There has been a revolution in the world of comping over the last decade. With the rise of social media, the competition landscape has changed. It can appear that the number of competitions has reduced but opportunities are there if you know where to look.
What does the societal change driven by the dominant effect of social media mean for prize competitions? There are a number of ways we are seeing change. Interestingly, there are some who think there are actually more competitions available but they are just spread more widely.
Comping has been around for a long time. In fact, the very first dedicated comping newspaper, ‘Competitor’s Journal’ went on sale back in 1913. Even thinking relatively recently, competitions were primarily entered via post or possibly the telephone. Changes in communication altered this and long term compers will remember the increase of text entry and email or online entries.
However, the explosion in the popularity of social media that has led to the biggest change in recent years. And social media is a place where competitions haven’t reduced! When you consider how influential they are, social media platforms are incredibly new. Twitter was started in 2006 and whilst it soon became popular, the influence on the comping world has only been felt more recently.
Twitter is not the only social media platform with a significant number of prize competitions. You can find plenty on Facebook, Instagram and even Pinterest. Essentially, if there is a social media platform, then there are likely to be competitions available on it.
Social media free competitions
If your main avenue to win prizes is looking online then you are definitely missing a trick. Try setting up dedicated social media comping accounts so it doesn’t interfere with the rest of your life (although be aware that Facebook frowns upon this and has been known to ban users with multiple accounts). Each social media channel has a slightly different approach to free competitions but we have some helpful tips.
To look for competitions on Twitter, try searching using the hashtag #Competition, #Win or look out for trends such as #WinitWednesday. Normally you need to ‘retweet’ something and ensure this is done from the promoter’s page directly. Check all competitions you enter to make sure they are based in the UK. If you prefer to enter competitions for products or companies you actually use, then ensure you are following them on Twitter so you see any competitions they’re running.
On Facebook, the free competitions normally require you to ‘like’ a particular page but it can be hard to search for them. However, if you join any online comping communities, you should find good tips being shared for competitions on Facebook and other sites.
It is easy to search with hashtags on Instagram as well but check if they are UK based! Keep an eye on the Competition Finder Instagram page for all of our favourite Instagram competitions. Entries sometimes require you to post a photo and use a hashtag. Or just following a page, liking and commenting on a post. Be aware that promoters won’t be able to see your entry if its set to private!
The other change in prize competitions seems to be a move toward themed draws. For example, occasions such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day will often mean a burst of hundreds of competitions online and through social media. This can change the way compers may want to approach it. Better results may be achieved through focusing more time around these events to maximise your chances.
The opportunities for free competitions are definitely still there but it may require a slight change in approach by compers looking to win prizes. So, whilst sometimes it might seem like the amount of competitions has reduced, Competition Finder helps you find all of the genuine competitions available!
