Entering sweepstakes is a fun and rewarding hobby. Most major sweepstakes promotions are available to be entered for free online. Companies offer sweepstakes to draw attention and create excitement about their product. A purchase can not be required to enter a random drawing.
There are so many sweepstakes available with prizes ranging from a T-shirt to a new home - and all that is necessary is a computer with an Internet connection and your time. The time you spend entering sweepstakes does not have to be work, but can really be fun, because you can let your imagination go wild with all the possible prizes you could win. If you are persistent, and a little patient, you will be successful and win regularly.
Online sweepstakes are usually presented in two ways - a random drawing - or an instant-win game. In a random drawing sweepstakes, all entries are included in a random drawing at the end of the promotion to determine the winner or winners. In an instant-win game, the entry time is usually predetermined prior to the promotion, and the person entering closest to the predetermined time is awarded the prize instantly.
Before you get started there are a few basic things you should do. You should set up an email address to be used only for the purpose to enter sweepstakes. There are several reasons this is a good idea. First, it will keep your sweepstaking hobby separate from your regular email account. Second, entering sweepstakes, can draw spam to your email address. It is a great time saver to set up the "autofill" feature on your browser. This way, you do not have to key in your name, address, phone number, etc. at each entry page you visit.
All sweepstakes are not created equal. While it certainly does not hurt to enter all sweepstakes you come across since you can't win if you don't enter - and it isn't a bad strategy to enter everything, but time is valuable. Eventually you will learn to concentrate your time and effort on sweepstakes that will offer you the best chance of winning the prizes you want to win. You just need to give thought to your competition. For example, HGTV gives away a home each year and draws several million entries. This sweepstakes is heavily marketed, the prize is fantastic, and everyone enters! Now I certainly am not saying you should not enter this sweepstakes, by all means get your entry in. What I'm saying is, your chances of winning are slim. Also, many sweepstakes are limited to one entry per person, again this makes it more difficult to win. There are literally hundreds, possibly thousands of sweepstakes going on at any given time that offer a prize or prizes worth well over $1,000. If you are persistent, you will claim your share of these prizes. Some of the sweepstakes that are your best bet for winning are:
Local Sweepstakes or regional sweepstakes - These sweepstakes draw fewer entries and can be very good.
Unique Code Sweepstakes - These sweepstakes have fewer entries because you either need to buy a product to participate, or send for a free unique code by mail. Many soft drink and candy promotions are run this way. It is often just as cheap to buy the product to enter as to send for unique codes.
Survey sweepstakes - It is work to fill out a survey, many people will not bother.
Skill contests - These require thought and work, there will be much fewer entries in a skill contest than a sweepstakes. It can be relatively easy to win a contest if you are skilled in writing, photography, cooking or other specialty the contests is requiring. Skill contests can legally require a purchase as the entry is chosen on skill rather than at random.
Hard to find sweepstakes - Few people will enter these sweepstakes.
Sweepstakes targeted to a limited audience - These sweepstakes will also have fewer entries, giving you a better chance at winning.
Another thing to consider is how many times you are allowed to enter. I would say most online sweepstakes are limited to one entry per person, many allow one entry per day - and this would give you more opportunities to win.
By now you might be wondering, how do I find the best sweepstakes to enter? There are many sources and ways to find great sweepstakes to enter. The most obvious way would be to do a search on a search engine such as google or yahoo. A better option would be to find a website that offers links to current sweepstakes. There are many of these also, some are free, but heavy with advertising. Others offer only a few sweepstakes to enter. Others yet, charge a subscription fee to use their service. If you are serious about this hobby, you will eventually subscribe to one or more of these websites. we believe www.sweepstakesbananas.com offers the best sweepstakes to enter online for a modest subscription price.
One last thought. Sweepstakes used to be entered only by mail, and still are in many cases. If you are interested in expanding your hobby, or going in this direction, a sweepstakes newsletter will be a very helpful asset to you. We recommend the newsletters offered at www.bestsweepstakes.com if you would like to enter mail-in sweepstakes.
Good luck!
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