With thousands of people
trying to find a way to make some extra money online
everyday, paid online survey sites are popping up
everywhere. With so many out there (some good, some -
well, not so good) it's hard to determine what to
believe. In an attempt to clarify the ins and outs,
and the myths and realities of paid online surveys,
I've composed a series of questions and answers to
help you sort everything out. We'll start with the
basics and then get into the nitty gritty.
Question: Is this for real? Why would someone
pay me to take online surveys?
Answer: Yes, this is for real. There
are literally hundreds of legitimate market research
companies out there who offer incentives for your
opinion. Companies have come to these firms to get
public opinions on their products or services and are
willing to pay them to find out what you think. They
then pass some of that payment onto you.
Question: What are the surveys about?
Answer: Just about anything that you
can think of. You may be asked to review a movie
trailer for a new movie, what kind of peanut butter
you like, what restaurants you frequent, you name it.
From barbeque grills to medical questions to
appliances to what you had for dinner last night.
There are sites for specific age groups, professions,
hobbies and interests. The surveys are generally very
interesting and these companies are looking for your
opinion on how to shape their products.
Question: How does it work?
Answer: Each company works a bit
differently, but here are the basics of online
surveys. You will sign-up for a paid survey site. You
will enter some basic demographic information (age,
gender, etc…), and when they have a survey available
in which they are looking for someone who fits your
profile, they will send you an invitation to take a
survey. The invitation will usually contain a link
directly to the survey and the incentive they are
offering for you to take the survey. Just click on the
link and take the survey to qualify for the reward.
Question: What kinds of incentives are
offered?
Answer: The incentives vary for each
site, but generally the incentives take the following
forms: cash, gift certificates (Amazon gift
certificates being the most popular), merchandise
(DVDs, small appliances, electronic gadgets, cookware,
etc…), and charity donations. Each survey site will
offer one or several of the above incentives for your
participation in their surveys. Some will offer these
straight out, for example "get paid $5.00 to take
this survey", some offer these in the form of a
drawing and others have a point system in which
accumulated points can be "cashed in" for
the items above.
Question: Will you get spammed by signing up
for paid survey sites?
Answer: No, but you do have to be
careful. There are some sites out there that are
simply advertising firms posing as paid online survey
sites. Here's my advise on how to tell the difference.
First, if they offer you a chance at a fantastic prize
for signing up, such as a car or a boat, I would be a
bit weary and do some more research before you
sign-up. Second, if the survey to sign-up for the site
consists of a lot of questions as to whether or not
you want more information on other products, walk
away, you're certain to get spammed. Just remember
that a legitimate market research firm will not
endorse a product or service, they are supposed to be
unbiased. Third, read the privacy policy if you have
any concerns. The majority of the sites out there are
legitimate and will only email you if there is a
survey available or if there is important information
they need to notify you of.
Question: Should you pay for a database of
paid survey sites?
Answer: No. There are several reasons
why you shouldn't pay a dime to take online surveys.
First, with a little effort you'll be able to find all
of the sites yourself - free. There are a lot of free
sites that have pretty good lists and also a few
really good free sites out there that have
comprehensive free paid survey directories with
hundreds of listings. Secondly, market research firms
are actually prohibited from charging people to
participate in surveys and frown upon anyone who does.
Question:
Can I get rich just by taking online surveys?
Answer: I've had so many people ask
me if there are going to be able to retire by taking
online surveys. Well, that's just not going to happen.
Where it is possible to make a decent amount of money
by making referrals or by running a survey related
website, you're just not going to be making a
full-time salary by simply taking surveys. There are a
lot of sites out there advertising that you can make
thousands of dollars per week or make $45 dollars and
hour for taking online surveys (you can actually make
$45 dollars an hour for a particular survey, but you
won't always make that much and it may only be a 10
minute survey).
Question:
How much can I make?
Answer: That's really hard to say. It
really depends on a number of factors. How many sites
did you sign-up with? How often do you take the
surveys you are invited to take? What is your
demographic? Etc… But I won't just leave you hanging
at that. I would say, if you sign-up for a number of
survey sites, take the majority of the surveys you are
invited to and are not limited in life experience, you
could make perhaps $1,000 to $2,000 a year in cash or
something equivalent. Mostly you will get smaller
payments ($1.00 to $10.00) for a survey but I've seen
them pay as much as $200. Treat this as extra cash,
not a career. You can easily make enough to take the
family out for dinner, buy a few extras, get a few
nice things for around the house or save it all for
your Christmas shopping.
Question: So, is it worth it?
Answer: Yes, I think so. Whereas,
it's not going to make you filthy rich, it's certainly
an easy and fun way to make a few extra bucks. I find
the surveys to be enjoyable to participate in and for
the time spent, the compensation is pretty good.
That wraps up this question and answer session.
Hopefully this article has shed some light on the
world of paid online surveys. If you cut through the
hype and know what to look for, online surveys can be
an enjoyable way to make some extra money. You'll get
to see new products before they come out, give your
opinion on how to make existing products better and
get paid to do so. Not too bad for a few minutes of
your time.
Chris Ohlson
is the owner of Free Paid Surveys.net, http://www.freepaidsurveys.net/
With a comprehensive listing of over 300
paid online survey sites
and dedicated to providing straight-forward
and honest information
on paid online surveys.
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