A Day in the Life of a Comper...Leanne Baird

Hello! I’m glad we share this amazing hobby, do you have a story about how you got into it?

Hi Lorna! My name is Leanne, I'm 34 and a nurse. I used to enter competitions but was never too serious - I would buy puzzles magazines on a Thursday and when I entered a take a break comp, I won a South Africa safari! It was a trip of a lifetime worth £3000, everything included all for just 96 pence!
Wow! I would ask your best prize so far, but that sounds like it!! What sort of prizes do you prefer: physical prizes or experiences? Why?
I love winning experiences like nights outs. I have won a cinema trip and a murder mystery night. However it's always cool to get a freebie: I won a fantastic hair cut and colour deal!

What do your friends and family think of this hobby? Have you managed to get any of them involved?

My friends and family are very supportive and they put in requests of what they want me to win! My five year old nephew wants Lego and my nine year old niece wants make up, so no pressure! I like it when my prizes can be used to treat friends and family. My best friend entered a Facebook competition and won a Aurora hairband, so comping can be infectious.

Haha, I often get requests for things! It's like magic to them when it suddenly appears through the letter box! What are your top 3 dream prizes?

My three dream prizes are travel related as I love holidays, so a trip to Japan, Iceland and New Orleans.

Iceland is on my list too! What is your favourite method of entering competitions?

I enter Facebook, magazines and any other competitons. I like these methods because can get a wide variety of prizes, especially with Facebook. I sometimes end up with some very random items!

Any tips for fellow compers?

• Be pro active, if you want to win something in particular - go for it!
• I'm a big fan of cosmic ordering/ law of attractions so sometimes I'll write or visualise an order.
• If you are doing postal comps decorate envelopes with stickers, 3 packs for a £1 from the works and jazzy/coloured envelopes.
• I recommend subscribing to the compers news
• You have just got to be in it to win it!

There was a famous comper called Helen Haskell and she won every competition she won she used this process called SPEC

• Select it - select your prize
• Project It - put it out there
• Expect It - Expect your prize to come to you
• Collect it - Imagine collecting it

Any final comments about this brilliant hobby?
It's just good fun and I love when I win random stuff like bottles of tequila and bags of popcorn, I wish everybody all the luck in the world!


Thanks so much Leanne, I loved your tips - SPEC will stick in my mind! If you enjoyed this and want to get involved yourself, send me a message! Email is lauriebeat@gmail.com, and find me on Twitter @LaurieBeat or Instagram @lornab22

Win on Instagram

After starting to do my Prize Unboxing Videos, I realised that there is one method of entry I have had a fair bit of success with (touch wood) - Instagram.  A few of you delightful readers have asked me how I find these competitions, and how I ultimately win. I wrote this post originally back in August, but times change and so it's time for an update. I've been teaching my sister how to comp on Instagram, and found myself learning new tricks along the way. So here they are, old and new, my top tips for comping on Instagram!

(As this is more about Instagram tips than a tutorial on how to use Instagram, I would recommend checking out Di Coke's blog here if you are new to the app.)

1) Use the Hashtags

Unlike Twitter, you can't search for more than one term on Instagram. This makes it really hard to find competitions, as you cannot look for specific competitions. After trying the usual #win or #competition, I soon realised this would only bring up photos of super sporty people lifting weights and #winning a sporting #competition!

Time to try something else. I always, always, always enter Instagram competitions on Wednesday and Friday. Why? Because the unique hashtags #winitwednesday (or #WinWednesday) and #freebiefriday tend to only bring up competitions that us compers are interested in (not that I don't like seeing the sporty ones...). I make sure that I enter on these days as part of my comping routine.

Other hashtags to try are:

Another great thing about hashtags, is that you can see the photo's that other people have entered. Some competitions only ask you to like and comment, but others will require a photo, usually along the lines of a set theme, accompanied by a hashtag. This is where making your photo's stand out really matters. Rather than the same old posing selfie, try adding in some props like a makeup moustache (as demonstrated) to keep it light-hearted. To make sure yours isn't the same as all the other entries, click the hashtag and have a look at the other photos. This does NOT mean that you can steal an idea or photo as that is cheating. However, making sure your entry doesn't look the same as everyone else's and then coming up with an original idea for your photo is a-okay.

2) Get Your Profile Ready

First things first is to make your profile public if you are wanting to enter creative Instagram competitions. If the promoter cannot see your entry then it cannot be counted. Simple as that. Don't be shy, show your hilarious selfies to the world.

Another thing that promoter may look at is your overall profile. A bit like Twitter, if your profile picture isn't there or doesn't have you in it, it may look like a fake account, especially if all your posts are re-grams of competitions. Try to pick something funny or smiley that expresses you as a person.

Now, about those re-grams. I'm not the biggest fan of competitions that ask you to re-gram a photo (repost the photo to your own Instagram and tag the promoter with a hashtag), and tend to stick to simple like, comment or tag comps or publishing original photos. However, if you are a fan, I would suggest that, after the competition has ended and the winner has been announced, delete the re-gram. This keeps your Instagram tidy and shows promoters that you have a life outside comping (even if that isn't true. GUILTY!)

3) Snap Away

Take lots of pictures, especially when you know there is a competition around. When the Christmas Advent Competitions are in full swing, a festive photo is often required - so save these up! I have an album in my phone just for comping, and also have themed ones to make it easier to find that winning photo! Ones to look out for are Pancake Day, Mothers and Fathers Day and Summer photos.

As I said earlier, standing out from the crowd in these sorts of competitions is so important, as they are generally judged. Think of something that will get your face remembered, whether that be a silly outfit, doing something embarrassing in public or a really impressive talent! Show it off, and don't be afraid to look like a fool! You may never see those people who give you a sly glance again, and anyway, it's all worth it for a laugh and a potential win!

Similarly, when a competition asks you to comment, try and put something funny, rather than just the generic 'Looks fab, thanks'. The promoter may not look through all the comments, but if they do and yours stands out, it may well be picked.

4) Finding creative comps

It's all well and good taking the photos, but how do we find the competition to enter it into?!

Well, with Instagram it's slightly harder, because of the whole 'can only search one word thing' (a pet hate of mine). So it's back to the hashtags we go. You won't find anywhere near as many as the previous hashtag list but try these out for size:

 #SelfieCompetition or #SelfieComp
#PhotoCompetition or #PhotoComp
#GetCreative

(Mention any more you know to the comments, and I'll add them in!)

Another thing you can do, is start on Twitter, and end up on Instagram. As you can search more than one word on Twitter, try typing in 'upload Instagram win', as promoters will often advertise their competitions across various social media channels, even if you can only enter on Instagram. For example,  I knew I had a good outfit photo and typed into Twitter 'upload outfit win Instagram' and came across a few competitions. More often that not, the top results will be from months ago, so try going onto 'All Tweets' to bring up recent ones - but be warned, you may need to trek through a fair few irrelevant Tweets!

5) Get a tag buddy or two...or three.

A popular method for entering Instagram comps is to tag someone. This spreads the word of the competition and gets more entrants. If you have comping buddies (if not I recommend Facebook groups like Lucky Learners or my Mission Competition group), ask them if they are willing to be tagged. This helps both of you find new competitions, as you may have different methods for seeking out those hidden gems. My Instagram is @lornab22 if any of you fancy adding and tagging.

One thing I would note when tagging, is be careful not to send the tag as a message to the people tagged, rather than a comment. To avoid this, I tend to put a wee comment first, even just one word or an emoji, to ensure it sends as a comment.

Another great thing about having comping buddies, is that you can send each other competitions you know they will like. If the competition doesn't require a tag, you can send the photo to your friend over the Instagram messanger. To do this, click the little arrow (circled below) and decide who you want to send it to. If you need practice, my Instagram name is @lornab22.

6) Use Forums

One of my main sources of competitions are sites such as Prize Finder and Money Saving Expert. Prize finder has a social media section, and there you can find Instagram competitions (marked with a (IG) next to them). To seek these out without scrolling, search on a laptop by pressing control F and then typing in 'IG'. This will highlight all the Instagram competitions. These sites are great, as someone else is doing all the hard work for you. Sometimes this can mean that they are higher entry, but you have just as good a chance of winning as the other compers.


So get snapping, filter those photos and upload! Comment below with any other Instagram tips and hashtags that you love. If you want an Instagram tagging buddy, comment below and find a friend!

Luck and Love,

Laurie

Finding the Time to do Comping

Life is very busy for me just now, with university exams in full flow. This can be a stressful time of year, so I like to have some hobbies to keep me going and give me a bit of a break. As anyone who has read any of my other posts, my favourite hobby is comping, and it is such a flexible hobby that you can invest as much or as little time into as you want. Also, a little win after a long day of studying is the perfect pick me up!

Although comping is my favourite hobby, and I doubt that I could give it up even if I wanted to, it does take a lot of time. At first, when I tell people about some of the things that I have won, they often tell me how lucky I am. Something that they don’t always realise, is the time and effort that goes into entering so many competitions. As a student, I have a slightly more flexible timetable, but with exam season upon me, I have to manage my time more efficiently! Below I have listed my favourite ways to maximise your comping time! The more time you have, the more competitions you can enter, and so the more chance you have of winning! But don't forget, it's not just about the quantity of competition you enter, but the quality. You can spend 10 minutes entering RT-to-win Twitter competitions (which can have a high number of entries) or invest those 10 minutes in thinking of a great slogan for an 'effort comp' that less people will have entered. Everyone has their own preferences, but either way, the following tips can teach you how to maximise the time that you do have, however you may chose to use it.

• Mobile Comping

•  There are so many great apps for comping that can be downloaded onto your smartphone. This means that you can use any spare moment comping. That time waiting at the bus stop, walking back from the school run after dropping the kids off, or standing in line at the post office can be put to good use! I love it when I get free Wi-Fi on buses and I can spend the journey listening to music and comping on my phone.
• Some of my favourite apps when I'm out and about are Twitter, Tengi and Wamo. For a run-down of the best comping apps read this post.

• Get into a Routine

• One of the most important things about comping is to be organised. I received a beautiful notebook for my birthday last year, but never had a use for it. As I love writing things down and being able to physically see a plan in front of me, I decided to start planning my comping in this little notebook. If I see a competition when out and about, or I receive an email but don't have time to properly read it, I'll jot down the main details of the competition, so that I can then look at it properly when I have more time. Notebooks are also a great place to write down slogans, phrases and ideas for creative competitions. Even if you don't win a certain competition, you can use the same idea for another one later on, just adapt it a little to fit the new promoter!
• As I like to have a leisurely breakfast before uni, I always squeeze in some entries as I’m munching my cereal. While you’re at it, always read the boxes of cereal – it’s so common for there to be a giveaway! I then check my emails over lunch and play some games on WinnerooPrizes in the evenings after I'm finished studying. If you get into a routine of comping, it won’t seem like any extra work!
• I have a bad habit of being on my phone right before I go to bed, so now rather than scrolling through endless memes on Facebook (however hilarious they may be), I enter a few Twitter competitions and after half an hour make sure I get some sleep. By using a habit I already had, I have squeezed in some more comping! (I also find that by entering the Twitter competitions at the end of the day when they are closing soon, you can increase your chances to win!)

• Use Shortcuts

•  Filling in forms can be incredibly boring, so why not save some time and get them filled out for you! By setting up Auto-fill, Fillr or other similar apps, the form filling out process will take half the time. Just enter your details once on the set-up page, and they will automatically fill the rest in for you in future. On Apple devices, you can set up word/phrase shortcuts. You can choose a shortcut, and it will fill in the rest of the phrase for you. For example, I have it set up where, if I type ’07’ and then space, the rest of my phone number will fill in. Find this feature under settings, then general, then keyboard and scroll down until you find Text Replacement.

• Bookmark the Best

•  Visiting the same sites every day? Favourite and bookmark your most used sites to make the process so much easier. Some sites, such as Prize Finder, already have lists of giveaways so it’s a must save! You can find a list of instant win giveaways here. Bookmark this page so that all your instant wins are in one place! Simple! I make sure to visit these sites every day as part of my comping routine (as mentioned earlier). When they are easier to access you won't forget about them, it doesn't seem as much hassle and it saves you time! A triple bonus!

What are your comping time saving secrets? Do you enter everyday, or just at the weekends? I’d love to hear from you!

Luck and Love. 

Laurie

SuperLucky Secrets Giveaway

This is a post I've been meaning to write for ages - I received my copy of Di's Superlucky Secrets over a month ago, but I wanted to make sure that I had read it properly and if I saw a change in the types of prizes I was winning after applying these tips to my comping life. And boy did I see a difference.

I should begin by introducing Di Coke - a superlucky but more importantly superlovely lady (many compers really are lovely, as I explain here). She puts in so much hard work into not only her own comping, but sharing the comping word and those low entry comps she so raves about in her book. Her blog (superlucky.me) is full of inspiration, tips and (my favourite) prize unboxing videos. Now, before you think you can skip on buying the book and just read the blog, think again. Yes, the blog is an Aladdin's cave of comping info, but for those wanting to step the comping up a gear, the book really will be invaluable. It goes into so much more depth, with brilliant step by step instructions for some of the more technological competitions (even as a 20-year old student, I am rubbish with some modern technology).

Before I read Di's book, I was focusing more on Twitter competitions and instant wins - thinking the more competitions I entered the more chance I had of winning. In some cases, this may be true, but after reading SuperLucky Secrets I have come away with the fact that it's so much more about QUALITY than quantity of competitions you enter. It's the type of giveaway that you enter (the lower the entry the better) that will impact your winnings. I have now started to enter more effort competitions, which less people will enter than your average Twitter 'RT-to-win' comp, and have seen great results including £250 and an Apple iWatch!

Another main tip I learnt from Di was to be organised. I now have a pretty comping notebook and my phone is far more organised, making comping easier, less time consuming and therefore more enjoyable.

But I won't reveal all of Di's secrets on this blog, NO, I highly recommend that you buy her book, or even better, win it through my Gleam Giveaway below. Good Luck, and happy comping!

ENTER HERE