Paid Survey FAQs - Why And How People Are Taking Surveys Online

Anywhere you go online nowadays, you will see an ad offering to pay you cash for your opinion. Whether it's a paid survey or focus group, the idea is the same - market research companies want your opinion and are willing to give you cash and free merchandise for you to spend your time filling out their surveys.

In this article, we will clear up the mystery surrounding "paid surveys".

What is a paid survey?

A paid survey, or "market research survey", is a series of questions that are presented to either an individual, or group of individuals, to see how they perceive and respond to certain products or services. Each and every person fits into some type of demographic (segments of human populations broken down by age, sex, income, etc.), that certain products or services are marketed to. For instance, athletic equipment may be marketed towards a younger, physically active demographic, while luxury cars might be marketed towards a higher income demographic. These online surveys are offered for free as a means to understand certain markets better.

What is a focus group?

A focus group is another type of survey where a group of individuals are invited to discuss a certain topic related to the company that sponsors the focus group. You may or may not know the point of the discussion and they are often hosted by a moderator that will guide the discussion. These focus groups can be held at a physical location or online and usually lasts between 30 minutes to 2 hours. The compensation can range from up to , depending on the topic and time involved.

Why is my opinion so important?

Companies spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars on advertising for new and/or existing products and services. These "advertising campaigns" can sometimes be a complete waste of time and money if the company does not research the market that they are trying to capture. So it makes sense for a company to see how it's products or services are received by the public, before it invests the money and time on advertising. This is where the market research survey comes in, and this is why your opinion is so important.

I understand all that, but why would they pay me money?

The answer to this question is very easy and boils down to one thing; Your time is worth their money! Think about it this way...if you are going to introduce a new type of tennis racket into the market, but you're unsure if it's needed or wanted, would you rather spend thousands of dollars on advertising, or simply pay 50 tennis players and find out their opinion about tennis rackets?

Okay, so how much can I really make taking paid surveys?

Compensation from survey companies can range from $1 up to $75 per survey, and most surveys take around 6-12 minutes to complete. There are some companies that offer points for completing a survey, and those points can then be redeemed for gift certificates, merchandise, cash and prizes. You can even be entered into raffles for prizes after completing certain surveys. No matter what the compensation, all legitimate survey companies will tell you up front, before you begin the survey, what the compensation will be. The more you take, the more you make.

How am I paid, and is that money taxed?

The market research company that sponsors the survey or focus group will send you your compensation, usually by mail. The money that they tell you the survey is worth is the amount you will receive by check. It is entirely possible to receive multiple checks from multiple research companies at various times of the month. Since you will be operating as an independent contractor, you are responsible for filing taxes on all the money earned you have earned.

Is there a limit to the number of paid surveys I can take?

There is no limit to the amount of surveys or focus groups you can participate in online. You can offer your opinion every day, all day and get paid for it.

Who is eligible to take a paid survey?

Almost anyone is eligible to sign up for and take online surveys, although some companies may have certain age restrictions. Some companies will allow surveys to be completed by people 13 years of age or older, while other survey companies require you to be 18 years of age or older.

Do I need to fit a certain profile to participate in a paid survey?

When you register with a market research company, you are asked a preliminary set of questions to figure out what type of profile you have. That profile will be used to determine what surveys and focus groups you will be invited to participate in. Since there are hundreds of research companies that sponsor surveys, the more you sign up with will increase the number of paid surveys are offered to you.

What kinds of questions are asked on paid surveys?

You are asked a wide range of questions, such as where you prefer to shop or what kind of shampoo you use. You will be asked about products that you have tried and what products you continue to buy. The questions on research surveys are given to better understand the different markets the company is trying to capture, which is why your answers are so valuable to them.

Will I be ever required to pay to take an online survey?

There are many paid survey opportunities on the internet, and they all are offered 100% free of charge. However, there are a few paid survey directory websites ("paid survey programs") that charge a fee to join. They have spent their time researching all the paid surveys online to find the legitimate ones, and have listed them all in one spot. The one time sign-up fee that is charged by these websites are to maintain their directory and keep their paid survey list up to date and accurate.

Are these paid survey programs worth the money?

Yes. In our opinion, they are very worth the money. These paid survey programs have established relationships with hundreds of survey companies (more than we offer) and provide an invaluable resource for you to find quality paid surveys in one convenient location. For your initial sign-up fee, you get access to every paid survey company in their directory and save you time by weeding out the scams and fraudulent survey companies.

I heard that paid survey programs are a scam - Is it true?

The simple answer is no. But of course, nothing is that simple. A lot of people want things for free, and when they have to pay, they end up expecting the world. They want to sign up, pay the money and then go to their mailbox and start collecting checks. They don't realize that there still is work involved. But the underlying point is that these paid survey programs deliver on exactly what they advertise - access to their database listing 100's of market research companies. Remember, the bottom line is that if you don't like what they offer, you are entitled to your money back and they deliver on that, too.

In conclusion

It's very important to do all your research and find out all that you can about the paid survey you are going to take, and the market research company that you are signing up with. You can definitely make some good money online, so good luck and have fun!

This article was written by G. Garcia, owner of http://www.paidsurveychoices.com which lists top survey panels in their free paid surveys directory

Why Online Paid Surveys Work?

Hundreds of web surfers these days are subscribing to paid survey websites. Many of these are also making a few handy dollars every week or month. Paid Survey is now a big business and is getting bigger every day. So why would a company pay these dollars to the web surfers? Obvious they are getting money from somewhere. Paid Survey website owners are certainly not doing charity. So then by which way do these site owners pay their staff, pay the site members and still make a handsome profit. Lets try to demystify the mystery, which surrounds this business.

Paid Survey sites are primarily of two types - 1. Paid Survey site database 2. The actual Paid Survey site

The first type in itself does not conduct surveys. They are merely directories of the Paid Survey sites. Most of them would have links which when clicked, takes user to the actual paid survey pages of a different site. They make money by two ways; first is they get paid for keeping the reference and links to the actual Paid Survey site owners and secondly some of them charge a registration fee to access their directories. Hence if you are paying to register to these directories, remember that they are not going to pay you anything. They would simply help you to find and navigate to the actual Paid Survey sites. Ideally, if you are a new Pair Survey worker then you should start with searching Paid Survey sites on your own through one of the search engines or register at a free Paid Survey site directory.

The actual Paid Survey sites host surveys on various topics. They could be conducting survey on some newly launched product or an advertising promotion. Most of the times the surveys are carried out for some manufacturing or service company. They often want to know their customer preferences and behavior. The Paid Survey site does the job for them and gets paid in return. Some site owners also help the consumer companies in analyzing the data and generate statistical reports. Some of the returns they pass on to the survey takers. Some dubious survey site owners pass on their member contact information to other companies. These companies then send mail promoting their products. This is one of the channel by which spam reaches your mailbox. Well known Paid Survey sites also make money by advertising others products or services. Quiet a few Paid Survey sites, this days charge a small registration fee for the new members joining the site to take surveys. This too adds to their revenues.

All the above ensures that both the Paid Survey Directory sites and the actual Paid Survey sites thrive on the Wonderland of Internet.

Rob owns a blog and website helping people choose between paid surveys companies. Please visit the blog for more information on online paid surveys

Don't Pay Online Free Paid Surveys, Make Online Survey Pay You!

Free Paid Surveys

Would you like to find a way to turn your free time into an extra source of income? Did you know that you could make from ten to one hundred fifty dollars an hour by simply sharing your opinion through surveys and market research? Everyday, new products and services are entering the marketplace. And before a company will spend billions of dollars on marketing, its owners need to know how much demand there is for their product and what people think of what they are trying to sell. These companies will pay good money to learn your opinion about their products and services. As a survey taker you can make several hundred to several thousand dollars a month working from home and setting your own hours.

Working on free paid surveys is fun easy work that lets you set your own hours and pace. You may choose to work for thirty minutes before you go to bed each night. Or you may decide to work on your surveys while you are waiting for your kids to come home from school in the afternoons. You may even decide to take a few weeks off from survey taking altogether. In any case, working on free paid surveys allows you to be your own boss in deciding how much work you want to do and how much money you want to make.

There are several websites out there that offer access to paid surveys from marketing companies. Some may ask you to sign up and pay an initiation or enrollment fee to have access to these surveys. But don?t get scammed into paying a fee to work on paid surveys. Businesses are looking for the opinions of average individuals, not just those with money to spare on application fees. So most companies will pay the website directly to be notified of customers that are willing to complete a paid survey. If you really want to make money on the internet while voicing your opinion, completing free paid surveys is one of the oldest and most proven way of doing it.

You may be wondering how you will be paid for this type of work. Payment may be in the form of a company check, mailed directly to you, or via an online service such as PayPal. Depending upon the company you sign up with, you may be paid by the market research company that is conducting the survey, or by the company that developed the survey. Just be sure you know the exact terms of each survey before completing the assignment.

The best part about working on free paid surveys is that you are in complete control of when, where, and how much you work. This is the perfect opportunity for anyone who is interested in making some extra cash, from stay at home parents, to college students, to seniors. You can complete surveys as many surveys as you want in your spare time, working at your own pace and in the environment of your choosing. If you are looking for a way to make some extra cash while keeping hours that are flexible, then completing free paid surveys may be the perfect job opportunity for you!

 http://www.surveyclub.com/go/12741

Greenfield Online--A Paid Survey Site Comparison

 by: Jennifer Hall

If you've done enough web browsing, looking for ways to make a little cash online, the idea of getting paid for surveys has probably come up. The great thing about it is, it's truly an easy way to make some cash, and it's legitimate. As a member of over 80 paid survey sites, with my own site recommending the best of these sites, I have come to know a good survey site from a bad one. And I do believe that Greenfield Online is one of the best.

One reason being that if you check their site every few days, you can always expect to find new surveys, and can expect to get paid cash for a lot of them. The way it works is you go to their site and choose from a list of available surveys, fill it out (most take me less that 10 minutes - these are some of the easiest, shortest surveys out there), and in most cases, if you're one of the first thousand people, you get $1 for the survey. Although I've seen others that pay $2-$10 to the first 500 or thousand people...if I'm on the ball and check the site regularly, I'll easily get $2 for a survey here and there. On average, if you check back often, you can expect to easily make $10 in less than a couple of months, and usually for a very short amout of time taking the surveys. It may not seem like much, but considering that most surveys generally just take a few minutes, it's really worth it. Especially if you combine that with active membership in a few other good survey sites.

The surveys can literally be over anything, if it's being marketed, it's possible that a survey over it will be available - from food to movies to banking. They, as well as most other survey sites, cover it all. However food seems to be the most prevalent.

The layout of the site is nice and professional, with attractive, rounded, and green design. It's very easy to navigate. The feel is always friendly and there's no need to wait until your account reaches a certain amount - you can request a check at any time. Even if you never check back, you will get email survey opportunities occasionally, making it as convenient for you as possible.

Jennifer Hall is the founder and editor of http://Savvy-Cafe.com, a journal for fun home ideas and an online guide to saving money which publishes http://www.savvy-cafe.com/surveys/; and http://onetimesone.com, an online magazine featuring independent music and film. When she's not online, Jennifer's spending time with her family, gardening, or playing the piano or accordion.

Why Great Companies Survey: Martian Logic!

 If an alien civilization from Mars was planning a friendly takeover of our planet they would seek to make sure they understood our way of life and our way of thought.

The only way they could accomplish their objective would be by asking questions which they could genuinely understand and then plan a strategy accordingly. Although this idea may seem outlandish, in my humble opinion, it is also what separates the great companies on our planet from the Wannabe's.

The greatest RISK in marketing lies in dealing with OPINION instead of fact. Stated another way, risk and the threat of loss is rooted in the idea that you think you already know the answer.

In my 25+ years in sales and marketing I have learned one very powerful truth that distinguishes the superstars from the amateurs. The great salespeople and marketers understand the power that lays within questions. The amateurs think they know all of the answers. Show me a great salesperson and I will show you an individual who knows and understand the power of questions. Show me a poor salesperson and I will show you an individual who has yet to understand that fact. Show me a great company and I will hypothesize that they have an incredible dialogue established with their customers.

How about you? Do you feel you know the answers to your customers most pressing problems, or are you genuinely in communication with them and listening to what they say?

I have seen salespeople blossom into superstars when they learned to ask questions. Likewise, I have seen companies turn from run of the mill endeavors to powerful marketing machines when they too learned to harvest the information from the questions which they ask. Questions are the only tools that permit us to genuinely understand problems our customers have. Questions are also the vehicles we use to establish our focus to resolve those problems. Stated another way, questions are a goldmine of valuable market information. The answers to the questions within surveys provide a roadmap for fulfilling our customers most pressing needs and desires.

We have a huge investment in what we have come to know. However, what we have come to know often has nothing to do with what we need to know to be successful. This is one of the key reasons why surveying of our customers is so important. A good survey will eliminate opinion and establish some factual evidence. Also, we are often so indoctrinated with what we think we know that we cannot see what "is" occurring. This is the main reason we survey.

There have been thousands and thousands of books written on the importance of surveying. I will attempt to summarize the best ones here with a one simple acronym which I created.

S Successfully

U Understanding

R Relevant

V Values

E Enhances

Y Yield

A survey gives us the opportunity to understand and take that understanding and apply it to creating a higher return on our investment. When we successfully understand our customers relevant values we can then create the solutions that will permit us to enhance our yield. A good survey allows us to be in communication with our marketplace.

The great companies have learned that customers will not tell you how you are doing unless you ask them. Asking your customers about what they like and want offers the best information to learn from mistakes and cultivate unique opportunities.

Great companies survey. Wannabes think they already know. Want to succeed in a big way, all you have to do is ASK... then shut up long enough to recognize that the answer that is coming at you has "GOLDMINE" written all over it!

Be careful what you agree with!

Harald Anderson is the co-founder of Artinspires.com a leading online gallery of Motivational Posters and Inspirational Posters. "When Art Inspires, Dreams Become Realities. His goal in life is to become the kind of person that his dog already thinks he is. http://www.artinspires.com

Why I'll Never Make Millions Of Dollars On The Internet...Adam Buhler Don't get me wrong, I make a decent living online. I have a passion for what I do, and my hard work has paid respectable dividends, both to me, and to my visitors.

The sad part is that what got me interested in making a living online just so happened to be the same empty promises, and the same "Get Rich Quick" hype countless crooked businesses and individuals use each and every day to lure in average, everyday people, looking for a legitimate way to earn a respectable living from the Internet.

These shady people make millions. I got lucky. Instead of "selling the farm" and dumping a boatload of money into the first deception I saw, I did a little homework. While a part of me wanted to reach for my wallet and become the next Internet success story, my common sense saved the day and urged me to explore my options first.

What happens to those who fall victim to these scams? The exact opposite of what they had hoped to accomplish. Instead of building a steady source of income, they use the funds that could have been directed at starting a legitimate business, and invest them into the false promises of Instant Internet Millions.

A lie, combined with something people want so badly, becomes a cruel and frighteningly powerful weapon.

I never was a good liar. Which brings me back to the reason I'm writing this article.

It doesn't matter that I publish a newsletter with information I've used to grow my business online, as well as listing legitimate resources that can be used to take some of the guesswork out of earning a living on the Internet.

I personally follow-up on every program submitted to my affiliate programs directory, by visiting the site personally, I can ensure that it holds value to my visitors. There is nothing more detrimental to your success online than recommending low value products and services.

I own a good percentage of the products I recommend myself. This helps me give a better description of a product's benefits, drastically reducing the number of lost affiliate commissions due to product returns from customers who had the impression they were buying a product beneficial to their business.

Bringing traffic to your web site is one of the largest challenges any Internet business will face. I experiment with what I know to work as well as what does not. Membership sites are a great way to reduce the amount of time spent on finding effective methods to grow your business. I belong to quite a few, yet I recommend only the three I feel offer a service that justifies the monthly fee.

By gaining membership to the good and the bad, I can avoid recommending a service that will jeopardize my credibility and eliminate future sales.

It's easy to offer your visitors a quality service and collect a check, but I place as much emphasis on pointing out programs that don't deliver the results they promise as well. It's important to keep your visitor's best interests in mind.

My web site has a list of the ten programs that have made me the most money on the Internet. This way, my visitors have an idea of what programs are capable of producing the best results. And if compatible with their business, maybe this will save them the time I spent searching for high-quality programs to promote.

I can't promise anyone success. What I can do is show them how I found mine.

For all of these reasons, I'll continue to make a good living on the Internet. These are also the painfully obvious reasons why I'll never make millions of dollars in the process.

My inability to exaggerate the benefits of my products, or sell my visitors a dream I couldn't possibly deliver, will ultimately keep my feet planted firmly on the ground. Right where I want them.

Adam Buhler is the owner of Affiliate Programs Directory: http://www.smokesoft.net. Adam is the author of the weekly newsletter "Affiliate Secrets". He is offering a free trial copy of what many are calling the "BIBLE" of selling on the net, "Make Your Site SELL!" for a limited time to new subscribers. Subscription details can be found at: http://www.smokesoft.net/newsletter.html.
adam@smokesoft.net