Tons of tips to make you a Twitter winner!

... .and lots of useful tips for compers who don't use Twitter, and Twitter users who don't enter competitions.
Over the summer, I posted daily tips on Twitter using the hashtag #compingtip
In case you missed any of them, here is the full list.

• check where a promoter is based - nobody is going to send you pate or cheese from the USA, it would go off in the post
• Make a list for each day of the week and add any promoter who regularly runs a comp on that day
• If the comp tweet contains a link, check it to see if you need to follow it to enter – sometimes what looks like a RT comp isn’t one
• Check how many times you are allowed to enter, multiple tweets might disqualify you
• Look when a promoter last tweeted – if they’ve not been around for a few weeks, the comp probably is never going to be drawn 
• Don’t just tweet comps, it makes you look like a  bot and promoters might think you are one pick another winner if you are drawn
• If a comp closes at a certain number of followers, check how many they have before tweeting in case you are too late
• If a promoter never tweets anything but their comp, and they don’t have a website, it could be a scam – check carefully. 
• Some ways of collecting tweets only show the most recent so it can help to enter very near to the closing time
• Check the apps you have authorised and only keep the ones you currently use, to help avoid getting hacked 
• Never open a link in a message that has no other text even if it is from a friend – they may have been hacked
• Alarm bells should ring if a big prize is offered by somebody with only a handful of followers
• Scam comps may be a spammer trying to get you to follow them so they can send dodgy DMs
• Make sure you RT the right tweet, not one that is just info about the comp (unless you are just informing friends of it)
• If a comp requires a unique answer, copying yours from somebody else will rule you both out. Don’t do it. 
• Twitter will only let you RT the same thing once; if you are allowed to enter more often you will need to edit the tweet 
• If you have a list of tweets to send daily, note down when each closes. Some people tweet comps months out of date! 
• Don’t trust other compers to have checked T&C, check them YOURSELF. 
• Interact with promoters. Then they will know you are a human, not an auto-tweeting bot. 
• Don’t claim you’ve done something (liked, followed, commented, subscribed) if you’ve not – you’ll be disqualified. 
• An obvious “comping” username can count against you. Avoid the words “comp” and “win” in it. 
• Don’t tweet more than 100 times an hour or you’ll end up in Twitter jail. 
• If a promoter is based in Ireland, check which part. The Republic has different laws so you probably can’t enter their comps. 
• Tell non-comping friends and family to select “Hide retweets from this person” on your Twitter page. 
• Don’t have a protected Twitter account – nobody will ever know you’ve entered their comps. 
• Don’t tweet the same thing several times – you could go to Twitter jail or be filtered out of search
• Follow as many other compers as you can – if they spot a new comp you’ll be one of the first to know
• It’s fine to use the retweet button nowadays, in fact if the promoter collects entries by email it’s the ONLY way to enter. 
• If a promoter tweets about a comp, then doesn’t tweet again for 6 months, the comp isn’t going to happen
• Make sure the person running the comp gets an @ mention in your tweet or they won’t know you’ve entered
• If there’s a hashtag, make sure you include it and spell it correctly
• Have a picture on your profile, not just a Twitter egg. It really does make a difference to how much you’ll win. 
• Always check the rules and instructions. Don't rely on another comper as they may have been in a rush and not checked themselves
• Check your @ messages and DMs at least once a day to see if there are any winning messages
• Follow the person running the comp – it’s good manners and means they can DM you if you win
• Check the closing date – it’s no use entering a comp that has already closed
• If there’s a link to the rules, follow it. Otherwise look at the promoter’s timeline for info about the comp
• Don’t let your timeline be all retweets as you may get filtered out of search. Chat a bit as well! 
• Don’t copy another comper’s entry if there’s a slogan or opinion question – you need to give your own answer. 
• Check that the promoter is in the UK or says the comp is open to the UK or you won’t get your prize
• When a tweet says “enter by 4pm”, it’s no use entering at 8pm! 
• Say thank you when you get a prize. It’s good manners and lets the person know it’s arrived safely. 
• Don’t retweet other compers’ entries. It’s annoying to them and means the promoter probably won’t see your entry. 
• Make lists – one for your comping friends, and lists for comps that run regularly on certain days
• Look out for scams and hackers – you CAN’T see “who viewed your profile”. 
• Don’t cheat! Promoters can easily spot people tweeting from multiple accounts. 
• If a winner is being picked at a certain number of followers, check their current number to make sure you’re not too late. 
• Not every comp on Twitter is a retweet comp – make sure you’re doing the right thing. 
• Interact with the promoters – many of them have a real person handling the Twitter account and they’ll enjoy a chat. 
• Try to make some free time on Fridays as there are so many one day only comps then – it can be hard to keep up!
• Hashtag searches can sometimes help you to find comps. Try #competition #giveaway #bookgiveaway and #comp 
• It sometimes helps to enter right at the end of a comp, as older tweets can be lost from Twitter search. 
• Treat over-generous comps with caution. Somebody with 250 followers can’t afford to give as big a prize as one with 25,000. 
• If somebody RTs your entry, deleting your tweet will undo their RT. Then you can tweet again - they probably won't RT again
• If a promoter has Ireland in their name it usually means the Republic. Most ROI  comps aren't open to UK - check with  promoter 
• Check whether a comp has closed before tweeting – if the prize has already been won, you can’t win it