Comps Tips - New Thead Help Needed

VelvetGlove

Morning folks

I've finished Draft 1 of the Comping Guide - Getting Started & Other FAQs so please feel free to have a read & post on that thread with any tips or help you need. The Guide thread is now open for business!

Have fun comping!

georgy-girl

VelvetGlove wrote: »

Morning folks

I've finished Draft 1 of the Comping Guide - Getting Started & Other FAQs so please feel free to have a read & post on that thread with any tips or help you need. The Guide thread is now open for business!

Have fun comping!

Thanks for this great and useful guide VelvetGlove, I mostly do postcard comps and i'm not sure if I may have mentioned before but I usually decorate my postcards with stickers and highlighter pens and for normal blank postcards I often cut out piccies from magazines and stick them on often a piccie that can fit in with the comp, I have won many prizes large and small over the years doing this. I find the glue tends to make the postcard bend into all wierd and strange shapes.

For stickers I often look at childrens comics where at times you can get over 100 stickers for £1.99, which work out cheaper then packets of stickers that you can often buy in stationers plus you get the comic ( to pass on to your own child or that of a family member or friend ) which often include competitions too.

almar_2

:beer: I have just started doing competitions - I use the free google tool bar to automatiacally fill all my details for me (autofill), I have a seperate e-mail address just for comps to save a load of spam and use my mobile phone for entering telephone numbers, to avoid sales call to my landline. If entering the same comp a few times then I have entered my answer, name, address, phone no and e-mail as my e-mail signature and just click send for e-mail comps. I have word open where I have saved my details and cut and past it when my details are needed in a box.

For postcard comps I have purchased 1000 small addressed labels with my name and address and phone number on very cheap from ebay and just stick one on each postcard, it saves my writing my info over and over. I have also bought A4 card which I cut into four postcards its much cheaper than buying a postcard. If you are in a hotel or bar where they offer free postcards then help yourself. Also buy second class stamps in bulk for postcards.

I just hope I am soon telling you about my wins. good luck to you.:j

rwgray

I note advice elsewhere not to use First-class stamps (1st) unless you really need a postal entry to be there by mail in less than three days.

In addition - unless the regulations have changed - POSTCARDS ARE SECOND CLASS MATERIAL and there is no purpose served in putting first class stamps on them (unless you put them in an envelope first).

Having said which, how effective is automated sorting these days, in distinguishing postcards from other items? If they don't say "POSTCARD" on them... I often make my own from old card, in fact.

Finally, in order to meet targets, the Royal Mail system tends to treat small items (non-packets) as first class by default, ie. upgrading uncertain items rather than downgrading, to make it easier to hit the % standards required of them.

Hope some of this is helpful... Your comments are always very welcome.

Rich.x

Oooh a sneaky p.s. - people always assume that previously used stamps can't be used again even if there is no postmark. This - again, unless the law had changed - is completely untrue. Our postal regulations explicitly state that a stamp is postally valid until it has been visibly cancelled by the Post Office / Royal Mail.

rwgray

dom87 wrote: »

...why not set up a new email address just for the competitions you enter e.g. a new hotmail address.

It always bugged me that friends were constantly changing their email addresses due to spam, when it makes more sense to have one address for personal stuff (friends, family, work, main bank, a few trusted companies you actually buy from) and a separate one for bulk stuff (mailing lists, comps, most businesses you don't actually buy from).

This problem has probably reduced in frequency now that junk filtering is much more effective.

Another reason for frequent changes of email address is when people change internet service provider (ISP). In general, you do not need to change your email address merely because someone else provides your broadband. The address you get from your new ISP needn't be used at all, except maybe for communicating with them! The old one will still work.

I'd add that webmail (Hotmail etc.) is much less prone to hijack and other difficulties than Outlook-based mail accounts. And much more portable - and you do have the choice.

I've never needed to change my two Hotmail addresses. (Yet!)

Rich.x