Sweepstakes, Contests, Giveaways,
and Prize Drawings
I'm a winner and you can be too!
Over the years I have won many valuable prizes by entering sweepstakes online and you can too.
Some common statements I hear is, "I've never won anything" and "You sure are lucky". Luck really has nothing to do
with it. Persistence and patients are the keys to winning. One must be persistent with entering and have patients
for the wins to come their way. The more sweepstakes, contests, giveaways, and prize drawing that you enter, the
better your odds of winning something. Most days I enter between 300 and 500 sweepstakes.
Read the Sweepstakes Rules
By reading the rules you will find out if you are eligible to enter, if the sweepstakes is still
active, what you can win, and how often you can enter. These details are supplied by most sites that list sweeps to
enter online. However, I have found a lot of inaccuracies in data provided by such sites. Therefore, it is a good
practice to read the rules for yourself and not rely solely on information supplied by sweepstakes sites.
Track Your Sweepstakes Entries
It is important to keep track of the sweepstakes you enter. Due to most having a limited number
of times you can enter, you must be careful not to duplicate entries. I have come across various software for
tracking sweepstakes entries. Most are fairly simple to use and I would recommend that you use one. I have heard of
some people using a spread sheet for tracking entries, but have not tried this method myself. Also, some talk of
setting up bookmarks or favorites. I tried this, but found it more cumbersome than the tracking software that I
use. I use Sweep! to track my entries. It is a simple program to use that is shareware and you can download it for
free. Visit the Tracking page for a list of sweepstakes tracking software. Most have a free trial
download, if they are not completely free. Download a few, try them out, and see what works best for you.
Sweepstakes Web Sites and Blogs
I have listed a number of web sites and blogs that list sweepstakes that you can enter online.
Some offer tracking systems within the site to their members. If you rely on a web site to track your entries you
are somewhat limited to just that web site for entering. Since other sweepstakes sites my list the same
sweepstakes, there is a chance for duplication of your entries. Also when you rely on a sweepstakes site to track
your entries, if that site goes out of business or has down time, you won't be able to access your sweepstakes.
This is one of the main reasons that I recommend you track your sweepstakes entries on your own computer. Visit my
Directories page for a list of sweepstakes web sites and blogs.
Sweepstakes Sponsors
Some sweepstakes sponsors run sweepstakes, contests, prize giveaways, and drawings on a regular
basis. My Sponsors page is a list of these. It's a good ideal to check these often to
see what is new.
Winner Notifications
There are various ways in which winners are notified. The most common methods are by email, by
telephone, or the prize just shows up. In some cases you may receive an affidavit that must be completed and
returned by a deadline in order to qualify for the prize. Some of these affidavits are required to be notarized.
There are also a few sites that require you to check back to find out, if you are the winner, and claim the prize
from the sponsors web site. My Claim page contains a list of those I'm aware of that require you to return and claim the
prize. If you are entering these, you will want to be sure and check back.
Email Address
The email address I use for my sweepstakes entries is used solely for that purpose. Sweepstakes
entries can generate a lot of emails and spam. It is important to read the emails that you receive at the email
address you use for entering sweepstakes. Many sponsors notify you that you have won by email. If you don't read
your emails, you could easily miss a win notice.
My Wins List
At the beginning of 2011 I will start to list the things I win. Visit the My Wins page, if you are interested in seeing what I am winning.
|