Why Am I No Longer Winning Like I Used To? - ContestQueen.com (2024)

Sharon left this comment on a blog post:

Is there a reason why contestors entering for many years now are no longer winning?? Especially if they are spending as much daily entering just like they used to! What’s up with that? They are doing the work, putting in the time, and doing it honestly following the rules … so we all don’t get it!? I read a post where you said that companies sometimes call you, give you a name or so and ask you about them. I do not mean this in a rude way, but have you said something negative about some people, and the companies just don’t choose those people anymore? I don’t know … I am just saying eh … it just seems odd to us all, and I ask on everyone’s behalf … and thanks for taking the time to address this with your expert opinion … it is appreciated. 😉

This is the advice I gave David in How Do I Win Big?:

The same advice applies to small prizes as it does to big ones.

• You are not organized. Being organized saves time, therefore, you can maximize the number of contests you can enter in a shorter period of time.
• You are wasting your time. What are you entering? Enter single-entry sweepstakes first, then those with a higher dollar value prize, then instants, then dailies. Do not waste your time trolling Facebook for timeline contests or Twitter for retweet contests. Those you do from your mobile while waiting in line.
• You are not entering the best odds sweepstakes. This ties back to point #2. Entering low-value, low-odds sweepstakes are only netting you a few thousand dollars in wins over the course of a year. You can find the best odds sweepstakes on Sweeties Sweeps, iWinContests, or Sweepstakes Fanatics.
• You are not entering enough. If you enter for 30 minutes per day and I enter for 4 hours, my odds of winning are going to be far greater than yours. I recommend entering 1-2 hours per day. That’s enough to win well, but not so much you cut into work, family time, and any other obligations. Winning should always remain a hobby and not reduce the quality of your life.
• You don’t know how much you won. I used to think I didn’t win very much. So one year, I decided to track every win. I mean every win. From a free coffee or bag of chips to electronics and trips. I discovered I won far more than I originally thought. You can track your wins using my winning spreadsheet.

My suggestion would be to look and how and what you are entering. A shift in your hobby may be in order. I’d love to hear what your daily online entry routine is, as I may be able to make suggestions for improvement.

Are you winning less than you used to?

If you have a sweepstakes, contest, or giveaway question, please email me.

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1. 

   Melanie NormandinNovember 20, 2015 at 10:49 am - Reply

   @Sharon my friends & I are having the same problem. I am a mod on a french-speaking forum and OH!!! what a difference with a few years ago… 🙁

2. 

   Christina ZawadiwskyNovember 20, 2015 at 11:55 am - Reply

   Enthusiasm can also wane after one has been contesting for a long time. Try to remember the initial excitement!

3. 

   ellemNovember 20, 2015 at 12:07 pm - Reply

   ive been entering for well over ten years and just had my first when Feb./2012.i had my second win august 2014.ive always have tried to keep an upbeat attitude .I do enter 1-2 hours per day.there have been times ive done it 2-3 hours.i think even if you’ve done everything right after that its just luck of the draw.my family and friends think I waste my time.i don’t see it like that.i final after all these years just got a friend to start entering.she not really that serious though.she will do it for me as a reffereal.first time ever.so I have also won 3 small blog giveaways.dont do them as much.i enter a few everyday.have not won anything for a long while.today I go back at it again with my positive thoughts.

4. 

   NicoleNovember 27, 2015 at 10:33 am - Reply

   I know there are contests that I enter daily or almost daily that don’t have good odds & waste my time. I’m working to get away from those ones but I always think, ‘it just takes one to WIN!’. I am practising getting rid of my time wasters to focus on prizes I really want.Cheers to a very winning 2016!

5. 

   Gayle BFebruary 26, 2023 at 1:10 pm - Reply

   I’ve been contesting for a while & when I don’t apply myself, or life gets extra busy, I don’t win as much but when I put in the time, the wins come. I do think that the odds are far higher now than say 5-10 years ago, so many more people are contesting now. I do find that technology & therefore contesting, is changing so rapidly, we have to keep up with the change, go with the flow or we’ll be left behind. I do wonder if some sponsors have a target age or life stage In mind, and pick the winner randomly but based on age etc filters. I do question that at times.

6. 

   Michael MontagueFebruary 27, 2023 at 1:04 pm - Reply

   Sparce wins is another thing to blame on COVID19 Pandemic. By being isolated with remote work-from-home and that trend continuing, the pandemic provided a huge boon for the number of entries a contest will receive. People finally had several excuses removed for not focusing on contesting so the numbers increased. This trend will continue, but in a in a more limited way, with majority back to worksite direction from employers. The die hard long-time contesters will find themselves winning again!