Creative Sweeping

In my last post I discussed how relatively easy it is to win sweepstakes sponsored by bloggers because the number of entries is typically much smaller than would be in a sweepstakes sponsored by a company. This time we'll look at the other end of the spectrum. Some sweepstakes are called creative presentations, but not because they require any creativity on your part. These are a group of sweepstakes, usually by different companies and often under different names, but sharing a common prize. This means that you will not only be competing for the prize against all the people entering through that particular contest, but also against all the people entering through all the other related contests. You have almost no chance of winning. Still, someone WILL win (rules permitting--some actually specify that if certain conditions are not met, there will not be a prize awarded) and it will be someone who entered at least once. Because of the wildly low chance of winning, I tend not to enter creative presentations. It's just too much hassle, unless we're talking one-time-only easy entries. There are definitely some things to beware, so the "tip of the day" will be "tips". First, creative presentations seem to be a staple with magazine publishers, and part of the entry process is offering you the chance to subscribe. Be vigilant that you aren't accidentally signing yourself up for a lifetime of magazines. Second, if you do find yourself receiving a confirmation about your subscription that you didn't want, don't panic. I speak with experience when I tell you that it is usually easy to cancel. You may either go to their website (good luck finding the "cancel") or when the bill comes, just write "cancel" across it and mail it back. My third tip is that if you were actually tempted to get the magazine and having second thoughts, don't despair. More often than not, after you submit your sweepstakes entry, there will be another chance to get an even better magazine deal. (I get my Good Housekeeping for $5 a year this way.) Finally, check the rules even more carefully when dealing with creative presentations. The way you can tell which sweepstakes are related, even if they have different names, is by reading the rules. Sometimes the related sweeps in the creative presentation even have slightly different rules. Just remember, it's all one pot.

Want to see if you can get lightning to strike? Here is one little part of a creative presentation from Reader's Digest #908. (Yes, that's what it's called in the rules, although you will see different titles related to it.) Do a search for the other pieces of the pie. It's a FANTASTIC prize if you are the one in a bazillion. Happy Sweeping!