9 comping challenges to get you motivated

A new year means 12 whole months of amazing prizes out there for YOU to win! And with Covid still raging, you may well be stuck at home with spare time to organise yourself, get motivated and plan for a successful comping year. I’ve come up with nine comping challenges to help you on your way – so get stuck in and let me know how you get on!

1. Create a prize wishlist

Creating a new wishlist is my favourite thing to do on 1st January each year, and I now use a fun bingo card format so I can aim at crossing off at least one full line of prizes (I managed to cross off half of my prizes last year!). Coming up with items for your prize wishlist is a great way to get motivated for the year ahead and helps you to focus on what you actually want to win, rather than entering for everything. Include a mix of biggies, unusual prizes and also some more achievable prizes like chocolates or supermarket vouchers.

If you use Google Drive, I have a blank template at http://bit.ly/wishlistbingo – go to File then make a copy to save it to your own Google Drive, then type into the boxes – leave some blank if you like, so you can add new prizes during the year! Or you can print off a black and white card JPEG at https://superlucky.me/BingoCardPrint. Or just draw your own card or write a wishlist in your notebook or diary!

2. Set up a prize spreadsheet

Keeping track of your wins helps to keep you motivated, as it’s easy to forget about all the little prizes as the year goes on. Show the universe you’re ready to receive all those lovely wins by setting up your prize list! I use a Google spreadsheet to track my wins each year – if you want to use my Google Sheets template to track your own prizes, go to http://bit.ly/PrizeSpreadsheetTemplate then go to File then make a copy.

Of course, you can always do it the old fashioned way by simply writing a list of wins in a notebook or your diary – but I‘m geeky so I love all the graphs and statistics I get from my spreadsheet at the end of the year (check out my 2021 comping year review to see these).

Tip: you’ll find spreadsheet instructions and tips in my blog post Setting up a prize spreadsheet 

3. Enter a hundred comps in a day

For some compers this challenge will be easy (if that sounds like you, then try 200 comps in a day!) but for most of us, it’s a goal we need to work hard at! The easy option is to simply enter all the closing competitions on a site like Loquax, PrizeFinder or MSE – but remember these are hard to win because thousands of other compers are doing the same. Instead, try social media comps. You’ll find plenty of quick entry comps on Twitter – try my Lucky Learners list for a feed of tweets from other compers. On Instagram, once you start entering a few giveaways your feed should start showing you more of them, and be sure to follow other compers and check their Insta stories for comps. It can be helpful to have busy friends tagging you in comps on Instagram and Twitter – you can find plenty of new comps by checking your notifications for tags!

Tip: find comping friends to tag in the Lucky Learners Facebook group!

4. Enter one creative comp every week

Most creative comps don’t get many entries – and quite often the winner is chosen at random so you really don’t need to put too much effort in. You’ll find creative comps on radio station websites, on Instagram and I share a few on the SuperLucky Facebook page. You can also do a Google or Twitter search for competition, adding the word photo, video, recipe, kids dependent on what type of comps you enjoy.

5. Bookmark Google searches

Set up Google searches for all those prizes on your wishlist – and for the type of competitions you love best. Start at www.google.co.uk (if you’re in the UK) with a simple search, for example type in win hairdryer. Then use the Search Tools underneath the search bar to filter your results to the UK, and the past week or month. Happy with your search results? Save it as a bookmark in your browser and revisit the link every week or month for the latest results.

Use Google to search for more than just specific prizes. For example if you like purchase comps, search for word combinations like ‘purchase necessary keep receipt win’ or if you like photo comps try ‘win prize photo upload competition’. Adding “closing date” in quotes to your search helps narrow it down to comps. Or use your local town in the search – experiment to see what you can find! Here’s a link to an example search that I use to find Sussex comps shared in the last week – change the words in the search box to your own local county or town.

Tip: here’s lots of ideas and tips for a Google search in my blog post How to search Google for competitions and you can learn about using browser bookmarks here.

6. Make a shopping list of promo products

Purchase-necessary competitions are fabulous – as well as getting your supermarket shopping, the products you buy will also give you a chance to win some amazing prizes. But you need to be looking out for special flashed packs and in-store displays early for the best chance of a win, so make sure you have a shopping list to check while you’re at the supermarket. I use the free Workflowy iPhone app to store my list, but you can use a simple Notes app on your phone, or even write it down in the back of your diary! To create your list, check out the products on my Compers Shopping List and add the ones you fancy to your own list. If you’re a Compers News (*my affiliate link) subscriber, check the latest issue of the magazine as well as the Chatterbox forum for details of the latest promotions.

Tip: A screenshot or photo of your order is the equivalent of a paper receipt for most purchase necessary promotions, but be careful – if you need a product with a unique code on a sticker or neck collar, there’s no guarantee your online shopping delivery will arrive with the correct one!

7. Organise your paperwork

Do you have receipts, barcodes and postcards tucked away in your bag, pockets and drawers? Make 2021 the year you find a safe place for all your bits and bobs! Treat yourself to an expanding box file or some smart wallets – my blog post How to organise quallies, receipts and POPs will give you lots of ideas. Don’t forget to take a photo of your receipt and packaging before you file it away, then you have it ready on your phone when you win!

8. File your phone photos

Entrants who add relevant photos to their tweets or Facebook comments usually win more prizes than those who just leave a quick one word reply, because it helps create engagement with the brand. The only problem is finding that perfect photo quickly on your phone or tablet camera roll! If you set up albums it will make your photos easier to find, so you can quickly attach them to your tweets or comments. Food, outdoors, family, Christmas, etc. are just a few suggestions on album names and themes – and don’t forget to set one up for Receipts too. Save GIFs and memes that you like in albums too – you never know when they might come in handy to reply to a promoter!

9. Master Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck is a fantastic tool for compers – but you should use it on a computer browser, as it’s not designed to be used on mobile devices! Sign in at https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/ – it shows you a set of scrolling columns, which can be your feed, mentions, messages, a Twitter list, a search, a hashtag or a user. At the top of each column you can filter the content, even specifying a location or date range. It’s really useful for following a hashtag – for example, if you’re at a Twitter party, or for finding competitions that aren’t hosted on Twitter (try the words Facebook, Instagram, Blog, Photo, Video, Kids along with Giveaway, Win, Prize or Competition in your searches).

Learning how to use Twitter lists is essential if you’re using Tweetdeck – as you can search your list content for words like WIN and COMPETITION! Why not create a few Twitter lists for prizes in your wishlist, for example I’ve created a list of UK gin companies who run regular giveaways. Make your lists private though, so nobody else can follow them and take advantage of your hard work!

Whew! After all that you should be raring to go with your comping – let me know how you get on!