Mobile Comping: Enter Competitions on your Smartphone

Sometimes us compers just don't have the time to sit at a computer for hours on end entering giveaways, however much we want to. Sometimes, life just gets in the way. So how can you optimise your time when you aren't able to get to a computer? Or when the chair you're in is just too darn comfy? Here is a breakdown of my favourite comping apps, beyond the usual Twitter, Facebook and Instagram:

1) Tengi

Once, long long ago mobile phones were only used for chatting. I know. Crazy. Today we have so many ways to keep in touch - Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat...the list goes on. But there is one app that combines chatting and winning and that's Tengi - free on iOS and Android.

Every Friday winners are drawn from a pool of users - the more tickets that you have collected during the week, the more chance you have of winning. The prizes are 1 top prize of £1,000, 4 for £25 and hundreds of £5 prizes (which can be taken as Amazon vouchers).

To be qualify to win, you have to have opened the app at least once during the week and for the prizes of £25 and above, you need at least one contact. To increase your chances of winning, collect as many tickets as possible during the week. There are loads of ways to do this:

Every phone contact that joins = 16 tickets

(this means that they don't need to have a specific referral code, they just need to be on your contacts!)

A friend wins = 1 ticket

Every day you use tengi = 1 ticket

Spend 15 minutes chatting on Tengi = 1 ticket

Every week you keep the app = 1 ticket

Simple really! Let your friends know and you can get chatting with the added benefit of a potential win! Me and my comping friends chat about recent wins and competitions that have seen. If you want to add me on Tengi, drop me a Tweet (@LaurieBeat) and I will DM you back :)

Update: I just won £5 in my first week of using Tengi! Chose to get it as Amazon vouchers so I can treat my family to some good presents later in the year. :)

2) Wamo

Wamo updates with new competitions every day, so you're never short of things to win. The idea is similar to Pintrest in my opinion - you have to go onto a website and pick an item you Love, Hate, Want or Need and add it to the appropriate list. At first, it can seem a little confusing, so here's a little guide:

- Download the app and add an email address and bio to make sure you win. As an added bonus, add a photo too.
- Click on the challenge icon on the bar going along the bottom (it looks like a crown) and there you will see all the competitions that are currently open (the ones that are due to open are in black and white.)
-To start your entry, tap the photo of the challenge to link to the store website .
- Tap the camera icon to select from the photos on the website, pick your photo and add a comment.
- Clicking 'next' will take you to the lists, which will automatically be selected for you.

Tips:

- Be sure to read the instructions, as sometimes the promoter wants you to pick something within a specific theme.
-Try to choose something that's not just on the homepage - show you've explored the website a bit.
- Most of the time, you only need one item, but you can add more items to the list if you want.
- Check if you are required to share on Twitter - if so, use the share icon at the top of the page

SuperLucky Di has a great video guide about Wamo. Check it out on her page here.

3) Blippar

Blippar is an Augmented Reality app which uses visual marketing to connect the buyer to the promoter. By scanning the product, advert, or code, you can unlock information about the product and sometimes COMPETITIONS!

It's a really cool app that brings to life the product. So many everyday items you already have can be 'blipped' and it can be used every day. Every promotion will be different, but keep an eye on the blippar facebook page to see what's current. Check out the current JuiceBurst competition - more details on their website

Here are my top blip tips:

- Look out for the blippar logo in magazines and adverts that tell you there is something 'blippable' about.
- Save an item to your favourites by tapping the star - this means you don't have to rescan items if it's a daily entry comp.
- Be patient, sometimes it can take a while for the product to scan, Try different angles and keep still.

4) Vouchercloud

For me, vouchercloud is a win-win situation. They have so many great deals, that you may never have to pay full price for a meal out again. As well as this, they have a competitions section.

To get to this section, tap the menu icon at the top left of the screen and you can see the competition tab. Here there will be a list of competitions and how long you have left to enter. The great thing is, they email you to confirm your entry and then again when they've drawn a winner. As a comper, it can be infuriating not to be kept in the loop, so this is a nice touch. Just enter and keep your fingers crossed!

So there you have it, my top 4 comping apps! Next time you're on the bus and looking for something to do, open up one of these apps. Just like buses - you never know when you next win will arrive. For ways to make money on your mobile, check out my Mobile Money post here.

Luck and love!

In store promotions and competitions - UK

When I am walking round my local supermarket, I not only keep an eye out for bargains, I also look for the word WIN! You would be surprised how many times you see it - and it usually catches your eye on some bold colourful packaging. When I am in the shops with my little cousin, we play a game to see how many times she can spot that winning word - keeps her occupied and her little eagle eyes tend to spot comps that I miss!

On this post, I will be regularly updating it with comps I have seen in store, along with the occasional unbelievable bargain. I will post pictures of the product, so you know what to look for, along with some key points of the T's & C's such as closing date. If these are on sale anywhere, I will try to point that out as well!

If you see any that you would like me to feature (I'll be sure to give you a shout out thanks!) tweet me (@LaurieBeat) or comment below! Happy hunting!

Bodyform - Win a trip to New York

The Prize: Prize Fund: Trip for 2 persons to New York including return economy flights from London, transfers from the airport to the hotel in New York where the winner will share either a twin or double room in a 3* hotel for 3 nights, including breakfast. The trip includes a two day sightseeing hop on-hop off tour bus pass for two and a choice of either two tickets for the Empire State Building Observatory or two tickets for the Top of the Rock Observation deck. Trip also includes either two ferry tickets to visit Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty) and Ellis Island, or a 1-hour boat cruise.
How to win: Find a pink ticket in the pack
Purchase required: Yes
Chance to win: 10 pink tickets in total
Closing Date: Claim by 30/6/16
Best Place to Buy: Currently £1 in Superdrug

Wilkinson Sword - Day in the Life of Lucy Watson

The prize: The prize consists of a trip to London for the winner and a friend for a luxury day and night experience. The prize includes:

• A personal shopper experience at Harvey Nichols, London with £1,000 spending money
• A spa trip for two people including a treatment to the value of £100 per person
• Lunch for two at the Bluebird Café, Chelsea (availability permitting) which Lucy Watson will attend. Not including alcoholic beverages.
• Dinner for two at a top London restaurant (availability permitting). Not including alcoholic beverages.
• Return train travel to and from London for the winner and friend up to the value of £50 per person.
• One nights stay in a double room in a minimum 4 star hotel designated by the Promoter.

How to win: Enter code found on pack online
Purchase required: Yes
Chance to win: 1 winner
Closing Date: Enter by 31/03/16 claim prize by 30/6/16

Best Place to Buy: Currently half price in Tesco - £3.50

Crunchy Nut Bars - Win £5

The Prize: £5
How to win: Enter code found on pack online
Purchase required: Yes
Chance to win: The original draw for this is closed, but any codes entered from now on will be entered into a catchall draw that ends on the date below.
Closing Date: 02/08/2016

Note that Kellog's Crunchy Nut Cereal also have a promotion on to win 2 months of Now TV - just pick up a promotional pack in store and enter the code online. Open until 31/08/2016

Walkers - UEFA Champions League Prizes

NB: This one doesn't open until 01/02/2016 but is worth pointing out so you don't throw away any packets!

The Prize: UEFA and crisp related prizes and a draw for UEFA tickets
How to win: Enter code found on pack online
Purchase required: Yes
Chance to win: Winner every hour for smaller prizes one big draw for tickets
Closing Date: 25/04/2016

Bueno - Fashion Prizes

The Prize: Variety of fashion Prizes and a 20% discount for entering
How to win: Enter code found on pack online
Purchase required: Yes
Chance to win: 1 of 10 prizes every day
Closing Date: 31/03/2016

Tangerine Confectionary - Sweet Beats Promotion

The Prize: 

• 1 x Beats Studio Headphones.
• 1 x £25 / €25 iTunes Giftcard.
• 1 x £100 / €100 Ticketmaster Giftcard.

How to win: Enter code found on pack online
Purchase required: Yes
Chance to win: The original promotion is closed but there will be a mop up draw where one winner wins the prize mentioned above.
Closing Date: 19/04/2016

Actimel - Take on the Day

The Prize: £10,000
How to win: Find a black alarm clock on lid
Purchase required: Yes (and keep packaging, lid and recieipt)
Chance to win: 5 prizes available
Closing Date: 30/06/2016

Other Promotions to Look Out For:

Bernard Matthews: Every week from 22nd January to 4th March a family has a chance to win £100. Just pick up a promotional pack, keeping the label as proof, answer a question on the website and keep your fingers crossed!

Any more, let me know. I just found these on a wee shopping trip when I had an hour off at uni. Shows what you can find when just browsing!

Luck and love

Laurie

(note that prices are all correct of date of posting and all opinions are my own)

Snap Chat Competitions: Low Entry and Fun

I get loads of questions about snap chat competitions. The annoying thing about these competitions is that they are really difficult to find...but this is also the best thing. A bit like Instagram competitions, the fact that they are really hard to source means that only dedicated compers will be able to find them and low entry means that there is a much higher chance of winning! Also, as snapchat is on your mobile, it's so easy to enter. For other mobile comping apps, check out this post.

The Basics

So how does snapchat work? For many people it is a fun way to stay in touch with friends, and I myself have sent many a silly selfie to my friends who have moved away, and some to my friends on the other side of the room! To set up, simply download the app, and come up with a username and password. Try to make the username easy to remember as it is what other people will search for when they are looking for you! Here is a screen shot of my homescreen once I have taken a cheesy selfie:

The number 1 is notifications I have of private snaps and chats. Simply swipe to that side to access. The 6 is peoples stories that I haven't viewed yet. This is where the promoters will post their competitions. When you add a photo to your story, it will be accessible for people to view as many times as they want for 24 hours. To do this, when you take a photo and press send, make sure you tick the box that says 'My Story':

To add friends simply touch the ghost icon at the top of the page. This will lead you to a menu screen. Here you will see your own ghost icon or 'Snapcode' (which other people can use to add you) and a few options. 

Click the 'Add Friends' icon where you will be lead to a new screen. 

Promoters will usually give you their username, so click that option and type in their username and press the little plus button. Simple!

Examples

I have so far entered two snapchat competitions, and won twice, so it's safe to say I quickly became a fan. For the first competition, I had to add the promoters (Maze Runners) on snapchat and then take a screenshot of the relevant picture on their story, which was of a maze. I then had to edit the picture so that I completed the maze and upload the result to Twitter. My prize was a brand new iPad mini 4, which will be amazing for taking notes in uni...and a dedicated comping portal of course!

The second competition was more interactive. Again, I had to add the promoter and then view their story, which showed lots of lipsticks. I simply had to send a photo back (I did a super enthusiastic pout) saying which shade was my favourite and, hey presto, I won!

I have seen other competitions which require you to take a selfie in front of advertising and send it to the promoter and put it on your story. Unfortunately, I have never found the poster or billboard on time! Below are my top tips for finding and entering these hard to come by comps!

Search for the win

So how can you be one of the few to enter and perhaps win? Research is the key! The thing about snapchat is that you can't actually search for the competitions on the app, you have to look elsewhere. Twitter is great because you can search for more than one term, try things like 'win snapchat' or 'competition snapchat' which may tell you who is currently running snapchat competitions. My first snapchat win was found on Twitter and then needed me to upload a picture to Twitter. Sometimes, snapchat is just a way to further promote the brand, or perhaps to have less entrants - a bonus if you can get involved - but then requires you to share the results on another site such as Twitter or Facebook.

Google is another great way to source these comps, you can use a filter to search much like you do on Twitter. Superlucky Di has a great blog about this which I have linked here.

Be original

Like most effort competitions, snapchat requires you to be a bit different and stand out from the crowd. If you are taking a selfie, pull a silly face, wear a hat, or take it somewhere cool! It may be easier to take a picture of your feet in a public place, but the bravery of taking a selfie on a crammed bus is sure to earn you brownie points! Also, if the promoter mentions a product in the instructions, make sure that they can see it well and clearly. You don't want to be discounted for not following the rules!

Snapchat has a great feature that lets you edit your pictures by drawing on them. Use the little pen tool at the top corner and choose your colour to get creative and stand out from the crowd!

Along the same lines, you can add a caption to your photo. Maybe if you make them laugh, they may be more likely to pick you! To add text, click the T button (next to the pen tool) and you have a few characters to type something out. You don't have much space, so make each letter count!

Take Time

On Snapchat, you can chose how long the recipient can view your snap for. This is done with the little clock on the bottom left of the screen. Click on that, and choose how long you want. For competitions, put this at the maximum (10 seconds) so that they can really see your entry! Don't worry if you get a notification saying that they have replayed or taken a screenshot of your snap, this just means that they wanted a better look at it!

So there you have it, my beginners tips to becoming a snapchat comper! You can add me on snapchat with lornabeattie and at Twitter I am @LaurieBeat, and let me know how you get on with your snap chatting! You can even send me a tester snap or two, just to get used to it if it is all new to you. Either way, have fun and happy comping. 

Luck and Love, 

Laurie