How to Make Sure You Don"t Get Disqualified From Sweepstakes
Entering sweepstakes is a lot of fun! And you can win some amazing prizes! One thing that some people take seriously though, (and some get a bit paranoid about actually), is the idea of a 'disqualification'.
They want to avoid that at all costs, to make sure they have as good a chance as possible to win some amazing prizes.
So what is a a 'DQ' (aka a 'Disqualification')? It is usually when someone 'abuses' the rules of a sweepstakes 'excessively' in order to try to win.
It is important to note that I included the word 'excessive', and said 'abuse', which I will elaborate on shortly.
If you make a mistake, usually it is ok.
It is just the 'excessive' use.
I personally have worked with and talked to a number of companies, so have a pretty good idea of what they are looking for.
One of the main reasons a company holds a sweepstakes/giveaway, is because they want to raise the profile of the company.
They want people to talk about it, tell their friends about it, people to feel good about the company, and ideally long term see increased sales because of the good exposure, because they believe they have some amazing products and/or services they want to share.
Sweepstakes are a great way of doing this.
In a nutshell, most sponsors want you to do these three things.
Of course, read the rules, but the above is what most sponsors want.
So, that being said...
it's time for "Myth or Fact!".
Myth or Fact? A DQ is the end of the world.
Myth.
:) Although for some people, if it was a prize they really, really wanted, it might feel like that, it is not.
Not only is it pretty hard to be DQ'd by 'accident', but there are literally tens of thousands of sweepstakes being held across the nation, every single month.
So if you ever did get DQ'd, (and I say that as a big if) -- then there are thousands of sweepstakes you can enter from other sponsors to win similar prizes.
And of course those other companies would love you to talk about them.
Myth or Fact? If you enter too often, you can get DQ'd.
The answer to this is, it depends.
It depends on the individual sponsor, as well as how "excessively" you've entered.
Most sponsors put this in to prevent against 'excessive' use.
Excessive does not mean two more entries than you should have -- excessive means literally 10,000 entries in a single day for a single individual.
(There are actually some individuals that will do that, think no one will notice, and when the sponsor does notice 10,000 entries meanwhile everyone else just has '1', and says no -- they get upset).
The idea is to basically keep the sweepstakes fun for everyone.
Someone who does it that excessively is very easy to detect, and remove those entries for.
(I.
e.
, if there are only 12,000 'entries', and 10,000 are from one individual, it is pretty noticeable).
If you 'by accident' enter two times in a day, when it was a once per day sweepstakes, you are most likely a-ok.
In fact, some sponsors will also help you -- and just simply tell you to enter tomorrow.
(I.
e.
, you'll get a message like 'You've already entered for today! Please try again tomorrow!').
So bottom line -- if you exceed it by a few entries, don't worry about it.
Sponsors usually are only concerned about 'excessive' use.
You have more important things to worry about -- such as what you will do with your amazing prize if you win it!:) Myth or Fact? Eating a cheeseburger while entering will enter your chances of winning.
Haha.
I put this in here to see if you were still reading the article.
If you are, congrats, you've learned some very valuable information! Answering whether a cheeseburger does in fact help you - actually, quite possibly yes.
(Providing, of course, you like cheeseburgers.
If not, substitute your favorite food here).
And why would I say perhaps yes? Well, because you feel good, because you ate your favorite food - so are more likely to enter more, and therefore with more entries, more likely to win! But in conclusion, to prevent DQ's and ensure you have great chances of winning:
They want to avoid that at all costs, to make sure they have as good a chance as possible to win some amazing prizes.
So what is a a 'DQ' (aka a 'Disqualification')? It is usually when someone 'abuses' the rules of a sweepstakes 'excessively' in order to try to win.
It is important to note that I included the word 'excessive', and said 'abuse', which I will elaborate on shortly.
If you make a mistake, usually it is ok.
It is just the 'excessive' use.
I personally have worked with and talked to a number of companies, so have a pretty good idea of what they are looking for.
One of the main reasons a company holds a sweepstakes/giveaway, is because they want to raise the profile of the company.
They want people to talk about it, tell their friends about it, people to feel good about the company, and ideally long term see increased sales because of the good exposure, because they believe they have some amazing products and/or services they want to share.
Sweepstakes are a great way of doing this.
In a nutshell, most sponsors want you to do these three things.
- Enter from your own computer and/or see the sponsors message (i.
e.
, their company name, logo, etc, etc). - Enter according to the frequencies they specify (i.
e.
, daily/once only/one per week, etc, etc). - And ideally, tell your friends about the sweepstakes!
Of course, read the rules, but the above is what most sponsors want.
So, that being said...
it's time for "Myth or Fact!".
Myth or Fact? A DQ is the end of the world.
Myth.
:) Although for some people, if it was a prize they really, really wanted, it might feel like that, it is not.
Not only is it pretty hard to be DQ'd by 'accident', but there are literally tens of thousands of sweepstakes being held across the nation, every single month.
So if you ever did get DQ'd, (and I say that as a big if) -- then there are thousands of sweepstakes you can enter from other sponsors to win similar prizes.
And of course those other companies would love you to talk about them.
Myth or Fact? If you enter too often, you can get DQ'd.
The answer to this is, it depends.
It depends on the individual sponsor, as well as how "excessively" you've entered.
Most sponsors put this in to prevent against 'excessive' use.
Excessive does not mean two more entries than you should have -- excessive means literally 10,000 entries in a single day for a single individual.
(There are actually some individuals that will do that, think no one will notice, and when the sponsor does notice 10,000 entries meanwhile everyone else just has '1', and says no -- they get upset).
The idea is to basically keep the sweepstakes fun for everyone.
Someone who does it that excessively is very easy to detect, and remove those entries for.
(I.
e.
, if there are only 12,000 'entries', and 10,000 are from one individual, it is pretty noticeable).
If you 'by accident' enter two times in a day, when it was a once per day sweepstakes, you are most likely a-ok.
In fact, some sponsors will also help you -- and just simply tell you to enter tomorrow.
(I.
e.
, you'll get a message like 'You've already entered for today! Please try again tomorrow!').
So bottom line -- if you exceed it by a few entries, don't worry about it.
Sponsors usually are only concerned about 'excessive' use.
You have more important things to worry about -- such as what you will do with your amazing prize if you win it!:) Myth or Fact? Eating a cheeseburger while entering will enter your chances of winning.
Haha.
I put this in here to see if you were still reading the article.
If you are, congrats, you've learned some very valuable information! Answering whether a cheeseburger does in fact help you - actually, quite possibly yes.
(Providing, of course, you like cheeseburgers.
If not, substitute your favorite food here).
And why would I say perhaps yes? Well, because you feel good, because you ate your favorite food - so are more likely to enter more, and therefore with more entries, more likely to win! But in conclusion, to prevent DQ's and ensure you have great chances of winning:
- Enter according to the frequencies the sponsors specify.
So if it says once per day, enter once per day.
If it says once per week, do once per week.
If you 'accidentally' enter once too often, don't worry about it. - Enter from your own computer and/or take a look at the sponsors website/message/logo/etc, etc.
(They want you to remember them when you talk with friends, and/or decide to make a purchase in the future). - And when you win - TALK ABOUT IT! Tell your friends, family, online forums about your win - as well as the company that sponsored it! Like I've said before, one of the main reasons companies have sweepstakes is to promote their products/services, and ideally get more sales from what they had before.
Word of mouth advertising is incredibly effective, makes those sponsors feel good - and makes them more likely to offer even more great prizes in the future!
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