“I never win anything!” Does this sound familiar? It can often feel like entering a competition is a lost cause, but believe it or not, there can be ways to increase your chances of one day being a winner.
Whether it’s blagging a new TV or winning your dream ride through a car competition, you could be the winner of your dream prize! All it takes is some perseverance and some useful tips to get you closer to winning.
Here’s our top advice on how you can increase your chances of winning a competition.
- Enter as many competitions as you can
We admit it , this first tip can take up some time, but if you’re serious about wanting to increase your competition chances, then we suggest you set the time aside. This is a common tactic used by serial-compers and can really help boost your chances of winning a competition. In fact, many professional compers (people who regularly enter competitions) will set aside some time each day to scout out new competitions online or in magazines to broaden their entry pool. Of course, some common sense is also required here – we don’t suggest you enter competitions you’re not interested in. Not only would it take up more of your time, but you’ll also be making it harder for those who are genuinely interested in winning that prize.
- Check competition legitimacy
When buying a product or service, you want to ensure the brand or business you’re dealing with is legit, and the same goes for entering a competition. Afterall, you’ll be sharing your details with the provider and will want to be assured you’re in safe hands, right? The Best of the Best is a great example of identifying an authentic competition provider, having a solid history of operating within UK airports, while simultaneously offering the chance to win a car every week via their online car competitions.
Another simple identifier are the terms and conditions – if a company is promoting a competition and no T&Cs are apparent, it’s a pretty clear indication the competition is not legit. It’s important to keep an eye out for these red flags to ensure you and your personal data are kept safe and secure.
- The harder it is to enter, the easier it is to win
Some competitions require an entry that needs a little bit of effort, such as submitting an idea or a short story for example.
People are often put-off by this, so with this in mind you could have a higher chance of winning as the amount of entries for these type of competitions are lower. It’s also a great way to get creative and have a little fun, and remember, the more effort and thought you put into your idea, the more likely you are to be picked.
- Bookmark competition sites
The days of searching for individual competitions are long gone. Nowadays, there are plenty of websites or forums that are kept updated with competitions from across the internet, providing you with a handy one-stop-shop of all current, open competitions. This is a great way to mass-apply to more competitions in one swoop.
Some websites are known for hosting top-quality competition prizes, and it’s these sites you’ll want to bookmark on your browser, so you can easily pop back time and time again to re-enter different competitions. Forums such as MSE’s competition board or specific message boards in line with the type of prize you’re after are a great place to start. Equally, make sure you stay up to date with your favourite brands or businesses – this ensures you won’t miss out on any competitions they set live.
- Be tech savvy
Entering your details over and over again for different competitions can be tiresome, and the easier you can make this for yourself, the more entries you can achieve. Set up your browser to auto-fill forms, this will mean a speedier process and less repetitive typing.
In a similar vein, be sure to stay on the ball with your email – you’ll be surprised how easy it is to miss an email announcing your win. Majority of competition entries require your email address, this is pretty normal and will often be the method of contact should you win – so once you’ve entered a competition, be sure to keep track of your emails and check your spam folder regularly, too. A top-tip is to search ‘congratulations’ and ‘winner’ to quickly check if you may have missed any emails announcing your prize.
- Use social media
Instagram and Facebook are great platforms for finding competitions, and it’s often required that you ‘like’ or ‘share’ a brand’s content to confirm your entry. This can sometimes put people off entering a competition, but we suggest you stick with the requirements if you really want to up your chances. A good idea for social media competitions is to create social media profiles, and even an alternative email address, for competition entries. This way you can keep your entries and your email accounts separate and avoid being spammed by unwanted emails further down the line.
So there you have it, some solid tips to help you increase your chances of winning a competition.
It’s worth remembering that it is often just down to luck whether you win a competition or not, and many entrants are picked via a random selector, but don’t let that deter you.
Keep your entrants varied, put the time aside to enter those slightly tricker competitions, and most importantly, have fun. We wish you luck, and happy comping!
