Radio Contests - Gold Star Update

Most of you will be aware of my compulsive contest habit, so I'll not rehash. (See the original Radio Competitions post if you are new here.) I'm not ashamed to admit that I spend a fair bit of my daily waking hours listening to the radio and entering every competition I can. Now, when I come into work, people ask me if I've won anything today. Why they aren't entering themselves, I'll never know. They are still convinced they won't win, maybe convinced I'll always win instead. This week, however, proving it's not a fix, someone else has been winning.

I've had to hand the victory torch over to Graeme. First, he won us tickets to see Travis (great Scottish band) play at a small Edinburgh venue. Money can't buy this prize; tickets can only be won through xfm, which is my favourite station as luck would have it. Second, he won tickets and camping passes to Rock Ness, a music festival held on the shores of beautiful Loch Ness. We could have bought tickets (£100 each), but probably wouldn't have spent that much on a weekend of music. For those of you who have been sleep reading, we won those on xfm.

The second win was really a team effort. We both tried to get on the air to win, but Graeme made it. I had figured out the answer to the question: what is the name of the person who blagged his way onto the guest list. That was a tough one. Did you know that Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards had a law degree and is now a sports agent? Even more obscurely, he put out two singles, one in a foreign language. The fact that he had formerly been a plasterer helped me nail it. Go figure. The point here is that sometimes a team effort is the best way to win.

All right, so I've said this before, but it's worth saying again. Get entering competitions, any free competitions you can. You want to be a winner, don't you? Well, you've got to play. Find somebody to play along and double your chances. Besides, shared victory really is sweet. Get in there and let me know when you win. I'll share with you, if not the prize, then in the glory basking at least.

Radio Competitions - Gold Star

Don’t eliminate yourself. Let them eliminate you. Thank you to my high school Chemistry teacher for this invaluable lesson. Of course, he was referring to scholarships, bursaries, university programs, that sort of thing. However, I have universally applied this principle to great effect across my life, the most exciting results emerging from the world of radio competitions.

Radio contests are a rather new phenomenon in my life. Last year, I got an upgrade on my mobile and the new one has an fm radio. As a two-hour a day bus commuter, a radio-phone has been my ticket to maintaining my sanity as well as to padding my lifestyle. I can simultaneously block out the back-seaters and win free stuff. Really, this phone has changed my life. (That’s a bit sad when I read it back, but true, so I’ll leave it.)

Now, if you’ve been following these posts, you’ll know that I listen to xfm Scotland, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have similar success with your favourite local station. Most people have the idea that they never win anything, thus self-fulfilling the prophecy of never winning. Defeated from the start, they don’t enter. Here’s the beauty, though: someone’s got to win. Why shouldn’t you be that someone?

Some may say it’s foolish to give out the secret to my success, but I can tell you honestly, this is no big secret. It’s just about probability. Keeping in mind that most listeners won’t enter, I know that my odds are pretty high for each competition, particularly compared to the odds of winning at bingo, the slots, a bet on a horse, or the lottery (but I still buy tickets for that). In my two hours, I enter every single competition aired: every one, without fail. Sometimes I’m required to phone in and can’t get through because it’s prime time or the prize is really alluring. Otherwise, if there’s a contest on xfm, I’m in. Maybe there’s more to that OCD theory than I thought.

What does this cost? It costs nothing if the way to enter is by calling the free phone number, 25 pence if I have to text. What are the rewards? Thus far, I’ve won Cd's, t-shirts, cash, events tickets, and just this week, a trip for two to a music festival in Austria. (We go next week, so look for a post on that. I’m anticipating a gold star, but will keep an open mind.) Could I have afforded this holiday without the win? No. Does this enhance my life? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Again taking a universal approach, look around you and you’ll find all sorts of opportunities to enter contests for free. Most people ignore the fliers, adverts, or posters in your favourite newspapers, magazines, chain stores, and petrol stations. The list goes on. You could pay a subscription for a service that will email you this list, or you could just pay attention and find the contests yourself. Better yet, turn on the radio, get your mobile phone ready (be safe and legal if driving), listen up, and stop eliminating yourself. You could be the next winner.

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