The Truth About Paid Online Surveys-
A Question and Answer Session
With thousands of people trying to find a way to make
some extra money online everyday, paid online survey taking
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 taking 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 online taking 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 online survey taking?
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 survey taking 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.
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About The Author
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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