Paid Surveys... hmmm

I’m sure we’ve all received a phone call at one point or another inviting us to participate in a survey over the phone… haven’t you? Or maybe you’ve been approached in a mall with the same inquiries? I know I have… many of our responses aren’t too friendly, but what if they asked you to complete the survey in return for some cash? Hah! I know I’d take the offer. In fact, they’ve been paying consumers for their opinions since the “big bang” of the marketing industry. Think about it… we approach them as if they were a germ; terrified we’ll catch the virus… you think they get many surveys completed? I mean, they have to get their opinions from some place.

So, companies collect marketing information from survey panels to help guide them in appropriately improving their products and/or services. It’s obvious how this benefits them, right? Well in short, by improving their products and/or services they attract more customers and keep more consumers; in turn, making them more moola. Of course, these survey panels offer rewards in exchange for consumers’ opinions.

If you’re interested in earning a little extra cash in exchange for your opinion, keep in mind that this will not get you rich. Each completed survey is rewarded with money, points redeemable for cash or prizes, or vouchers. In general, these surveys can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to complete and pay between $1 and $10. However, longer surveys can pay up to $100; rare, but true. Although, there are some ways to improve your chances of increasing your ‘survey income’:

• Sign up with as many *trusted* survey panels you can handle.
• Show your reliability in responding to all survey invitations – this may increase the number of surveys you receive – immediately before the targeted number of survey participants has been reached, and the survey expires.
• Be sure to complete each survey fully or you will not be credited for it, as it will show as ‘incomplete’.

When you first register, most survey panels provide “Profile Surveys” for you to complete; these must be completed before you will receive any surveys and you do not get credited for them. The information they collect can seem fairly intrusive (i.e. what brand name of milk do you buy… why? What’s the name of your insurance company? How much do you pay for your mortgage?), but keep in mind these questions are only asked as a way to provide surveys that fit your lifestyle.

Note:
Trustworthy survey panels do not ask you for your credit card information, banking information, and/or your Social Insurance Number. They also don’t try to sell you any products or services, or request any payments, so if this is asked of you chances are they’re a fraudulent source.

If you're interested in participating in an online survey panel, see my Paid Surveys List.