Become a Paid Survey Expert!
4 Easy Steps to becoming a Paid Survey Expert!
More and more families are finding they're being left with less disposable income than ever before. While pay rises are hard to come by and redundancies are up, the cost of living continues to increase. If only there were a way to supplement existing income, or for stay at home parents to generate a little extra spending money...
Well, it just so happens there is. Paid survey sites are becoming increasingly popular, and with surveys generally paying out anywhere between 10 pence and £3 per questionnaire, someone who gets a good rhythm going and who has plenty of opportunities, could find many extra pounds in their banks accounts each month.
1. Find a Suitable Survey Company
There are really two ways to find suitable opportunities; have a search for some individual companies and register with each, or use a third party website that allows you to complete surveys through a number of different sites with just the one registration.
At first, it's best to try out a number of different survey sites so that you can find a few that are right for you. Most surveys start with screening questions so that the client can be sure that their questionnaires are completed by the relevant demographic. In some cases, clients choose to work exclusively with one survey company, so many opportunities offered by that company may be of a similar nature.
If you're a stay at home parent with young children, you may not get invited to many surveys by a company who primarily works with a transport client looking for commuters. Similarly, if you're retired, you may not get many opportunities from a company that works with nappy brands. Try out a few companies and see what the quantity of surveys available to you is like.
2. Don't Get Scammed
The main problem with earning money from home is picking out the legitimate opportunities from the scams. There are so many scams out there and if you don't know what you're doing, the internet can be a dangerous place. Fortunately, there are a few dead giveaways that should ring alarm bells for survey takers.
Firstly, NEVER pay to register with a survey company. Not under any circumstances. The majority of these sites are scams that will take your money and either not offer any opportunities or won't pay out your earnings. In the rare case that a company charging you money is legitimate, why pay out when there are plenty of other companies who offer 100% free membership and registration?
Secondly, what details do a company need for payment? Most companies pay either through postal or electronic vouchers, or via an online payment portal such as Paypal. There are a number of companies who use bank transfer, and this is OK, but there is some information you should NEVER give out. Do not give out any passwords for your paypal account, or for any other online banking accounts you hold, and never give out your card verification code (the 3 digits found on the back of credit and debit cards).
3. Complete Surveys
You need to know how your chosen companies are going to alert you to suitable surveys. While some will send an email, you'll need to keep checking the website with others. There are lots of people all interested in the same survey as you. After all, it's a great way to earn money, so surveys can come and go very quickly.
Once you're familiar with your chosen companies, you may start to notice a pattern as to when new surveys become available. For example, companies working with clients looking to fill their full-time employee demographic may release new batches of surveys in the evenings or even at weekends.
If you're strapped for time, keep in mind how long a survey is expected to last. Most companies will make this information available beforehand. Surveys can range from a couple of minutes to over an hour, and while the longer surveys will undoubtedly pay more, shorter surveys are ideal if you just have a few minutes to spare.
Some companies limit the number of surveys you can complete each day, while others don't. If you've come to the end of your daily limit, move on to a different company (or take a break!) and try again the following day.
4. Spend Your Earnings!
The most important step in becoming a paid survey expert is spending your earnings! Whether you're paid in vouchers or cash, put them to good use. Completing just a single £1 survey each day will bring in an additional £365 each year! How will you spend yours?