You can win a sweepstakes
You can win sweepstakes. Many people do. One of your best options is to enter mail in sweepstakes. As the cost of stamps increases, fewer people enter, so your odds of winning are better. Here are some tips to help you win mail in sweepstakes.
Instructions
1. One type of sweepstakes that people enter less and less are mail-in sweepstakes. In the digital age, if you have to actually take pen to paper, find an envelope, a 3x5 card, and a stamp, most folks just pass it by. That makes it easier for people who are organized and ready to win.
The first tip is to find sweepstakes to enter. You can search the internet for "mail in sweepstakes" and start there. A more focused search can be done using the terms "postmarked by June 1, 2009" +sweepstakes, including the quotation marks. Just change the date and you will get a lot of good possibilities.
2. Sweepstakes advertised on sweeps websites will get a lot of entries, but they can still be won. Keep your eyes open when you are in the grocery store or the mall for sweepstakes advertised in stores or on product tags. Far fewer people will find these sweeps, and they can therefore offer you the best odds to win.
Another good way to find mail-in only sweepstakes is to subscribe to a sweepstakes newsletter. One I recommend is Sweepsheet. You can get a free sample at the link below. I like it because the editor rates the sweepstakes "winnability" and checkmarks ones that offer good odds. You can read other sweepers success stories and get tips on win.
3. Make sure you read the official rules for several reasons. First, to ensure that the sweepstakes is still open, and second, that you are eligible to enter. Some are restricted to certain ages and locations. If you find a sweepstakes with restrictions on entry, and if you qualify, that makes your odds better because there will be fewer entries. Short entry periods are also in your favor for the same reason, especially if you are allowed more than one entry. Also check online sweepstakes that only allow one online entry. Sometimes you can enter via mail-in too, and mail-ins may be unlimited because the sponsors know they won't get as many mail-in entries. Follow the rules, but if you are on the lookout for little niches like this, you turn the law of probability much more in your favor.
4. When you see a sweepstakes, check the prize structure. A sweepstakes with one big prize may have hundreds of lesser but still attractive prizes. I recently won a national sweepstakes that was only open for a month, was restricted to certain entrants, and offered a grand prize of a trip to a NASCAR race. It also offered 40 first prizes of a $50 gas card, and could only be entered by mail. That's a great sweepstakes. I mailed in 4 or 5 entries, and got a phone call a month later saying I won one of the gas cards (which is the prize I really was after). Woo hoo!
5. Local sweepstakes that have a mail-in option are great too, because again, the pool of potential entrants will be much smaller. Another advantage of local sweepstakes is that the drawing will not be done by a national judging agency. For a local drawing, you may want to send your entry in a colored or decorated envelope to make it stand out. Chances are the drawing will be done by an employee reaching into the box of entries. Color, texture or decorations could make the difference. Sometimes they ask a child in the crowd to draw the winner. Even better.
6. If you have found a good sweepstakes that accepts multiple entries, spread your entries over the life of the sweeps, with more towards the final entry date. Some judging agencies pull a few envelopes from each group of entries that comes in, and toss the rest out. Those few are the ones that go into the final drawing. By spreading out your entries, you have a better chance of having a few in the final drawing.
7. Finally, keep an eye out for mail-in sweeps that you must enter by postcard. One advantage is that the cost of a postcard stamp is less than an envelope. Secondly, nobody sends postcards anymore, so the pool of entries can be smaller.
Sweepstaking is a fun hobby that can pay off if you stick with it. Check my related eHow articles below "Find Winnable Online Sweepstakes - 5 Easy Ways", and "Get Organized to Win Online Sweepstakes". Good luck to you and happy sweeping!
