Five Contesting Tips For Beginners
I personally believe that if you are entered in contests every single day of the year, over the course of the year you’ll win. Maybe not big or huge prizes, but you will win something eventually. When I am ‘into’ online contesting I usually enter anywhere from 50 to 200 contests per day, depending, of course, on what companies are currently running promotions. My favorite types of contests are DAILY (the ones you can enter every day during the contest promotion) and INSTANT WIN (where you are notified if you win a prize at the time of entry). To get you started here are five tips make being able to enter so many contests so frequently less of a chore and more fun.
Tip #1
Get a free Gmail account and use this account only for contests. Contests can bring great wins but it can also bring a lot of spam and junk mail. Be sure to check your e-mail once per day when possible. Some contests may require an e-mail response within a specific timeframe, and you don’t want to lose a prize simply because you didn’t reply fast enough.
Tip #2
Use ROBOFORM. This application lets you enter in personal details (enter only what you need for contests) and will offer to automatically fill forms on your contest pages. Most contests will state in the rules entry by automated method is void, but Roboform is not considered an automated entry (this generally refers to scripts which do everything for you, or services you pay for that automatically enter you in the contest). You’ll save hours of time using this program. I also keep my name, mailing address, number, e-mail address, DOB and so on in a text file. For flash-based forms where you can’t use Roboform, cut-and-paste is faster and you won’t typo important contact information.
Tip #3
READ THE CONTEST RULES. Be sure you meet the eligibility requirements and understand what fees or taxes you will be responsible for paying (if any) if you win. I understand US residents have taxes and other issues that Canadians may not have to consider for contesting. In Canada some residents of specific provinces (usually Quebec) may not be eligible, and some states in the USA. If you are not eligible to enter or think fees, taxes and so on for this contest are too much, don’t waste your time entering. Skip it and move on.
Tip #4
Know The entry limits. By exceeding the maximum entries per person or household you may miss out on a prize. The contest rules will tell you how often you can enter. Here are the common ones: DAILY: Enter once per day during promotion period
24 HOUR: Enter once every 24 hours during promotion period
WEEKLY: Enter once per week during promotion period
MONTHLY: Enter once per month during promotion period
SINGLE: Enter one time only during promotion period
Tip #5
BOOKMARK Contest Entry Pages in an organized way. Create a contest directory in your browser favorites list. Contest entry pages can be bookmarked, a good idea for contests where you can submit multiple entries over time. Once the page is bookmarked I always rename the entry in favorites to help. For example I start the name as shown with DAILY, MONTHLY, WEEKLY etc so I do not have to read rules again to know how often I can enter. I change the name to be either the prize or company sponsoring it. I also paste any UPC number or skill testing question answer (for Canadian contests) that I need into the title as well. This saves you a lot of time when submitting multiple entries over time. Here is a screenshot showing my own FAVORITES, with the title renamed to include contest dates, UPCs and other information I may need when entering that specific contest:
Of course, have fun with it! I usually pick a ‘contesting time’. Once I have the kids into bed, I like to sit and have a cup of coffee to relax. This is usually when I sit in front of the computer and do most of my contest entries. If you have a question about contesting, or can offer up some tips of your own, just use the comment button under this post and ask and I’ll try my best to answer.
Remember, you can’t win if you don’t enter!
7 responses so far ↓
larisa // November 3, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Winners! the best place to shop. I can catch me there every day
Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wanda // January 6, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Great site..I love instant win contests and one time entries the best. Good luck all
auroragg // January 7, 2008 at 2:58 am
Thanks! Daily and Instant wins are my favorites too! Not enough instants to create a seperate blog - but lots of “Daily Instants” to add here. Good luck and many wins to you!
J. Neil // May 30, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Please can you explain/expand on what flash-based forms are?
Thank you.
auroragg // June 3, 2008 at 1:29 pm
A flash form is a web form that uses somrthing called “Macromedia Flash” technology to collect the information you enter into the form.
The difference between a Flash form and other web forms which are “HTML” forms, for contesters, is that RoboForm (and your browser form filler) cannot fill out Flash forms. You have to enter the information yourself each time you visit.
Some will use Flash forms instead of HTML forms on their Web site because Flash lets you add video, sound, animation, and more.
Vani // June 26, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Great Tips! I have another suggestion for you. I also save any UPC’s needed for entering a contest into my roboform. That way when I come back to enter again, I just click FILL on the page that asks for the UPC. It’s quicker than copy/paste or typing.
auroragg // July 3, 2008 at 11:10 am
Vani — (love the name close to my own name of “vangie”). Thats a great tip. I never thought to use roboform for UPCs also. I’ll try this for sure. Thanks!
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