If you’ve ever wondered how some people always seem to win competitions – today’s post is for you.
One of the best parts of blogging about money is that people email me with all the different ideas and strategies they use to boost their income.
A few weeks back I got an email from Rae, a mum from New Zealand, who is a ‘comper’.
She told me that she has been entering and winning competitions for years, winning great prizes for her family and she wonders why more people aren’t doing it.
I’ve got to admit, I’m in the ‘I’ll never win so why bother camp’ but Rae’s email has got me thinking, that’s for sure.
Rae has allowed me to share some of her tips for winning comps (as the pros call them).
I’m paraphrasing most of these as I’ve done extra research, but the gist of it is from Rae.
7 Tips for Winning Competitions
1. Enter every competition you can
Seems obvious, right?.
Well, you’ve got to be in it to win it.
Rae spends at least an hour a day searching for free online competitions and entering them.
She regularly does simple online entry comps on survey sites like PrizeRebel and Rewardia.
These online competitions require her to enter an email address and other basic info.
She advises these types of comps can put you on a mailing list, so use a dedicated email address (one of my tips for taking paid surveys also – the dedicated email address is a great way to separate all your comps/survey stuff from regular life stuff)
2. Follow your favourite brands on social media
Rae says many competitions and giveaways are on Facebook and Instagram these days.
She says these competitions are simpler to enter and, therefore, more competitive, but she still enters as per point 1!
She mentioned that following newer brands and smaller pages often gave better results.
Facebook rules mean brands cannot ask you to share a post to qualify for an entry, so by sharing when you don’t have to, you might just be reducing your chance of winning.
You can read more about competition rules on Facebook here.
3. Be creative
Most people don’t bother with competitions that are difficult to enter – for example, ‘write 25 words or less on this topic – but Rae thinks those are exactly the type of competitions one should enter as most people are put off by the work required so your chances of winning are higher.
She likes to write a wee ditty or verse in an upbeat tone that positively mentions the brand.
Apparently, it gets easier the more you do it (much like blog writing, I imagine).
She reasons that company staff have to read through hundreds or even thousands of entries, so something that makes them laugh or smile has the best chance of standing out.
4. Enter comps even if you don’t like the prizes
Often, prizes are exchangeable for a cash payment, so Rae always enters competitions, even if she doesn’t like the prizes.
This is not always the case, but sometimes it is.
(You could always donate the items to charity, if you didn’t want them).
5. Spare the sob story
Some people like to share a sob story as a reason why they should win a prize, and while that’s not against any rules, Rae believes that sob stories just make people feel bad and bring down the positivity of a competition.
A good tip for sharing a sad story to win a competition is to frame it in a positive light – focusing on the positive aspects of recovery from an illness or on how winning a prize would allow you to build great memories for kids after a tough year.
Focus on the positive outcome that winning the prize would allow rather than the actual sad event.
6. Bookmark your favourite sites to check regularly
Radio stations often have competitions listed on their website.
Supermarkets, magazines and online stores are the same.
Using Chrome, you can bookmark your favourite competition websites to save time.
7. Use your manners
Rae and I agree on this one. Always write a thank you note or give the brand a shout-out on social media if you’ve won a prize.
Brands run competitions to build relationships with their readers. Rae prefers to write a thank you card, and she often receives a response – sometimes with coupons enclosed!
So there you have it, tips from an expert comper on how to win competitions.
I’ve got to say, that Rae’s emails have definitely helped me look at competitions in a new light.
I’m going to try my hand at a few of those 25 words or less comps and see how I go – I’ll update this post if I have any luck.
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