Twitter tips for compers
Are you a Twitter comper? Twitter is a great resource for competitions and giveaways that are (usually) quick and easy to enter, but I know that some compers are still struggling to get to grips with tweeting, so I’ve recorded a new video guide for 2023.
The 27 minute long video has 14 Twitter tips for compers which should help you out with some of the most common issues for compers. If you click through to watch on YouTube you’ll be able to navigate the different sections easily by clicking the timestamps in the video caption.
Twitter tips for compers
1. Think about how winners are chosen
Bigger brands will usually choose their random winners fairly using tools like Tweetdraw, Woobox and Easypromos – but a lot of smaller businesses will be manually choosing winners from retweets or replies. Make your entry stand out by engaging with the brand in your reply – add a GIF, photo, or a story about them.
2. Use Twitter like a real person (not a comper!)
Update your profile with photos, a bio and a username that doesn’t reference comping or your date of birth – some brands avoid giving prizes to compers, or may be prejudiced towards entrants of a certain age. Your profile should have more than just competition retweets. Send original tweets, interact with non-giveaway tweets and chat to other compers and friends on the platform.
3. Always reply to a retweet competition
When you enter a Twitter competition, you should aim to give the impression you’re a big fan of the brand, so adding a reply to your retweet gives you an opportunity to do that. Brands appreciate interaction, and will often react to the replies, and even choose their winners from replies rather than RTs. Add photos, GIFs, be funny, say something about their amazing products – try tagging a Twitter friend too. Create an album of favourite photos or memes on your device so you can add these to your tweets quickly.
4. Enter comps near the closing date
If a brand is choosing their winner manually, you want to appear near the top of their mentions list so a late entry will guarantee you’re there. Even if a promoter is using a tool to choose a winner, the free and basic versions of some tools will only pick up the last 100 retweets or entries from the last seven days, so early entries won’t be included. And finally, entering late doesn’t give your followers enough time to take part too, so reduces the number of entries!
5. Check all the Twitter timelines for comps
Switch between the For You and Following feeds on your home screen, and add your favourite lists to find more content. As you enter more giveaways, Twitter should show you relevant content in your For You feed from accounts you don’t follow (note that from 15th April, Elon Musk has confirmed that from 15 April the For You feed will ONLY include tweets from verified Twitter Blue users!). Tap at the top of the screen to refresh your feed with new tweets.
6. Create lists and pin to your Twitter home screen
Twitter lists are a great way to curate content – create a list of compers (or follow a list that someone else has created!) for a constant feed of giveaways. Create lists related to your other hobbies, so you always have content to retweet or engage with.
7. Use Twitter search to find competitions
Regular searches are the key to finding the more obscure and low entry comps on Twitter. When you tap Search you’ll see a list of your recent searches and saved searches (you can only save a search at www.twitter.com – it’s not possible on the app). Use keywords like win, prize, competition and giveaway in your search – you can also add Facebook, TikTok, In store or Instagram to find comps on other media. Always tap Latest when you get search results. At www.twitter.com you can use Twitter’s Advanced search fundtion and save the searches. Tweetdeck is brilliant for Twitter searches – see my Tweetdeck video guide for more on this.
8. Enter comps on special event days
Event days are great because the giveaways will usually be short lived – sometimes only until 5pm on the day itself! This type of comp rarely makes it to any listings websites and will be low entry. Blue Monday, World Book Day, International Women’s Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day are just a few days where there are hundreds of Twitter giveaways – these are usually weekdays, so it might even be worth you booking some time off work for the comps! There will be less giveaways for weekend events such as Fathers Day or Mothers Day as the brand’s social media staff won’t usually be working. Find special event days listed in my BootComp Planner, or subscribe to my Google Comping Calendar.
9. Set notifications for favourite users
Tap the bell icon on a profile page to get notified of new tweets from that account. You don’t need to have push notifications set on your device – check your All notifications tab for a banner you can tap to see the latest tweets from the users you have set notifications for.
10. Check your notifications and messages regularly
Check your Twitter mentions tab regularly for wins notifications. Check your main messages inbox, but also your message requests and spam messages. If you’re comping it’s recommended to switch on ‘allow message requests from everyone’ in your inbox settings menu, or you will only be able to receive messages from accounts you follow. If you don’t check Twitter often, switch on email notifications for new DMs so you don’t miss them (this is in your main Twitter settings, accessed from your Profile).
11. Change your Twitter name
On Twitter you have a username (the one with the @) and a display name – both can be changed. Changing your username will not affect your followers, messages, and replies – you should let your followers know you’ve changed names, and search on your old name for a few weeks in case you’ve won a prize. Change your profile photo at the same time as your display name for a fun seasonal update at Halloween, Christmas or for a special event! Short, simple usernames are memorable for friends who like to tag you, less likely to be misspelt by a promoter, and quick to type. Avoid numbers and underscores. On the other hand, experiment with your display name – emojis can be fun and make you stand out!
12. Untag other compers from your replies
Spotted a giveaway that’s been retweeted into your feed by another comper? If you send a reply, watch out as the comper will still be tagged! Untag them before replying as it can be annoying for them – especially if you go on to win, as they get your winning notification too. To untag, look for ‘Replying to’ in blue when you tap reply – tap on this text and you’ll be able to untick the comper’s name.
13. Use text replacement keyboard shortcuts
Sometimes it’s tricky to remember your comping mates’ usernames. Use Text Replacement on your device to set up shortcuts for names and sentences and you’ll be able to enter comps at lightning speed – don’t overdo it in one session though, as Twitter may get suspicious and flag you as a spammer!
14. Watch out for scams
Like all social media, Twitter does feature fake giveaways hosted by scammers, and the prizes are usually games consoles and gadgets. If you’re wary, check the account profile – do they have a website linked there? Giveaways are to promote a brand – if they have no website and nothing to promote, they have no reason to run a giveaway and it’s a scam. They may be trying to get followers and will bombard them with affiliate links, or they could be planning to DM their ‘winners’ asking for card details. Don’t ever give your credit or debit card details to someone who says you’ve won a prize – you should never have to pay to receive a prize. You should report and block scam accounts. It used to be that a blue tick would confirm an account is a genuine brand or celebrity and put your mind at rest, but from 1st April all blue ticks will be removed from non-paying Twitter users – and anyone who pays to join Twitter Blue will be eligible for a blue tick! So things will get a lot more confusing in terms of who is running a genuine giveaway.
I hope you find the video guide helpful – as always, please do ask any questions in the comments below or get in touch via my contact page.
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