🎉 Help us celebrate 500 lessons!
Enter the giveaway, record a video, and watch the live stream of our 500th lesson!
Record a video
Record a video to help us celebrate 500 lessons! We’ll make one big video from all the pieces and share it with Plain English listeners.
Enter the giveaway
This is your chance to win a free Plus+ membership, Kindle e-books, and the chance to guest-edit a future lesson.
Get ready to celebrate with us!
A party is more fun with a lot of great people attending. Make plans to join us and make the 500th-lesson the most memorable yet! Keep reading for more details!
Be part of the 500th-lesson video
To celebrate 500 lessons, we’re creating a video starring…you!
How it works
Just follow the instructions in the video on this page. In the video, I’ll ask you a few questions. You reply with your own video. It’s that simple!
What you’ll say
There are four steps to the video. You will take them step by step. Here they are:
- Introduce yourself (“Hi, I’m [name] from [country/city]”)
- What do you like most about Plain English?
- Why are you learning English?
- Is there anything else you want to say? (Optional)
Tips
- You can record from mobile or desktop
- You may need to give access to your microphone and camera
- The audio works best if you’re using earbuds or a headset
If you’re ever not happy with what you said, just click “No” and you can re-record your video. 👍
Final tip: Don’t be shy!
Enter the giveaway
To celebrate 500 lessons, we’re giving away three huge prizes! Everyone is eligible for one entry, but you can earn extra entries by following the directions below:
How it works
Just follow the instructions in the video on this page. In the video, I’ll ask you a few questions. You reply with your own video. It’s that simple!
Who can enter
Everyone can enter! The easiest way to enter is with your e-mail address. Just click, “Login with e-mail” and you’ll get an automatic entry.
Get more entries
You can get more entries by taking the challenges. For example:
- Recommend us on Facebook to get 2 extra entries
- Leave us a rating on Spotify to get 2 extra entries
- Tag us in your Instagram Stories (@plainenglishpod) for an extra entry
- Follow us on Instagram to get an extra entry
Prizes
We have three groups of prizes, with eight individual winners in total:
One (1) first prize
The winner will have the chance to guest-edit a future lesson AND will will a free year of Plain English Plus+!
Three (3) second prizes
Three more winners will enjoy a free year of Plain English Plus+.
Five (5) third prizes
Five additional listeners will win any Kindle e-book of their choice, as long as it’s in English (up to $20).
Winners
The winners will be picked at random after the contest closes on August 31. The winners will be announced on our 500th lesson live stream on September 3.
More info on the giveaway
The first-prize winner will work with Jeff and JR on the creation of a lesson in the future. The winner (guest editor) will help select a topic, research the topic, and determine the content. The winner will also have the option to introduce the topic by voice in the lesson audio. We’ve never had a guest editor before, so get as many entries as possible to secure your chance to win!
We’ll extend your membership for one year at no cost.
Unfortunately, you need to rate us on the Spotify app on iPhone or Android. In addition, you need to listen to at least 30 seconds of one episode in Spotify to rate us. Assuming you have listened to 30 seconds, here are the steps:
- Open Plain English on Spotify from your phone
- Tap the ratings section. It should say, 4.9 ⭐ (###)
- Leave your rating (Suggestion: 5 stars)
- To help us even more, screenshot your rating, post it to your Instagram stories, and tag @plainenglishpod
Facebook recently changed “Reviews” to “Recommendations.” When you click the link, Facebook will ask you, “Would you recommend Plain English?” Click the best answer (Yes?) and write some comments. The comments can be in English or the language you use with your friends.
We will pick five winners of Kindle books. Each of these five winners will receive one Kindle e-book. The book must be in English. The value can be up to US$20.00. The book will be delivered as a gift.
We will announce the winners on the 500th lesson live stream on September 3 and we will notify all winners by e-mail. (Use your best e-mail to enter.)
You do not have to be on the live stream to win…but you should join us anyway! Scroll down for details.
Send us a note on the Contact page and we’ll be happy to help you out.
Celebrate 500 lessons live with Jeff and JR
To celebrate 500 lessons, we will be live-streaming the 500th lesson on Instagram and in our Facebook group on 📆 Saturday, September 3.
Add it to your calendar
Add the live stream to your calendar with a button below
Connect on social media
Follow us on Instagram and join the Facebook group so you don’t miss the live stream on September 3!
What we have planned
Jeff and JR will be on video for a 500th-lesson celebration that includes:
Live stream
You can watch the 500th episode being recorded live (mistakes and all!). Jeff will read the episode live on Facebook and Instagram, while you can read the transcript text. For this episode only, there will be just one speed.
Giveaway winners
We will announce the winners of the giveaway, nine winners in all! Make sure you get all the possible entries by doing the activities above.
Video preview
We’re not sure if the 500th-lesson video will be ready by September 3. If it is, we’ll share the video with you on the live stream. If not, we’ll share clips that we’ll use in the final video. Make sure to contribute to the final product!
Champagne toast 🥂
Join Jeff, JR, and listeners around the world for a group champagne toast when it’s all done! Yes, it will still only be about 9:00 in the morning in Chicago. But just this once, you have our permission to crack open a celebratory beverage in the morning.
(Coffee also counts!)
Make sure to add your comments during the live stream. We’ll select a few comments to read during the toast.
All the other details
📆 Date: Saturday, September 3, 2022
⏰Times:
- Los Angeles: 6:00 a.m.
- Chicago / Mexico City / Bogota: 8:00 a.m.
- New York / Miami: 9:00 a.m.
- São Paulo: 10:00 a.m.
- London: 2:00 p.m.
- Paris / Rome / Berlin: 3:00 p.m.
- Istanbul: 4:00 p.m.
- New Delhi: 6:30 p.m.
- Jakarta: 8:00 p.m.
- Taipei – Hong Kong: 9:00 p.m.
- Tokyo: 10:00 p.m.
Don’t see your time zone? Convert it here.
Where: We will be live streaming to our Facebook group and to Instagram. Click to follow us: