How to Start Your Sweepstaking Hobby

Entering the world of sweepstakes can be a daunting task. I have been entering sweepstakes and contests for years now, and while I am by no means rich, nor do I consider myself particularly lucky, I have won a good deal just over the last year alone. How do I win so much, you ask? Well, here are my tips for winning consistently.

First, you will want to set up an alternate email address that you will only use to enter sweepstakes with. I personally use hotmail and have found it be perfectly acceptable. You do not want to use the email address that you use for business or personal correspondence. If you are careful, you can limit the amount of junk email you receive, but you can not eliminate it entirely.

Secondly, you will want to join an online sweepstaking community. I am a member of Online-sweepstakes.com which I absolutely love, but there are many sites out there. This site, in particular, does not charge you to be a regular member, which is great when you are just starting out. You want to find a site that categorizes the different contests, such as contests which accept daily entries, weekly entries, and so on. This is important because you do not want to disqualify yourself by entering a contest every day that you may only enter once. Also, a site that categorizes sweepstakes by different prizes is a nice perk and saves you the time of reading over every contest to find a prize you would like to win.

Download a form filling software program. This will save your fingers a lot of work. I like Roboform, but I am sure there are other programs out there.

Sweepstaking is a numbers game. The more contests you enter, the more you will probably win. The key is to enter everyday for the things you really want. That way you will have more entries than Joe Shmo on the street.

Try to seek out local sweepstakes or sweepstakes that are not very popular. The reasoning behind this is simple. The less people that enter a contest, the better your odds are for winning.

There are things to remember when entering contests. Always read through the rules. If it says 18 and over only, they mean it. Do not waste your time entering for things that do not apply to you. Also, many of the online sweepstakes are getting wise to people who enter for everyone they ever met. Some do track your ISP and disqualify you for entering mulitple times.

Never pay to enter a sweepstakes or contest. These are not legitimate and, as far as I know, are illegal. Also, there are sites out there that you can pay to enter you in mulitiple contests. Most sweepstakes now have a rule that you must enter yourself and it can not be automated.

Good luck in your sweepstaking adventure and remember, the key is to enter, enter, enter!