How To Win Competitions: Everything you need to know to win a fortune

By Sherry Sjolander

Some think winning competitions is a matter of luck, but they're wrong! It takes skill, and this easy-to-use book can teach you those skills. The essential 'how-to' guide for the novice and experienced 'comper' alike, it will equip you with everything you need to know to win everything you've ever dreamed of winning.

Every year in Australia billions yes billions of dollars worth of cash and prizes are up for grabs, cash and prizes you could be in the running for!

You've seen those little stickers on everything from your tissue box to the cat's dinner and that DVD you rented the other night, almost begging you to try your luck. But if you're like most people once you're done with it you just toss the pack in the bin without a moment's thought.

But what are you really throwing away? There are people out there just like you that are flying to tropical islands first class, lazing on pristine beaches sporting their newly-won designer sunnies and tucking in to free a la carte dinners all because they took a second look.

Ready to take the challenge? Then How to Win Competitions is the book for you. This easy-to-follow, comprehensive handbook is packed with everything you need to know about entering (and winning!) competitions. Loaded with clever hints, tricks and new ideas this fabulous 'how-to' guide is a must-have for experienced compers and novices alike.

There's money and prizes galore out there and they're yours for the taking so get comping and get winning!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Release date: Jul 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781741764246

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

‘I started comping when my friend managed

to win a year’s worth of free groceries. To

me as a single mum of two doing it tough, it

seemed like a gift from the gods. It was like

dangling a golden carrot in front of me. And

so it began . . .’ —Caroline

It was 2001 and I was annoyed. Like many people, I had a regular stream of bills coming in and little money left over at the end of the month for luxury items. Even an item as inexpensive as movie tickets had become something I had to budget for. Surely life wasn’t meant to be this difficult? Then one evening, while flicking through the latest edition of NetGuide, something caught my eye. It was an article about competition, or comping, club websites. But that wasn’t what grabbed my attention—the words underneath did: ‘If you can’t win, then you’re just not trying hard enough.’

Like most people promised something for free, I was sceptical. Surely it couldn’t be that easy? However, it looked like fun and I love a challenge, so I thought I would try it. That night, I joined the website and started entering.

About six weeks later, there was a knock at the front door. An Australia Post parcel contractor (aka The Parcel Dude) handed me a package. It contained:

• a pink pen with what looked to be the hair of a troll doll stuck to the end

• an extra-small pink T-shirt with the words ‘Legally Blonde’ on the front

• a small pink bag with assorted pink accessories inside.

I had won a competition for which the prize was movie merchandise promoting Legally Blonde. Two words kept going round in my mind: I won, I won, I won.

Within three months I had won prizes in nearly a hundred competitions. These prizes ranged from movie tickets and DVDs to expensive skin-care products that I would never have otherwise been able to afford. In fact, I had so many prizes coming in that I started to give things away and sell some on eBay. All of a sudden life wasn’t such a struggle anymore and I had an exciting and rewarding new hobby—comping.

Now, I will let you in on a secret. Regular compers know that often the prize has little to do with comping. It’s the thrill of winning that creates the rush. You submitted your entry against thousands of others and you were deemed the best. Better still, if your name is printed as the winner on the relevant website or in the public notices of the newspaper, then everyone else knows it too. You just got a taste of what it feels like to be a winner and once you have had a taste it’s difficult not to want more.

This book shows you how you can experience the thrill of being a winner. It describes everything you need to start, and then continue to grab your share of what is now an annual billion-dollar industry.

What is comping?

Comper (n, slang): a person who regularly enters competitions

So, if a comper is someone who regularly enters competitions then ‘comping’ is the business of regularly entering competitions. Comping is what you are doing every time you fill in a form for an Internet competition, put pen to paper and create a literary gem in 25 words or less, fill in a coupon in a magazine or grab an entry form at a supermarket.

Comping can be done alone or as a group activity. You can do it in your spare time as a hobby, much like other activities such as beading or bushwalking. Or you can make it a full-time job. It depends on how involved you want to be and how much available time you have.

Why comp?

‘My sister won a camera from a supermarket competition. I thought to myself that if she can win, so can I. The following year, I won $2500 cash in one competition and became addicted overnight. Then I won a camcorder plus more movie tickets than you want to know about!’ —Jasmine

Comping, like any other hobby or pastime, appeals to people because it’s challenging and fun. However, there are additional reasons such as:

• The financial aspect. Comping can be a good way to supplement your income, enjoy a few small luxuries or obtain expensive items such as cars, boats and holidays. It can also be a good way to acquire items for resale via eBay, garage sales, etc.

• The competitive aspect. Some people enjoy mastering their hobby and like the challenge of trying to win.

• The social aspect. Competition clubs are a great way to form friendships and meet people who share your interest.

There are also people who comp as their everyday occupation and earn a good salary. They work similar or longer hours as those in a regular job. There are now even adult education courses available on how to win competitions and create ‘word or less’ (WOL) entries that will catch the attention of judges.

Competitions often offer runner-up prizes as well as a major prize. You may be aiming for the first prize but find yourself winning something that you don’t want or need. It’s one of the great joys of comping to be able to share your good fortune with those around you.

‘I was about thirteen years old when I raised the most money for a Walkathon. I won my whole class lunch at Big Rooster and a Walkman for myself. I loved having the joy of sharing a win. I became addicted very fast and entered everything. I didn’t really win much until I accessed the Internet. My first year online, I won over $22,000 in cash and prizes.’ —Mary B

You can save your unwanted prizes during the year and give amazing gifts or ‘prizents’ to family, friends or charities on special occasions, or just for no reason at all other than to put a smile on someone’s face. Some compers even like to reward their postie with small gifts to thank them for delivering winning letters and prize packages.

So now you know why people comp, you may want to know whether it is worth the effort.

Rewards

Yes it’s worth it, depending on how you define ‘worth it’. It would be fair to say that comping satisfies the criteria of fun, financial rewards and competitive spirit. For example, online competition clubs have forums where you can chat about comping or other topics of interest. These sites enjoy wonderful community spirit and are a good place to make friends. Members often meet for lunch to chat about comping, to take shopping trips together to look for comping products or even to share a prize. If you want to start comping to meet new people and form friendships, you have definitely found the right hobby.

‘I love comping as a hobby. It’s a great opportunity to exercise my creative side, especially with those tricky 25 word or less competitions. And it’s fun! I enjoy entering competitions and I feel it’s a bonus if I win something. Being a member of and participating in the Lottos forum is a fantastic way to make friends.’ —Nicole

For those who enjoy competitive activities, comping satisfies that criterion too. People with creative minds will love entering WOL competitions, doing puzzles and playing online games to win prizes. There are thousands of people competing for sometimes just one prize and the thrill of being the winner is a real buzz. Remember that even if you are not interested in competing against others, you can always compete with yourself. For instance, you can beat last year’s prize total, come up with the perfect wording for your WOL entry or, if playing an online game for a prize, beat your own previous score. There are lots of ways to challenge yourself without giving a thought to other compers.

‘I love to win! I started comping after I won a bike in a Kmart Christmas competition. I’m very happy with the friendships I’ve found through my comping club. We have a laugh. I joined Lottos in February 2006 and almost straightaway prizes started trickling in. When I added it all up it was almost $2000. Then on the very same day, I won a $6000 entertainment package and $2000 worth of mobile phones. In eighteen months I have won almost $45,000 in prizes. Why would I stop?’ —Lisa

You may also find that you can parlay your other hobbies into comping. For instance, if you enjoy crafts such as beading there are online competitions to create the best piece. There are numerous competitions amateur photographers can enter where other people vote on the best picture. Most people have something they are good at and your talent may just win you a fantastic prize.

Many people are not particularly social or creative and are really only interested in the financial aspect of comping—it’s the only reason they start comping and continue to do it. If you think you only want to win the really big ticket items such as a car, consider this: many small prizes are often things you use around the house such as kitchen appliances, toys, perfumes, clothing and cosmetics. We all spend a lot on these every year, so wouldn’t it be good to get them for free? Consider how much money you spend every year on entertainment items such as movie tickets, wine, family passes to events, DVDs and CDs. Most of these are very easy to win, especially movie tickets. So you could save yourself a fortune even if you never win that much coveted car.

‘It is fun to win big prizes, but all the little ones add up and can save your family a lot of money. There are prizes like iPods, mobile phones, weekend trips, concert tickets, movie tickets, CDs and DVDs. There is so much to win.’ —Mary B

As well as supplementing family income and providing presents for family and friends, all those minor/unwanted prizes make lovely donations to charities, who are always grateful for items they may be able to raffle off to raise money. Finally, if you don’t want the prize you win, there is nothing wrong with selling on eBay, in garage sales or through the newspaper classifieds. So as you can see, comping as a hobby is worth it if you look at it from a financial perspective.

‘I started comping to win anything and as an excuse to avoid housework.’ —Dine

Keeping your expectations realistic

One of the questions frequently asked by people new to comping is, ‘How much can I expect to win each year?’ Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer to the question because there are many variables involved. Things that play a part include:

• the number of competitions you enter per week or month

• your personal level of skill at strategising and writing responses to WOL questions

• the number of hours spent entering

• how much money you are able to spend to enter.

Of these, your personal skill level is probably the most important. If you are not particularly good with words and are not a creative person, you could be at a disadvantage in the WOL competitions, of which there are many. These types of competitions require you to provide a creative answer to a question posed. However, if you can afford to spend money to buy products to enter store competitions then your winnings could more than compensate. If you are a strategic person and are able to quickly see patterns in different competitions and the winning answers or best times or days to enter competitions, you can also overcome limitations in other areas. It is common in comping clubs (I’ll explain more about these in the next chapter) to see people specialise in different types of competitions because that is where their strength lies. There are also plenty of people who just enjoy having a go at everything.

Let’s say you are reasonably good at WOL comps, have the time to enter a lot of Internet comps and can afford to buy store products