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
ins and outs, and 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 basics and then get into 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 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 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 survey and incentive they are offering for you to take survey. Just click on link and take survey to qualify for reward.
Question: What kinds of incentives are offered? Answer: The incentives vary for each site, but generally incentives take following forms: cash, gift certificates (Amazon gift certificates being most popular), merchandise (DVDs, small appliances, electronic gadgets, cookware, etc…), and charity donations. Each survey site will offer one or several of 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 form of a drawing and others have a point system in which accumulated points can be “cashed in” for 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 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 survey to sign-up for 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 privacy policy if you have any concerns. The majority of 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.
