Are you obsessed with winning free stuff? Or are you one of those that seem to “never win a thing?”
Either way, sweepstakes are a huge industry on the Internet. And it can be a great hobby for some, with a fantastic payout!
MyDFWMommy hosts giveaways almost every week. From gift cards to curling irons to high-end gadgets, companies use giveaways to boost brand recognition. The best part about giveaways is that everyone wins- lucky consumers score prizes and companies can boost their image and promote their product.
How to Win Giveaways and Sweepstakes
But you can’t win if you don’t enter. Lori is a friend of mine and a follower of our blog and WFAA segments. She wins something almost every single week from a coupon for a free candy bar, to grills (she has won 3 of them), gift cards, concert tickets and kitchen appliances.
So I asked her to share some secrets and tips on how to win giveaways and sweepstakes. Consider these tips on how to hit the jackpot and redeem your winnings.
Tip #1: Set up a separate Email address for sweeping and check it! Yahoo and Gmail are both free. Realize that when you enter some sweeps, you will be signed up for their marketing emails. Some you can opt out, others send them to you anyway. I personally recommend Gmail because it has special tools that allow you to filter email into special folders and you can see if people use your email for spamming purposes.
Also, keep in mind, the most common form of letting an entrant know they’ve won is through email. The majority of sweepstakes have notification clauses in their official rules that if the entrant does not respond to the company’s winner announcement email within a certain period of time (sometimes as little as 48 hours) they have the right to pick another winner. TIP: Make sure and check your SPAM folder too!
Tip #2: Lori suggests entering only the sweepstakes you want to win. There are two different mindsets to this. Lori says, “I remembered one time I entered a sweep daily only to realize the value of the gift was $10.00. I really didn’t want the prize anyway!” Keep in mind too, blog giveaways are more time-consuming so it is a good idea to focus on the prizes you really want. Keep a list by your computer of all the prizes that would make good gifts or you really want. Enter those giveaways first. Chances are the same prize will be given out on several sites so enter for as many as you can find to improve your odds of winning. By entering and winning you can get deluged with prizes that you can’t use, that clutter up your house, that boost your sweepstakes tax burden, and which waste the sponsors’ advertising dollars.Concentrate your efforts on sweepstakes with prizes that you’d really like to win.
OR enter all sweepstakes and blog giveaways and sell or trade the prizes. This is more for the sweeper that wants to take on an extra job. Don’t overlook the little guys. Gift cards and prizes for less popular brands attract fewer entries and your odds of winning will typically be much greater. If you want to sell products, turn to your local Facebook Garage Sale group, Craigslist or eBay. For gift cards, the best option is to find a gift card reseller, that will happily buy your cards for somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 percent of face value.
Resources:
For Blogs: Blog Giveaway Directory
For Sweepstakes & Contents: About.com (Tip from Lori: There are so many, I would stick with one/two and enter those referrals from there. Any more than that you will be overwhelmed and many are duplicates.)
Tip #3: Always read the giveaways entry information carefully and follow the rules. This may seem like common sense, but you would be amazed at how many people don’t read the entry information carefully. Entries will be thrown out that don’t follow the rules. Lori says to sure you can actually enter the sweep. Every sweep is different, but if you live in Texas and enter an Oklahoma only sweep, you will be disqualified (speaking from early experience!).
Tip #4: Download a plugin for your browser that automatically fills in forms on your behalf. Many browsers have this functionality built into the browser, others rely on third-party plugins or extensions. By using such a program, you skip the most time-consuming part of the process. If you enter lots of sweeps per day, you may want to download Roboform. This software fills forms with a simple mouse click.
Tip #5: Start collecting a list of sweepstakes sites you will hit each day. A quick search for the best sweepstakes will help you assemble your calendar and loading each one up in the morning will give you a nice list to work from. From there, click on each sweepstakes (holding the CTRL key while clicking a link will typically open it up in a new tab), let the auto-fill program take over, and sit back. You can enter a dozen sweepstakes in a few minutes if you have everything set up. Lori says entering sweepstakes consistently is the best way to get a large number of entries over time. Set a goal for yourself to enter sweepstakes every day. Best of all is if you can set aside some time for yourself, maybe first thing in the morning or before going to bed, and focus on sweepstakes entries during that time.
Tip #6: Look for local sweepstakes. Check with local retailers in store and online. Fewer entries mean you have a better chance of winning! Lori says she has the best luck through entering local sweepstakes. Try your favorite radio station or local restaurant. Does your radio station do off-site remotes? Those are great ways to enter. Lori says many people don’t go to those because they feel obligated to purchase something. She won tickets to Paul McCartney one time and only 6 people entered because it was at a bank.
Tip #8: Use Google alerts & Google’s advanced search features to locate hard-to-find or local sweepstakes. Lori uses google alerts for sweep announcements. She receives a daily email from google for contests. She sifts through them and enter the ones she can and wants. Use the advanced search feature so you can search for certain keywords that almost always appear on entry forms, i.e. “official rules,” “enter by,” and of course “sweepstakes.”
Tip #9: Enter giveaways that are a couple of months old. A lot of the really large prizes like “$50,000 Cash” or a luxury automobile have much longer entry periods than sweepstakes for smaller prizes. Most entries happen in the first few days or weeks.
Tip #10: Don’t neglect blog giveaways. Every day, there are literally thousands of giveaways on blogs. They are frequently for lower value items, but you often find gift cards, clothes, gadgets and other really nice prizes.
Tip #11: Take advantage of ALL Entries. Many blogs or sweepstakes offer multiple entries. You are more likely to win with 10 entries than with 1 entry.
Tip #12: Seek Out Giveaways With Low Entries. Look for giveaways with less than 250 total entries. Do a Google blog search for the phrase “first giveaway”. Many bloggers don’t have a large marketing budget so, in turn, have fewer entries and a higher chance of winning.
Tip #13: Legitimate Sweepstake or Scam? While most sweepstakes are run by legitimate companies, there are a few bad apples in the bunch. Some sites can disguise themselves as sweepstakes, but are actually just phishing, trying to get your personal information for use in spam marketing, scams, or identity theft. Also, note, you should NOT be required to pay to enter a sweep as there should be alternative ways to enter without purchase. Otherwise, stay away.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to ensure the sweepstake is legitimate:
Does the Website Have a Privacy Policy?
Is There a Clear Set of Sweepstakes Rules?
Does the Giveaway Follow Basic Sweepstakes Laws?
Is There a Legitimate Company Behind the Sweepstakes?
Tip #14: Attend Twitter parties. They typically last an hour and many prizes are often given away. A lot fewer people enter because of the time commitment so your odds are better of winning.
Tip #15: Not Keeping Track of Your Wins: Getting into the habit of keeping a log of your wins will not only help you at tax time, but it will also help you realize if you have not received a prize that you were expecting.
The best advice from Lori? “You want to have fun with this. It will be a while before you win. Realize again, it will take time. The more you enter and the more consistent you are (i.e. every day), the better chances of winning!” Remember that sweeping is a hobby, not a job!
