{"id":230,"date":"2019-07-22T17:45:37","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T20:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweeppeasweeps.com\/official-rules-center\/?p=230"},"modified":"2022-11-16T10:25:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T13:25:08","slug":"sweepstakes-contest-rules-biggest-mistakes-companies-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sweeppeasweeps.com\/official-rules-center\/sweepstakes-contest-rules-biggest-mistakes-companies-make\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweepstakes & Contest Rules: Biggest Mistakes Companies Make"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Contest_Administration_Agency_Sweepstakes_Company\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Sweepstakes and contest rules<\/a>\nare important, but even with Official Rules, companies can get into trouble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re publishing this list not\nto discourage you from running these types of promotions. They\u2019re fun for your\nfans and fun to run as well. After all, you\u2019re giving away a big prize and seeing\nthe winner\u2019s excitement first-hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having this information will\nhelp you learn what to avoid, so you you\u2019re better able to set up a good promotion.\nIt\u2019ll also help you judge how well a sweepstakes\ncompany<\/a> like ours does in managing one for you. \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the biggest mistakes\nwe see companies making with rules for their sweepstakes and contest promotions\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inadvertently creating an illegal lottery or promotion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Do you know the difference\nbetween a sweepstakes and a contest?<\/a> Click the link for our post. Do you\nknow if or under what circumstances you can require a purchase? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confusion in this area could\ncause you to inadvertently create an illegal lottery or promotion. In a broad sense,\na sweepstakes is a game of chance, while a contest is a game of skill, where\nentries are judged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal promotions should have only\n2 of these 3 elements: chance, prize and consideration. If yours has all 3, you\nmay be breaking the rules and taking a big risk with your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking the \u201cNo Purchase Necessary\u201d rule for Sweepstakes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Continuing the point above,\none of the easiest ways to get into legal trouble is to offer a sweepstakes to\ncustomers only or to give entries only with a purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You ARE allowed to offer\nentries with purchase, but you also must offer a free method of entry, also\ncalled an Alternative Method of Entry or AMOE. This is why you often see promotions\nin the supermarket that allow you to enter by buying the product OR by mailing\nin a postcard. The mail-in entry is the free method or AMOE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not providing the rules or making them hard to find<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no good having Official Rules if participants can\u2019t find them. Don\u2019t make entrants dig to find a semi-hidden page. Just as it should be easy to enter your sweepstakes<\/a> or contest, rules should be conspicuous and easy to find. Link to them on your entry form and in advertising or promotional materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not following your rules <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Have you been tempted to award a different prize, end your contest early or change how you\u2019ll judge entries?  Don\u2019t do it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider your Official Rules a\ncontract between your company and participants or your promise to them. Not\nfulfilling that promise may lead to accusations of fraud, state investigations\nand even lawsuits. The negative hit on your reputation can also be high,\nespecially in today\u2019s culture of sharing on social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweepstakes and contest\npromotions are great at building awareness and excitement about your brand. Just\nbe mindful of the smaller details needed to make it a true success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll go into a few more of those details in Part 2 of this post<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For help with your sweepstakes or contest rules<\/a> or administration,\ncontact us at support@sweeppea.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sweepstakes and contest rules are important, but even with Official Rules, companies can get into trouble. We\u2019re publishing this list…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[57],"tags":[58],"yoast_head":"\nSweepstakes & Contest Rules: Biggest Mistakes Companies Make - Official Rules Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sweepstakes and contest rules are important, but even with Official rules, companies can get into trouble. 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