1. Read the rules carefully
It's tempting to try to rush through as many online competitions as possible, especially if you don't have much time. Some compers make the mistake of overlooking the Terms & Conditions, but remember your entries will be void if they don't follow the rules! Look out in particular for entry eligibility, entry requirements and closing dates. The last thing you want is for a high proportion of your entries to be discarded by the promoters.

2. Respect the T&Cs
You may think it's worth a try, but bending the entry rules is usually not worthwhile. The majority of promoters don't have much time to process entries so anything that seems slightly suspicious will usually be ignored. What's more, there is nothing worse than being disqualified after winning a prize, simply because you didn't respect the rules.

3. Protect your personal details
Take care whenever entering personal details online. If a competition organiser asks for your mobile phone number, personal address or credit card details, take closer look at the T&Cs to make sure you're satisfied they will respect your privacy. In every country, online promoters are required to respect a strict code of conduct and if the rules are not clear about how your information will be handled, it can be wise to stay away.

4. Free competitions aren't always best!
Many compers prefer to stick to free competitions online. While this is natural, in practice free contests usually attract a larger volume of entries than paid competitions. If you are confident that the promoter will deliver the prize (see below), it can be worthwhile to target competitions that offer barriers to entry (in this case paid entry).

5. Embrace skill competitions
Just like paid competitions, many compers tend to avoid skill contests as these can sometimes appear more challenging or more time consuming to enter. With a bit of training, skill competitions are a great way of differentiating yourself from other players and can actually be more rewarding and offer better odds of winning than simple sweepstakes.

6. Monitor new competitions regularly
As the saying goes, "you've got to be in it to win it"! The more competitions you enter, the more likely you will be of winning a prize - it's that simple. The most successful compers are organised and know which sites regularly post competitions and which tools to use to save time. Bookmark us as well as your other favourite competition sites and make sure to come back regularly and keep track of your entries. You can also note down on a calendar when you expect the results for various competitions.

7. Learn to pick the best competitions
A number of factors help determine the best competitions to enter, including the promoter, duration, entry price, player eligibility, prize value and number of tickets for sale. Seasoned compers take all these into consideraton when deciding whether or not to enter a new competition.

8. Carry out basic due diligence
Unfortunately, a number of competitions lose momentum and in hindsight had little chance of being successful - in terms of delivering a prize to a winner. If you've never heard of the promoter, take a moment to review their profile and assess how likely it is that they will succeeed. Think about how effectively they are at marketing the competition; assess whether it is likely to be attractive to other players; how it is presented on the website; whether the promoter has any credbility or track record in running successful competition; and if they are working with credible partners. If your overall impression is that they aren't putting enough effort into promoting the competition - or lack transparency in any way - perhaps it is best to move onto another competition.

9. Take care when referring friends
There are plenty of sites offering incentives for referring your friends to their service. If you have a good network of friends whose profile fits the promotion, this can be a very effective way of improving your winnings. Some compers take this to the extreme and risk alienating their friends by literally spamming them with new offers. Choose your referrals wisely and don't overdo it!

10. Use technology to improve efficiency
Certain sites offer great tracking and submission tools to help you save time, such as Roboform to help you complete online forms automatically. After all, most competition entry forms require similar information every time, such as your name, email, address and telephone number. Not only can this help you become more efficient, it can also make comping more fun.

11. Beware of automatic competition entry services
Loquax recently wrote some interesting posts about the pitfalls of automatic entry services . While it can be tempting to pay a third party to automatically enter you into thousands of competitions, in practice promoters don't like this and will tend to treat such entries as spam. In addition, many competition rules stipulate that bulk entries are not accepted. As a general rule, it pays to spend the extra time to enter the competitions yourself and avoid this type of service.

12. Email management
Many players set up different email addresses specifically to enter online competitions. This is a simple way of filtering out the often large volumes of third party offer emails you'll receive after entering some competitions. You can also look into setting up automated rules to manage your inbox using different folders to make sure you don't lose track of important emails.

13. Share and help support promoters
It's easy to share new competitions online using social media tools like Twitter and Facebook. As a general rule, remember that by supporting promoters they are more likely to run more competitions in the future.

14. Stick to it and have patience!
Some compers wait years before winning a prize, then suddenly win a car or a luxury holiday. Others win a prize after entering just 1 or 2 competitions. As a general rule, it pays to be patient and to approach comping as a fun hobby. Although it might take time, with patience and dedication you will eventually win something!

We hope you enjoy playing competitions and that by following these simple tips, you'll increase your chances of winning a prize. Last but not least, don't forget to regularly visit our site for the latest competitions from around the world.

What do you think? Any other tips to share with your fellow compers? As always we would like to hear from you if you have any advice or ideas. How long have you been comping and what have you won so far? Feel free to leave a comment below.