NaBloPoMo: Swagbucks Tips

So it happened: I forgot to post NaBloPoMo yesterday! I'm giving myself this one chance to redeem myself. I put it off until the evening, then some friends came over and I totally forgot!

I have a good idea for today's post. Swagbucks Tips! If you haven't heard about Swagbucks, your really missing out. Swagbucks is basically a search engine powered by Google and Ask.com. Just go to www.swagbucks.com, sign up, and start searching. But what's different about swagbucks is that you can earn swagbucks, and trade them in for great prizes like gift cards, trading cards, books, electronics, you name it.
They have an extensive prize selection in the swagbucks store.

Since joining Swagbucks a few months ago I have learned some really good tricks to earning tons of swagbucks. My tips are below.

1. Search. This is the obvious way to earn swagbucks. The way to earn the most swagbucks through searching is to search only when you need to search, ie... a real search. But I have been guilty of searching just to win swagbucks, and it works too.

2. Special Offers. Go to the special offers page and there are tons of free ways to earn extra swagbucks. You can view the No obligation Special Offers daily and earn 1-5 swagbucks. This is completely free. Just 'skip' the offers until you get rewarded.
Another great way to earn major extra swagbucks is by going to Wall 2 of the special offers and look for the 'free' offers. There are many things you can sign up for, without much obligation (besides an extra email in your inbox) to earn 15-30 swagbucks or more. Usually your swagbucks are rewarded later the same day. Some of the offers I have completed are the Home Depot email newsletter, the My Rememdy Life free magazine for those with loved ones who have diabetes, rheumatois arthritis & osteoparosis. I also signed up for the voyageprive free travel site account.

3. Shop. You can shop on swagbucks and earn 2 swagbucks for every dollar you spend. Just visit the 'Shop' section and view swagbucks shopping partners. Many are stores you already shop at!

4. Trade In. Trade in your old cell phones & video games and earn swagbucks. There is a promotion in April for Earth Day to earn double swagbucks on trade ins. If you get a new cell phone plan through the shop section not only will you earn the points for shopping but you'll get 1000 swagbucks.

5. Invite Friends. Invite friends from your email contact list or manually invite friends and you'll get swagbucks for their searches when they sign up, up to 1000 swagbucks.

6. Promote Banners. This is a big one. There are Swagstars who have earned thousands upon thousands of swagbucks for posting promotion banners and referral links wherever they can. You can post them on your blog, twitter, social networks, facebook, myspace, at the end of emails, in comments you leave and more. You'll get swagbucks when people sign up for swagbucks from your promote banners and referral links, up to 1000 swagbucks each from their searches.

7. The Swidget. The swidget is a widget for your blogs, websites, and social networks. Post it and you and your readers can search directly from it, view prizes, the swagbucks blog, get exclusive swagcodes to get swagbucks, and non members can sign up directly from it.

8. The Toolbar. Install the swagbucks toolbar and within moments you'll be earning extra swagbucks. Just by using the toolbar you can earn 0-5 swagbucks each time. I often get swagbucks just by going to swagbucks homepage via the toolbar, and for refreshing it to show your updated swagbucks total. The Swag Guy also often posts high value (10-20 swagbucks) swagcodes just for those who have the toolbar.

9. Stay Involved in the Swagbucks Community. Read the blog, read the twitter feed, get retweeted by The Swag Guy by using @swagbucks in your tweets, take the polls, connect on facebook and more. Do anything you can to stay involved and updated in all things swagbucks and you'll never miss out on a single swagcode.

10. Mega Swagbucks Day. I almost forgot! Friday is Mega Swagbucks Day and you can earn tons of extra swagbucks for your searches. From 10 -1000 swagbucks. That's right, 1000 swagbucks! So be sure to do some extra swagbucks searching on Fridays, its sure to pay off.

Its worth it! As a mom who doesn't have a lot of money I think swagbucks is an indispensible tool. I have earned to date a $25 gift certificate to Restaurant.com, a $5 gift card to Amazon, and a $5 credit on Paypal. I am working my way toward a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card, and with all the new tricks I've learned, I'm well on my way. Thanks Swagbucks!

Swagbucks is not a rip off and is well worth the time it takes to use it. Swagbucks are the real deal and you can trade them in to get awesome prizes. Its no gimmick, there's no 'gotchas'. When you redeem your swagbucks for a prize, you will get that prize.