First things first – what is comping?

Comping is a hobby where you systematically enter many competitions, thus increasing your chances of winning big. Depending on how lucky you are, you could win a fabulous holiday, a new car or even a cash prize! Here are 20 top tips for comping.

Don’t get ahead of yourself

Some people have a habit of spending the prize money or planning their travels as soon as they enter the competition. It is important to realise that success is not guaranteed, but, at the same time you have to be in it to win it.

Join a forum

There are forums set up for compers, full of the latest competitions for you to enter. This goes both ways, you are meant to post up competitions that you find and cheer on people when they win, like a little online community. Money Saving Expert’s website has a forum for compers.

Keep a record

When you enter so many competitions, it is important that you keep track of what you have entered so that you don’t enter more than once, and so that you know which competition is which if you win.

Set up a dedicated email

Set up an email dedicated to your comping activities, so that your own email address does not get filled up with spam.

Set up a dedicated phone

If you are going to set up a comping email address, you could set up a cheap pay as you go SIM card as a dedicated line for the competition that you enter. This means that you don’t have to give your actual phone number and you can monitor your comping calls when you choose to, simply by changing from your normal SIM card to your comping SIM card.

Be choosey

Only enter competitions that you want to win. This will make it easier to keep track of the ones you do enter. Plus, most prizes are none transferable, so if it’s a trip to Barbados but you can’t stand flying, maybe give it a miss.

Make the effort

Some competitions require you to write a poem, take a picture or do a puzzle. Because of the extra effort, there are fewer entrants, so they are always worth a go.

Keep a draft in your inbox

Some competitions require you to send an email answering a question in order to enter. It is a good idea to have a draft email ready with your name, email address and telephone number, leaving space for an answer. This way you can send it quickly and get your entry in.

If you can enter for free, do it

Comping can become an expensive habit, so if you are able to enter a competition for free online, do it. A lot of television competitions do this.

Beware premium rate phone contests

If a competition has a premium rate phone line, it will cost you a fortune. Even if you do win, the money you’ve spent on the phone call is non-refundable.

Write back!

If you get an email or a letter saying that you have won, remember to get back in touch, as some promoters will withdraw the prize if they have not heard from you after an amount of time.

Keep a list of your winnings

If you have won something, make a note of it, so you can chase it up if it doesn’t turn up. If you have won it, it’s yours.

Check your junk mail folder

Emails with certain words such as “congratulations” or “winner” often get put in the junk mail folder as they are assumed to be spam. Always check that these emails are not spam, and then celebrate.

Say “no thanks” to further contact

Avoid spam by opting out of allowing the company running the competition to contact you about further offers – usually a tick-box on the website or app you use to enter.

Be careful

Don’t enter something if it doesn’t look legit. This could be a scam either for bank details or personal information. If you find a competition that doesn’t look genuine, put it on the forum as a potential scam to warn people about it or for further advice from fellow compers.

Get anti-virus software

If you are going in search of competitions on the internet, you may be going on unfamiliar websites. Its best to protect your computer from viruses. Some of these are free and very effective.

Check Facebook for competitions

A lot of pages run promotions that involve liking their page or commenting on something. This can lead to free stuff, so it’s worth keeping an eye out on Facebook. (Please note – it is against the Facebook rules to have 2 profiles, so you cannot dedicate 1 to comping.)

Don’t forget to keep an eye out on Park’s Facebook page for our fabulous prize draws!

Complaining

If you win and the goods don’t show, or they do but they’re faulty, you need to get in touch with the Institute of Promotional Marketing. Obviously speak to the company first, but if they are not helpful the IPM is the way to go.

Read the fine print

In the fine print of a competition, it will generally say when the competition ends. This is useful so you know when to stop following that competition.

Find obscure competitions

If you find a competition in an obscure publication, enter it, as not many other people will enter (or that’s the theory anyway) so you would have more chance of winning.