There's something dangerously magnetic about contesting. The more you enter, the more you win. The more you win, the more enter. The cycle perpetuates itself. It really is a fun hobby.
Over the past year, I've won an all-expenses-paid trip to L.A., a $1,000 shopping spree, an athletic shirt, a t-shirt for my daughter, and a $50 gift card.
My wins, though, are minuscule compared to the winnings of Laura Williams (pictured above), a Tennessee resident and mother of seven (ranging in age from 13 months to 19 years old). "In September, I almost averaged one [win] a day. In October, there were five days that I didn't win anything, but I had a few days that I won twice...so it averaged out to once a day at least."
I asked Laura to share some of her brilliant contesting tips with my readers here at Metropolitan Mama.
ME: Approximately how many contests do you enter per day?
LAURA: 10+
ME: What kind of contest do you enter most often - blog contests, regular contests (some task or activity is required, i.e. essay or photo), or sweepstakes?
LAURA: Mainly blog contests. If it requires emailing, leaving a comment, signing up for RSS feed, posting about the contest on my blog, essays, signing up for email, etc.
ME: What type of contest brings you the most success - blog, single entry, daily entry, sweepstakes, photo contests, etc.?
LAURA: Blog contests.
ME: Where do you go to find contests and sweepstakes?
LAURA: The majority of them are contests from blogs that I have in my feed reader, or I may find a link on a blog to another blog with the contest. I have done blogsearch.google.com searches as well (just type in giveaway or contest).
ME: What is your biggest or best win to date?
LAURA: A $250 gift card to Williams-Sonoma was my biggest win, but I've also won books, cash (paypal), amazon g.c., toys, gift cards for Starbucks, and various other items.
ME: What tips would you give to a mom who wants to start contesting?
LAURA: You can't win if you don't enter. Read the contest details to make sure of the requirements.
If you're interested in becoming a contester or just entering a contest from time to time, you're definitely going to want to check out the following sites:
Prizey
Contest Girl
Laura Williams' Musings
Where do you go to find contests and what have you won? Share your best tips here!
Thanks for the tips. I only recently discovered how easy it is to win things. I've never taken the time to enter contests in the past because I felt as though it was a waste of time. The odds of winning seemed pretty slim. I discovered Prizey about a month ago and so far I have won 3 giveaways! All 3 were by email entry. I am ADDICTED now!
Great interview! :) I've been sweeping since I was 17. One of my favorite sites to go to for contests is online-sweepstakes.com. However, I discovered the Blog Google feature and I've been hooked ever since! :p
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks again for interviewing me. I enjoyed it. Good luck in any contests you enter!