Welcome to Part 2 of a special four-part series about getting started with sweepstakes, which is part of the About.com Hobbies Channel's "Start a New Hobby" initiative. In today's post, I'm going to be talking about how to be a more effective sweeper, concentrating your efforts and winning more prizes.
If you missed Part 1 of Getting Started with Sweepstakes, you can read it here: Entering Online Sweepstakes.
Is Winning Sweepstakes Just a Matter of Luck?
When I talk about the prizes I've won, people tend to say, "Oh, you're so lucky!" It's true that luck plays a big role in who wins sweepstakes, and there are ways to improve your luck. But as Thomas Jefferson said: "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." Here are some tips on boosting your odds when entering sweepstakes, and winning more prizes.How to Win More Prizes when you Enter Sweepstakes:
Step 1: Be organized with your sweepstakes entries. You can save a lot of time with your entries if you create a strategy for which sweepstakes you'll enter daily. Here is an example of a winning sweepstakes strategy.
Step 2: Decide which sweepstakes are worth your time. I like to have a good mix of sweepstakes, some with large prizes, some with really good odds. It helps to learn what are the best sweepstakes to enter and which factors influence sweepstakes odds. Remember that it pays to be picky about the sweepstakes you enter.
Step 3: Enter as often as you can. The more entries you have, the better your odds of winning. To cut down on the time it takes to enter sweepstakes, visit How to Enter Sweepstakes Faster. If you're having trouble fitting sweepstakes into your schedule, see How to Find Time to Enter Sweepstakes.
Step 4: Make sure you're not doing anything that might hurt your chances of winning. Some sweepers shoot themselves in the foot by making these common sweepstakes mistakes. You should also read about how to fix these reasons for not winning.
Step 5: Keep a log of your wins. When you win a prize, it might seem like an unforgettable experience. But after a few months, you'll probably forget exactly what you won, whether you are waiting on any prizes you haven't received, and how much you'll owe on taxes. Here are some articles that will make tracking your prizes easy:
- Good Reasons to Track Your Wins
- How to Track Your Wins
- How to Create a Prize Scrapbook
- Free Prize Spreadsheet to Download
Tools and Programs to Help You Win More Prizes:
Once you've gotten beyond basic sweepstakes entry, there are some tools that can help you win even more. Here are a few of my favorites.- The About.com Sweepstakes Newsletter. It's free, delivered three times a week, and is full of sweepstakes to enter and tips to help you win more.
- The paid version of Roboform. You only pay once, and you can store an unlimited number of sweepstakes forms and identities, making it much faster and easier to win.
- Texter, a free program that you can use to speed up Flash sweepstakes entry.
- Diigo, a free program that lets you track which sweepstakes you've already entered.
- Your favorite method of receiving Sweepstakes News.
- The best Firefox Add-Ons for Sweepstakes.
- My favorite Books about Sweepstakes.
Comments
ALWAYS be organized….I have folders set up in my favorites for important sweeps (the ones I really want to win and enter every day), not so important sweeps (incase I have more time to kill), creative sweeps (so on my day off I can take the time to enter these), blog sweeps, 1x week sweeps, sweeps I need to enter (incase I don’t have much time I can enter them later) and sweep sites(so I can find more to enter). I also save emails and have folders set up for those too. I have one folder for winnings I haven’t received and another set up for items I have received. When entering a blog sweep I ALWAYS email the person I won from so they know I had gotten my prize and of course I thank them. Good Luck all and don’t give up:)
Great tips, Kidpack05, thanks!