Winning radio contests is easy (and here's how to do it)

By Andrea S. (aka aestrap)
In the last year I've won tickets to five concerts from a couple different radio stations. Two were on-air trivia questions, and the others were through online drawings. Here are some helpful tips on how you, too, can be a winner:
1. Program radio station numbers into your cell phone. Sure, I'm probably judged for having multiple local stations as contacts, but it makes dialing so much easier -- and you don't have to remember numbers that the DJ quickly rambles through.
2. Hit redial ... repeatedly! Radio stations are usually looking for a particular caller number, so hitting redial can pay off. In May I was flipping stations in the morning and happened to catch the tail end of a contest. Caller 14 could win Maroon 5 tickets if they could name the group's original band name. I knew the answer and quickly dialed the station. The person answering the phone said "eight." I was determined to win, so I redialed. This time, I was the 14th caller. I'll be attending the show in August!
3. Take pride in your knowledge of useless trivia! When Maroon 5 came out in 2003 with Songs About Jane, I wanted to know everything about the band. I stored that info in the back of my mind, and seven years later it paid off. Another local radio station does its own trivia contest every morning. The questions often deal with which musician is celebrating a birthday or an event that happened on that day. Last summer one question was, "R&B singer Eddie Floyd is celebrating a birthday today and had a hit with this superstitious song made famous by disco artist Amii Stewart." The question wasn't even completed and I had already dialed. I knew it was Knock On Wood -- a contestant sang it a couple seasons before on American Idol. My prize: I got concert tickets and a meet-and-greet with The Fray.
4. Join the radio station's VIP club. I've won tickets to see James Morrison, The Elms and Ingrid Michaelson. The station I won the tickets through has a VIP Room, and they put up opportunities for members to register to win tickets. If I'm interested in seeing a show, I'll enter and hope I win. Winning the Ingrid Michaelson tickets was pure fate. I was supposed to go to the venue on a Friday and buy tickets, but my afternoon didn't go as planned and I was unable to make it. The following Tuesday I received an e-mail stating that I had won two tickets to the show.
Until radio stations stop giving away tickets, I'll continue to hit redial and try to be that magic caller. I can't wait to see what show is next!
Andrea S. lives and wins fabulous prizes in Indianapolis.