Articles by Randi ColiaWhen it comes to paid survey and focus group opportunities, there are two schools of thought. Some people will tell you it?s a great way to make money. Others will tell you to forget about it and that the whole thing is nothing more than an elaborate scam.
Well, I belong to the first group. I?ve seen firsthand that online survey opportunities can generate real money. You can get paid to participate in surveys and focus groups. It happens to countless people every day.
What about those who maintain the whole industry is nothing short of a rip-off? The truth of the matter is that they simply don?t ?get it?.
The logic behind paid surveys is unassailable. Companies need to do market research. It?s a key element of business. They can do that research efficiently online and they can make it even easier by paying people for opinions. Businesses hire market research firms to get opinions from the right cross-section of the population. Part of that money often ends up going directly to folks like you and me who are willing to give our perspectives in exchange for payment.
Those who think it?s all a pipe dream probably feel that way because they?ve seen so many rip-offs and scams online. They?re jaded, pessimistic and skeptical. You can?t blame them, on some level. Chain emails asking for money, pyramid schemes and over-hyped ?get rich by noon tomorrow? garbage has been polluting the web for years. It?s unfortunate, though, that so many people overlook a great opportunity like paid surveys because of those past experiences.
Those who try and fail to make money with online surveys might be part of the chorus screaming ?rip off?. They didn?t make a lot of cash, so they assume no one else can, either. What they fail to see is that their weaker experiences came about because they were unable to follow simple instructions, because they simply didn?t follow through and give the opportunity a chance to work, or because they never connected with the right leads. They blame their goofs on the whole paid survey industry, which isn?t very persuasive at all.
Do your homework. You?re going to discover plenty of people who are more than happy to give paid surveys and focus groups a big ?thumbs up?. You?re also going to uncover pessimists who refuse to accept the rock-solid logic of the business and who see a scam conspiracy behind every opportunity.
All I can tell you is that you can get paid to participate in surveys and focus groups. If you do things the right way, you can post real earnings.