The problem isn’t reach. It’s retention.<\/strong> And it’s structural: there’s no mechanism that gives audiences a reason to return between matches. A score predictor fixes that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A note on Convert by Riddle.<\/strong> Earlier this year, Riddle acquired Convert <\/a>– Germany’s number one predictor game platform, with a decade of tournament deployments across Europe. We’ve rebuilt it on Riddle’s modern tech stack, added full white-label support, and brought it under the same GDPR-compliant infrastructure our publisher clients rely on. If you see “Convert by Riddle” in this post, that’s what it refers to.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Most digital campaigns are designed for a moment, not a period. A sponsored post generates clicks and disappears. Even strong editorial content sees 70-80% of its traffic arrive on publication day, with rapid decay after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tournament sports coverage faces the same pattern. Match-day traffic is high. Between matches, audiences scatter. The content – scores, analysis, reaction – becomes stale within hours. There’s no structural reason to come back<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 70%<\/p>\n\n\n\n of campaign traffic arrives on day 1<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n 3x<\/p>\n\n\n\n higher return rate with a predictor vs editorial alone<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n 4 wks<\/p>\n\n\n\n sustained engagement window per tournament<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Publishers using Convert by Riddle regularly reach 100,000+ registered participants per tournament – with daily return visits driven by the mechanic, not push notifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ready to go deeper? Download the full PDF of the ‘The Case for Score Predictors’: How score predictors build sustained audience engagement<\/a><\/strong> – with benchmarks, case studies, technical setup guides, and the complete launch sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A score predictor creates a different dynamic. It gives participants a personal stake in every match<\/strong>. Their prediction is already placed. The result matters. The leaderboard position is live. The next match is coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A score predictor creates daily habits, not one-day traffic spikes.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The mechanic is simple. The loop it creates keeps people coming back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A participant arrives at your branded predictor – on your domain, in your colours. To play, they register. Name, email, marketing opt-in, and any other fields you want to collect. The value exchange is clear: they get a free game tied to a tournament they already care about. You get a verified, opted-in lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before each match, participants submit their score predictions. Predictions close at kick-off. This creates a recurring, time-sensitive action that builds into the pre-match routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the match, participants return to check their points and leaderboard position. This return is organic – driven by curiosity and competitiveness<\/strong>, not push notifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaderboards create social pressure and social currency. Participants share their ranking<\/strong>. They challenge colleagues and friends. New users arrive through word of mouth<\/strong>. “I’m ahead of you” is the phrase that gets people sharing the leaderboard. Players can also create their own private tournament group by creating their own team with a team leaderboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A major international tournament typically features 50-64 matches over 28-35 days<\/strong>. Each match is another prediction, another result, another leaderboard shift. The structure itself drives returns – there’s always a next match, always a chance to climb. The same mechanic works equally well for domestic seasons, cup competitions, and regional tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands & sponsors<\/p>\n\n\n\n A banner ad is seen once. A predictor is used daily for four weeks (or more) <\/strong>– with the brand woven into the experience rather than bolted on top. Sponsors get title association<\/strong> (“the [Brand] Predictor”), logo presence<\/strong> across every session and leaderboard view, CTA placement<\/strong> at key moments, and first-party data<\/strong> from every registered participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What brands get<\/p>\n\n\n\n Publishers<\/p>\n\n\n\n Publishers have the content. The predictor gives readers a reason to return between match days<\/strong> – to check standings, review past predictions, and prepare the next one. It anchors the audience to your property across the full tournament window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commercially, the predictor is also a standalone sponsorship product<\/strong>. Sell the naming rights, logo integration, and data partnership as a premium package – 28 days of exclusive brand association<\/strong>, not a single ad slot. At scale, major publishers regularly reach 100,000-500,000 registered participants per tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Publisher benefits<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sports clubs<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match-day engagement is a solved problem for most clubs. The tricky gap is between matches. A club-branded predictor gives fans a structured activity that keeps them on club-owned platforms<\/strong> and building the habit of daily interaction<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For commercial partners, it also provides a concrete digital activation<\/strong> – prize sponsorship, branded notifications, CTA integration – that goes beyond badge placement and delivers measurable engagement data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HR & internal comms<\/p>\n\n\n\n Major tournaments cut across departments, seniority levels, and office locations. Almost everyone has an opinion on the football. An internal predictor gives HR and internal comms a ready-made engagement vehicle<\/strong>: low effort to deploy, inherently cross-functional, and capable of creating connections that normal team structures don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “When the head of sales and the new joiner are competing on the same leaderboard, the organisation feels smaller – in a good way.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Department vs department, London vs Manchester, individual vs individual – the format scales to whatever structure you want. No IT integration required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every predictor deployment is also a data acquisition programme. This isn’t incidental – it’s one of the strongest arguments for running one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhy tournament campaigns underperform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nYour tournament traffic spikes on day 1. A score predictor keeps it coming back for 28 more. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Download ‘The Case for Score Predictors’ whitepaper (PDF)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Traditional tournament campaign<\/th> Score predictor campaign<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> High day-1 traffic, rapid decay<\/td> Daily return visits<\/strong> throughout the tournament<\/td><\/tr> Passive consumption<\/td> Active participation – predict, check, rank<\/td><\/tr> No personal stake for the audience<\/td> Personal score predictions create a stake in every match<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> No opt-in mechanism<\/td> Natural registration and opt-in gate<\/td><\/tr> No first-party data<\/td> Rich, verified, consented audience data<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow a score predictor works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Infographic](\"https:\/\/www.riddle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/convert-by-riddle-whitepaper-score-predictor-five-steps.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. Register<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Predict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Return<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Compete and share<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Repeat – across the full tournament<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWho benefits – and how<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sponsorship that runs for weeks, not hours<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Turning match-day spikes into sustained readership<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Keeping fans active between fixtures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A morale tool that doesn’t need a budget<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nFirst-party data: the other return on a predictor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n