Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
We all have opinions, whether good, bad or even ugly, but how often do those opinions convert to dollars? Let’s take a look.
I’m sure you’ve seen banner ads promoting the money you can make based on taking surveys and sharing your opinion. How much money can you make taking surveys online? We, here at SavingsAngel, have thrown some caution to the wind and have followed some of those offers to see if there is any money to be made.
As I conducted a bit of research myself, 5 particular websites seemed to be among the most legitimate of those who work hard to lure new survey participants:
The first is Nielsen Digital Voice. Nielsen Digital Voice has a goal of obtaining insight into how people are using their computers and the Internet throughout the United States and around the world. Undoubtedly you’ve heard of the Nielsen TV ratings. As part of the Nielsen family, Nielsen Digital Voice is similar in that, as a member of the research panel, you will be helping to shape the future of the Internet just as the Nielsen TV ratings have with TV. Input from Nielsen Digital Voice participants helps online businesses make critical decisions regarding their Internet strategies. When you sign up, you’ll be automatically entered to win money. The lowest prize is $25 and the top prize is $1,000, and you’ll be eligible to win every month. Participation in surveys is completely optional and will earn you an additional entry into the monthly sweepstakes.
If you’re interested in possible passive income, all you need to do is download their small and secure Nielsen app and start using the Internet as you normally do day in and day out. After all, that’s what Nielsen Digital Voice is all about.
Next is Harris Poll, one of the world’s oldest market research companies. Harris Poll is also a part of the Nielsen family. Unlike their Digital Voice, you’ll take surveys to earn “HIpoints” redeemable for gift cards from major retailers.Harris Poll offers you an opportunity to earn about $0.15-$2.50 worth of “HIpoints” for each survey you complete. Once you have been selected for a survey, you will be told what the reward will be if you qualify and successfully complete it. Even if you’re disqualified from a survey, you’ll receive entries into sweepstakes for cash prizes.
If you don’t want to be inundated with survey requests, Harris Poll could be a good fit for you. Because surveys are tailored to you, requests are likely to be limited to only a few each month. This makes earning slow but your points will add up.
Now let’s take a look at Opinion Outpost. Opinion Outpost conducts surveys from businesses, governments, public bodies, and similar organizations. They claim that by giving your opinion, you can shape the future. Rewards include cash, Amazon gift cards, game points, donations to your favorite charities, and more. Plus, everyone is also automatically entered into a quarterly $10,000 sweepstakes by joining and taking surveys.
Initially, you will have ten profile surveys waiting for you which are not rewarded with points. However, it's recommended that you fill out these surveys since that information will be used to send you paid surveys. The reason that most folks don't receive as many survey opportunities as they'd like is because they haven't fully filled out their profile or taken these initial introduction surveys. It can take up to one month to start receiving survey Opinion Outpost invitations, so be patient.
Somewhat similar to Opinion Outpost in objective is SurveySpot. Businesses, governments, public bodies, and similar organizations are interested in the views and attitudes of the people who use their products and services. The more they know about what customers and citizens think, the easier it is for them to improve and adapt what they supply.
Points are earned for completing surveys. Surveyspot offers a variety of reward options; airline miles, Amazon e-vouchers, iTunes e-vouchers, and cash paid to your PayPal account. New members are automatically entered into a $25,000 cash sweepstakes drawing.
You might need to be patient with Surveyspot at the beginning but cash surveys will come. Initial surveys may be more for sweepstakes or a chance to play instant win games.
Another popular site operated by Nielsen is the National Consumer Panel. This is the one where you get a free barcode scanner to take with you when you go grocery shopping. You are also able to use your smartphone (iPhone and Android devices) to scan purchases by downloading their mobile app. You accumulate points by scanning purchases and taking the occasional online survey. These points can then be redeemed for a wide variety of merchandise made available through a gift catalog. The longer you participate on the panel, the higher the point value you receive.
National Consumer Panel participation also earns you entries into a variety of sweepstakes that are held weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Their quarterly Grand Prize drawing is $20,000! Other prizes include cash, gift cards, electronics and more.
None of these money-making opportunities are going to add significant amounts of money to your household, and there is no way you can calculate how much you might earn. But each of these are legitimate websites with legitimate payouts. I would consider them to be a bonus way to earn a bit of cash and/or gift cards for holidays, birthdays, or vacations without the expectation of a monthly income.
Some important tips to remember when applying for any survey type of money-making opportunity are:
1) Do your homework before signing up. Check reviews to be certain you’re working with a legitimate site. You will find that there are those who love a particular site and those that are disgruntled. Nothing is perfect for everybody. But the key is to be sure you’re not signing up for a total scam.
2) Most are not a quick way to earn. The length of surveys and the time it takes to complete a survey varies from survey to survey no matter which site you use. Gauge what your time is worth. Results vary but, from what I’ve researched, people report making some money and other incentives but not a regular income.
3) Stay an active participant to improve your chances for more survey invites. There is no guarantee on the number of surveys you’ll be invited to participate in on any one site.
4) Lastly, the best approach is to register with more than one site, stick with them for a while, and see which is most advantageous to you.
No survey site is going to be “quick-a-minute” with instant rewards but could be something you enjoy doing during down time, or simply a way to have a voice in something bigger than you – with some rewards on the side.
