Tips For Winning Competitions With Compers News

1. You’ve got to be in to win!

Prize competitions are everywhere. Even if you don’t make a point of looking out for them, you probably still notice them. In supermarkets, newspapers and magazines, TV and radio – the fact is that, at any given time, there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of competitions and prize draws on the go throughout the UK!

So my first tip is the most important one for any potential winner. If you don’t enter a competition, then it’s 100% certain that you won’t win a prize. But if you do enter, then who knows? Especially if you follow the other tips here, to improve your winning chances even more.

2. Stick to the rules

The small print for any competition is very important. Sometimes it can even hide a ‘free entry’ route, so you should always get into the habit of reading it. Never fall into the trap of thinking that, since the writing’s so small then it can’t be important. Trust me - nothing could be further from the truth!

Take special care to attach the correct proof of purchase if one is needed. Look out too for any entry restrictions, and whether you must enter the competition in a particular way – using a postcard, or an official entry form for example.

So if you want to improve your winning chances, read the rules!

3. Never say never

New technology has brought us instant wins, internet, social media and app competitions. It’s always a good idea to keep up with changing trends, and to try as many different types of competition as you can. But I still hear of ‘old school’ compers saying that they would never try for an instant win prize, or newcomers to the hobby shuddering at the thought of writing a slogan. Well, look again at my number one tip!

The more competitions that you enter, the more chances you have of winning a prize – it’s as simple as that. And if other people are put off by having to text a code, or write a slogan, then it only improves your own chances.

4. Harder to enter means easier to win

By ‘hard’ here, I don’t necessarily mean a task that will take you weeks to complete. The fact is, a simple free prize draw that can be entered online or on a postcard is going to have many more entries compared to a similar free draw where an entry form is needed from a particular supermarket.

Likewise, a requirement to collect labels or tokens from a particular product to enter a competition will put off a huge number of people, either because they simply can’t be bothered, they’re not organised enough to see the task through, or habit alone stops them buying a different brand!

The ‘effort’ required in comping tends not to be a real effort at all… more a willingness to do things a little differently once in a while. Visit different shops occasionally, buy different magazines, try different brands of products. Who knows, you might even discover something new that you like… and this, after all, is why companies usually run competitions in the first place!

Trust me – a little effort really will reap rewards!

5. Write great slogans

Leading on from the last tip, the type of competition that gets by far the fewest number of entries these days is one that needs a slogan. Which means that if you make an effort to enter a slogan comp, then your chances of a win are statistically the best ever!

Don’t think that you can’t write a slogan. The simple fact is that no-one knows what judges might be looking for. Indeed, they might prefer a charming ‘amateur’ effort from the heart compared to a more professional sounding line – so EVERYBODY really does stand a chance in a slogan competition.  Just try to praise the product and promoter, tie this in with the prize on offer to make the line ‘apt and original’, and you won’t be going far wrong.

Judges today also tend to prefer rhyming slogans, so perhaps write the headings ‘Product’, ‘Promoter’ and ‘Prize’ on a piece of paper, write down all of the related words you can think of in each column, and if you’re lucky a rhyme or recurring theme will jump out. It’s easier and much more fun than it sounds – honest!

6. Be organised

Organisation and strategy will make your comping hobby easier and more fun. In fact, for some people, keeping records on what competitions they’ve entered and ticking them off when the prizes roll in is all part of the excitement! Most importantly, make sure that you never miss a closing date.

If multiple entries are allowed in a competition and you fancy extra attempts, then plan to spread these out right up until the closing date. Always pick up entry forms as soon as you see them, as they won’t be around for ever. 

Likewise, if you need a certain number of promotional labels or tokens, buy these as soon as you can – even if it means buying more products at once than you normally would. Don’t be fooled by a long closing date on some on-pack competitions… we’ve known them to sometimes disappear within a week, especially on fresh or seasonal products.

7. Focus on prizes you want to win

Many prizes are non-transferable and can often be impossible to sell or even pass on to other family members, so it makes sense to concentrate your time, effort and resources on winning prizes that you personally want and can use.

8. Don’t give up

When you enter a competition, the closing date could be weeks or even months away. Under current guidelines, a promoter is then allowed to take up to 8 weeks after a closing date to contact winners... so chances are, if you’re just starting out on the hobby it might take a little while for your first prizes to start rolling in.

Whatever you do though, don’t lose heart and give up in the meantime. Stick at it, and chances are the prizes WILL come... in fact, that shiny new summer BBQ turning up on Christmas Eve is sometimes all part of the fun when you’re a comper!

9. Be in the know

My final tip is to make sure you know about as many competitions that are running at any one time as possible. That’s where Compers News comes in. Compers News has all the information you need to help the prizes start rolling in... it’s got comping covered!