I'll cut straight to the point and say “No.” By their very nature, there are built in limits to just how much you can earn doing paid surveys that are offered online and that is why they are best thought of as pocket money. On average, you'll be eligible to complete 1 to 4 surveys a month for any one company. Completed surveys generally pay between $1 and $20 dollars.
If you sign up with enough survey sites and fit a set of demographics that they frequently need, it is quite possible to cover all of your entertainment expenses for the month, but it's not something you can rely on for your monthly rent or mortgage payment and the other bills you need to pay every month. At the most you are likely to earn between $100 and $300 doing paid surveys. Any site that suggests otherwise is likely trying to scam you into paying for information that is freely available if you know where to look for it.
So why can't you earn a living doing paid surveys?
The main reason you can't make a living doing paid surveys is that for every survey that market research firms need to conduct, they also have a set of criteria for who is eligible to do the survey. This usually includes demographics information such as gender, age, annual earnings, job category, family size, etc. It really depends on what the target market is for the product being discussed.
For example, you won't be able to do surveys about dog food if you don't own a dog. So while the market researchers may have lots of different survey opportunities available, you'll usually only be eligible to take some of them. Of course, if you fit a demographic that they are looking for frequently, you'll find yourself with a lot more survey-taking opportunities.
How much can you actually earn doing paid surveys?
How much you can earn doing online surveys partially depends on what kinds of surveys you want to do. If you prefer to stick strictly to the surveys conducted by market research firms, you will usually max out at around $300 a month and may not even approach that if you aren't in the demographic they are seeking to cover that month.
However, if you are also interested in getting involved in doing offers and surveys that are used to promote specific products, you can earn quite a bit more. Many folks who do online surveys also sign up with what is known as “Get Paid To” sites, commonly referred to as GPT sites. If you want to participate in both pure market research and also complete offers, then you can definitely maximize your earnings potential -- -- maybe as much as a $1000 per month if you sign up for a lot of offers on multiple sites. I don't believe this will sustain itself over the long term, but you can probably cash in fairly well during the first couple of months.
The downside of GPT sites though is usually you need to sign up for some offers with your credit card and you occasionally need to actually buy things in order to get the payment. That's the only way to earn the big money on these sites. You'll also need to keep track of what you've signed up for and when so you can cancel any free trials you've decided not to continue, otherwise you'll be paying out more money than you are earning.
By using GPT sites to complete offers, you will also be opening yourself up to marketing phone calls, email and postal mail. If you already do some of your shopping online, however, GPT sites can not only save you a lot of money, you can also earn some extra money as well. There are also ways to limit some of the privacy concerns.
Ultimately, the choice is yours and you can always experiment to see what works out best for you. You can sign up with just market research companies, just GPT sites or sign up for a combination of both. One important thing to keep in mind as you look for survey opportunities, all survey and GPT sites are free to join. Never pay for a list of sites or a survey membership site. All of this information is freely available online.
The answer is yes. You can get paid to take surveys Online. Many people make money daily taking surveys while sitting at home.
There are many companies that will pay you to participate in Online surveys, focus groups, and product tests. These are market research companies that are paid by large companies to find out what the public feels about their products. They want to know if their advertising campaigns are working and how everyday people feel about their products. Large corporations spend a huge amount every year on advertising. So paying you a few dollars to find out if their advertising is working is not that big of a deal. They hire market research companies and the market research companies send out surveys to everyday people to see what is appealing to the public.
There are also several misconceptions about taking paid surveys Online. Many advertisements will tell you that you can make up to $250 an hour taking paid surveys. It is possible to be compensated $250 for participating in an important study or focus group, however the average paid survey will pay you between $2 and $20. This can add up very quickly, which is why so many people are taking advantage of this Online income generator. One thing I have learned over the years is it takes time to make money so it depends on how much time you put into it like anything else.
There are different kinds of paid survey sites. There are paid survey directories, or databases, and there are the actual paid survey companies. A paid survey, or market research company, is the actual company that will send you the paid surveys. And also the one that will compensate you for your participation.
An example of a paid survey company is NFO. NFO has been around for over many years and is one of the major paid survey companies on the Internet. When joining a paid survey site like NFO you are notified by email when your participation in a paid survey is needed. You can then choose to take the paid survey or simply ignore it. You are told how much you will be paid for taking each survey and how long the paid survey should take to complete. Companies like NFO My Survey are always free to join. A individual paid survey company will never ask you to pay a fee to join.
Another type of site is a paid survey directory, or database. Paid survey databases provide directories of paid survey companies. These are the sites you go to to find companies that will pay you to participate in Online surveys. There are several databases you can join. But most Online paid survey databases are not free. Paid Survey database companies charge about $35 - $60 for their paid surveys directory.
The major benefit to these types of programs is that it saves you time and time is money. You could spend hours searching the Internet for Free Survey companies on your own or you can join one of these Survey database companies that have done the leg work for you. I lean toward Paid Survey directory database companies myself, because I felt I could make more taking surveys during the time I would be going through the many Survey companies. Time is money and many of the companies I have on my website charge a modest fee for access to their database.
It's really whatever is best for you and your time constraints. Many people are think that when they join these membership sites they will automatically start receiving paid surveys. A membership in one of the Paid Survey database sites does not actually send paid surveys. They offer a directory of pre-screened companies that you join that send paid surveys Online. They give you access to the Survey companies they feel are the best options. When using these companies you get a tutorial on how to be successful answering paid surveys and a compiled list of paid survey companies with details on each company as to whether you get cash, rewards or both. They will have a link to each company they recommend and you are enrolling in a flash.
If you are looking for a full-time income Online, paid surveys may not be the thing for you. Although you can make good money taking paid surveys Online, more than likely it will not be enough to make you rich. If you want to make some extra money without much effort then paid surveys is the way to go.
The key to getting paid to take surveys Online is joining as many of these paid survey companies as possible. Most paid survey sites will only send a few paid surveys a month. This will vary from company to company.
In addition you will need to do the following when taking paid surveys Online:
1. Setup a unique email address for you paid surveys.
2. Setup a PayPal account and add you survey email address to it.
3. always use unique passwords when registering with Survey companies.
So the logic is, the more survey companies you belong to the more survey invitations you will receive. And the more money you will make. It's a good idea to start off with around 20 to 30 paid survey companies. Each one will only take a few minutes to sign up for and is well worth it. There are approximately 500 paid survey companies you can join. And once you have joined the main ones you can go back and join others to receive even more paid surveys. Of 500 paid survey companies I would have to say that there are about 50-60 that will send you paid surveys on a regular basis. The rest may only send one a month or even less. So starting with the top paid surveys is obviously the best way to go.
You must answer a few questions before taking a survey to see if you fit the profile for the type of person the company is interested in. After answering a few questions you can start to see how you should answer to make yourself qualify. For instance, most paid survey questions will ask you if you work in a certain industry, or any type of market research or advertising business. The answer to a question like this should almost always be no. They do not want people who know the market research business taking their surveys. And you will almost always not qualify for the paid survey.
Now that you have all the information you need it's up to you to decide if paid surveys is for you or not. I hope that this article has provided you with the information that will enable you to make an informed decision.
In summary you have one of two options. You can either use a Paid Survey Directory company that will give you access to their pre-screen database including tutorials on how to make the most money from Online paid surveys or you can spend the time Online to do the research yourself and join each company individually.
If you are interested in using some of the Survey database companies, you will find them on my website link below. Please feel free at anytime to email me or sign up for my FREE Newsletter on my website.
Both Jennifer Connolly & Mcomo are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jennifer Connolly has sinced written about articles on various topics from Surveys. Jennifer Connolly writes about survey sites, mystery shopping and other work at home opportunities at . She has a list of free to join survey sites an. Jennifer Connolly's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.
Mcomo has sinced written about articles on various topics from Work From Home, The Internet and Games. Michael Comeau has been owner of many successful businesses over the years including his current online business which can be viewed at