A few weeks ago I put out a request for my blog readers to tell me their 'Superlucky Stories' - any comping tales that have been inspired by my blog or comps that I've posted on the SuperLucky Facebook page! Anyone who emails me a story will be entered into a draw to win some tasty Bicsuiteers biscuits. If you're interested in taking part check out my post here!
Today's guest post is from Katie, who I first encountered online when she pipped me to the post in the FairTrade voting competition earlier this year and bagged herself a luxury London break! I was most disappointed she didn't invite me along, but we kissed and made up and now I am in awe of her AMAZING competition entries - particularly the incredible food structures that have won her £1000 with Birdseye and a trip to New York with the NY Bagel Company!
And now, over to Katie...
It was this time last year that my foray into the murky work of comping began. I started noticing all the Christmas giveaways on Twitter and joined in with a few until, one fateful day, I won a £25 spa voucher. That was the day I was bitten!
I carried on comping (Haha 'Carry on Comping'...I digress), occasionally winning the odd thing; I kept noticing the same familiar names popping up on 'the circuit', Di Coke in particular. So....I stalked her. It turned out she ran an amazing blog all about competitions. From that day, Di has been my comping Mister Myagi. I have learned her ways. I know that the best way to photograph food for a recipe competition is on a large, plain white plate. I know that competitions requiring a little extra effort are the ones I'm more likely to win and I know that voting competitions are the Devil's work!
Perhaps one of the most valuable things I've learned from Di is to stand up for yourself in the comping world and if you think a promoter has breached their terms and conditions, say so. I've won two iPads and, randomly, an apple tree through mistakes on the part of the promoter.
I love the SuperLucky Blog and Facebook page as I know if there's a competition worth entering, Di will tell us about it. I no longer wake up during the night having cold sweats that somewhere there's a competition to win a tea cosy I haven't entered (ok I haven't actually done that but I COULD have done).
I get sad when I read people hating on 'compers' and sites like Super Lucky, The PrizeFinder and Loquax etc. I think there's a misconception out there that compers are 'prize pigs' who'll enter any competition for whatever they can get, regardless of whether they're even a fan of the company promoting it or whether they'll actually get any use out of the prize or not. Well to those people I'd just say that competitions are run as promotional exercises. Most of the competitions I enter are with companies I feel an affinity with as they wouldn't really get my attention otherwise but some competitions that I've entered have actually brought certain brands and companies to my attention and I've become a fan in the process. I won £1000 with Birdseye earlier on this year (as seen on SuperLucky!). I'd never really eaten that much of their products before but you'd better believe I'm 'Birdseye till I die' now! If that's not a positive outcome for Birdseye I don't know what is!?
I enter competitions to give my day a little magic, to experience things I'd NEVER be able to afford/arrange/imagine myself and to give my friends and family a little bit of that goodness too!
So thank you Super Lucky and may we all continue to be lucky in 2012!
Katie
Today's guest post is from Katie, who I first encountered online when she pipped me to the post in the FairTrade voting competition earlier this year and bagged herself a luxury London break! I was most disappointed she didn't invite me along, but we kissed and made up and now I am in awe of her AMAZING competition entries - particularly the incredible food structures that have won her £1000 with Birdseye and a trip to New York with the NY Bagel Company!
A Gucci Handbag, an iPad2, afternoon tea at Claridge's, a widescreen TV, a trip to New York...just a few of the things I've been lucky enough to win in 2011 thanks to Super Lucky!
I carried on comping (Haha 'Carry on Comping'...I digress), occasionally winning the odd thing; I kept noticing the same familiar names popping up on 'the circuit', Di Coke in particular. So....I stalked her. It turned out she ran an amazing blog all about competitions. From that day, Di has been my comping Mister Myagi. I have learned her ways. I know that the best way to photograph food for a recipe competition is on a large, plain white plate. I know that competitions requiring a little extra effort are the ones I'm more likely to win and I know that voting competitions are the Devil's work!
Perhaps one of the most valuable things I've learned from Di is to stand up for yourself in the comping world and if you think a promoter has breached their terms and conditions, say so. I've won two iPads and, randomly, an apple tree through mistakes on the part of the promoter.
I love the SuperLucky Blog and Facebook page as I know if there's a competition worth entering, Di will tell us about it. I no longer wake up during the night having cold sweats that somewhere there's a competition to win a tea cosy I haven't entered (ok I haven't actually done that but I COULD have done).
I get sad when I read people hating on 'compers' and sites like Super Lucky, The PrizeFinder and Loquax etc. I think there's a misconception out there that compers are 'prize pigs' who'll enter any competition for whatever they can get, regardless of whether they're even a fan of the company promoting it or whether they'll actually get any use out of the prize or not. Well to those people I'd just say that competitions are run as promotional exercises. Most of the competitions I enter are with companies I feel an affinity with as they wouldn't really get my attention otherwise but some competitions that I've entered have actually brought certain brands and companies to my attention and I've become a fan in the process. I won £1000 with Birdseye earlier on this year (as seen on SuperLucky!). I'd never really eaten that much of their products before but you'd better believe I'm 'Birdseye till I die' now! If that's not a positive outcome for Birdseye I don't know what is!?
I enter competitions to give my day a little magic, to experience things I'd NEVER be able to afford/arrange/imagine myself and to give my friends and family a little bit of that goodness too!
So thank you Super Lucky and may we all continue to be lucky in 2012!
Katie
