If you're wondering what's going to happen if you start signing up for a bunch of these "paid surveys" companies, then check out a few screenshots from a typical survey taking e-mail inbox. This is after exactly one year of being signed up. You may have more or less invitations depending on many factors, as is discussed at length throughout this site. Yes, there are lots of two, three, and four dollar surveys. Some take five minutes, some take a bit more. And there are plenty of very, very good paying surveys as well. Check them out.

Also of note, there was some SPAM. Nothing malicious, no malware, just partners of a few of the companies, trying to pan their goods. If you're at all familiar with the internet, you would not have deemed any of the SPAM anything to worry about. Set your filters on your e-mail and check the junk folder for missed paid survey invitations. Pretty simple.

sample surveys

First, see what it's like to take an online survey. Maybe you'd rather stick a fork in your eye than answer questions on a computer...

Click here to see a sample online survey from Zarca

Click here to see a sample online survey from SurveyCafe

Click here to see a sample survey from Matrix Research

tools for online surveys

Browser compatibility - You should probably have the latest version of the survey company's preferred internet browser, as most firms will be formatting their surveys that way. Using other than their preferred browsers may actually hinder your survey taking, but this is in no way trying to push you into using an application you don't like. While they're starting to make "other" browser compatible surveys, for the meantime, it's the "old-standard" for most of the industry. Maybe your browser is fine, maybe it's not. They'll tell you when you log-on most of the time, so consider this a heads-up notification, that's all.

Get the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer

Form Fillers - When you go to sign-up at any given site, you'll have to fill out some information about yourself. Form-fillers are pretty good for expediting this process, and generally worth it. Be forewarned, not every single place you'll sign up with have all their fields formatted correctly for use with all form-fillers. You'll probably have to type a little bit, no matter what. Good thing is, if you can't type when you start, you'll darn sure be a better typist when you're done! Most of the ones shown below offer a freebie version.

Yahoo Toolbar -  has form filler integrated

Google Toolbar - has form filler integrated

IE Fill Form - form filler

RoboForm - form filler

iNet Form Filler - form filler

Field Filler - form filler

Spy-ware programs - They're just a good idea if you're on the internet at all. The couple shown below are old standby's and they're free, which is always good. While they're not absolutely essential for taking surveys online, why not put another layer of protection against you and the rest of the world?

SpyBot Search & Destroy - free spy-ware utility

Ad-Aware - free spy-ware utility

WinPatrol - free spyware utility

 

tips for starting out

Online Surveys

If you're going to take part in consumer research, get used to answering lots of questions that may seem like an invasion of your privacy. Age, gender, race, relationship status, education level attained, occupation, industry of employment, status of employment, income level, owning or renting, main grocery buyer, which mobile network you use, insurance, banking, hobbies, medical conditions, number of children, pets, smoking habits, drinking habits, travel habits, sexual preference, etc etc. Sometimes the answers are optional, sometimes not, so make sure you're comfortable answering some seemingly very personal questions. If you're gut tells you it's some kind of phony-baloney fly-by-night hack site, or your browser tells you it's a known "phishing site," or your spy-ware software says the site is a "source for malicious content", then follow your instincts. There are plenty to choose from. You probably won't be missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

• Look for the opt-out, or unsubscribe methods employed. Before you start a relationship, with any company!

• If none are shown or provided, use the contact information and find out how you do. If no contact information is given, that should tell you something. If no one gets back to you, that should tell you something as well.

• Always read the "terms" and "privacy policy" before you sign on with any company.

• If you're using a form-filler, get it set-up with your information.

• Alright, you're ready to sign-up. Again, start slow! Just because you can sign-up with a few hundred places in a few days, doesn't mean you should.

   

  • Depending on the frequency of invitations, you may be quickly overwhelmed with more offers than you can sort through and respond to in a timely manner. Get a grasp on how all of this works, then sign-up with more and more companies as your time allows.

   

  • Important - keep an eye on your inbox. Most companies will send confirmation emails the same day, which you may or may not have to respond to complete your registration. Depending on the nature of that particular research firm, the surveys should be arriving very soon. Also, most of them will notify you to check your spam settings, as some invitations may end up there.

• Complete their "profile" surveys first, or at least enough of them to get you loosely categorized. If you start slow and don't overwhelm yourself by signing up with way too many companies at first, you'll be much more likely to complete enough of these profiles to maximize your invitation rate.

• No market research is done without a "target" audience. You must completely and accurately complete your profile information to even be considered for taking a paid survey most of the time. These are essential to properly categorizing you into a demographic, which in turn will ensure that you are selected for appropriate surveys. You may get a few general study surveys, but to truly maximize your earning potential and get the more specific and targeted surveys, you should absolutely, positively do profile questionnaires!

• Always check the invitations for statements of potential reward or compensation and approximate effort required from you.

• Make sure of all the particulars before you agree to anything with anybody. Read all the words of the invitation, not only the subject line, very carefully.

• Find out exactly what is required, and what exactly the reward is for fulfilling that requirement.

• Make sure of their definitions of "cash", as sometimes it's a pre-paid debit card, not actual cash.

• Complete the first surveys they send you. This stage is about building a relationship and a reputation.

• Just because you feel like getting paid for your opinion doesn't necessarily qualify you for top dollar surveys. You know you're a wealth of information, dependable, trustworthy, and should be considered for a Nobel Prize, but they don't. Yet. You must establish a track record and a reputation with these companies. Do you know how many people sign-up, and never respond because anything less than the highest-paying surveys are deemed unworthy of their time? Does the rookie ever get the biggest-paycheck? They keep a database that tells them who is dependable, honest, and timely. If you're blowing off most of the first surveys because they don't pay enough, you may or may not get the most out that particular company.

• If you're a "mouse only" user you may want to practice using your "Tab" key to manage the registration forms quickly, and the "Tab" and "space" keys for surveys. "Tab" generally advances through the form, and "space" will generally check or uncheck the answer box.

• You'll have to enable cookies on your browser, which collect the information from the surveys. Some companies will tell you this before you start the survey, some won't. You can find instructions on how to do so in your browser's "Help" area.

• You'll need to develop your own system of keeping track of all this. It can be clipboard and pencil, a collection of favorites saved, a spreadsheet, or any other means you find convenient.

   

  • Whichever way you choose, make sure you keep track of which companies you signed up with, when you signed up, and the dates of the surveys you started, including the ones you didn't finish, and the dates and rewards of the surveys you completed.

   

  • Keep track of which companies email you every invitation, and which ones require you to visit their site, log-in to the "members area," and leave it up to you to check which surveys are available for you to take.

   

• Check with your financial institution, and make sure they'll deposit the funds from your rewards.

   

  • The name on the check they send you will be the one you gave them. If you're going to use your initials as your contact information, make sure that's acceptable to your bank in regards to depositing funds.

   

  • Ask your bank if they accept funds from the other various banks and institutions the research companies may use to write checks from or deposit into your account from.

tips for starting out

Focus Groups

Basically, just be yourself. Not too hard, right?

• When the facility recruiter calls, listen carefully, and answer questions clearly and honestly.

 

• Don't prepare or think too much about the issues you were asked about when the facility called you. If there is homework to be done beforehand, they'll let you know. Your raw, everyday opinions are what they're looking for.

 

• Arrive early to complete the necessary paperwork for your session, and follow any instructions you received during the initial recruit call—for example, the facility might ask you to bring your favorite canned-beverage or a label from a product you use.

 

• Once you're in the interview room with the moderator, respond naturally (they're watching everything, including body language if they're good), and always ask for clarification if you don't understand a question or instruction.

 

• If you really love something or really hate something, say so. Good consumer research is more interested in getting your honest opinion than getting what you think they want you to say. You're being paid to be completely honest, so don't worry about "hurting someone's feelings."

 

• In a focus group, check in with yourself every now and then to gauge how much you are talking. If you haven't said much in a while, wake yourself up and start contributing (without being rude, manners never go out of style), even if it's just to ask a question or elaborate on another person's answer. They'll know you're paying attention and actually give a darn about the issue more than collecting your pot of gold.

strategies for paid online surveys

Develop a personal strategy to maximize your exposure and potential in the research industry. Earning a reputation as an honest, timely, and dependable respondent is your goal, not being labeled as a "professional paid surveys taker", which is frowned upon in the industry.

Do NOT sign up with "as many as you can as fast as you can!" Sign-up with as many as you think you can manage efficiently. Survey companies are looking for quality respondents, nothing less.

Again, start conservatively at first to feel your way through (you'll see), and add more companies as your time allows. If you try signing up with a few hundred companies all at once, you'll be burnt out before you start filtering your inbox and responding to a few hundred survey invitations a day. Seriously.

Methodically, carefully and patiently figure out which research companies are worth your time, and then after a sufficient trial period, simply un-subscribe to those that aren't. You sign up, and then wait and see what projects they send you, how often and what they pay. Yes, it's that's simple! Your longevity will depend on your patience level, expectations, and willingness to participate.

Certain companies have specialties or favor various demographics during different times of the year, so don't give up so quickly either.

It's up to you whether or not you want to take their surveys, so don't feel obligated to answer every single little offer everyone sends you.

Don't sign-up exclusively for the highest paying, qualitative research focus groups only. You'll need to augment those studies that are only conducted a few times a year with other quantitative market research surveys that are conducted on a regular, day-to-day basis.

Figure out who's "points" systems are best for you (they change sometimes, but they're supposed to notify you) and who's are redeemable for the rewards you want.

All rewards points-systems are NOT created equal. Just because a point from one company is worth more than another, doesn't mean you'll necessarily benefit any more. More important is the value and frequency of the surveys each company will send you.

Compare their points values to monetary values to pay-out thresholds to frequencies of invitations and your track record of completing their surveys, and you'll soon know what's working best for you.

Configure your new email to use filters or directories for the individual companies, and/or categories of pay-outs. This makes it much easier to glance at your surveys inbox and quickly prioritize your invitations. You can quickly sort that folder by names and see who's sending you what kind of surveys and how often.

Check your spam box once a week for missed invitations, just as a precaution. Even though you may have set up all your filters correctly, invariably some invitations will end up there, and you could miss some special invites with a different email address from a trusted company. Just don't open the other junk!

Please read the get started page before you start signing up!