Become a Professional Blogger

Make Money Blogging

Using a blog to make money seems like magic. There is nothing tangibly produced that you can hold in your hand and for many people blogging is a hobby that they would be doing anyways for free. With a few simple tips and ideas, making money from your personal blog is not just a possibility; it can become your primary income. As you set up your blog, remember to budget so that you can still have another income source for the next six months to a year while your blog gains a readership.

All about the Content

The first thing bloggers need to do is to make a blog that targets a niche market. If it is a topic that is already extensively covered, there is not a reason for readers to visit your blog. The topic should also appeal to a significant number of people. If it is too specialized or the concept is too difficult to grasp, it will be hard to gain the readership you need to make a profit. Developing quality, unique content is the key towards finding readers and keeping them.

Creating a Blog

Blogging is a kind of on-line diary and writers forum that offers a specific, unique view of the world. The commentary and articles on the blog are enhanced by videos, images and web links that make the content more accessible. By organizing your articles in a chronological sequence or topic, readers can easily access the different commentaries and read what you have to say.

Making Money

At the beginning, it will be difficult to make an adequate income with your blog. Over time you will be able to develop a dedicated readership that will bring in the revenue that you need. Many people think that blogging cannot create income; this view is far from accurate. With adequate content and hard work, a blog can become your primary revenue source.

Getting a Domain Name

Although you can start your blog off on a website like WordPress or Blogger, the site will be difficult to expand and change once you have gained a following. Numerous websites exist that can offer you cheap domains and help you to format the blog. Choose a domain name that represents what you are writing about, is unique and is also easy to remember. The best blogs have easy to search and simple to recall domain names.

After Your Domain Name Is Purchased

After you have purchased a domain name, set up the theme and layout of your blog. You can quite often purchase or find a theme that you can use for free or for a small fee. As you finish setting up your blog, start adding articles and content that draws a reader in. Website promotions and advertisement revenue can be set up to gain a larger readership and make more money.

Developing an Income Stream

You have set up your blog, developed quality content and are starting to gain a readership: Now what? After your blog is complete, you can start to sell products through affiliate programs like Check My Stats and Clickbank. For every purchase your blog generates, you get a portion of the purchase price.

Using Affiliated Programs can create a sizeable revenue stream, but a depressingly inconsistent one. Due to this reasoning, it is important to have other money making attributes to your website. Rather than selling affiliate products, consider selling your own goods. Your website can sell a specific product that you have created, a skill that you have or be a means of marketing your own e-book.

Once you have maxed out the different ways to sell products through your blog, you can still make an income just by people viewing the website. With pay-per-click advertisements, you get an income for ever click your blog’s visitors perform. Run through programs like Google’s Adsense, pay-per-click programs can help you to gain a consistent, smaller income stream. If your blog is really successful, you can even sell ad space on your own within your website. Income generated from this source is often larger and extremely consistent. To get to this level of blogging, it can take months and years before your website has developed enough followers.

As you wait for your blog to gain readers, work on developing more content and consider doing paid reviews. You can do a review of a product, event or service and receive pay for posting it onto your blog.

Pay Wall Plugins

MediaPass is a very exciting plugin that can help you to make a higher level of income off of your blogging. Register for an account and install the plugin to get started. Afterwards, you can highlight an article or content that you want to put behind a pay wall. When visitors go to the website, they must pay to get to the extra content. If you choose to use this method, give a few freebie examples on your website before the reader has to pay. Common businesses that make use of this concept often have unique information that users need to see. From dating to genealogical research, a pay wall can help make your website into a money-making venture.

Making money with a blog is not just a possibility. With adequate work, a business plan and a unique niche, you can start your own blog and develop a writing income in no time.

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Open a Bank Account or Two

Some banks today occasionally run promotions offering you financial rewards when you open a new bank account. These accounts may be checking or savings accounts, and the rewards can be up to $50 or more in some cases. You simply have to visit a few bank websites to learn more about the offers available. Be sure to read the fine print on these offers. Some require you to have a bank account for a certain time period before the cash reward is provided to you.

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Be a Loyal Consumer

Many stores, hotels, airlines and other companies have special rewards programs that you can participate in. Some rewards programs are free to join, but others may have a small application or membership fee. Each rewards program works differently, but generally you can earn points or credits each time you show loyalty to the company. For instance, some hotels allow you to earn points towards a free night at their chain with each stay. Some stores have special discount cards that allow you to save money on purchases and even earn points that can be redeemed for store gift cards. Take time to explore the stores, restaurants and other companies you frequently do business with to see which programs are available. These programs essentially provide you with free money for purchases you were going to make anyway.

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Shop for Cash

Get Paid To Shop

Mystery shopping is another great way to earn extra income. As a mystery shopper, you can select specific covert assignments to complete from mystery shopping companies. The more assignments you complete, the more money you earn. You may even get reimbursed for some of your purchases at stores. You can sign up to work with as many mystery shopping companies as you want, and this is a fun, unique way to earn extra money in your free time.

About Becoming a Mystery Shopper

Many businesses utilise mystery shoppers to help evaluate their services. These shoppers, also known as secret shoppers, consume goods and services as though they are regular consumers and report the details of their experiences to the business. The company is then able to use these reports to determine what areas of their business require improvement.

What Type of Businesses Are Involved in Mystery Shopping?

Any type of business that involves customer interaction can benefit from the use of a secret shopper. Typical clients include grocery and retail stores, hotels, restaurants and service stations. Business that feature public interaction but do not typically refer to their consumers as customers also use mystery shopper services. These companies include car dealers, resorts and amusement parks.

How Does the Process Work?

In order to allow the most impartial consumer reports, companies do not hire mystery shoppers directly. Instead, businesses hire a third party secret shopper company and that company hires the mystery shopping evaluators. Though the businesses make up a list of factors to evaluate, the third party mystery shopper company is responsible for the hiring, training and paying of mystery shoppers.

What Kind of Things Does a Mystery Shopper Evaluate?

The exact types of things that a shopper will look for when they are on assignment for a client depend upon the business’ needs and specific requirements. But businesses commonly ask for shoppers to examine how long they have to wait before they receive a greeting, how quickly they are serviced and how clean the location is. Shoppers may also evaluate whether the employees are following the dress code and following other company policies. During times of heavy promotion for specific products, companies may hire secret shoppers to make sure employers are suggesting that particular product during a greeting.

What Other Responsibilities Does a Secret Shopper Have?

When they accept their assignment, a shopper agrees to perform their shopping at a specific day and time. Some services allow a shopper to purchase whatever they want during a trip. Other companies will want the shopper to purchase a specific product or food.

During their shopping experience, a mystery shopper must take note of a variety of details that may include employee names. While notes should be taken after the shopping trip, the secret shopper risks not being paid for their job if they give away the fact that they are a mystery shopper. This can be tricky in some instances, because the business may require photographs or recordings of conversations with employees.

Following the trip, a shopper has a limited amount of time to submit the evaluation and receipts to the online mystery shopper company that hired them.

What Kind of Pay Does a Secret Shopper Receive?

It can take up to two months after the initial shopping trip for the shopper to receive payment. The payment itself varies depending upon the company and the type of evaluation required. Some companies may only offer a reimbursement of the goods purchased during the shopping trip. Other companies offer both reimbursement and a small pay of $10 to $15.

How Do You Apply For a Mystery Shopper Job?

An Internet search for mystery shopper jobs can be overwhelming for a prospective shopper. One good place to begin a search is this website: Mystery Shopper Jobs. This website researches and reports on shopping companies that have earned a reputation for being fair and have proven not to be scams. Their list of companies comes from experiences of other mystery shoppers.

Once a potential shopper finds a list of potential shopping companies that they are interested in working for, the shopper must submit an online application. The time that the application is approved will vary depending on the company.

Approval of an application will grant the shopper access to a list of the company’s shopping assignments. Successful shoppers will check the list often and will apply only to the assignments that they know they can fulfil. Most companies will limit or reject shoppers who pick assignments and do not finish them.

How Does a Shopper Avoid a Scam?

Some mystery shopping scams do exist. A smart secret shopper will avoid any company that advertises through newspapers or e-mail. Another warning sign of a potential scam is a company that makes their shoppers pay for access to the assignments or makes their shoppers pay for a certification before they can shop. Shoppers should also avoid any company that guarantees an income or certain amount of assignments.

Many reputable secret shopper companies also belong to the Mystery Shopper Providers Association. Potential shoppers may wish to avoid any company that does not belong to the organization as a way to protect themselves from scams.

How Can New Mystery Shoppers Be Successful?

When first starting out, a mystery shopper should apply to multiple shopping companies and check their assignment database regularly to make sure that they have the best opportunity to apply for assignments. In particularly crowded and competitive shopping companies, new shoppers may have to take the less glamorous assignments in order to build a good reputation.

A successful shopper must also pay careful attention to detail, especially when picking and fulfilling their assignments. Not paying attention to details can result in not getting paid.

Above all else, mystery shoppers should be realistic in evaluating whether or not an assignment is worth their time. If you are only getting paid a small $10 fee and it is taking over five hours to complete the assignment, it would be worth your time to skip the assignment and move on to one that takes less time to complete.

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Teach Kids for Cash

You don’t have to be a professional teacher to make money helping kids learn. If you enjoy spending time with kids and are proficient in a certain subject like Math, Biology, Chemistry, Algebra, English or any number of other subjects, you can offer your tutoring services. There are a number of ways you can advertise your services. Consider posting a flyer in a local library, in a local school or neighbourhood newsletter, on a college campus or other similar places.

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Work In Your Free Time

If you are like most people, you come home after work and sit around the house. You may watch a show or read a book, but you are not making money. You can use your free time to earn money from home in a number of different ways. If you visit Workfromhomejobs.com.au, you can explore a number of unique and entirely easy money-making opportunities. Some of these opportunities include getting paid to write and do other simply tasks on the Internet.

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Create a Part-Time Job From Your Hobby

Earn Money From Your Hobbies

With the current state of the world economy, few people can afford having an expensive personal hobby. Along with specialty lattes, private yachts and vacation houses, this luxury is quickly disappearing. Rather than having a hobby that drains your money, consider adopting one that actually fattens your wallet. Among other things, making goods to sell, writing an article or giving private lessons can help you to make a profit off of your favourite pastime.

Teaching a Lesson

From sports to music, most people ultimately end up hiring someone to teach them how to play. If your favourite hobby happens to be a sport, consider offering lessons privately to earn some side cash. In addition to the money, personal trainers and coaches often get a sense of reward out of helping someone else out. For the more serious hobbyist, coaching is a possibility. Numerous youth sports leagues exist that need a coach and are willing to higher one for a small fee.

Musically inclined individuals can advertise on community boards and in newspapers for lessons. From the tuba to the piano, parents want their children to get a head start on successfully mastering an income. Considering the length of time it takes to learn an instrument, this hobby could be a consistent source of income for years to come. Musicians can also hire out their skills at weddings and local events. While getting to meet new people and enjoy a slice of wedding cake, these hobbyists can also derive a slight income stream.

Sell Your Work

For the private artist or craft enthusiast, it is time to start selling your work. Local craft stores often have a list of future craft fairs that will be occurring. At these events, artists and crafty individuals can set up a table and market their product. In between fairs, they can use websites like etsy.com or local galleries as an additional revenue source.

With the rise of the internet, photography has also achieved new on-line markets. Websites like www.123rf.com offer a way for amateur photographers to bring in side income for their projects. Exceptional photos can be sold to magazines or turned into greeting cards. For the highly trained hobbyist, weddings, events and photography classes are an open market for your skill set.

Shopping Time!

Surprisingly, even the act of spending money can help you to earn more. Individuals are often paid to work as a mystery shopper. These mystery shoppers visit local businesses and send in reports and how good the service or product was. Although it generally will not bring in a great deal of money, it does mean that dinners out on the town and some smaller items will come at no cost. For the avid shopper, consider working as a personal shopper as well.

Buying things with your own income can turn a profit. As many college students are starting to figure out, name brand, high quality thrift stores are interested in second hand clothes. These thrift stores will pay a decent amount for second hand items that they can resell at a higher cost. Visit your local thrift store on sale days and pick up brand name items. Later, go to the name brand thrift store and resell it. The biggest downfall with this method is the strong possibility that they may choose not buy it. If this happens the item can always be sold on EBay.

Fitness

Any fitness enthusiast knows just how much it costs to stay in shape. From a gym membership to running shoes, the cost of working out can be monumental. Luckily, there are ways to lessen the impact working out has on your wallet. For individuals who work out in a gym or pool, becoming a personal trainer, exercise instructor or a life guard is a great way to get involved in the fitness world and earn back the cost of your membership. Try being the umpire at your child’s football game or become the scorekeeper to make your afternoon pastime into a money maker.

Outdoor sports offer an even better chance to turn a profit at your hobby. There is always a need for qualified trail guides, white water rafters and extreme sports teachers. If rock climbing, bungee jumping, sky diving or caving are any of your favourite sports, there is always the chance that you could teach it on the weekends. Just check out the laws in your area, obtain the proper certification and you are on your way towards a weekend activity that reaps dividends.

Get Cooking!

When you run the numbers, cooking can become an extremely expensive hobby. From the cost of equipment to the rising price of ingredients, cooking a gourmet meal can severely deplete your wallet. If you have a strong talent in the kitchen, consider hiring out your services as a personal chef or a caterer. These jobs give you the chance to cook the delicious gourmet food you always dreamed about without having to foot the bill. Bakery enthusiasts can teach a class on cake decorating make birthday cakes or sell their wares at local farmers markets. For longer lasting food items, a craft fair (especially around the holidays) can always be a good option for selling your special recipe.

Green Thumbed Hobbyists

Gardner’s rejoice—farmers markets have a special spot for you! Extra compost as well as fruits and vegetables can always be sold at farmer’s markets in the area. During harvest time, you can put your green thumb to work and help your local farmer bring in the crops. For the avid enthusiast, year-round work can be found as a semi-professional landscaper or gardener. Learn more about you hobby, meet new people and get paid for doing so.

Repair Time

Any video game player or computer nerd can tell you: this hobby is not cheap. To make the pastime more cost effective, consider using you knowledge to perform repairs or build computers. Exceptionally talented computer enthusiasts can work as a computer consultant or even design websites for clients.

Writing Articles for Income

Freelance writing has a dedicated core of professionals, but a lot of work in the field is also done by dedicated writing aficionados. Spend some time every week to start a blog in a particular niche. Although it can easily take six months to develop revenue, overtime you can actually make a profit at it. Professional quality work can be sold to magazines or turned into an e-book. Cash prizes and contests even exist for the budding novelist or poet who is trying to get their book published.

Other options for the writer include work as a content writer. Numerous websites dot the Internet that will pay you to write articles on the topics they need. Once you can gain an efficient enough writing speed, this hobby can even become a full time career.

Hobbies Can Make You Income

Having a hobby does not mean that your purse has to be emptied of change. By learning what exists in your field, you can turn your personal hobby into a profit making enterprise. Over time, this enterprise can even become a main source of income. You started selling your hobby to pay for your pastime—but the same enthusiasm that led you to do it, can also ultimately lead to financial success. Surprising as it may seem, one day your hobby could become your career and lifelong passion.

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Make Money With iPhone Apps

The last few years have seen mobile applications become a true money-making tool. Users now purchase apps just like they do any other goods or service. Many Apps have become overnight sensations, and have served as the most extreme examples of developer success.

Even without the deep pockets of some of the company’s behind the biggest commercial app successes, it’s still very possible to make money off of apps. Most mobile developers who want to make the most money choose to develop for the iPhone. There are a few reasons behind this. Generally speaking, iPhone users are more willing to spend money on apps. There is also a very large installed user base, and only having to develop for one specific platform makes development easy even for newcomers.

You can begin making money off of your iPhone apps once you’ve started to develop your product. Whether you’re making a game, a utility or some other app, the routes you can take to generate an income from it are very similar. There are several different ways to make money with iPhone apps. Your level of effort will obviously play a large role in how much revenue you generate, but most people find that it’s relatively easy and fun to make money off of their apps.

Selling the App Directly

This is the most straightforward method that you can use to earn money off of your iPhone app. In this model, you submit your project to Apple’s App Store. After it has been approved you’re allowed to set a price for it, and potential customers who search for it will have the option to buy it.

Simple enough, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Pricing your app correctly is critical in this model. As you can imagine, your app will sell a lot more copies at $0.99 than it will at $9.99. However, on the same note, you don’t want to give too much functionality away. If your app is truly one-of-a-kind and lets users do something that no other app can, then pricing it at the $9.99 mark might be more appropriate.

If you’re a new developer, you’ll likely have some serious concern about what price to release your app at. After all, buying a title from a new developer is always riskier for a potential customer than buying one from an established developer. A good way to counter this effect is to release a limited version of your app for free. This gives customers a way to use your app and see if they like it without risking their money. If they like it, they’ll be much more likely to pay for the full version as long as you’ve set it at a fair price.

Advertising Revenues

Although direct sales are great, they do limit your app’s profitability. There is a large contingent of iPhone users who, for better or for worse, refuse to pay for any app. Even if the app you’ve made is something that they really want, they’d still rather do something like download a pirated copy of your app.

To avoid this problem and reach the largest user base you can, your app can be marketed as a free download but still have advertisements inside of it. In this model, a third-party ad service places ads within your app and pays you a cut of the revenue whenever users click the ads. Users won’t shy away from your app because of an unwillingness to spend money, but you’ll still make money.

There are a couple of obvious drawbacks to this model, as well as some significant advantages. One major drawback is that some users never click ads, so you’ll never earn money from these users. Another disadvantage is that users will simply stop using the app if the placement of your ads within the app is inconvenient. However, well-placed ads and a user base that’s likely to click them has the potential to be a more profitable setup. Having in-app ads is a great way to draw residual income off of your app long after the majority of buyers have purchased it.

If you decide to go with this method, there are a few ad services available who will function as brokers for your app. Apple’s own iAd service is arguably the most sensible one. They have developers’ best interests in mind, and they also pay a large cut of the revenue to you. They just recently boosted the developer cut from 60 to 70 percent.

In-App Purchases

This has been an increasingly popular way to generate revenue from apps. It’s a very good way to earn additional revenue if you’re releasing a game, and under the right circumstances it can be a great source of primary revenue. In this model, your app is released for a very low price or for free. Your app’s users can then buy items in-game, and this is where you generate revenue.

This method works well, but it’s something that you should approach with caution. There is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained between making your app usable without the purchases so as not to drive away users, but still making the purchases useful enough for customers to buy them. This might be an option that you want to only consider if the alternatives haven’t been successful.

Tips to Maximize Your App’s Profitability

Releasing a quality product is essential to making money off of iPhone apps. You’ll find that a rushed product can generate small revenues, but it won’t earn the kind of lasting income that makes iPhone apps such an appealing endeavour. By maintaining high quality standards and putting a lot of thought into how you market and sell your app, you’ll be able to maximize the money it makes.

One last tip: A great way to earn easy money off of iPhone apps is to combine more than one strategy for making money off your apps. You can combine the paid and ad-support strategies, for example, by releasing two versions of your apps. This method has been used by popular games, including titles such as Angry Birds, to capture both the paid and free market segments. By giving your users flexibility, you’ll get more users for your app and make more money than you previously thought possible.

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Turn Your Car Into a Money-Maker

Get Paid To Drive

Owning and driving a car around town is a major expense for you. Many people make monthly payments on an car loan, and this is coupled with the cost of fuel, an auto insurance premium, and repair and maintenance costs to keep your vehicle in good condition. Your car is certainly a luxury that costs you money each month. However, what if you could turn your vehicle into a money-maker? Many drivers today are getting paid to drive around town in their vehicle by turning their car into an advertisement on wheels.

Free Money

It may have crossed your mind that nothing in the world is entirely free, and you may have to do something to take advantage of such an incredible offer. There are a few steps you will need to take in order to find an advertiser who will pay you to drive around. However, once the advertisement is on your car, you simply have to drive your vehicle to earn money. The more you drive, the more you can earn. This really is free money, as most people will drive regularly on their commute to work, to run errands and more. If you are going to be on the road and using your vehicle anyway, why not make some money by driving around?

Finding Advertising Opportunities

To get started, first you will need to sign up with an advertising company that specialises in vehicle advertising and marketing. Such companies will act as a liaison between you and the companies who want to pay you to drive. You can register to be a car advertiser online. Typically, the registration process is free, but you do want to read the fine print. Each vehicle advertising company is different. After registering to work with a company, you will complete a profile page that includes details about the make and model of your vehicle, your driving habits and other important details that companies want to know before they select you as their vehicle advertiser.

How You Are Selected

Many vehicle advertising and marketing companies allow companies who seek your driving services to select you in a variety of ways. In some cases, these companies may browse your profile and contact you directly about an opportunity they have for you. In other cases, they may post details about their needs, and they may allow drivers like you to contact them and make a bid to do the work. Some companies may select a driver based entirely on their bid. Most, however, will consider other factors like where you typically drive, what time of day you typically drive and the type of vehicle you drive. As a moving advertisement for the company, they want you to most perfectly fit the image of their typical consumer. They also want you to drive during peak times when their typical consumer is on the road.

Limitations to Consider

Before you hop online today to sign up as a potential driver, there are a few limitations to consider. First, all drivers must be 18 years or older. Furthermore, only drivers with specific types of vehicles are considered. For instance, those with very small compact cars cannot be considered because the vehicle is too small to accommodate the size of the ad. Also, motorbikes and some types of trucks also cannot be used for this purpose.

Your Commitments and Responsibilities

After you are selected to drive your own car for money, you next will have to get your car wrapped in an advertisement. There are certain installation locations across the country that you can schedule an appointment with. The installation process will take about two hours of your time. Immediately after the sign is installed on your car, you can start earning money by driving around town. In some cases, advertisers will require you to drive a certain distance on a monthly basis.

Determining Your Income

When you take on a specific assignment, you agree to driving around town for a certain rate. Some companies will require you to keep a logbook of the distance you travel every day, and this logbook will be analysed monthly to determine how much you will earn. Other companies will install a GPS tracking system in your vehicle, and this is used to determine how much money you earn. The rate you agree to coupled with the actual distance you travel are both factors that will determine your earning potential.

How Much Can You Earn?

While getting your vehicle wrapped and getting paid to drive equates to free money, you may be interested to know how much money you can earn from this opportunity. The amount of money you may earn will vary considerably based on a number of factors. Depending on which opportunity you select, or which opportunity you are selected for, it is possible to earn between $15 and $80 per week. There is a possibility that your own earning potential will fall outside this range as well. With some companies, cheques will be paid directly to you. With other companies, cash will be deposited right into your bank account.

The Right Job for You?

Many drivers today are jumping at the chance to get paid to drive their vehicle. If you have to be on the road driving to work or anywhere else you normally drive to, why not get paid for it? However, this is not a job suited for everyone and every situation. Keep in mind that the wrap on your vehicle cannot be removed while you are under contract with the company. You cannot pick and choose when you will get paid to drive. Instead, every time you hop in the car and drive down the road, you will have advertising on your vehicle. For some, this is an ideal way to earn extra money. For others, such as professionals who work for a company that would frown on its employees advertising for another company, this may not be the most feasible way to earn extra money.

If you are considering the opportunity to get paid to drive, you can easily hop online right now and register. Registering for a paid-to-drive program is free with many companies. By registering, you can explore the opportunities in more detail and learn more about the program. You are not under any obligation to drive for money until you accept an offer. If you have been looking for a great way to earn extra money, this may just be the opportunity you have been looking for.

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Enter Competitions

Online Competitions

Most Australians today would jump at the chance to win free money, but many are simply not taking steps necessary to win free money or other valuable prizes that are available. Many businesses today offer online competitions as a marketing strategy. Online competitions can generate a lot of interest for the company, and businesses need to only provide one grand prize or a grand prize coupled with several smaller prizes to create that interest. Some competitions are skills-based and others are won by pure luck. Of course, regardless of what type of competition it is, you can’t win if you don’t enter. Even when you do enter, you want to take steps to increase your chance of winning.

Select Your Competitions Carefully

Logic tells you that the more competitions you enter, the greater your chances of winning. This is entirely true, but you don’t want to waste your valuable time entering competitions that you don’t have a chance of winning. Consider eligibility requirements for the competitions. Some competitions will not allow you to enter if you currently or previously worked for the company hosting the competition. Some may not allow you to enter the competition if you previously entered a competition or previously won a competition offered by the same company.

Follow the Rules

Read the rules carefully for every competition you come across. Some have very specific rules noted in the fine print that my disqualify your entry if they are not followed. If you want to increase your chances of winning, you should read and follow every rule provided. This may include details like fully completing every space on the application page, submitting your entry form in a certain format and more. Some rules limit the number of times you can enter, and you may be disqualified if this is not followed. If it is determined that you broke the rules after winning, you may be stripped of your prize.

Protect Your Privacy

While you want to enter to win as many competitions as you can to increase your chances of winning, you also want to protect your privacy. Some entry forms will ask for your mailing address, your email address, your mobile phone number and more. This information may be provided so the company can contact you if you do win. However, it may also be used to send you tons of marketing material that your really don’t want. Read the rules and conditions for the competition to determine how much personal information is actually required to enter. Also, keep some information private, such as credit card numbers and other valuable information.

Open a New Email Account

You may consider opening a new email account to be used only for competition entries, as your email inbox may be bombarded with spam when entering competitions. While companies may use the email address you provide on entry forms to send you promotional offers and more, you do want to monitor this email account. This is the same email account that a competition may use to contact you if you win. By opening a new email account, you can keep your competition email separate from other important email.

Pay to Play

Free competitions may equate to free money if you win, but they also equate to stiffer competition. Some competitions may require you to make a purchase and submit proof of purchase in order to win. While this may seem like a hassle to you, it also seems like a hassle to others. Many other people may be unwilling to pay to play, and this means you may have a greater opportunity to win.

Showcase Your Writing Skills

Some competitions will require you to write a few words on a specific topic in order to enter the competition. These contests may seem like more effort than they are worth, but they can be quite lucrative if you have decent writing skills. Keep in mind that many of these contests will ask you to keep your entry to 50 or 100 words or less. This equates to only a few sentences. While you can jot down a few sentences with minimal time and effort, you do want to be clever in your response. Think through what you want to say, and try to avoid writing the same thing everyone else will say. You want your response to stand out and get noticed.

Track Your Entries

If you are serious about winning competitions for money, you may start entering several competitions a week or even several each day. You can use the tracking tool at CompetitionsGuide.com.au to monitor and track your entries. This can help prevent you from duplicating entries. Keep in mind that some competitions will disqualify you if you enter too many times.

Consider the Odds of Winning

Most competitions indicate your odds of winning in the fine print of their terms, conditions and rules. You can increase your chance of winning a competition in general by focusing your efforts on those competitions that offer you better odds. Typically, odds are better in competitions that are less promoted, that have a smaller prize, that are skills-based or a combination of each of these.

Avoid Making Enemies

Some competitions require you to provide the names and contact information of friends and family members in order to enter. While you may want to enter as many competitions as possible, friends and family may not appreciate you revealing their contact information to marketers. The contact information you provide will generally be used to send those friends and family members marketing material, and they may be unhappy to learn you are the reason why they are being bombarded with marketing material they don’t want.

Choose Competitions Offered By Companies You Like

You can enter any number of competitions, including those offered by companies you don’t regularly support. However, entering competitions of companies who you do enjoy doing business with can pay off. Many companies will send you special offers, coupons, discounts and even access to future competitions by participating in the competition. Even if you don’t win the competition you entered, these discounts, coupons and more provide you with some financial benefit to entering competitions. However, these are only valuable to you if you regularly support the company.

Win Some and Lose Some

The odds of winning any given competition are fairly low in most cases. You may enter a dozen competitions and not win a single one. However, with time, effort and perseverance, you will start to win a few competitions. You may win cash, gift cards or special gifts, and these are wonderful rewards that you earn simply by participating in the competitions.

Entering some competitions takes little to no effort at all. You may simply have to invest a few minutes of your time to complete a short entry form. With other competitions, you may have to write a short narrative to submit with your entry or provide a proof of purchase. These efforts are all minimal when you consider the possibility that you may win a considerably large or valuable prize for your efforts. You do have to play to win, so take time to research competitions available for you to enter today.

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Answer Questions for Cash

Online Surveys For Money

Getting paid to take online surveys is an increasingly popular way for people to make a little extra money online. It is as simple as answering simple questions on a variety of subjects. They are appealing because surveys can be done in your spare time, in the comfort of your own home or on the go. There are many people today that make a regular income from taking surveys. The best thing about getting paid to take surveys is that it is easy and no experience is needed.

How Do Paid Surveys Work?

The process for getting paid for filling out surveys is pretty easy. The first step is to sign up at a survey site. There are countless sites to join. Because there are so many sites to join, those that are serious will have many opportunities to make a good extra income. Once you become a member of a site, you will be given surveys to complete based on your profile. Most surveys can take between 5-30 minutes. Because they don’t take long to complete, they are easy to do in your spare time.

Getting Paid For Your Completed Surveys

Your payment for the surveys that you complete will differ from site to site and for each survey. You will generally know how much a survey is worth before you take the time to complete it. There are different ways that most survey sites pay. The main options include cash and points that may be traded for prizes or cash. Some sites also offer the option to be given new products to try as a reward for filling out a survey.

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