Profiting From Online Surveys - Finding The REAL Paid Survey Sites

Like most of us, you have probably received dozens of unsolicited emails that promise handsome rewards in exchange for filling out online surveys. Out of curiosity, you ask yourself if it really is possible to make money by completing online surveys.

There really are money making opportunities available for people who want to participate in paid online surveys. Legitimate market research companies want to hear from real consumers, and they are willing to reasonably compensate panelists with cash incentives, gift certificates, rewards points, and sweepstakes entries. Unfortunately, scams also abound and often disguise themselves as paid online survey opportunities.

One of the biggest challenges that potential panelists face is distinguishing the real survey opportunities from various scams. Legitimate online survey sites are actually run by professional marketing research companies, while the scam sites are typically run by lead generation companies, and the information collected is actually gathered for the purpose of being sold to third parties who want to sell you THEIR product or service. This is the reason why you often get lots of spam when you sign up with a so-called survey site that is not conducting genuine market research.

So, what is a potential panelist to do? Simply follow these tips when you are considering a potential survey company:

TIP #1: With legitimate survey sites, the information you provide is kept confidential and the registration information you provide is not sold to third parties. While legitimate sites and scam sites may both have "privacy polices" posted, be sure to read them thoroughly. The privacy policy should explicitly say that your information will be kept confidential and will not be sold. In addition to having a privacy policy, genuine sites often have a terms of usage section and they may also display seals of approval from the BBB and TRUSTe.

TIP #2: When you are evaluating a survey company in order to determine if it is legitimate or not, pay close attention to what kind of incentives it offers in return for your participation. If it claims to pay large sums of money per hour or per survey (like $50 or more), or it states that you will be rewarded with an expensive item (like a laptop) or a free paid vacation, beware. While some focus groups (which differ from online surveys) will pay you $20 or more for participating in a focus group study, cash rewards for completing surveys often pay less than $10 per survey, and a high percentage of these incentives are in the $5 and under range. Many genuine surveys also reward panelists with sweepstakes entries and/or rewards points, which can be accrued and redeemed for gift certificates or cash. Sometimes the companies will send you products to test, which you get to use, evaluate, and keep. Earning points for gift cards or a extra spending money can be fun and rewarding. But beware of the companies who claim to pay you as much or more as a full time job would pay. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

TIP #3: Be sure to pay close attention to the registration process when you sign up with a survey company. Legitimate companies do not ask you for credit card or bank account information, nor do they ask you to purchase anything in order to participate or receive a reward. It is typical of a scam site to offer you an attractive reward-if you purchase one or more special offers that they are advertising.

TIP #4: Obnoxious pop-up ads (especially if they feature adult-oriented content) are a strong indication that you have came across a scam site. In addition to lewd ads, misspelled words and poor grammar are other giveaways that the website is not professional or legitimate.

There really are money making opportunities available for people who want to participate in paid online surveys. Legitimate market research companies want to hear from real consumers, and they are willing to reasonably compensate panelists with cash incentives, gift certificates, rewards points, and sweepstakes entries. Can you get rich doing surveys, or quit your day job? Unfortunately, no. What you can do is make some extra spending money, and occasionally you may even win a nice prize. It is a fun hobby, and it allows you as a consumer to influence marketing trends and to play a role in the development of new products. Visit www.moneymakingsurveys.net for more information about online surveys.

Joanna S. is the publisher of MoneyMakingSurveys.net

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 5:26 pm and is filed under Online Surveys Get Paid . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.