Keep a journal of your entries into contests and sweepstakes.

Contest and sweepstakes hints and tips #2.

Article September 2003 © Copyright Lots of Luck Advertising

Visit www.lots-of-luck.com for more contest and sweepstakes hints and tips, as well as access to lots of contest and sweepstakes entries.

You may wonder why anyone would keep a journal of their contest and sweepstakes entries?  Believe it or not, it serves a variety of purposes.  Let me explain:

• Many contests and sweepstakes limit the number of entries to only one per person.  A journal is very important to record which contests you have entered, as you don’t want to enter more than once if that will place yourself in a disqualifying position.
  
  
• If you enter many contests and sweepstakes through the regular mail, a journal is a good way to keep track of how much you are spending on postal stamps, and you can then budget or limit your entries accordingly.
  
  
• A journal will also help in identifying contests and sweepstakes that you may be late in entering and would be wasting your time and resources.  For example, if you see in your journal that a contest closes tomorrow and you have to mail the entry in to the other side of the country, it would be wise to give that entry a miss and save your postage, as your entry would arrive late and would not be accepted into the draw.
  
  
• Listing contests and sweepstakes in a journal, lets you know when the prize draws are held, and in that way can be helpful to you in thinking about being the winner (some may call it fantasizing, others anticipating, or visualizing).
  
  
• A journal is also fun (yes it can be a lot of work as well).  The journal is interesting to review on a periodical basis, to see how successful you have been.  In fact, you can even list the cost of postage of each entry, and offset that by the dollar value of the prizes that you have won... this will show if entering contests and sweepstakes is paying off for you on a regular basis.

Etc...

These hints and tips articles are listed as guidelines only.  They are listed as information to help you to develop your own strategy in entering contests and sweepstakes. Click on a hints and tips article from the list below, and you will be taken to a more detailed page:

Contest and Sweepstakes Hints and Tips

1. Always read and follow all the Rules and Regulations of any contest or sweepstakes.
   
2. Keep a journal of your entries into contests and sweepstakes.
   
3. More important things to be aware of.
   
4. Where to find contests and sweepstakes.
   
5. A trend in rules and regulations.
   
6. Original entry forms only.
   
7. The best time to enter contests and sweepstakes.
   
8. Be aware of scams.
   
9. Dedicated contest and sweepstakes sites.
   
10. Automated entries.
    
11. The 'UPC'.
12. The four leaf clover.

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