YOUR advice for new compers!

Submitted by SuperluckyDi on Mon, 2012-10-22 14:25

Thanks to everyone who entered our #AdviceLine Twitter competition last week - we asked you to tweet us your top tips for a new comper and we had LOADS of brilliant entries.

The tweets were so good we've combined them into a list of top tips for new compers - from the people who know best, the compers themselves!


ONLY ENTER FOR PRIZES YOU WANT

  • Don’t enter if you don’t really want the prize. It could make another’s day @mcweasel01
  • Concentrate your entries on those prizes you’d really love. It’ll make winning more special (& save time too!) @Lady_Fortuna

HAVE FUN

  • Treat comping as a hobby. Winning something is a bonus @soosieboo
  • Keep playing - the littlest win makes for such a smile :-) @dogwithnobrain
  • It can become very addictive, my advice would be dont tire yourself out, there is always tomorrow @NICOLATERRY1

READ THE RULES

  • Enter those you’d like to be winning, check the rules, you’ll soon be grinning! @Brackenheart
  • Watch out for checkboxes - know what you’re ticking! @ms_misanthropy
  • Read the instructions along with the T&C’s and ensure that you have fulfilled all of the criteria @smeeebeee
  • Always check where the company running the comp is based. If in USA it may not be open for UK. Ask if in doubt. @sjess82
  • Enter lots of comps but don’t forget to check those t&cs! A prize is useless if you cannot use it or collect it! @julster55P

FIND LOW ENTRY COMPS

  • Often the higher the effort required the lower the entries so try putting more effort into one good competition entry. @LucyLRichards
  • Enter comps in local papers, higher chance of winning and gives you that winning buzz to keep you going! @xXSusanReidXx

MAKE FRIENDS

  • Befriend other compers on Facebook, they will introduce you to lots of comps, give tips & share ideas @melissacannon_
  • Be social with other competition lovers and make Facebook friends with them to keep tabs on what they’re entering! @Twinklefire

DON’T GIVE UP

  • My tip for new compers is to be patient and expect to win eventually. Don’t get disappointed when you don’t @rachelmedhurst
  • Wins come and go, if you find yourself getting down over it, stop for a while... wait, let some finish and see @IanDowson1
  • Perseverence pays! Keep going even through lean spells and you will be rewarded! @CNphil112

SAY THANKYOU

  • Remember to thank the company for your prize. It’ll encourage them to do more :-) @soosieboo

BE ORGANISED

  • Log On Every Day @foxyheraclitus

  • Install Roboform or a similar form filling software to help speed up your comping @MrsWebster147
  • Use a dedicated email address for your comping. Otherwise your main email will soon be full of newsletters and notifications @firestar_louise

KEEP A WINS DIARY

  • Keep a diary of what you win, it helps track wins and gives you a boost if you don’t win for a while @wild_coconut

PLAY FAIR

  • DON’T CHEAT TO WIN A PRIZE!!! ;) @nomik33

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF COMPING

  • Try every type of comp out there: postals, Twitter, FB, instagram, Pinterest, text/phone, online, local area & creative. @zaphgb
  • Twitter and facebook are excellent for short lived comps so keep an eye on them and enter fast. @jojo3360
  • 5 a day! Not fruit - comps! Enter 5 diff comps every day, text, online, FB, tweet or postcard to max your wins. @Misshissykiss

AND FINALLY...

  • The only way you definitely won’t win is if you don’t enter! @01592_katie

With so much brilliant advice it was really hard to pick a winner, so we chose this tweet from @happyfox that combined THREE very important tips nicely:

A is for Always read the instructions, B is for Be courteous, C is for Comping should be fun, not hard work

Great advice for a new comper I reckon - well done @happyfox, DM your email address to @theprizefinder and we’ll get your £20 Amazon voucher off to you!

Comments

I'm sorry to hear that Maureen! Keep at it and hopefully you'll get a win soon - do you try Facebook or Twitter comps as the chance of winning is much better than web prize draws?

Submitted by mel1234 on Wed, 2012-10-24 21:50

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Enter as many comps as you can - I have won many things in the last few years and I comp on the internet every night. Quantity pays off in the end!

Submitted by NicolaHannell on Sat, 2013-01-19 14:59

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Would just like to introduce myself !!
I have been comping ever since I could lift a pen....in the old days!! I can remember going year on year to Holiday On Ice to try and win the Raleigh bike only to open a sorry you haven't won this time letter weeks later and then using the consolation pen that was sent to everyone.
I have started compng seriously since September 2012 and have won 2 pairs of theatre tickets and a greedy Gorilla game from orchard toys.I am still awaiting that BIG win but enjoy just entering as you never know..... you have to be in it to win it !!
Good Luck to everyone and keep trying.

Submitted by SuperluckyDi on Sat, 2013-01-19 15:58

In reply to by NicolaHannell

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Best of luck Nicola - it sounds like you have the right positive attitude! Hope you get that biggie soon!

Submitted by frilly_Tilly on Tue, 2013-02-12 21:14

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Just getting back into comping now the kids are older. How many comps do you enter to get a good flow of wins?

Submitted by Corn on Thu, 2013-04-11 21:54

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Having entered a competition and selected entered on the bar below does that show this has been entered on all categories? Eg if you look on the finishing soon and enter one then look in food does it show it has been entered ther also . . Just a concern as if you enter twice this may disqualify the entry.?
Also does anyone know if you enter a comp but do not accept the news letter or further comes from a third party does this reduce your chances? Has anyone won having not ticked all the extras?
Still new to this sorry if this has been asked previously
Cheers corn

Hi Corn, yes - each comp is only listed once on site, even if it appears in a few categories (new comps, Facebook, Skill etc). So once it's entered it will show as entered everywhere!

It shouldn't make any difference if you opt out of further communications, as the promoter SHOULD choose completely at random. However, in many cases future communications will include comps so lots of compers will opt in!

Submitted by mamazo3 on Thu, 2013-06-13 17:14

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I've been entering around 20-30 comps a day for the last month. Big & small. I think the total is around the 600 mark of comps past thier closing dates now. So far I've won absolutely nothing, not a sausage. If I get up to 100 with still no wins can I officially call myself the unluckiest person in Britain!

Submitted by alan.fox43@yah… on Thu, 2013-06-20 08:58

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Im new to comping and i have a question. Am i wasting my time with things like Myoffers and Offerx?
Has anyone won or know someone who has?
I just dont want to waste my time!

People DO win with these sites, but the prize draws get a LOT of entries because they advertise them all over the internet, so your chances of winning are small. Only do them if you have time, after doing all your other comps!

Submitted by mamazo3 on Wed, 2013-07-03 22:42

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I'm now up to over 1500 competitions entered with winnings of not a sausage. I might write to the Guinness Book of Records!

Submitted by BGurney on Wed, 2013-08-07 14:31

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Hey I have a quick question (similar to the question about sites like MyOffers) The magazine competition sites, e.g. Marie Claire, Look etc, where they have 'instant wins' and you have to match numbers, or where you have 6 entries daily into all their prizes. Do people actually win these?
Would love to hear if whether people win these, especially the instant win ones! As i'd hate to waste my time on them.
The prizes are quite big so I feel like maybe they aren't genuine...

Personally, I've not heard of a winner on the lucky numbers, the odds of getting the right number is very small and there may not even BE a winner (at least with a comp or prize draw, regardless of how many entries they get, there's always a winner!). I do hear of lots of winners from the magazine prize draws where you can get bonus entries though.

Submitted by jhunter316 on Fri, 2013-09-20 22:22

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Hi, I been comping since may last year and I have not even won a jelly bean never mind anything else. Hope start sometime tho, getting fed up entering for nothing.

Submitted by domac2013 on Sat, 2013-10-26 22:12

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Hi, I am new to comping, it is so addictive! I have been entering comps for about 6 weeks now. I must admit I did wonder whether my chances of winning anything were remotely good, so it was a pleasant surprise when the postman knocked at the door last week with an envelope that had to be signed for, and when I opened it I found 2 tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar! I was over the moon, from Smooth radio worth £150, and the show was fantastic, today I received an envelope from Jennings Brewery with a pair of socks, at least its a win of sorts! Anyway Thank You to the prizefinder for this great site, and can anyone suggest how many comps to enter on average each day to maximise your chances?

Submitted by tpf_kirsty on Sat, 2015-01-24 15:11

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Hi and welcome to the wonderful world of comping! We advise to enter an average of 100 comps a day for a period of 3 months before you should start to see results. I also suggest doing a variety of different types of comps - online, social media, phone, postal, creative etc - so you spread out your entries. The harder a comp is to enter the less people will enter, so the better your chance of winning. Good luck! xx

Submitted by tpf_kirsty on Sat, 2015-01-24 15:12

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I would say that using coloured and patterned postcards would be an advantage, rather than a means of disqualification. Unless the terms of a comp specifically say plain white envelope or postcard, the more you can do to make your entry stand out the better. Pretty postcards, nice coloured pens, eye catching name and address labels will all help give you the added edge when surrounded by plain, boring white postcards. Good luck! x