Sweepstakes have long been popular among people looking to win prizes in lotteries and raffles. Common rewards typically include gift cards, gadgets, and other fascinating prizes. For a long time, affiliate marketers have earned money in this vertical by incorporating various strategies that generate sweepstakes traffic.

The working idea is simple as people are known to respond positively to sweepstakes offers because of the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). This deep desire to participate in an exclusive promotion with the possibility of exciting wins has made sweepstakes a pretty solid tool for engagement.

Affiliate marketers take advantage of this by parsing every piece of information received from participants, which can include their ages, emails, addresses, or others. For every successful sign-up by a new participant, affiliates earn conversions and profit.

The allure of sweepstakes promotions as a source for quick conversions is enhanced by how easy it is for a large number of users to participate. Nevertheless, choosing the right traffic source accounts for over 90% of the profitability. In this piece, we'll explore the iGaming sweepstakes vertical and successful marketing strategies for campaigns in 2024.

What is Sweepstakes Vertical in iGaming?

Sweepstakes iGaming vertical includes various promotions for social casinos where users can participate and win prizes. Due to the attractive entertainment value offered in iGaming, the sweepstakes vertical is especially attractive to potential customers. For affiliate marketers, the vertical is distinguished by large payouts, allowing both newbies and experienced affiliates to make a profit.

Social casinos are a type of online casino that work on a sweepstakes model where users utilize virtual currencies to play casino games. They do not involve direct gambling but allow for prizes to be won through a system of redemptions. Sweepstakes casinos are generally legal under federal law in the US, provided they abide by the “No Purchase for Entry” requirement.

There are three main segments within the iGaming industry, namely real-money casinos, sportsbooks, and social casinos. The last of these is part of the iGaming vertical where sweepstakes thrive. Within this sphere, users play games for fun with no cash prizes other than sweeps. Today, sweepstakes verticals are one of the most important niches for getting profits in affiliate marketing. With several effective GEOs, numerous funnels, and a huge variety of offers, experienced affiliates and newbies simply can’t resist launching sweepstakes ad campaigns.

Why Promote Sweepstakes Casino offers?

Majorly, the reasons for executing sweepstakes promotions have a lot to do with customer engagement. The more people you can reach by promoting your sweepstakes offers, the higher the engagements and conversion rates. 

Sweepstakes casinos offer an opportunity to win interesting prizes with the added benefit of playing exciting games. As such, it's a win-win for both affiliates and customers. Listed below are the top reasons to promote sweepstakes casino offers:

• To increase social media followers
• To build traffic to a website
• To encourage and curate more user-generated content
• To promote new products or brands
• To drive sales

What are the Types of Sweepstakes Offers?

There are five types of sweepstakes offers based on their conversion rates for potential customers. Each type is peculiar and differs from others in the kind of actions required from users. Here's a look at them:

1. Single Opt-In (SOI). In this model, users only have to provide the basic information without including an email address or phone number. This single opt-in model is a streamlined approach that makes participation in the sweepstakes straightforward, resulting in higher conversion rates.
2. Double Opt-In (DOI). In addition to providing personal information, the double opt-in DOI model requires an additional step to be taken by users before participating. This extra step can involve email verification to enhance data accuracy, improve the quality of leads, and get better engagement in the long term.
3. Credit Card Submit. With credit card submissions, potential leads are required users to provide their credit card details to activate a subscription, access a trial offer, or take a peek at a low-cost product. This model has the advantage of yielding better payouts, but it demands that affiliates build a level of trust from users before requesting CC Submits.
4. Mobile Subscription Offers. The main idea behind this model is to prompt potential customers into opting for paid mobile subscriptions, often via SMS. Payment is undertaken with the help of a mobile operator, but there should be clear communication about the costs to avoid user dissatisfaction.
5. Instant Win and Recurring Draws. In this model, prizes are awarded in advance, down to the exact date, hour, minute, and second. Affiliates can customize the entry forms such that the first user who registers after the winning moment gets the prize.

What Are the Top Traffic Sources for Sweepstakes Offers?

Online traffic sources have been used for years as a way to generate leads and increase conversion rates for businesses. These days, they're popular with affiliate marketers looking to turn a profit by running sweepstakes ads that target specific demographics. The top traffic sources include:

• Display ads
• Push notifications
• Pop traffic
• Native ads
• Social media platforms

Contrary to popular opinion, affiliates should be extra careful when selecting which traffic funnels to use. Below is an overview of each source and want makes it different from the others when used for sweepstakes offers:

1. Display Ads

Display ads are an effective traffic source for sweepstakes because they combine images and text, and include a URL that links to the sweepstakes website. These ads can be designed with static images or animated using multiple images, videos, or dynamic texts. A good example of this can be seen in Stake's partnership with ad networks like Blockchain-Ads, where visual cues were used to create more awareness and generate higher conversions

2. Push Notifications

This traffic source is a more personal form of advertising that uses push notifications to grab the attention of users. They are a straightforward way to maximize the visibility of sweepstakes offers because they often bypass the need to open a web page. This ad format offers high payouts but is easy to create. An expert tip is to specify a clear offer with timelines and dates in the notification, so the user knows what they will gain by participating.

3. Pop Traffic

Pop traffic sources are famous for bypassing banner headlines which certain users have become blind to. These ads are easy to create and are highly effective for getting conversions on sweepstakes offers. The key to this ad format lies in the landing page, which should feature catchy designs with sweepstakes questionnaires and customized surprise boxes for improved conversion rates.

4. Native Ads

Affiliates who want to advertise sweepstakes offers without interrupting the content on a web page can incorporate native traffic sources. A good example is ads on Google, which is designed to fit seamlessly into the content on a website. With this model, the ads appear as part of the material being viewed by users. A good tip is to tailor the design to match the page's style in a way that feels engaging and organic.

5. Social Media Platforms

Social networks have become one of the most popular go-to marketing mediums today. Among the top social media platforms, placing sweepstakes ads on Facebook offers many benefits to affiliates because of its wide audience. Another advantage of using this traffic source is that the ads can be targeted to reach a specific demographic.

Which GEOs Are Best for Sweepstakes Campaigns?

As with all targeted campaigns, designing sweepstakes ads to cater to a specific audience is essential for maximum success. Generally, these ads work on desktop and mobile traffic in practically any GEO with varying degrees of success. Highlighted below are the various GEOs where it's profitable for sure to run your sweepstakes ads:

1. Tier 1. SOI and DOI lead generation has been proven to convert easily in Tier 1 or developed countries because of the huge competition among advertisers and high billing rates. Although it's the most desired GEO for sweepstakes ads with good payouts, it's also the most difficult to work with as the cost of attracting users is significant.
2. Tier 2. The main benefit of targeting your ads to tier 2 regions is that the audience is quite rich and has not been overwhelmed with too much advertising as with users from more developed tier 1 regions. The advertising prices are much lower and there is less competition, so more profit can be made.
3. Tier 3. In these countries, there’s a lot of cheap traffic and you can successfully launch sweepstakes ads that may not entice users in Tier 1 and 2 who have had enough of them. Thanks to population solvency and low costs, affiliate marketers can profit from an unsophisticated audience willing to try out every new and attractive sweepstakes offer.
4. Emerging market (Web3 audience). Think of Web3 as the next-generation blockchain-based platform for sweepstakes ads. The new kid on the block offers affiliate marketers a novel way to target Web3 audience by introducing verifiable sweepstakes giveaways with the assurance of a fair and transparent process for all participants.

How to Create Effective Sweepstakes Ads?

Before you launch your sweepstakes ads, you should have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. A few questions to ask include – What are the goals of the promotion? How will this ad benefit the target audience? How will success be measured? Once you can answer these questions, you will have set the stage for a successful campaign run.

Eye-catching ad creatives are a good way to get the attention of users. Talk about the sweepstakes offer in general and emphasize the possibility of winning if the user hurries up and takes advantage of it before it ends. A combination of images and words can be used to drive home the point. Imitating unread messages, showing gift boxes, or using the Spin-to-Win approach allows users to see what awaits on the landing page.

More than just focusing on ad creatives, a successful sweepstakes marketing promotion also depends on the quality of the landing page. Do not use direct links here, but incorporate various elements of gamification to get the user excited. This not only increases the chances of the user getting to the point of filling out the form, but it also improves the possibility of conversions.