question markCarolyn,

I don’t know if my question is blog-worth, but here it goes: I’ve noticed the same few people posting up daily/weekly/monthly with all kinds of extraordinary wins ($1000 here, a trip there, etc.)  It may be a broad question, but how do the same people see to keep turning in these enormous wins??  I’d like to learn their secrets and be a better sweeper.  I saw a few people post they broke into six figures last year with their wins, and I’ve never broken $3500.00 for the year.  It certainly makes me think I have a lot to learn.

Thanks as always, Carolyn.
David

Your question is so blog worthy! I sometimes wonder the same thing! (In Canada it is harder to win prizes as they are further and fewer between.)

There are several potential reasons why you may not be winning big.

  • You are not organized. Being organized saves time, therefore you can maximize the number of contests you can enter in a shorter period of time.
  • You are wasting your time. What are you entering? Enter single entry sweepstakes first, then those with a higher dollar value prize, then instants, then dailies. Do not waste your time trolling Facebook for timeline contests or Twitter for retweet contests. Those you do from your mobile while waiting in line.
  • You are not entering best odds sweepstakes. This ties back to point #2. Entering low value, low odds sweepstakes are only netting you a few thousand dollars in wins over the course of a year. You can find best odds sweepstakes on Sweeties Sweeps, Sweepstakes Advantage or Sweepstakes Fanatics.
  • You are not entering enough. If you enter for 30 minutes per day and I enter for 4 hours, my odds of winning are going to be far greater than yours. I recommend entering 1-2 hours per day. That’s enough to win well, but not so much you cut into work, family time, and any other obligations. Winning should always remain a hobby and not reduce the quality of your life.
  • You don’t know how much you won. I used to think I didn’t win very much. So one year I decided to track every win. I mean every win. From a free coffee or bag of chips through to electronics and trips. I discovered I won far more than I originally thought. You can track your wins using my winning spreadsheet.

Be aware, not everyone posts their wins. There a lot more winners out there than you realize. Some win more than you, and some win less. You just don’t see it. I stopped comparing myself to others a long time ago. I win, what I win, when I win it.

Sandra Grauschopf also wrote an extensive article on your exact problem. Not Winning Sweepstakes? How to Deal with Sweepstakes Frustration

If you have a sweepstakes, contest or giveaway question, please email me.