Many companies sponsor sweepstakes to bring in potential customers. They know that if you learn about their product or service that maybe you will come back and buy somethin in the near future. It is all about getting out their name and branding their produt. That is why they sponsor sweepstakes and contests. Why we like to enter them is quite a different story. We enter so we can win free swag and get to go on fabulous trips, or get things we can't afford. We also enter sweepstakes and contests for the thrill of hearing, Congratulations!

Searching for Sweepstakes to Enter

Use search engines such as Google or Yahoo to find contests online. Use keywords and phrases such as sweepstakes, "enter to win", "blog giveaway" to find sweepstakes to enter. You can also use more specific searches such as "cash sweepstakes, "win a computer", "wedding sweepstakes", "win a trip", etc. Change up the keywords or phrases a bit and to find more specific prizes that you want to win.

Enter as often as possible

The more you enter, the better your chances of winning a prize. Make sure to enter many many sweepstakes and contests. Think of entering a sweepstakes to win a prize like playing a game of Solitaire on your computer. You play many times but never win but then after a few games you DO win. You can't lose all of the time. It is just like that when you enter online sweepstakes, blog giveaways, and contests. Eventually you will win a prize and then you will be hooked.

The Entry Form

Always complete the entry form completely giving the required information such as name, address, email address, and/or phone number. Your phone number should contain your area code as well. Look at the entry form carefully to see what is required. Usually required information will be indicated with an asterisks. If the form does not require something like a phone number you can leave it blank if you do not want to give it out.

Remember that this information is the way sweepstakes administrator will get a hold of you and notify you if you win. If they can’t reach you they will give the prize to someone else. Some won’t even notify you and will just send it to the address listed so make sure your address is correct. Always give your real information. If you make something up you may miss out on a great prize.

Sweepstakes Email Account

Set up a free email account to keep your sweepstakes notificationsseparate from your other email accounts. You may receive more email such as company newsletters from entering online sweepstakes and contests. Good, free email services to consider are Gmail (Google), Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail (Microsoft Live).

Entering Optional Information

Optional survey questions on some entry forms can be a pain and take up time. Look carefully to see if those questions are required to enter the sweepstakes. If not you can skip them and save yourself some time.

Some online sweepstakes automatically sign you up for their email newsletters. Sometimes this is necessary to enter the giveaway if you want to win a prize. You can always unsubscribe from the newsletter once the giveaway is over.

Giving out personal information

You will most likely have to give out your name, address, phone, and sometimes email address to enter a sweepstakes or contest. You should never give out your social security number or credit card number. You will have to give valid information if you want to be contacted when you win a prize. If you do not want to give out your phone number skip that sweepstakes and move on to the next one. This is why it is so important to setup a separate email address just for entering sweepstakes and also for requesting free stuff.

Automated Entries and Form Fillers

There are automatic entry programs available online that will enter the sweepstakes for you. You should NOT use these programs because you will most likely be disqualified. This type of program will fill out the entry form for you and submit the data without you having to actually do any of the work. The company sponsoring the contest or sweepstakes wants you to visit their site to learn about their product or service so they want you to be the one to submit the information in the entry form.

Using a program such as RoboForm is totally different than using an automated entry program. RoboForm is a software program you download and install on your computer. You set it up with your personal information such as name, address, phone, date or birth, email, etc. When you visit a website that has an entry form on it, RoboForm will pop up and offer to fill out the form for you using the data you programmed into it. Once you click on the Fill Form button it will populate all of the boxes in the entry form with your personal information. Once you check the data to make sure it is correct and all fields have been filled out properly you click the Submit button. By clicking the button yourself this means you are not letting a program enter for you so it does not disqualify you.

Local Giveaways

Besides finding sweepstakes and contests online, you can often find giveaways in your local area. Grocery stores, malls, and fairs are a great source to find giveaways to enter. And, the odds are much better to win a prize because they will be limited to people entering in your local area. Sweeties Sweepstakes offers a daily sweepstakes digest to help you find more to enter.

Restricted Sweepstakes

Entering sweepstakes that are restricted to certain age groups or by certain states is the best way to win a prize. If you have children then look for sweepstakes for kids. There are usually lots to be found on the Kraft, Toys R Us, or Nickolodeon websites.