Six Secrets to Success For Online Surveys
Want to get paid for your opinions? Read this first!
Consumers’ opinions are valuable. Hotel companies want to know about your summer travel plans. Toy manufacturers want to know how much you spend on your kids. But can you really get rewarded for sharing your opinions? Yes! You won’t get rich, but paid online surveys are a fun way to earn extra spending money or prizes.
However, many people don’t know how to get the most out of paid online surveys. Here are the six things you need to know if you want to succeed.
1. Sign up with a well-known online survey site.
Don’t click on any ads that promise $50 per hour for taking online surveys! You’re guaranteed to get scammed. Instead, go to a well-known survey site like SurveySay.com and you’ll receive a list of screened, legitimate market research panels.
Here’s how it works:
• You sign up with SurveySay.com and fill out a form that includes basic information about your age, where you live, etc.
• SurveySay.com then sends you a customized list of market research panels. You’ll probably see names you recognize, like Nielsen and NPD Online Research.
• Once you get your list, sign up with panels that interest you and start filling out surveys.
2. Do your homework before signing up with an online survey panel.
Before you start taking surveys, look at the panel’s website for information about how the process works. Each panel has its own system of rewarding participants. Some surveys use points that you can redeem for cash – accumulate enough points and you’ll get a check, a PayPal payment or a pre-paid debit card in the mail. Some give you prizes, like T-shirts, iTunes cards, gadgets and sports gear. And other panels let you redeem your points for entries in sweepstakes.
3. Remember that filling out online surveys is not a full-time job.
Taking surveys is not a work at home job – rather, it’s a convenient way to earn prizes or a little extra cash. Say you’re sitting at home watching TV and your laptop’s in front of you. During a commercial break, “rather than browsing around some blog mindlessly, you can go take a few surveys,” suggests Rob Dolafi of SurveySay.com. “It’s meant to be fun.” Not only that, but you’re helping companies develop affordable, well-tested products that you may soon see on store shelves.
4. Watch out for survey scams.
You should never be asked to pay any money in order to participate in paid surveys. There’s a lot of fraud in the online survey-taking business, Dolafi says. Some scammers pretend to be market researchers and ask consumers to purchase a product or service in order to evaluate it. The scammer promises to pay for a review – but the consumer never sees a dime.
The best way to find legitimate paid surveys is to use SurveySay.com. Staff test every survey marketing panel to make sure it’s legitimate. “We are 100 percent free throughout the process. You’ll never be asked to pay anything,” Dolafi says.
5. The more time you invest in online surveys, the better the rewards.
A lot of people sign up to take online surveys for money, complete one or two surveys and then quit. What they don’t know, Dolafi says, is that you have to demonstrate your value to survey companies in order to begin earning more money and rewards.
Dedicated online survey takers who participate frequently will be sent more paid survey opportunities than occasional users. In time, there's a chance they may get invitations to join in-person focus groups, which can pay as much as $50 or even $100 per session.
6. Don’t cheat!
Market research companies want your thoughtful, honest survey responses. “Trying to beat the system doesn’t get you anywhere,” Dolafi says. If you check “A” for every answer, or rush through a 50-question online survey in 60 seconds, you’ll be blacklisted and won’t be able to take any more paid online surveys.
Got all that? To start taking online surveys today, visit SurveySay.com.