Despite the fact that we don’t have a word for this feeling, games of chance have something alluring about them. This special something is the reason why casinos make so much money and why sweepstakes contests are still effective marketing tools.
In the affiliate world, sweepstake offers give you a great opportunity to build engaging campaigns and generate a pretty penny, if you know what you’re doing.
And, even though the competition is fierce, successfully promoting a sweepstake contest is an achievable goal for seasoned affiliates as well as marketers that are just getting started.
As with other verticals, one of the most important parts of building a successful campaign is choosing the right offer. For this reason, we’ve put together a basic checklist to help you select the best sweepstake promotion for your next campaign.
What’s a Sweepstake?
Sweepstakes ? are contests where the winner or winners are decided by chance, instead of any form of skill. Sweepstakes have hundreds of different variations, but they tend to follow a linear conversion flow and the prize is usually the product being promoted – although you’ll also find many exceptions to this rule.
The most important thing to remember is that sweepstakes winners are chosen by luck. Therefore, our job as affiliates is to engage visitors by reminding them about the awesome chance that’s sitting right before their eyes.
Our Checklist for Choosing a Sweepstake Offer that Works for You
The basic idea behind a sweepstake contest is easy to grasp. Similar to a lottery, there can be one or more winners that are selected randomly. The difficult part is understanding all the other elements that influence your campaign and how they affect your ads’ performance.
But fret not, we’re about to show you everything we’ve got!
Here’s our essential checklist on how to choose a sweepstakes offer.
1. Select the Right Conversion Flow
For starters, remember that sweepstakes offers can have slightly different conversion flows. The ideal conversion flow will depend on your level of expertise. Beginner affiliates should choose single opt-in (SOI) offers that don’t require huge budgets but can still make a significant profit. These also allow you to perfect skills such as image sourcing and CTA crafting.
Experienced affiliates can usually maneuver most formats, but focusing on double opt-in (DOI) models tend to produce the best results.
2. Find the Best GEO for You
When it comes to selecting GEOs, affiliates that are still learning the ropes should stick to Tier-3 countries because they are easier to convert, but these also have a lower payout.
As you can imagine, Tier-1 countries are harder to convert but have higher payouts, which is ideal for seasoned marketers. In these countries, even single opt-in formats have a high-profit margin because they are harder to convert.
Advertising Basics: What is a Tier of Traffic and What Tier Should You Choose?
3. Choose the Offer Based on the Quality of the Product
The prize or reward that’s being offered in the sweepstakes will also determine how successful it is. Instead of simply picking an offer with a cool prize, look at the GEOs you’re going to target and figure out what people in this area are interested in.
For example, new iPhone releases and other gadgets are great prizes, but you can also opt for an offer that has Apple/Samsung products, gift cards, trending products, and travel offers as prizes. You can find examples and Sweepstake case studies here
4. Review the Conditions
Like with any other type of offer, you should pay close attention to the terms and conditions. As a tip, remember that the more promotion methods you’re allowed, the easier it will be to generate conversions. It’s important to review all parts of the offer, but focus on:
- 4.1. Checking the Capping (If Any)
Verifying the capping on the offer you choose will help you maintain costs as low as possible. Not all offers have capping, but if you choose one that does, you should also cut off traffic after you hit the daily limit and avoid paying for traffic that won’t generate any profits.
- 4.2. Identifying Mobile vs. Desktop Sweepstakes
There are many differences between mobile and desktop campaigns you should keep in mind. That said, the most important one may be that mobile requires more optimization than desktop because users tend to be more engaged.
Improve Your Chances of Success by Choosing the Right Sweepstake Offers
Although they are among the oldest types, sweepstakes offers are still a great alternative for affiliates of all levels. You can discuss sweepstake offers on our Telegram chat.
That said, remember to take your time and choose the right offer based on your budget and experience levels.
By the way, we have a great PDF guide on how to run sweepstake campaigns. Make sure to download it. It’s FREE!
