From daily polls to mobile surveys, there are many types of surveys that you can get paid for. Today, we’ll dive into this topic and take a closer look!
Completing paid surveys to earn some cash on the side is a great idea, but did you know that by picking your surveys carefully, you can earn even more? There are, after all, supposedly easier surveys and of course, harder ones. In this article, we’ll dive right into the many different types of surveys that you can be paid for and which do we think are the easiest, and hence, the most profitable, ones to do.
Profile Surveys
This is the form of surveys which you’ll often encounter first whenever you participate in a new survey panel. Here, you’ll be gauged if you’re suitable for the survey you are interested in or invited for. Due to this, these surveys are often very thorough in the aspects that the surveyors are looking for and ask personal questions to quite a certain depth. These include, but are not limited to, specific personal details like:
Work – what you do, your monthly earnings, etc
Living arrangements – where do you live, your house mortgages, etc
Hobbies – your hobbies, how much you’d spent on a hobby, etc
Regular services, products or brands you use
Retail shops that you frequent
Habits, likes and dislikes – what you like to eat, where you like to vacation at, etc
If you’re the sort of person who has very strong feelings when it comes to privacy concerns, you might feel a bit uncomfortable while doing this type of surveys. However, if you are to proceed to the other forms of surveys, this is something you’ll just need to do. It’s a “gateway survey” that everyone who wants to get into paid surveys must go through.
A quick note – you must also remember to fill up your profile information on your paid survey account. This is an important criterion if you want to be invited to any future surveys (P/S: Invitational surveys are usually more profitable than the normal ones since the participants are commonly handpicked). Most survey managers will first go through the profile information of potential candidates before sending them a survey invite which may contain an addition and usually more in-depth profile survey to further gauge your suitability.
Profile Surveys can often be completed very rapidly since it’s only asking for your personal information and not your opinions which may take some time to think about. We’d say you shouldn’t need to take more than 5 minutes on this type of surveys.
Normal Surveys
Unlike invitationals, normal surveys are usually the sort of surveys you can find on the site yourself. Most surveys will have some criteria that they are looking for in their survey participants and they will sometimes have a profile survey attached to it (usually a short one) just so they can know that you’re really suitable for the survey you’ve chosen.
Most common surveys will require some time to complete, ranging from something as short as 5 minutes up to 20 minutes. Naturally, the longer time needed, the more pay you’ll get. Shorter surveys will commonly contain checkboxes, drop-down choices, radio buttons, sliders, and sometimes short written answers, while longer surveys will often contain questions that may require longer written answers in addition to the survey components mentioned above.
In terms of the payout, typically, a 10-minute survey will pay you around $1 to $3, but this average will differ from survey panel to survey panel. It is up to you to find the most profitable one for you, but as a general rule of thumb, you should find a survey that you can complete fast for a fair amount of pay. We find that longer surveys are often far too time-consuming since they may require long written answers which can make the pay you’re given, although they can seem quite a lot at first, not so worthwhile.
Mobile Surveys
Mobile Surveys are an increasingly popular way to complete paid surveys since admittedly more and more people are spending more time on their phones and tablets than on their PCs. However, unlike traditional surveys which can be done on the web browser after a simple registration process, you will be required to download and install the paid survey app before you can do any mobile surveys.
These surveys are also designed to be short and simple (up to 10 minutes or so) since mobile surveys are supposed to be the sort of surveys you can do while on the go, be it during your coffee break at work or while on a train ride. As a result, the payout for such surveys isn’t as high. Generally, you can expect to earn between $1 to $4 per survey completed.
Interestingly, there is also a unique type of mobile survey which you won’t find on traditional paid survey sites – this form of surveys will usually ask a participant to visit a retail shop and then report on their experience there. Sometimes, participants may even be required to take photos as proof.
Webcam Surveys
Despite being relatively new, Webcam Surveys are the sort of surveys that attempt to make the best of both the older method of surveying – i.e. through a face-to-face interview – and the new technologies brought on by the widespread proliferation of internet use.
How does it work? Well, you simply need to switch on your working webcam during a survey session, watch a video ad that they give you, and then you’re done! The researchers will use your webcam to record your reactions to the said video ad – it’s quite similar to the React video series produced by The Fine Brothers, a renowned YouTube entertainment business, minus all the commentary.
This form of survey is incredibly easy to do and they usually pay a lot more than normal surveys since 1. You’ll need to have a good and working webcam and 2. You’ll be consenting to have your face and reactions recorded for research purposes. However, since these surveys can be quite rare and are opt-in-only, you will need to make sure to opt-in via your settings (Note that not all paid survey sites offer this form of surveys) and wait for an invitation.
Product Testing Surveys
Product Testing Surveys are perhaps among the most popular types of surveys out there, not because they are easier to do, but because you get to keep whatever product you are sent for testing, which varies from health products to cosmetics, and even to some highly-priced items like gadgets. This type of surveys is quite rare as well and they are usually invitation-only, so make sure you fill up your account’s profile information page!
If you managed to get into a product testing panel, you’ll be sent a product which you’ll be asked to test – don’t worry, you’ll be given a list of testing criteria you should be looking for. After completing the test, you’ll then be asked to complete a normal survey where you’ll be asked about the testing criteria. Since you’ll get to keep the product, these surveys usually don’t pay cash – the product itself, especially if it’s expensive, is your payment, though some may even throw in some free vouchers.
Daily Polls
Daily polls are just your usual polls which ask simple and single questions which usually have around 2 to 5 answers to choose from. These aren’t exactly surveys per se, but it’s still an easy way to earn some extra points every day since these polls take mere seconds to do. These points can be added to your accumulated total and eventually be exchanged for gifts, vouchers or cash.
However, due to the ease of completing the poll, the rewards are usually something very little… sometimes as few as 5 extra sweepstakes tickets in a prize draw. Depending on how appealing the reward is to you, you may choose to complete these daily polls or not.
