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Myths/Facts
about "DQ's", and how to increase your chances to win!
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' or 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!
If you do all these three, then you should
be a-ok. 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
tommorow. (I.e., you'll get a message like 'You've already entered for today!
Please try again tommorow!').
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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