Every sweeper has a sweepstakes dry spell sooner or later, and the way I handle mine is to check whether entering still feels fun. If it does, I keep going at a relaxed pace with no daily pressure. If it starts to feel like a chore or a second job, I take a break for a while. I don’t quit for good, though, because if I stop entering completely I’m not going to win anything ever again.
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What does a sweepstakes dry spell feel like?
It’s annoying. My last win was a free ice cream bar in June, and I’m writing this in October with nothing since. It’s been almost four months of entering and not hearing back.
This isn’t my first one. I went 171 days without a win last year, and I wrote about it in my sweepstakes win rate post. During that one I mostly stopped entering, so it was easy to point at that and say, well, there’s your problem. This time I’ve kept entering, and I still haven’t won, which is a less tidy story. I’m only spending minutes a day entering, not hours or anything.
Is it harder to win sweepstakes now?
I don’t know, and I’m not going to pretend I do. My guess is more people enter now because it’s less work. Back when a lot of sweepstakes were mail-in only, it took real effort, and I don’t think many people bothered. Now it’s a couple of clicks, so it’s easy for everybody. Things change over time, like with everything, so I assume the odds have shifted some.
The mail-in route still thins the crowd, which I wrote about in the giveaways with the smallest crowds. I haven’t done a single mail-in this whole dry spell. Stamps went up again, and I just haven’t felt like it, so I’ve been entering online only.
How do I keep entering without burning out?
I stopped making it a priority. Sweepstakes used to be a checklist item for my day, and now it’s something I do if I get to it and if I feel like it. I don’t put any pressure on myself to enter every day.
I have one rule now. I never enter when it feels like a chore or when I’m rushing through it. I only sit down to do it when I want to put on an audiobook or some music and space out for a bit. That’s usually in the morning while I’m trying to wake up, or at night while I’m winding down, with some tea. I treat it like a space-out moment, and when I’m not in the mood for that, I skip it. Since I use Roboform to fill in the entries, this really can be a pretty brainless clicking event.
What happened to my entry streak?
I’m not as obsessed with my streak anymore. It was fun when I first built my tracker, and now it just doesn’t carry the same pressure.
My sister used to enter too, and she completely quit. It was never a competition, but I think we were both trying to stay consistent together, and then she stopped.
Should I quit sweepstakes if I haven’t won in a while?
Take a break if it feels like a job, and keep going if it’s still fun. That’s the whole test for me.
Dry spells are a reality of this hobby, and you have to figure out how you want to deal with them. If entering starts to feel like a chore, quit for a while, because what fun is that? Nothing. It goes back to something I believe about sweepstakes in general: this can’t be a side hustle. It has to be a hobby. I wrote about the money side in do people actually win sweepstakes, and the short version is it’s a terrible way to make money and a fun hobby.
If you like doing it the way I do, as something a little mindless while you wind down, then carry on. If it feels like a second job, give yourself permission to set it down for a while.
| How entering feels right now | What I’d do |
|---|---|
| Relaxing, something to do with an audiobook or music | Keep going at whatever pace feels good |
| A little flat, but I still like the “what if” | Read other people’s win posts, then do a short session |
| A chore I’m rushing through | Skip it today |
| A second job, every day for weeks | Take a real break, and come back when I miss it |
What do I do when a dry spell gets to me?
I go read about other people winning. When I’m burnt out during a dry spell, I go to SweepSheet and read about people’s wins, and it perks me right up. Oh my gosh, people are still winning things, and look how happy they are.
The other thing I remind myself is that a break and quitting aren’t the same. If I stop entering for good, I’m definitely not going to win anything ever again. My winnings page has every win I’ve logged since 2005, and I can’t win anything new without an entry.
Today’s action
Check in on your sweepstakes habit
- Before your next session, ask yourself one question: does this feel fun or like a chore?
- If it’s fun, put on an audiobook or some music and enter for as long as you feel like it, with no target number.
- If it’s a chore, skip today with no guilt.
- If it’s felt like a chore for weeks, pick a break length, like two weeks, and put a reminder on your calendar to check in again.
- If you’re just flat, read a few win posts from other sweepers before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How long do sweepstakes dry spells last?
Mine have lasted months. I went 171 days without a win last year, and as I write this I’m almost four months into another one. I can only speak to my own log, but all sweepers have dry spells.
Is it normal to not win sweepstakes for months?
Yes, in my experience. I’ve had two long ones in the last year, one of 171 days and one that’s almost four months so far, and I’ve been entering since my late teens.
Should I stop entering sweepstakes if I keep losing?
Take a break if it feels like a job, and keep going if it’s still fun. Just don’t quit forever if you still like it, because if you stop entering completely, you won’t win anything.
How do I avoid sweepstakes burnout?
Drop the daily pressure. I only enter when I feel like it, I never rush through entries, and I pair it with an audiobook or music so it feels like downtime instead of a task.
Are sweepstakes harder to win now than they used to be?
I don’t know for sure. My guess is more people enter now because online entry takes seconds, while mail-in entries used to keep a lot of people out. I haven’t seen numbers to prove it either way.
Where I am with this
I’m still in this dry spell, and I’m still entering when I feel like it, mostly with tea and an audiobook at night. A sweepstakes dry spell is part of the hobby, so check whether it still feels fun, keep going if it does, and take a break if it doesn’t. Your next session can be ten minutes with music on, or it can be a night off.
A book I made
Postmark By
A mail-in sweepstakes log book that puts the postmark-by date first, so every entry you mail gets stamped in time to count.
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