Would you film yourself shaving your legs for the chance to win $250? I sure would—that’s like four and a half minutes of work I’d be doing anyways, might as well (maybe) get paid for it. How about a tropical getaway for free if all it takes is a couple hours of work?
As necessities eat up more of our disposable income, contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways are an economical (and entertaining) option to get some free perks you might otherwise go without.
Here are some insider tips and tricks of the trade from lucky winners:
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Get organized! Create a separate email for contest entries so you’re not bombarded with promos and offers in your personal inbox. Use a spreadsheet to track contests you’ve entered and take advantage of autofill to complete entries faster.
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Use ALL your entry methods. In Canada, there are five sweepstakes entry methods—in-person, mail-in, phone-in, online, and mobile.
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Do the thing no one else wants to. Most people will start to fill out a contest form, but when they find out some additional action is required, they back off (like shaving your legs on camera).
- Tune into the radio. While we’re all listening to our perfectly curated playlists or deep-thought podcasts, radio stations are a great contest source, giving away concert tickets, cash and more to get more ears tuned in to their airwaves.
Bottom line: Some people think chronic contest winners are just lucky, but that’s not totally right. You can seriously juice your odds by going the extra mile.