How to Run Sweepstake CPA Offers
Ever wonder why it costs so much money to give away free stuff?
Yeah, sounds nuts right? But that’s basically the entire game when we’re talking about CPA marketing and sweepstake offers. People think it’s just “post a link, get paid” and then they wonder why they’re broke and their ad accounts are on fire.
I mean come ON people.
Let’s break this down. No BS. This is the real playbook.
So What aRe Sweepstake CPA Offers Anyway?
Look, it’s not complicated.
A company wants leads. You know, emails, names, phone numbers. Whatever. They’re willing to pay for them.
So they create a “sweepstake” – like a chance to win a new iPhone, a $500 Amazon gift card, a year of Netflix, you get the idea. Users see the shiny object, they enter their info, and YOU, the affiliate, get paid a commission for that lead.
Usually it’s a CPL (Cost Per Lead) or SOI/DOI (Single Opt-In/Double Opt-In) offer.
SOI is easier: User puts in their email, you get paid. Bam.
DOI is harder: User puts in email, then has to go CONFIRM their email in their inbox. Higher payout, but lower conversion rate. Obviously.
This whole thing is a gateway for a lot of people into cpa affiliate marketing because the barrier to entry is so low. You don’t need a customer to pull out their credit card. You just need them to want free stuff.
And who doesn’t want free stuff?
Finding Offers That Don’t Completely Suck
Ok, this is where 90% of beginners crash and burn. They sign up for some garbage network nobody’s ever heard of and try to push an offer for a “Free Zune Player”.
Are you kidding me? It’s not 2008.
You need to find offers that people ACTUALLY want. This ain’t rocket science.
Think about what’s popular RIGHT NOW:
- iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones (But make sure they are latest models)
- Shein, TEMU, Amazon gift cards
- Playstation 5, Xbox
- Cash App/PayPal cash prizes
You find these on legit networks. Not some fly-by-night operation that’s gonna shave your leads (aka steal your commissions) and then disappear. You gotta find one of the best cpa networks that has a reputation to protect. Go with networks that other pros are talking about.
Another great way to find the right CPA offers and networks is to check out sites like AFFplus and Offervault, which aggregate offers from multiple networks and display them easily and freely for you to choose the best thing. Ok ,you might have to signup for a bunch of different networks, but yeah, that’s the game.
And for the love of everything, SPY on your competition. Use a spy tool like Anstrex or just manually browse sites that run these kinds of ads. See what’s being pushed CONSTANTLY. If you see the same offer advertised everywhere for weeks… guess what? It’s probably making money.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here. Just find winning cpa affiliate offers that are already proven. Seriously.
The “Secret” Funnel (Spoiler: It’s Not a Secret)
If you’re one of those people who takes your affiliate link and just pastes it directly into an ad… just stop.
Seriously, just close this article and go back to your day job. You’re gonna get your ad account banned and waste a bunch of money.
This is the flow: Ad -> Presell Page -> Offer.
That’s it. That’s the whole “secret” funnel. The magic is in the presell page.
The presell page, or landing page, is where you warm up the traffic. You get them excited. You filter out the tire-kickers. It’s a bridge between your ad and the company’s offer page. The ad gets the click, the presell page gets the CONVERSION.
Your presell page should do a few things:
- Match the ad scent. If your ad talks about winning a PS5, your lander better have a PS5 on it.
- Build trust and urgency. A clean design, maybe a countdown timer (“Offer expires in…”), a “spots remaining” counter (which is usually fake, but it works).
- Get a micro-commitment. This is huge. Instead of just a button that says “Click Here”, make it a quiz.
For example:
- Headline: Is Your Zip Code Eligible for a FREE $500 SHEIN Gift Card?
- Question 1: Are you over 18? (Yes/No)
- Question 2: Do you love shopping at SHEIN? (Yes/No)
- Final Step: Enter your zip code below to check eligibility!
Of course every zip code is eligible. But by making them click a few times, you’ve gotten them invested. They’re way more likely to complete the actual offer on the next page. It’s basic psychology.
Traffic Sources That Actually Work for Sweeps
You can’t just run these anywhere. You need cheap, high-volume traffic that’s not super strict.
Push Notifications & Pop Traffic: This is the classic combo for sweepstakes. It’s cheap, you can get a TON of clicks fast, and it’s perfect for testing. The quality can be kinda trashy, which is why your presell page is so important. It has to filter out the bots and uninterested people. But if you wanna throw $50 at an offer and see if it has legs, this is where you start.
Social Media (Facebook/TikTok etc): This is playing on hard mode. The traffic quality is amazing, but Facebook HATES sweepstake offers. Like, they will ban your ad account so fast your head will spin.
If you’re gonna try it, you can’t direct link. Not even to your presell page sometimes. You have to be sneaky. The safer way is to run ads to a piece of content, like a blog post on your own site titled “The Top 5 Gadget Giveaways Happening This Month”. Then, within that article, you link out to your presell pages. It’s an extra step, but it provides a buffer between Facebook and your aggressive lander.
Some people try to cloak, which is basically showing one page to the Facebook reviewer and another page to the user. It’s a cat-and-mouse game that you will eventually lose. And then your account is gone forever. Not worth it imo, especially if you’re just starting.
Writing Ad Copy That Doesn’t Get You Banned Immediately
Compliance is everything. One word can be the difference between your ad running for weeks and your account getting shut down in 5 minutes.
The number one rule…
NEVER LIE.
Don’t say “You have won!” or “Claim your prize!”. That’s a restricted claim and an instant red flag.
Instead, you use words that imply a chance, not a guarantee.
- “Chance to win…”
- “Enter for an opportunity…”
- “Your entry could be selected…”
- “Confirm your entry for…”
The goal is curiosity and urgency, not deception.
Here are some classic push notification ad copy examples that work:
Example 1 (Geo-targeting):
- Headline: Notification for (City) Residents
- Body: Your entry for the new iPhone 15 is pending confirmation. Finalize your spot now.
Example 2 (The “Package” angle):
- Headline: (1) Unclaimed Package
- Body: We have a package from Amazon for you. Tap to track your delivery status.
This stuff works because it’s vague and creates an open loop in their brain. They just HAVE to click to see what it is.
And yeah, use ChatGPT to create your ad text, perhaps give Gemini a try as well.
Angles, Angles, Angles… This is EVERYTHING
This is maybe the most important part of the whole process. If you’re using the same angle as 10,000 other affiliates, you’re all just bidding against each other and driving the price up. The real money is in the unique angle.
Instead of just “WIN A FREE IPHONE”… get creative.
The Product Tester Angle:
- Ad: “Wanted: People in Dallas to test and keep the new Samsung Galaxy.”
- Presell Page: A page that looks like a tech review site or a market research company. “Become a product tester! Due to high demand, we have limited spots available. Answer a few questions to see if you qualify.”
Pro tip: Most ad networks allow you to use a macro like {{city}} in the headline so instead of Dallas, the actual city that the user is browsing from appears in the ad.
The Survey Angle:
- Ad: “Walmart Shoppers: We want your opinion! Get a $100 reward for a 30-second survey.”
- Presell Page: A quick survey about their shopping habits at Walmart. The “reward” is of course an entry into a sweepstake for a $100 Walmart gift card.
The angle is your story. It’s how you frame the offer. A good angle can make a mediocre offer profitable, and a great angle can make a good offer an absolute goldmine.
Alright, that’s the brain dump. It’s not magic. It’s just a process. Find a good offer, build a solid presell page, use a smart angle, and don’t make stupid promises in your ads. Now stop reading and go test something.
Stay hustlin’,
Stephen
