Zoey Smith - divulges her SECRETS to Winning!

2008-11-19T18:26:00.001-08:00

NAME: Zoey Smith

ABOUT ME:

I am a retired Probation Officer. I retired this last January after twenty-three years of service. My oldest son is a NASCAR racer, so my husband and I go to each of his races to support him. I am in charge of his website, pr and media stuff. My husband is on his pit crew. My youngest is the owner of his own successful plumbing business. What a good life we have!

I live on top of a hill, two and a half acres in California. We have all sorts of fruit trees and grow our own artichokes.

How long have you been entering?

I just started sweeping March 2008.

Do you prefer snail mail sweeps, online, locals, text, etc. ?

I rarely do snail mail or text sweeps. I love to enter local contests, because your chances of winning are greater since there are fewer participants. Mostly, I spend my time entering online contests.

The Instant Wins are fun to do and you get immediate confirmation if you win. However, they are usually more time consuming. The dailies are quicker, but can get boring.

I like entering blog contests, but the prizes are usually worth under a hundred dollars – but you chances of winning are greater. They do take a bit more work though

My favorites are the essay and photo contests. They allow my creative juices to flow. Also not as many people enter them because they require some ‘work.’ Last but not least, when you win an essay or photo contest, you feel good that you won on ‘skill’ rather than just luck. It makes the win even sweeter.

How much time do you devote to entering sweepstakes and contests?

I could spend ten hours a day sweeping and in the beginning I did. However, you have to remember that it is a hobby and there is more life going on around you.

Now I try to limit myself to two hours in the morning and two hours after dinner. Conversely, please note that I used the word try – sweeping can be addicting, especially if you are on a winning streak.

WINS

How did you know I kept a list? I will list mine and my husband’s (we are a team) “bigger” wins and leave out the smaller ones (I.E. ringtones, wall paper, coupons for free food or candy, hats, t-shirts, movie tickets . . . . ) This list is organized by date of win, with my first win first.

8 Tickets To Disneyland
A Nüvi 205 Navigation System
George Michael’s TicketsRichard Petty Driving Experience
Gloria Estefan's CD "90 Millas"
$25.00 Chili’s GC
Magellan Maestro 4250 Portable GPS
Six Flags 4 Pack Of 1-Day General Admission Tickets!
Pair Of Danner EXO Edge Shoes
A Diamond Necklace With Winner’s Choice Of Initial
A Pair Of Tickets To See Randy Travis
General Admission For Four People At The Aquarium Of The Pacific And Aboard The Queen Mary
DSRL Kit To Include A Cooler, Two Glasses, And A DSRL Jersey
Imperia Hand / Body Set From Mor Cosmetics
Rocket Dog Belt
Sumdex Nicole Modern Backpack
Six Flags 4 Pack Of 1-Day General Admission Tickets!
The Modbod Clothing Company XL Smokey Mauve Thermal Hoodie
Castrol Messenger Bag
Trip To London For Two
Sujean Rim Signature
Starter Wife T-Shirt
The Sweet Pod Earrings By Below 14th Designs
Limited Edition Disney Parks Celebrations Pin
Darphin Instantly Radiant Kit
Three-Piece Curél Lotion Set
The Micro Grill "As Seen On TV" And The Automatic One Touch Jar Opener

Do you have a favorite resource (newsletter, websites, lists) that you'd like to share?

I love SWEEPSTAKES ADVANTAGE. They have everything organized for you and are very responsive to your requests. The most important thing for me though is that their forum consists of the nicest most helpful fellow sweepers around. If you are going to enter sweepstakes seriously, you need a good support system like Sweepstakes Advantage looking out for your best interests. They also alert you to any new scams. There are several other good sites around and you should find the one that you like the best because you will probably spend some significant time on their website.

Your SECRET to winning

Sweeping is fun and rewarding, however it can also be a lot of work. My secret to winning is to be persistent, but not take myself to seriously. I carefully screen the contests I want to enter and then try to enter daily. It is also important that you follow all the contest rules so that you do not disqualify yourself. Lastly, you need to check your emails carefully to make sure you do not delete a win by error.

To reach Zoey -
myspace - http://www.myspace.com/115707071

twitter – http://www.twitter.com/zwriter

She is always looking for new contacts and sweepers

WINNER'S SECRETS ~

Zoey Smith - divulges her SECRETS to Winning!