ALT-2 How to get Paid Taking Online Surveys
Online surveys are a great way of earning some money. All you need is a computer, internet access, and some spare time. However, there is a bit work to be done before getting started. The important issues are (a) avoiding scam sites, (b) finding sites that pay in cash or gift card/voucher rather than sweepstakes entries, (c) send plenty of email invitations, and (d) pay up as promptly, as promised.
The following points will assist you in sorting this out:
(1) Only join legitimate Online Survey Panels operated by reputable Market Research companies. There are many articles here at Helium that identifies them, such asWebsites that pay you to take surveysandTop paying survey sites that really pay. In addition, free sites such asSurveyPolicethat rate survey sites based on members reviews, and expose any scam sites they come across, are of great assistance.
(2) Read the Panel’s “Terms and Conditions”. Unless you are only looking to have your opinion heard, make sure you qualify for the incentives. For example, Australian residents are welcome to join Harris Online Panel but are not eligible for any rewards. You could be spending time on an ineligible incentive survey while the quota fills on a lucrative one left waiting in your Inbox.
(3) Once you have confirmed your eligibility for the rewards, decide if you consider them fair remuneration for your time and effort. There is a lot of variation between what is on offer. Top of the list is cash, followed by Gift Cards, Online Vouchers, Sweepstakes/Prize Draws entries, donations to Charities, and/or a combination of two or more of these. Focus on cash and gift card/voucher (nearly as good).
(4) Then there is the “rate”. This can also vary greatly between Panels - from about 30cents to $10 for a 30-minute survey. See “Survey sites:Comparisons of cash rewardsfor more information. Maximizing the quantity of surveys you complete is one thing, maximizing the quality is far more lucrative.
(5) If the Panel passes your scrutiny to this point and you become a member, you are asked to complete “Profile Surveys”. They form the basis of your demographic and the Panel uses this data to help determine which surveys are appropriate for you. It is therefore imperative that you complete all of them thoroughly to increase your opportunities. Bear in mind the Panels do not choose randomly, they target members that fit the demographic they want for the particular survey topic.
(6) Always respond to the invitations you receive promptly. For two important reasons. Firstly, particularly on the top Panels, quotas fill quickly and you may miss a good reward. Secondly, most Panels record replies, so you could end up on their “preferred” list, which not only results in more invitations, but also often boosts your chances of qualifying. Conversely, often failing to respond at all may see you on their “inactive” list, resulting in fewer invitations. I suggest you create a new email address, maybe yahoo or Hotmail etc., to dedicate to survey sites, click to view, competitions etc. This way you are not clogging up your regular email box and invitations will be readily identifiable. Furthermore, you can put the Panels addresses on your contact list, ensuring no invitation inadvertently goes to spam.
(7) Whencompleting the surveysyou are invited to participate in, do so honestly and diligently. Do not contradict yourself - either within the survey you are doing, or against your profile surveys. The Panels check for this, sometimes asking the same question, framed differently, elsewhere in a survey. Another method is to instruct you to “Click Box 3 for quality control purposes”. Obtain a reputation as a reliable and honest member and you will get more invitations, and possibly product testing offers.
(8) Open aPayPalaccount if you do not already have one. Most Panels that pay in cash do so via this medium.
Bear in mind though, certain Panels will send more invitations than others, not only due to your profile, but also depending on their clientele. Some Panels simply have more clients, and subsequently commission more surveys, than their competitors. Finally, despite the outlandish claims of some ads, do not expect to be able to rely on survey earnings as enough to live on – if you can make about US$3000 in a year, you will have done well.
