I've read your article about sweepstakes etiquette, and I was wondering why it's so important to be polite to sweepstakes sponsors?
There are many ways that companies could spend that money - television or radio ads, internet ads like banners or pop-up advertisements, billboards, and so on. Of all of these options, only sweepstakes reward us directly. I would much rather enter a contest with the chance to win something great and spend a few extra seconds looking around a sponsor's website than to see another annoying television ad.
While sweepstakes are the preferred method of receiving advertisements for myself and other sweepers, they are a lot of work for sponsors. Not only do the sponsors need to design, implement, and manage a fun and attractive giveaway, but they also leave themselves open to lawsuits, insults, and sour grapes from sore losers. As soon as sponsors perceive sweepstakes as being more difficult than rewarding, they will put their advertising budgets to different uses, and we sweepers will be left with smaller and smaller prizes. If sweepstakes aren't profitable, the sponsors will simply turn to more annoying advertisements, and our hobby will dry up.
So if you want to continue to have the chance to win amazing prizes, take the time to understand why companies hold sweepstakes and how you can encourage them to sponsor more giveaways by following good sweepstakes etiquette. It doesn't take a lot of time or effort to show your appreciation for the prizes that are awarded every day, and it could really make a difference with the sponsors.
