Sweepstakes — are online prize draws for valuable prizes (smartphones, gift cards, electronics). For businesses, this is a way to quickly build a contact database or attract people to paid subscriptions.
In traffic arbitrage, the essence of this vertical is simple: a webmaster attracts users to a sweepstakes page, and the affiliate program pays for a completed action, for example, a submitted form or linking a bank card.
Why advertisers run sweepstakes
The company's main goal is always commercial:
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Collecting contact details. The advertiser collects people's names, phone numbers, and email addresses in order to later sell them other products and services through emails and calls.
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Activating paid subscriptions. The user is offered a low-cost trial period in order to participate in the sweepstakes. After that, a recurring subscription is activated, charging the full amount every month until the person cancels it.
Main types of offers
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Free-entry offers. A person simply enters their contact details or answers several questions. They are not charged anything, so attracting people is easy, but the payout to the webmaster for each form will be small.
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Card-linking offers. To participate in the sweepstakes or claim a gift, the user enters their card details and pays a small amount for delivery or trial access. Convincing a person is more difficult, but the payout for each such user is significantly higher.
How webmasters get paid
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A fixed payout for each submitted contact in free forms.
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A one-time payout for a linked card and a successful first charge.
What is important to consider when working
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Tied to major events. Interest in sweepstakes rises sharply when new smartphone models are released, before holidays, or during major sales periods.
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Audience quality and refunds. If people start contacting their banks en masse for refunds after being charged, the advertiser suffers losses. If there is a high percentage of complaints and refunds, the affiliate program may reject such leads and refuse payment.
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Ad network requirements. Advertising platforms strictly review ads that promise free prizes, so the creative and landing page must look transparent and realistic.
