Turn Luck into Income: A Guide to Winning Sweepstakes & Contests

Believe it or not, there are many people who make decent side money from winning sweepstakes and contests. Whether the prizes are cash or products, your winnings can help you pay off bills or build up savings. With a few strategic moves and a lot of persistence and patience, you can be well on your way to being a winner.

Step 1

Use Internet search engines to find contests online by typing in keywords and phrases such as "sweepstakes," "enter to win," "no purchase necessary," "promotional giveaway" and "contest." The more you enter, the greater your chances of winning, so make sure to enter as many contests as you can.

Step 2

Don't forget to enter contests whose prizes are not cash. If you win a product, you can sell it online for good money, especially if it is a new item.

Step 3

Besides finding sweepstakes and contests online, you can often find offers and prize drawings in grocery stores, malls and at fairs. Fill out all the cards you see, especially the ones for big-ticket items. Because fewer people enter local sweepstakes, your odds of winning are better.

Step 4

Radio contests also give away prizes. If you have a radio station in your area that does a lot of drawings, give it a call between filling out forms for other contests.

Step 5

Take advantage of contests that allow multiple entries. Enter as many times as you can to increase your odds.

Step 6

Enter contests that have better odds because they offer less competition. These contests might be limited to a specific demographic, such as cat owners or graduates of a particular university, or they might test skills, such as essay writing. Also, zero in on contests that offer several prizes.

Tip

Set up a free email account to keep your sweepstakes correspondence separate from your other business and personal accounts. Receiving more spam is a side effect of entering contests. You may also want to consider renting a separate post office box to contain all the junk mail you're about to get. Remember to report your earnings on your taxes.

Warning

Don't give out any personal info besides your first and last name, email address and P.O. box address. Read the fine print to make sure no purchase or other obligation is required.