So, have you ever won anything in a contest?
I unfortunately have had the luck of ONLY winning one contest and it was a book about losing weight. Not the greatest prize, I’ll admit.
There are so many contests available nowadays and here is some of the sound advice I have found.
Enter Daily Entry Sweepstakes Daily
This is really the only legal way to give yourself an advantage over others for those sweepstakes that award their prize through a random draw. Think about it f...or a second. If you and I both enter a draw that allows only a single entry per person, we both have an equal chance of winning. But if you enter a sweepstakes that allows daily entry and you enter it only once while I enter it every day for a month, I'll win 30 times as often as you. Here's another way of looking at it - 10 people enter a daily entry contest, 8 of them enter once and 2 of them enter every day for a month. When it comes time for the draw, 60 of the 68 entries belong to the 2 users who entered daily. Who do you think is going to win? The numbers I used for that example aren't realistic but you can change the numbers and the math remains the same. All serious sweepers understand this - and if you really want to win something, you're better off spending your time entering a small number of daily entry sweeps on a regular basis than entering a large number of single entry ones. If you are a casual sweeper, stick to the single entry contests - that way you will have the same chance of winning as me and my hard-core friends.
Essay and Photo Contests
Any giveaway that requires you to take a photo, write an essay or something similar is going to get very few entries and anyone who does enter will have great odds of winning. There are some contests, however, that require you to upload a photo or an essay but the winner is decided through a random draw - that is to say, your photo or essay isn't voted on or judged. These are the ones you should jump on when you find them. These are fun too
Facebook Contests
I know a lot of people don't like Facebook giveaways - mostly because they can be intrusive, asking for not only your information but sometimes for information on your friends and even asking to post to your wall pretending to be you. I agree that there can be some real privacy issues with some of these giveaways and I'm really surprised that some companies feel they have the right to be so invasive. Having said that, there are some really great sweeps that are only available on Facebook and as time goes on, there are more and more of them. Facebook sweeps are here to stay, they are usually very easy to enter and if you ignore them, you're missing out.
So I created THIS Facebook profile for myself that I only use for couponing and entering sweepstakes. I am happy to "like" any company that is offering a good giveaway and if they want to junk up my page with their own posts, go ahead. I feel a bit conflicted with having a separate profile for sweeping because I don't like fooling anyone but I think that the things I am holding back are things that these companies have no right to ask for in the first place. I am not recommending that you do the same thing - I'm only telling you what I have done.
Find Local Giveaways
Local contests are great, however, and usually have good odds of winning. To find local contests, search Google or Bing for a list of websites for newspapers and radio stations in your town. You'll find these websites often have a page listing their current sweeps.
Spam
I try as much as is possible, to keep the level of spam in my inbox down. When entering contests, some of the sites hosting these will use your information to spam you, so you must be careful to assess the site hosting the contest. Ask yourself if you trust the site that you are on. Be careful about what kind of information you give them, and what you agree to receive in return for entering contests. Read the entry form carefully, as there can be somewhat hidden check boxes that will sign you up for things you may not want.
To avoid avoid spam in your regular email address is to set up a special email just for contests using, gmail, yahoo or other free email hosting sites. You will become more astute at recognizing spammy or scammy sites, the more you enter. Make sure you trust the company holding the contest.
Scams
Sometimes companies or people will misrepresent what they are doing, by enticing you to enter a contest. Some timeshare companies are notorious for doing this - you enter your info into a ballot box somewhere and they call to say that you've "qualified" to win a big prize, and all you have to do is go somewhere and listen to a presentation. Unless, you want to be sold a timeshare apartment, say "no".
If the sponsor of a contest is unclear, it's likely a scam.
You should never be asked to pay for anything, in order to win a contest.
If you're told you've won a big sweepstakes or that trip to the Bahamas that you don't recall entering, it is likely a scam.
You will never be asked for credit information or your banking information if you are a winner. You should only be asked for contact information and in Canada, most sweepstake winners are required to answer a skill testing question.
If you're sent a winning email, notice the email address of the sender--if it's unnecessarily complicated or doesn't add up to the info you have, then it's possibly a scam.
Always Read the Rules
It's very important that you understand the rules before you enter an online contest. Some sweeps are regional and only allow entries from certain cities or states, some require you to be a certain age, some allow only a single entry while others allow you to enter multiple times, some allow you to enter yourself, your husband and your children while others allow only one entry per household, and so on. You really should read the rules before entering any sweepstakes to make sure you understand the restictions and for a description of what you're signing up for.
Have Fun
You will win if you keep trying. It may be a free bag of chips, or a free supper , or a book on weight loss --- or something you really want.
But – it will be free.
I unfortunately have had the luck of ONLY winning one contest and it was a book about losing weight. Not the greatest prize, I’ll admit.
There are so many contests available nowadays and here is some of the sound advice I have found.
Enter Daily Entry Sweepstakes Daily
This is really the only legal way to give yourself an advantage over others for those sweepstakes that award their prize through a random draw. Think about it f...or a second. If you and I both enter a draw that allows only a single entry per person, we both have an equal chance of winning. But if you enter a sweepstakes that allows daily entry and you enter it only once while I enter it every day for a month, I'll win 30 times as often as you. Here's another way of looking at it - 10 people enter a daily entry contest, 8 of them enter once and 2 of them enter every day for a month. When it comes time for the draw, 60 of the 68 entries belong to the 2 users who entered daily. Who do you think is going to win? The numbers I used for that example aren't realistic but you can change the numbers and the math remains the same. All serious sweepers understand this - and if you really want to win something, you're better off spending your time entering a small number of daily entry sweeps on a regular basis than entering a large number of single entry ones. If you are a casual sweeper, stick to the single entry contests - that way you will have the same chance of winning as me and my hard-core friends.
Essay and Photo Contests
Any giveaway that requires you to take a photo, write an essay or something similar is going to get very few entries and anyone who does enter will have great odds of winning. There are some contests, however, that require you to upload a photo or an essay but the winner is decided through a random draw - that is to say, your photo or essay isn't voted on or judged. These are the ones you should jump on when you find them. These are fun too
Facebook Contests
I know a lot of people don't like Facebook giveaways - mostly because they can be intrusive, asking for not only your information but sometimes for information on your friends and even asking to post to your wall pretending to be you. I agree that there can be some real privacy issues with some of these giveaways and I'm really surprised that some companies feel they have the right to be so invasive. Having said that, there are some really great sweeps that are only available on Facebook and as time goes on, there are more and more of them. Facebook sweeps are here to stay, they are usually very easy to enter and if you ignore them, you're missing out.
So I created THIS Facebook profile for myself that I only use for couponing and entering sweepstakes. I am happy to "like" any company that is offering a good giveaway and if they want to junk up my page with their own posts, go ahead. I feel a bit conflicted with having a separate profile for sweeping because I don't like fooling anyone but I think that the things I am holding back are things that these companies have no right to ask for in the first place. I am not recommending that you do the same thing - I'm only telling you what I have done.
Find Local Giveaways
Local contests are great, however, and usually have good odds of winning. To find local contests, search Google or Bing for a list of websites for newspapers and radio stations in your town. You'll find these websites often have a page listing their current sweeps.
Spam
I try as much as is possible, to keep the level of spam in my inbox down. When entering contests, some of the sites hosting these will use your information to spam you, so you must be careful to assess the site hosting the contest. Ask yourself if you trust the site that you are on. Be careful about what kind of information you give them, and what you agree to receive in return for entering contests. Read the entry form carefully, as there can be somewhat hidden check boxes that will sign you up for things you may not want.
To avoid avoid spam in your regular email address is to set up a special email just for contests using, gmail, yahoo or other free email hosting sites. You will become more astute at recognizing spammy or scammy sites, the more you enter. Make sure you trust the company holding the contest.
Scams
Sometimes companies or people will misrepresent what they are doing, by enticing you to enter a contest. Some timeshare companies are notorious for doing this - you enter your info into a ballot box somewhere and they call to say that you've "qualified" to win a big prize, and all you have to do is go somewhere and listen to a presentation. Unless, you want to be sold a timeshare apartment, say "no".
If the sponsor of a contest is unclear, it's likely a scam.
You should never be asked to pay for anything, in order to win a contest.
If you're told you've won a big sweepstakes or that trip to the Bahamas that you don't recall entering, it is likely a scam.
You will never be asked for credit information or your banking information if you are a winner. You should only be asked for contact information and in Canada, most sweepstake winners are required to answer a skill testing question.
If you're sent a winning email, notice the email address of the sender--if it's unnecessarily complicated or doesn't add up to the info you have, then it's possibly a scam.
Always Read the Rules
It's very important that you understand the rules before you enter an online contest. Some sweeps are regional and only allow entries from certain cities or states, some require you to be a certain age, some allow only a single entry while others allow you to enter multiple times, some allow you to enter yourself, your husband and your children while others allow only one entry per household, and so on. You really should read the rules before entering any sweepstakes to make sure you understand the restictions and for a description of what you're signing up for.
Have Fun
You will win if you keep trying. It may be a free bag of chips, or a free supper , or a book on weight loss --- or something you really want.
But – it will be free.
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