Online surveys - get paid for your opinion

A commonly searched topic is “make money online”, “get paid online”, “free cash” and other similar keyword combinations. Legitimate methods of money making revolve around selling genuine products, placed advertising, affiliate banners and pay per click. With hundreds of thousands of users seriously researching financial opportunities, paid online surveys are appearing all over the internet.

While it is true some surveys pay over £50/$100 per survey, I have found that not all surveys are suited to me and therefore I don’t qualify. These are normally reserved for particular demographic profiles and professions.

Anyway, I will address the frequent questions in addition to my own tips and experience regarding online surveys.

 

1. Who pays for me to take surveys? It this genuine?

Yes this is genuine and you do get paid. Market research is, has and always will be worth billions because companies are in business to make money by selling products. Why invest hard cash in product development before investing in public opinions? I’ve participated in traditional market research in the street after being asked by a rep, and for giving up my time to complete a questionnaire have received a small incentive.

2. What are these online surveys about?

It depends on your interests and who you sign up with. You may be asked about films, you may be asked about airlines or you may be asked about gadgets. It could be food, clothing or mortgages. You can guarantee your thoughts will count towards new or existing products.

3. How do online surveys work?

After signing up with a survey site you’ll receive some kind of confirmation email with a link leading back to the main site. It’s vital you fill out all basic profile information in order to receive future surveys. When a survey becomes available you’ll receive it via you’re registered email inbox. Sometimes it gets sent to “spam” or “junk” so check regularly or change the settings. Also, the more surveys you complete the more likely you are to receive more.

4. Will I actually be paid cash?

Survey sites advertising “rewards” or “incentives” tend not to be cash; rather more competitions, sweepstakes entries, charity donations, vouchers, gift certificates and merchandise (free appliances, gadgets etc). The majority of survey sites offer one or more of the above but what you really want is cash so look out for the ones that specialize in cash or points (usually redeemable for money).

5. Are survey sites just another way to send spam?

Yes and no. Not all sites are genuine and will do whatever they can to send newsletters and third party advertising, relying on bad judgment or tantalizing competition offers. A real marketing company shouldn’t endorse other products or services. Having said that, read their private policy and conduct research regarding their authenticity.

6. I’ve seen a paid survey site promising to make me hundreds for a nominal fee. Should I pay?

Market research firms are prohibited from charging what is basically a directory of free paid survey sites listing hundreds of links. With a little effort you can find these free sites on your own. Furthermore, don’t think of giving up the day job! This is extra cash and should be treated as such. It’ll add up over time and help but will not generate huge revenues.

7. How much can be made?

How often do you do the surveys? As mentioned earlier you’re more likely to have more surveys to fill out if you’re reliable and complete them when you receive the emails. How many survey sites have you signed up with? I personally shortlisted over 60, and after research and forum posts decided on 20 – 25 although there may well be more. Mostly you’ll get $1 to $10.00 (or the sterling equivalent). Otherwise you’ll earn redeemable points with varying values.

Tips

• If you are considering taking up surveys I highly recommend setting up a second email address to accommodate potential spam. After all, if you receive four or five survey messages everyday they’ll bury other important emails.
• The way to make the most out of surveys is be organized. After setting up a Yahoo or Hotmail account, register a free Pay Pal account because this is the only way some websites will pay you. It’s worth considering a free Roboform account to cut down on time spent filling in names, addresses etc.
• Keeping the same usernames and passwords is easier too. Just be sure to keep them written down for quick reference should your cookies get wiped or you forget. I have a folder with everything neatly logged in columns with dates and descriptions.
• If things start off slow don’t be put off and give up, yet on the other hand I don’t recommend spending all day filling in questionnaires. An hour a day is reasonable. Maybe you could spend your work lunch break doing surveys if you have computer access.
• The internet is vast and buzzing with activity: knowing where to look and what to do can give you in the region of £100 a month just for offering your opinion.

Useful links

YouGov - for those in the UK. Get paid 50p - £1 per survey (which takes less than 5 minutes) as well as the opportunity to win cash prizes of up to £1000. (Please note that the surveys are very few, on average, one a month)