Listen to radio stations in Austin if you want to enter contests to win free tickets to South by Southwest. Many radio stations offer streaming audio of their broadcasts online, so you do not need to live in the Austin area to tune in and participate in these contests. College and public radio stations are more likely to offer South by Southwest tickets, as their listeners make up a large portion of the demographic that attends the conference.
Visit the websites of bands, artists and filmmakers who are showcasing their work at South by Southwest. Often, participants in South by Southwest events hold contests and give away free tickets to their performances or screenings as a form of promotion.
Sign up for the mailing lists of various South by Southwest sponsors. Oftentimes, the incentive the sponsor offers is the chance to win free tickets to attend. Be aware that you are likely to receive regular emails with information about products and services offered by these sponsors, which may become annoying if the emails come often.
Use this alternate email address to sign up for promotional offers and contests to win free tickets to South by Southwest. It's a good idea to establish a separate email address from your main personal or work email address to avoid the spam and email reminders you are likely to receive as a result of signing up for these offers and contests. Remember to check this email address often in the weeks leading up to the festival, since you do not want to miss a notification about winning tickets.
Read Austin newspapers, magazines and other regular publications to see if they are advertising any chances to win free tickets to South by Southwest. Many of these publications are available online. Information about South by Southwest is likely to be included in the arts and entertainment sections of these periodicals.