It sounds like it’s too good to be true: “Win a new car!”; “Enter for your chance to win $50,000!”; “The next lucky winner of an all-expense paid Caribbeancruise could be you!”

If you like entering contests on the off-chance you just might get lucky, online competitions and sweepstakes make it easier than ever. And the good news is, most of these contests are very real and you don’t have to purchase anything to qualify. The downside is that you’ll have stiff competition as you’ll be only one of thousands with your eye on the prize. Most of these contests not only have a grand prize, they often have a whole range of secondary prize.

Online sweepstakes have become so popular that there is even a name for the folks who regularly enter, “Sweepers”. You’ll find online directories that are devoted to keeping sweepers up-to-date on the thousands of sweepstakes available, with new ones being posted daily.

Just search the word ‘sweepstakes’ along with the name of the country you live in, to find the relevant directories. In addition to sweepstakes and contests, the directories also list market research sites where you can earn cash and win prizes for answering surveys, opinion polls and testing products.

Before you start entering online contests, set up an e-mail address specifically for that purpose. Often companies offering sweepstakes are building their mailing lists, and by entering you may end up getting unsolicited e-mails sent to the address you have given them. When selecting the sweepstakes you want to enter, look for those offering things you need or want. Most directories list sweepstakes according to prize category which makes it easy to target those of most interest to you.

To increase your chances of winning, check out how many entries are accepted and then enter the maximum you are allowed. The rules will specify how many entries are allowed per person, e-mail address or household. Some contests offer you extra entries if you provide the e-mail addresses of your friends, and unless you want them to become your former friends, it is something you shouldn’t do unless you have their permission.

When entering an online contest, make sure you read the rules carefully, because if you don’t follow them to the letter, you risk being disqualified. Winners are usually chosen by one of two methods. Some contests are set to a clock, with a predetermined winning time. The entry received closest to that time, wins. Other contests, assign each entry a number, and when the contest closes, a number is selected at random. If you do win, you will be notified by e-mail, phone or regular mail; the notification process varies from contest to contest. Some are time limited and if you don’t respond within a specified time period, the prize is awarded to someone else.

Dedicated sweepers usually win often enough to keep themselves motivated to play on. Although there is always that chance that you will win a fabulous grand prize, if you enter online contests regularly, eventually you’ll win something and have fun in the process.

My name is Nisha. I’m the Senior Editor of Freestuff Find some great freebies because ‘everyone loves a freebie’.