Sweepstakes Tips & Tricks for Beginners
If you’re new to sweepstakes, a few simple habits can make a huge difference. These tips cover how I manage emails, enter smarter, and stay consistent so sweepstakes stay fun—and actually pay off.
Email Tips
Most sweepstakes require your email, this is totally normal. If you’re worried about spam email, it’s usually much less than people expect, and you can always unsubscribe from marketing emails later.
What about phone calls? Good news: 99% of sweepstakes will NOT call you. The only sales calls I’ve ever received were from sweepstakes where I specifically opted in (like a gym membership giveaway). If you didn’t purposely opt in, the sponsor never calls.
Best practices:
Create a separate sweepstakes email you still check daily.
Respond fast: Big prizes often require a reply within 48–72 hours, or the sponsor redraws.
Search smarter instead of digging through your inbox. A few times a week, search your email for:
“Congratulations”
“Congrats”
“Winner”
“Potential Winner”
Entry Tips
My husband and I use two different entry styles depending on time and consistency. Both are effective, the key is sticking to one that fits your schedule.
Check out the Strategies to Win More page for a step by step breakdown!
Strategy 1: Daily Sweeper aka “Sweepstakes Pro“
This is my everyday method and the one I use most consistently. This approach maximizes total entries and favors giveaways with fewer overall entrants.
Enter all new sweepstakes listed on the homepage each day (usually 10–15 new ones every day).
Visit the Daily Entry sweepstakes section and work through every page, entering all eligible giveaways. After a few days, you’ll know exactly which ones you qualify for and how to enter them quickly.
Every Sunday, complete Weekly Entry sweepstakes.
On the first day of the month, complete Monthly Entry sweepstakes.
Any mail-in entries get handed off to my husband.
Strategy 2: Weekend Warrior “Time Saver Strategy“
This is my husband’s approach and works well if you’re short on time.
On any day between Friday and Sunday, enter all sweepstakes added during the week (typically 7–8 pages).
This guarantees at least one entry into every active giveaway.
He also focuses on mail-in entries, which can offer better odds. “Mail-In Entry Strategy“
Why These Strategies Work
Both methods ensure consistent coverage across all active sweepstakes without overthinking each entry. Whether you enter daily or batch everything on weekends, the goal is simple: stay consistent and don’t miss opportunities.
Opt-In Checkboxes
This is where beginners accidentally drown in emails.
Simple rule:
✔️ Only check the required boxes (age, terms & conditions, etc.).
❌ Leave optional marketing boxes unchecked unless you genuinely want updates.
After a couple of weeks, you’ll recognize formats instantly and this becomes second nature.