” 

Online -   

Local websites and blogs about your area or town.

Where can you join a free quiz website and be paid for doing it? Find out here