What Are Sweepstakes? How to Earn Money with These Offers?

Online sweepstakes are an age-old yet highly relevant phenomenon that generates massive revenue for their organizers. Analysts predict that the lottery market’s earnings will grow to. $145 billion by 2025 and $160 billion by 2029, with an average annual revenue growth rate of 2.49%. Affiliates can also tap into the sweepstakes space by driving traffic to offers in this niche. In this article, 888STARZ Partners team will explain the sweepstakes niche, its unique features, where to source traffic for sweeps, and how to create effective ads for promotion.

Features of the sweepstakes niche

Sweepstakes are lotteries or contests where participants can win valuable prizes. Sweepstakes initially offered phones as prizes but later expanded to include gift cards, sneakers, electronics, and other high-value items. To enter, users must complete a targeted action, such as filling out a form with their contact details (phone number, email). This allows advertisers to collect user data for ad campaigns or to develop marketing strategies. Alternatively, some contests require linking a bank card — and then, well, you know, the drill.

LTV and ROI metrics in the sweepstakes niche

LTV (Lifetime Value) and ROI (Return on Investment) depend on the chosen GEO and offer type:

• CC Submit (Credit Card Submit): The lead is counted after the card is linked. In Tier-1 countries (USA, Western Europe), the average LTV for CC Submit can reach $30-$40 per lead, while in Tier-3, the LTV does not exceed $4-$5. With proper traffic optimization, ROI in CC Submit often exceeds 50%, especially in Tier-1.
• SOI (Single Opt-In): A lead is counted after a user fills out a simple form or questionnaire. LTV varies from $0.5 to $3 per lead, and ROI ranges from 20-30%.
• DOI (Double Opt-In) is a two-step confirmation. In addition to filling out the form, the user must confirm it with an email or phone number. LTV and ROI in the DOI model are identical to those in the SOI model. 

There’s also a less popular sweepstakes offer, IRV (Interactive Voice Response), where the payout is based on the call duration between the user and a call center operator collecting their data. IRV is rare but occasionally found in Tier-1 and Tier-3 countries. These offers are complex to manage, especially for newcomers, so avoid them when first exploring the sweepstakes niche.

Of course, users don’t submit their data or link cards for nothing — they expect a chance to win. The most popular sweepstakes offers feature prizes like:

• Cash rewards.
• Premium smartphones and headphones.
• Laptops.
• Hair care appliances (e.g., hair dryers, straighteners).
• Gaming consoles.
• Gift cards and bundles.
• Travel packages.
• Insurance policies.
• Luxury clothing items.

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Pros and Cons of the niche

Let’s explore the advantages of the sweepstakes niche:

• Sweepstakes generate high volumes of leads because users don’t need to spend their own money — instead, they’re motivated by the chance to win a prize for free.
• High approval rates and a favorable click-to-lead ratio.
• Affiliates don’t need to create complex ads — advertisers often provide them, or simple ads showcasing the prize suffice. We’ll dive deeper into crafting sweepstakes ads later.
• In Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets, sweepstakes are beginner-friendly, requiring no advanced creative skills or large budgets. However, Tier 1 differs due to fierce competition and lower audience trust in giveaways.
• Free traffic methods work well for sweepstakes. For example, interested users will complete the target action independently in manual email campaigns, social media spam, etc.

Now, the drawbacks of sweepstakes. There aren’t many, but they’re significant:

• Since sweepstakes focus on low-cost user data collection, advertisers often cut corners on landing pages and websites. Poor design and functionality eventually turn users away.
• Sweepstakes offers are rarely available because client databases are built for long-term use.
• Finding sweepstakes offers for Tier-2 and Tier-3 GEOs is challenging, as most advertisers prioritize data from high-paying Tier-1 audiences.
• The golden rule of sweepstakes: There’s no fixed customer lifespan — you can’t build predictable personal income. However, in iGaming, it’s the opposite — you earn passive RevShare income from each lead’s deposits, occasionally running new campaigns to scale your client base. Want the same? Click this link and join 888STARZ Partners, profiting from some of the highest RevShare rates in the betting and gambling market!

Traffic sources for promoting sweepstakes

Since sweepstakes have strong conversion rates, choosing traffic sources should prioritize low CPM — you need the cheapest possible reach. The following traffic sources are ideal for promoting sweepstakes offers:

• Push notifications are easy to set up and optimize a campaign. They have enormous reach and high conversion rates at a low cost per click ($0.10-$0.15). In addition, because push notifications pop up on top of other browser windows or stand out from the page, they are in the active attention zone, so this ad format eliminates the effect of banner blindness.
• Teaser ads. Clickbait banners and headlines, characteristic of teasers, compensate for their intrusiveness with a very cheap cost of clicks ($0.03-$0.15), which facilitates easy scaling to achieve extensive coverage. In teaser networks, the content of ads is practically unmoderated, simplifying the launch of ad campaigns but increasing fraud.
• Pop-up and Popunder. These ad formats pop up on top of an open page, similar to Push notifications, but are more intrusive. The average cost-per-click (CPC) in Pop-up and Popunder reaches $0.00015, so you can achieve massive reach at a low cost. However, pop-ups and popunders are often blocked by browser algorithms or ignored by users, so getting a lead is a bit more difficult.

How to create ads for sweepstakes?

Here are three core principles to boost the effectiveness of sweepstakes ads:

• Showcase the Prize: A simple yet powerful approach is to display the prize and encourage users to claim it. The visuals should grab attention, while the text includes a clear call to action like “Claim Your Prize!”.
• Interactive Elements: Quizzes and polls work exceptionally well in the sweepstakes niche, as they seamlessly collect user data. For example, quizzes can ask about user interests, while polls prompt contact details.
• Win Notifications: People open notifications to either dismiss them or claim a reward. Ads mimicking win notifications — using region-specific messenger icons, package photos, or fake time limits — are highly effective.

Conclusion

Sweeps are unique, so pro affiliates who’ve spent years running gambling and betting campaigns may struggle to adapt quickly to the sweepstakes niche. And why bother with sweeps when iGaming inherently delivers far higher profits? If you agree, switch to the direct advertiser’s affiliate program, 888STARZ Partners. Here, you’ll find a wide range of betting and gambling offers across 100+ GEOs with the most competitive terms in the market. With us, you’ll earn consistently high payouts, and for high-volume traffic, we’ll offer even better personalized terms and access to exclusive offers.