Earn On The SideCash In Your Spare Time

I’m cheap. Frugal, thrifty, prudent…whatever you want to call it…. The point I am making is that I am not a gambler. I can’t stomach the thought of throwing money into something that regularly takes your money without a return. Sure, I’ll throw $20 in a slot machine here and there but as a general rule, I much prefer a return with no investment whenever possible.

About 5 years ago, I discovered radio contests. I know they’ve been around a lot longer than that, but back then, I spent a lot of time listening to CD’s and heard only the occasional win for concert tickets or a CD. Back to 5 years ago… My family was going to Hawaii and the deal was that we were all invited as long as we bought our own plane ticket. I couldn’t afford it at that point but needed a vacation badly. I said a few prayers and the very next week heard of a contest on a local radio station that when you heard the correct song, to be the 25th caller and you would win $1,000. I tuned my radio in at work and for the next few days tried feverishly to win that $1,000, finally succeeding just when I thought all hope was lost. I caught the bug.

I have a ton of stories that I could tell you all about my winnings and eventually, I will. I have appeared on three syndicated game shows and I have tips and techniques for getting on those.

In the last year alone, I won over 145 different radio contests worth more than $15,000. I have won free trips to Hawaii, London, Las Vegas, and New York. I have seen dozens of free shows, won gobs of free meals, movie passes and amusement tickets. I am a bona fide “prize pig” (as the radio stations call people like me) and I am very proud of it

Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started on winning as well. Watch this section for more details and information on winning.

• Turn on your radio.

You can’t win as much if you don’t listen. Don’t worry though if you aren’t able to listen at work. There are tons of opportunities to win online these days and nights and weekends are some of the best times to win radio contests.By listening to the stations you win from, you can also become more familiar with their patterns. Some stations give things away about the same time every day or after a certain number of songs. If you are familiar, you increase your chances.Try to win.This should have been point number 1, but it’ll do as number 2. You CANNOT win if you don’t try. I have friends who hear about my winnings who always exclaim “I never win anything!” as if my winnings are unfair. The first question I ask them is if they ever try. You WILL not win every time and you will not win MOST of the time, but every time you try, you are increasing your odds. Use your cell phone and home phone so you have two chances. While there are certainly no guarantees, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances.

• Expand your tastes in music.

You may only listen to the local top hip hop station because that’s the music you prefer, but if that’s the case, you are only going to win from that station. I never liked country music but started listening to a local country station who gives away great prizes. I really enjoy the music now and have won a ton of great prizes in the process.

• Visit radio station websites.

The reason in this is two fold. Radio stations will generally update the websites with their prizes or promotions early on Monday mornings. Sign up for their e-mail lists and e-clubs. They will then deliver this information to your in box every week. If you don’t want to get the SPAM or junk e-mail, set up a free account through gmail or yahoo where you can send all of this kind of stuff. Gmail will filter through the junk for you. Some contests are only open to members of their clubs so sign up for them all.The other reason to register on all of these websites is for the web contests and point programs. Programs where you collect points are great ways to win prizes. Generally, you will listens for songs or key words and when you put them into the website, you earn points to trade in for prizes. These programs are free and work well for people who can’t always listen during the day.

There are also forums or groups all over the internet where people share codes and help each other out just to be nice. Be careful though, the radio stations don’t like the sharing of codes, so I wouldn’t publicize your name when you share.

For a list of all radio station websites owned by Clear Channel in your area, click here and enter your city.For a list of all radio station websites owned by Jefferson Pilot Communications, click here.For forums with contest information and bonus words of the day in San Diego and Los Angeles click here and here.

• Keep track of the rules and regulations for each station.

Many radio stations have a 30 day rule (which I can’t stand). This allows you to win only once in a 30 day period on a particular station (or other station owned by the same company). While I understand why stations do this (to keep prize pigs like me at bay), I personally believe this rule to be more harmful than good for radio stations. Radio contests are some of the fairest contests out there. Even if people have auto dialers or a quick redial, I don’t know of any unfair way to call and be a specific caller. If a machine helps you, which I am sure someone could figure out a way to do, then there still would have to be an eligible caller on the other end of the line. Everyone who tries has the same chance and I don’t think there is an actual way to cheat. In my case, however, if I can’t win on a station because of the 30 day rule, I’ll generally switch stations to one that I can win on.

I keep a spreadsheet with all of the prizes that I win on and the dates. This helps me come tax time as well as making sure that I am eligible to win on a particular station at any given time. Find stations with no 30 day rules. I found two locally and now I LOVE the stations and listen to them even when there is nothing to win.

• Be grateful for everything that you win.

Keep your karma in check, even if you don’t believe in it as a principal, I recommend giving the Universe more reasons than not to reward you with well being. I try to be as nice as possible to the DJ’s I speak to when I win, even getting to know them a little bit.I am super nice to the front desk people at the stations and I have been known to send a handwritten thank you note for prizes to the station managers.

I also help friends out with winning…sharing my prizes, buying dinners when I win and helping them to increase their own odds of winning.

I have tons more to share, but this should definitely get you started and well on your way to winning. Check back often or leave a comment with your successes, questions or tips of your own. If they’re giving it away, why shouldn’t you win?!

Click Here for Part 2!

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