**There is a giveaway at the end so please read the whole article**
Twitter Parties, Giveaways, and RT (ReTweet) & Follow to win are the more popular methods that companies use Twitter in order to give away Prizes. We want to focus on winning against the odds by giving you the advantage to know if you've been chosen as the winner. Also, click on the link for a list of all the current Twitter Giveaways.
There is more than one way to Tweet a win (I think that's how the saying goes), so let's delve into the world of Twitter messaging. Look at the image above, this is my personal inbox. Not too exciting, but very important nonetheless. I got here by going to Twitter.com and signing into my account. It is important to note that you can always access your messages by scrolling to the top and selecting “Messages.”
Twice a day (or more) is a good number of times to check to see if you've been randomly selected as a winner for a RT & Follow to win Giveaway. If you're in a Twitter Party, it is imperative to keep up 2 browsers, one with just the messaging up and the other with the # for the party. The reason this is very important is because Twitter Parties give away so many prizes in such a short period of time that they might rebuke your win if you don't respond immediately.
The second method is to use Twitter's search engine in the top right corner to search for your name after the @. My name happens to be @Xodusdmb, so I searched for ‘xodusdmb' to see all the chatter surrounding my name. Turns out someone enjoyed my tweet last Monday and is now following me. The reason this is important is because companies do not always use the first method (Direct Message) to let you know you've won. Sometimes they'll send a Tweet instead, so this method will check all the tweets people have sent to you! I wish Elmo was giving me a prize, but I'll take a follow over nothing.
**As promised, Tell us about your Twitter experiences for a chance to win a 3-month PLUS Membership to be randomly chosen by us on Saturday, January 31st. You must comment below to be entered to win**
Have never won a twitter contest. Will try more often.
This helps, Twitter has been quite confusing for me and I always assumed I would be direct messaged if I happened to win. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Thank you for the information, I didn't find any new wins BUT I definitely will remember to search in the future. Really appreciate your hints and tips!!!
Thank you for the great information, I was always nervous to join a Twitter party now that i have some great tips, I feel more confident. Also searching my own name on Twitter never occurred to me, I am soo glad you are around for helpful words of wisdom!
thanks for the help, have tried twitter parties and I am totally lost in those
Good tips! I check my notifications tab pretty often.
This was helpful. I didn't know how to search but I did know how to check my messages. I haven't found a win message for a long time.
I am new to twitter but enjoy the easy using Sweepsadvantage
Thanks for the information. I am fairly new to Twitter and don't really understand how to use all the features.
Thank you for the information! I usually check my Twitter account several times a day. I keep it on my iPhone so that I might see a mention of my name or direct message. I have won a few prizes on Twitter, but really at a loss when it comes to Twitter parties.
I have never won on a RT, but have won several times on replying and during Twitter parties
Twitter is very confusing, even for the pros. Sometimes, especially in Twitter parties they will just @message you so it is important to search yourself often! You're welcome for the tips 🙂
You're very welcome! At least you didn't find a win that was given to someone else, that would've made for a sour morning. But now that you know you can be aware for the future 🙂 You're very welcome and good luck!
You are most welcome 🙂 Twitter parties are so fast paced that they can be intimidating but here's another tip: bring up a 3rd browser that has the host announcing the questions so you don't have to filter through the hashtags to find the questions 🙂
Hey Sheryl, the key to Twitter parties is not to follow the # but to follow the hosts. That way you know to respond only with #(partyname) but you can see all the questions and winners by having a browser up with just the host(s). It takes some getting used to but they're a lot of fun and have GREAT odds compared to most giveaways.
Yes, notifications are a great tool to use as well 🙂 Sometimes they can get wordy so I didn't mention them too much in this article, but notifications are a great way to know when your name is mentioned if you're experienced with Twitter.
You're very welcome for showing you how to search. Sometimes that's the only ways they will notify you of a win, so it's worth to note 🙂 Glad you got something out of it!
I won a Whirlpool Duet washer/Dryer for Tweets and changing my Twitter background two years ago.
We wish you the best and hope you have a great winning year in 2015!! Twitter just takes experience and reading tips always helps too 🙂
Sweepstakes Advantage Yeah I have found wins there before 🙂 It is rare I win on Twitter but it does happen occasionally! Thanks for all the great tips!
Many sweepers are new to Twitter, so please don't get discouraged. If you stick with it, you'll find out they have great odds at winning and can be very fun too! We are glad to have helped you and hope you win something soon 🙂
Glad to hear you've won on Twitter! It is such a great feeling when a big company names you and favorites your tweets 🙂 Sounds like a lot of sweepers are new to Twitter parties, we may just have to have a Twitter Party Blog post one day. Would that be helpful?
That's great Rebecca!! Twitter parties are fun once you understand them, most people find them very confusing. What's your secret? 🙂
Sweepstakes Advantage I think replying to other attendees' comments in addition to answering the question gets their attention. I also have google open on another tab to look up answers, some parties are trivia. You do have to focus and work fast!
I've been trying to participate in twitter parties…they can be very informative and a lot of great ideas shared. It can be quite confusing but every time I learn a little more and it gets a little easier!
That would be a great idea!
Thanks for tips! Twitter Party How-To is on my To-Do List, I don't type fast and get lost quickly – will be working on this and looking into your "two-browser" suggestion to see what that's all about 🙂 I don't remember how I set it up but whenever someone tweets my twitter handle I get an alert message in my e-mail inbox – DMs, RTs, Replies, Follows and Mentions all show up there so I know to follow up – however, I do occasionally check my DMs just in case. Just changed phones (Sat) so haven't gotten to setting this up on new one yet but had the old one configured to notify me when someone/anyone tweeted my twitter handle, very helpful for quick follow up.
You can also check notifications at the top to see if anyone has followed you, messaged you, or included you in any comment they made. I use that instead of a search for my name because it comes up with all mentions of my name.
Sweepstakes Advantage Not sure I understand correctly (with Firefox) do I need to open 3 different tabs and toggle back/forth or should it be 3 separate FireFoxes – 1 w/ host, 1 w/ "#whatever" and 3rd with "just messaging" ? 3rd one not sure I understand what it should be, is it just my regular Twitter Feed screen?
Syb Verkleir Hey Syb, Thanks for the question! I would suggest opening 3 separate Firefoxes so that you can alt-tab between the 3. With them all in the same singular browser it would be a lot of unnecessary clicking back and forth. You can even make it to where you can minimize them to fix one screen! 1st, messages 2nd your name search (reloaded often) 3rd host(s). Hope this helps 🙂 Feel free to ask more questions!
Dana Rodriguez , You're most welcome! Thanks for your entry!
Rebecca Zoeller Those are two great suggestions! I noticed when I would enter parties a lot of others would comment/favorite my tweet answers and I wondered why they would do that 🙂 Very good idea to have Google open too, since you do have to answer within a lightning fast window and getting the answers are tough!
Thank you for a nice clear way to understand the ins and outs of Twitter giveaways. I always checked my messages/notifications but did not realize a company may not direct message you if you are a winner-so thank you! I will remember the idea of two windows open during Twitter parties too!
Syb Verkleir Those were great questions, that I and I am sure others had also, Sweepstakes Advantage Your help is so appreciated! I am greatful to have found you!!
I've never been very lucky at Twitter giveaways, but I stay positive and keep trying anyway. Thank you for all the helpful info!
Thanks for the information. I want to join in on Twitter parties, but did not know how.
I wish I had seen this when I first started using Twitter (almost four years ago!) My daughter had to tell me what a DM was and I didn't know how to check notifications (which were called @ messages or something like that at the time). One of the best wins I ever received from a Twitter giveaway was an iPad. Because I didn't know to check my notifications, I almost missed it! I just happened to see in my feed a whole bunch of people RTing or congratulating me. so, I'm like "what's going on?!?" I weeded through so many tweets before I found the winning announcement! LOL
I've learned by trial and error. I shudder to think what I may have missed early on. Thanks for your informative post.
OK….can tweet. Haven't done a twitter party yet. first one in 3 min!! Yipes! here we go…..
Twitter is lots of fun & I've won some nice items.
This is helpful, but am still apprehensive about a twitter party.
Wow! That is an awesome win, congratulations!
I'm hooked on twitter parties & twitter. The response time is like an instant win & usually they send the prizes out quick. I won 100.00 Target gift card & they sent it electronically by email. Upload to a Target app & used it at the store with no problem. Last year the majority of my wins were twitter.
Hey Jean, Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Yes I agree on all fronts, especially when there's over 300 people involved it is hard to keep up. But they do give you some good knowledge, I remember doing one about Duracell batteries and learned a lot about flooding and fire hazards.
You bring up very good points. Having it on your phone allows you to check multiple times a day while on the go. Especially when you have your set up to coincide with your email notifications! I use mine sparingly so I too have email notifications on my Twitter Account. People who use it just for contests should definitely have that set as well, great point!
That's a great point Kimberly! Notifications seem to pop up all the time and keeping tabs on those can help you bypass the other steps. It's important to stay on top of those notifications and I personally always follow people back just because it seems to be the Twitter etiquette.
You're very welcome for the tips and I wish you best of luck in this contest and also in your future Twitter Party adventures!!
Hey Chris, I would read Rebecca's post above as she gives tips and hints on how to improve your odds during Twitter Parties. Just food for thought 🙂
You're very welcome. That link I posted in the blog will help you find out where/when the Twitter parties are being held. They're pretty intense, so have fun!
First of all, congrats on winning the iPad! That's a huge win off of Twitter 🙂 You sound VERY informed and it sounds like you've been through a lot of Twitter Parties and more. I love what you said about 'trial and error' because that is exactly what Twitter is, a big experience that is difficult but doable. Secondly, you're very welcome, I had a fun time posting it!
GOOD LUCK!! Let me know if you win anything, and try not to be overwhelmed 🙂
That's great to hear Tammy. Just out of curiosity, what items have you won?
Hey Anita, I can completely understand. I honestly was frustrated my first 10 Twitter parties because I didn't understand what was going on. Once you past that mark, however many it may be, you'll see that they're well worth the 1 hour informative posts because there are so many prizes and great odds of winning too 🙂 Not a bad deal, but trust me, I definitely know where you're coming from.
Wow!! Thanks for sharing that with us Valerie. Twitter parties are fun and also if you ever want to know what's the biggest news story around the world, Twitter will trend out those as well. Very glad to hear you're enjoying Twitter and have gotten through understanding some of the tougher parts. Congrats on your win and good luck in this contest as well!
Sweepstakes Advantage I love that you take the time to respond to comments–I'm sure it is time-consuming! I won the iPad from ABBYY_USA in 2010…so, I have learned quite a bit (from trial & error) since then! LOL (I didn't even know what an iPad was when I won; however, my kids were thrilled that I got it!)
I remember the first time I won at a Twitter party (which, as luck would have it, was my first Twitter chat), I didn't know what was going on. I'm sure I was driving the blogger/host crazy, because I was reluctant to give her my information!
Another thing I learned was how to copy and paste a URL for an entry. As I mentioned, I wish I would've known how to find out more about what I was doing (before I was actually trying to do it!)
Sweepstakes Advantage Many thanks! Yes, very helpful! I ♥ alt/tab miss it w/ the tabs ☺ too much frogging using the numbers. Am copy/pasting/saving your reply for next Twit Pty ☺
Sweepstakes Advantage ☺ Can well appreciate you'd be checking your phone constantly. My son tells me I can set up a second Twitter Account for my non-contest stuff – local news, family, special interests that are now sorta lost in the maze but as yet have not pursued this – anyone out there have additional input? Guessing might have to use different e-mail address to do this…..
I most certainly will. I need all the tips I can get. Thanks so much for the suggestion. 😉
Great post. I think I will try a twitter party next time one pops up!
thanks for the great tips, don't seem to have any luck with twitter sweepstakes.
Shareen Petrie Mioskowski Hi Shareen, just saw your reply, YW – I've tried Twitter Parties a few times and felt like a lone Tiki Hut being overrun by a herd of angry elephants a full charge – no clue what I was (supposed) to do – also grateful SA (Sweepstakes Advantage) has addressed this issue. Have won a couple of restaurant GC's on Twitter but not at a party as they were terrifying ☺
Syb Verkleir I am going to take my chances tomorrow at 1CST at a twitter party!! Wish me luck I have yet to win anything on Twitter yet but, my time is coming lol!! Good luck and happy sweeping with many wins to come your way! 🙂
Good tips that I 'm going to try next time
I was a winner of a Twitter party in December of a $500 GC for WalMart. Many parties I've been a part of have a 5-10 minute time limit to confirm the win so I also recommend having two windows open for the party and your mentions.
I have won a few RT sweeps and 1 prize during a twitter party. I appreciate the tips and clarifications about twitter parties in the article and comments. I do not attend many of them because I feel a bit lost and nowI have a game plan!
I have a very hard time participating in twitter parties. I was not aware that I could search for myself. @stormvikki
I have won several Twitter RT contests. When I feel really brave, I can bring up 6+ columns on Tweet Deck that monitor my searches for wins. The best way to learn is jump in and start playing around with the tools that best suit your style i.e. Twubs, TweetDeck or old fashioned # search on Twitter. Twitter party win theories come from RT, Answers, and likes during the Twitter Party itself.
Twitter parties move so fast it's hard to keep up with it all
Helpful article, I get confused when using twitter because there are so many comments to read, I am glad I now know how to check "chatter" around my name. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for your kind words Nicole 🙂 Yes, that sounds great, there are some posted in our Twitter Category, actually there are several tomorrow! You should definitely check it out and try one, they may be a little overwhelming at first, but even if you don't win, you'll learn how to better do one for the next time. Best of luck!
Hey Shelley! Sorry to hear that you haven't had any luck yet but we want to wish you the best of luck for the future. The good news is that you're trying and you can't win unless you try so you're already one step ahead!
You're very welcome! There are a lot of great tips from the other users as well, so I would continue to read this blog as each day more entrants are posting awesome tips 🙂
Congrats on your win!! Yes, you're absolutely right about the time window, if you don't know you've won then they will give it to someone else most likely. I'm glad you using the two window setup because it is the best way I've found to keep up with all the chatter. Best of luck to you in future parties!
Awesome, glad to hear it!! While I definitely agree they can be frustrating, but as you have found out, a win from a Twitter Party is typically a good prize over $50 so it is worth the extra effort 🙂
Practice makes perfect! Well, as perfect as it can be reading through hundreds of Tweets, but at least you're now aware of the biggest part which is how to see if you've won! Best of luck to you on future parties 🙂
Wow, sounds like a great game plan! I'll have to look into those as well as others should too. If it works for you then I implore others to check out this style and use it. We never want to miss out on a win!
Hey Linda, I do agree they are extremely fast! The comment right before yours may help you out a lot in understanding and being able to keep up with Twitter parties. I highly suggest reading Debra's comment as it helped me out as well.
Twitter didn't get the memo about being user-friendly but if you can master it and know what to look for and what to avoid you can potentially win a lot! I'm glad you were able to find some help in the article and we wish you the best of luck in the future.
Sweepstakes Advantage Depending on the number of hosts (and there can be several) I also use free programs like HootSuite or TweetDeck. They are fairly easy to use and keeps things in one tab.
My comment disappeared…hmmm
I have had a Twitter account for a few years but did not really use it very much. Then I started entering sweepstakes and found out that I could get an extra entry or two if I tweeted out the information. Now I am using Twitter every day.
I love Twitter and have won some nice things there in the past. I've found that lately I can't trust it to send me Direct Messages (DMs) via email even though I have that option checked in my settings. So it is important, as you said, to check them yourself on the site.
Thanks for this. I just found out that I lost out on a small win because I didn't know how to check Twitter and I didn't see the win in time. It really hurts to keep entering and then lose one because I don't know how to use Twitter.
I love twitter. I'm still learning. You made a good point about watching for your twitter name too. Twitter parties go fast.
I have tried one twitter party so far after being a 'wallflower' for one. I don't want to break etiquette and since I was new to it, I didn't participate much. Could you give us some pointers or tips on that? they move so fast in them! But I have noticed that twitter parties do seem to be getting much more popular.
itter has been quite confusing for me and I always assumed I would be direct messaged if I happened to win
Great tip about searching your name. Thank you!!
Twitter has completely changed my sweepstakes experiences. I use "RT to win", "RT to enter" , "RSVP", -name of your local city- and win, etc. These have boosted my win by, at least, 100%
I have won some things from twitter parties. At first, it was confusing because it goes so fast, but it is a lot of fun. I also have it set up where I can receive emails for anytime someone uses my twitter handle to avoid missing out anything.
I would love to win this prize as a loyal sweeper. i am a student and on my spare time I feel out forms and sweeps and have never won, any type of win would change my luck in life and I really look forward to something changing my bad luck around. Thanks
thank you
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very good information Thanks