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After receiving a $20 check from Synovate earlier today, more good news arrived from another survey company in the form of a product sample notification, this time for a new formula for Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. I had already taken a survey on this topic a few days ago, but it was not 100% certain whether I would be selected to continue with the rest of the study or not. Fortunately, this email clarified the issue rather nicely.

Recently you completed an on-line survey about Apple Cinnamon Cheerios products and you agreed to participate in a second phase of the study, if selected. This note is to let you know that you have been selected to participate in the follow up portion of the research study. Thank you for your willingness to participate–the manufacturer is very interested in your opinions.

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The next issue of Opinion Matters, the monthly newsletter of MySurvey.com, was released as an email to members today. Apparently they are now awarding reward points for installing or upgrading their MySurvey Messenger software, which functions as a kind of alert system to let you know if there are any surveys currently available at the site. They have also implemented the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology on their web pages for additional privacy and security.

Meanwhile, after adding a few new reward items for redemptions, they have finally released the results of a survey about sleeping habits. As usual, the actual text of the newsletter has been published below for your reading pleasure. One spelling error from the original copy has been corrected (”securily” was changed to “securely”).

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Earlier tonight, I managed to complete another one of those Invoke interactive surveys, this time for $35 instead of the usual $25. Originally, the incentive amount was supposed to be $25, but I received an email yesterday informing me that they were increasing the amount of the incentive.

I am not sure of the exact reason for this; it is possible that they simply had fewer participants than expected who qualified for the survey through the original screener. If this was the case, they would have wanted to make sure that a large enough proportion of the people who qualified actually followed through to complete the main survey because they need a large enough sample size for the survey retain statistical significance. Here is what our invitation email looked like:

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One of my favorite paid survey companies, Synovate Global Opinion Panels, released the September issue of its monthly newsletter today. Overall, the news is looking pretty good; not only has Synovate increased the amount of cashable points received for each survey, but they are also planning on implementing PayPal and Amazon gift certificates as payment options in the near future. This should reduce the amount of waiting time required to receive payments, which are currently made primarily by check.

Synovate has turned out to be one of the better survey companies out there, and is also one where I seem to have had some positive influence. When I first joined their panel back in 2004, there was no points system in place and actual cash payments were relatively rare. Except for a few major market research projects, most rewards for completed surveys were only sweepstakes entries, which in practical terms were usually worthless.

However, after enduring these pitifully low compensation levels through most of 2005, I started taking some extra time to fill out the comment boxes that were provided near the end of most surveys where we had a chance to give them our opinions regarding the surveys themselves (as opposed to the products or services that the surveys were about). In the comments, I explained to them that they would probably get a better quality of responses to the survey questions and a higher level of participation if they would offer some form of cash compensation for our time, even if it was only a small amount.

To my surprise, they actually seemed to listen to this and a few months later, they eventually set us up with internal accounts and a points system where we could redeem the points for real checks and effectively receive small cash payments for each survey. Unlike many other companies, they even credit us with partial payments in cases where we “screen out” of the survey and do not qualify to complete the whole thing. They have also been nice about sending us other small “freebie” items occasionally, such as calendars, refrigerator magnets, water bottles, and stationery.

Below is the content of the newsletter, which explains the developments that are planned for the near future and includes results from some recent polling data on the opinions of Synovate panel members.

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The second product sample that I mentioned in last week’s consumerism article arrived today. We received a bottle of body wash that appears to be about eight ounces in volume and does not reveal any brand name on the label. The actual product is pale blue in color and has about the same consistency as Head & Shoulders shampoo. The fragrance is similar to Irish Spring bar soap, with perhaps a hint of Zest or Dial scents mixed in with it. Later today, I will probably have a chance to use the product and test its cleansing effectiveness. According to our instructions, we should be getting another bottle of body wash within three or four days:
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The mailing label product sample that I mentioned last week in the article on rampant consumerism arrived today. There are two separate sets of labels, each of which has 10 sheets with six labels per sheet. They are designed to be printed with a standard inkjet printer, and afterward each label can be peeled off the sheets and applied to packages, boxes, or anything else that might require labeling. This is another one of those surveys where the products are divided into “use first” and “use second” categories, and after we use each product set we will take the follow-up survey online. Meanwhile, Farrand Research, the sponsoring company for this particular test, also sent us a regular paper questionnaire along with the product, the first page of which details our official instructions:
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It is tempting for many of us to decry the phenomenon of rampant consumerism in America, especially when we see so many people buying products of questionable necessity. However, this incessant desire for more “stuff” is a large part of what fuels the demand for things like paid surveys. The sheer volume of sales revenues that can be gained by selling various goods to the American consumer markets has become so large that many manufacturers can afford to outsource much of their product testing to specialized market research companies, who then use some of their money to pay people like us to test the products and take surveys about them.

A good example of this trickle down effect of rampant consumerism occurred this afternoon when I managed to qualify for two back-to-back product sample tests, each of them sponsored by different market research companies. One of them is even paying me $10 on top of the free product:

Based on your responses to these questions we would like to include you in an additional research study. If you agree to participate we would send you two different packages of white mailing labels to use and evaluate in your office. You would need to use your computer and inkjet printer to test them. We would ask that you print and apply several sheets of the white mailing labels from each of the two packages. We would also send you a “usage diary” and ask you to mark your responses to several questions after you have tried each of the different white mailing label products. It would take about 15 minutes of your time to complete and you would have five workdays to complete the evaluations.

Once you have personally tested both products we would ask you to complete an online survey using the diary to give us your opinions about these products. You will be sent an email invitation to the survey about one week after you receive your products. You would simply transfer the answers from your diary to the online questionnaire and you would be able to access this online survey at any time of day that is convenient for you. You would not need to complete the survey all at one time and would be able to save your responses to sign-in at a later time to complete the survey.

If you agree to participate in this research and complete all parts of the study:
• provide your contact information for mailing purposes;
• use the product for the required time;
• keep a diary of your product use;
• and complete the follow-up online survey;

you will receive $10 and an Instant Win game play and entry in our $25,000 cash sweepstakes.

The other test is for some kind of body wash product, which is something I don’t usually use, but I agreed to try it out anyway. I’m actually getting a little bit of cash out of this one too, albeit indirectly; when I completed this questionnaire, I received some points to my internal account, and these points can be saved up and redeemed for cash:

We would like to offer you an exciting and fun opportunity! You have qualified to participate in a research project and we need your expert opinion.

A major body wash manufacturer is interested in your opinion of a body wash product. As part of this important study, you will receive 2 body wash products via mail. The first product will be shipped on September 6th. You will need to use the first product for 3 days, stop using it and fill out a short 10 minute internet survey. By then, you should receive the second product. You will be asked to use it for 3 days and fill out another short 10 minute internet survey.

We would like you, and only you, to use these products, as it is only your opinion in which we are interested. Therefore, we can only send the products to you if you would be able to personally use them and share your opinions with us.

We will be conducting this research from September 8th, 2007 through September 18th, 2007. You would need to be available during these dates to receive the products, use the products and then complete the two short Internet surveys.

If you are selected, would you be available between these dates to participate in this research project?
Please select one

* Yes, I am available and would like to participate

No, I am not available and/or would not like to participate

Interestingly, neither of these samples are food-related, unlike most of my previous product tests. This is probably a good thing because it means that I am beginning to gain more trust with the market research firms and broadening my base of possible survey opportunities from which to draw free products and cash. So while it is tempting to excoriate all of those Americans for being financially stupid and running themselves into debt from buying products that they don’t really need, I am beginning to see the value of not giving them too many economics lectures. After all, their rampant consumerism indirectly benefits people like me by allowing us to make money from the paid surveys markets. And we even get to keep some of that “stuff” for free!

Earlier today, after about five days of waiting, I was accepted into the affiliate program at MySurvey.com. MySurvey is one of the better paid survey companies out there and is completely free to join. For those of you who have been searching on the keyword “mysurvey scam”, I can assure you that they are legitimate and are definitely not a scam. In fact, I have been a member since 2004 and have already been paid several times from them. However, if you are actually searching for some scams, you can always check out my Spam and Scam section where you can find several opportunities to waste your time or money.

One of the things that I like about MySurvey is that unlike most other companies in this genre, they always pay you a small amount for every survey even if you do not fit into the targeted interest group that is allowed to continue for the remainder of the survey and earn greater rewards. Most other survey companies don’t quite work like this; usually they will send you a bunch of surveys and when you click on one, you have to run the gauntlet of screening questions and hope that you are able to qualify. If you fail one of the screening checks, you’ll get booted and sent to a “screen out” page. Most of the time there is no reward for this, other than perhaps some lame sweepstakes entries that seldom result in any real cash.

With MySurvey, every time you log into your account, all of the available surveys are displayed on the first page with their minimum point values clearly marked. As you take the surveys, occasionally you will qualify for a somewhat longer questionnaire with a greater reward value attached, at which point you will be given the choice of whether to accept or decline it. If you accept, you will always get the greater number of points as long as you complete the full survey, regardless of the answers given. Sometimes they will also send you free products for testing in addition to the point rewards. Finally, you can also opt in to take surveys by regular postal mail. After you complete these and send them back to MySurvey, they will credit your account with additional points under the “Special Awards” category. The points that you receive as rewards are readily convertible to cash at the rate of $10 for every 1000 points.

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Today I had the chance to complete the interactive online survey that I mentioned last week. This time, instead of the usual method where I finish the whole survey and then write up a summary about it later based on my memory of the events, I did this one in a kind of “live blogging” format. In other words, while I was taking the survey, I had this blog open in another browser window and transcribed each topic and question into this post in real time as it was displayed on our interactive survey screen.

This was an interesting little multitasking challenge because I had to keep going back and forth between the two windows, first by clicking on buttons or typing in answers to the survey questions, then typing the questions and topics into this post, and then going back to the survey again to field the next question. While this may seem hectic, I was actually able to pull it off because the survey questions that appeared in the right half of the screen scrolled by rather slowly, with pauses in between each question while the system waited for participants to respond. Fortunately, we were also able to use the sidebar to scroll back up and answer questions that we did not complete right away when they first appeared at the bottom of the screen.

I used quick dashes to mark off each question or statement that appeared on the screen, putting a blank line between each topic. Other than cleaning up obvious typos, I have left the text pretty much the same as what I typed out when we were “live”. Hopefully this will give you a more detailed example of what to expect should you ever get the chance to do one of these.
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As I was going through the backlog of surveys from yesterday and finishing up some of the ones that were less time sensitive, I came across a rather unusual survey from Global Test Market. Instead of the usual consumer product testing topics, this one was actually in the form of a creativity test and did not appear to originate from any of the usual marketing companies. A suggested time of 15 minutes was given for the length, but it may have taken a little longer than this because of the nature of the questions. These are not the usual “give us your honest opinion” types of questions but instead were in the form of puzzles, brainteasers, match games, and open-ended questions that were designed to test for aptitude rather than factual knowledge or opinion.

After completing the survey and receiving credit from Global Test Market, I eventually tracked down the company that sponsored the test and found the place where you can access it in case you want to try it out. The site is BrainJuicer.com, and in order to access the same test as the one that I took in the survey, you will need to click the Demo link on the top navigation bar, scroll down a little bit until you see the white link that says “Creativity Test” and click either that link or the little “Play” symbol beside it. The test itself should appear in a separate popup window near the middle of the screen. After completion, you can have a copy of your results sent to your email address if you want to send it to others or keep it for your records. You can view my results here to get an idea of what they are actually testing for.

BrainJuicer.com is the website for Brainjuicer Ltd., a UK based market research company that focuses on innovative solutions for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of consumer desires and behavior. Their client list includes over 80 well-known blue chip companies located in more than 50 different countries worldwide. Currently the company trades on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange for 184p per share and has a market capitalization of approximately £13.5 million.

Today was an especially busy day for paid surveys. I have noticed that on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays, I seem to receive a significantly heavier volume of survey mails than on other days. I am not sure of the reasons behind this, but this Friday was certainly no exception to this general trend. Fortunately, it has been one of my better days on the cash rewards side of the ledger as well. Around two hours ago, I managed complete a personal finances survey for $10, with the possibility of earning another $20 from some shorter follow-up questionnaires that will arrive over the next few days. A few minutes before that, I received another invitation to an interactive online survey, this time for a $25 reward. I also finished up some surveys for smaller cash amounts and received a $20 check from the balance on one of my market research company’s internal accounts.
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Last week in my end of July news sweep, I mentioned that I had received an invitation from Invoke for another interactive online survey. Earlier this evening I managed to successfully access and complete the session, and should be receiving my $20 honorarium within a few weeks. This is what the original invitation email looked like:
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Last week we received what is probably our tastiest product sample so far. This one was a frozen pizza that arrived in a styrofoam container with some dry ice on the bottom. The box that contained the pizza itself was one of those black and white “Brand X” kind of boxes that did not reveal the brand of the product but did list the ingredients and nutritional information. Along with the product, we received our survey instructions, which revealed that the testing was being conducted by a company called MRSI, or Marketing Research Services Incorporated:
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The market research company MySurvey has sent out their latest edition of Opinion Digest, which I received in the mail earlier today. Among the contents of this monthly newsletter were the results of a recent survey titled “What Can’t You Live Without”.

According to the survey, 51 percent of Americans now consider a home computer a necessity rather than a luxury, and the list of what items people consider necessary is growing. Some of the items have been around for quite some time, but are now deemed necessities by much larger segments of the population. In 1996 only 32 percent of American adults considered a microwave oven a necessity, but by 2006 this figure had increased to 68 percent. Here are some of the other findings:
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A few days ago, one of my readers posted a comment on my last product sample article and asked about the Top-Dollars.com program. He wanted to know how long it would take to have success with it, and also wanted some tips and general information about making money with paid surveys. I spent a few hours later that night typing out a rather long email reply to his inquiries in which I provided some links to my favorite market research companies and gave some general advice on how to get started. After I finished writing the email, I realized that most of the content could be helpful for anyone else who is interested in this topic, so I decided to take the relevant portions and post it here so that the information can be shared with my other readers. If you still have questions or comments about the paid survey experience, you may post these in the comment section below.

Although I don’t remember the exact amount of time before having success with Top-Dollars.com, I would estimate it at around two weeks or so, if you count “success” as receiving a significant number of paid survey offers. The actual time until you have success depends on a large multitude of factors such as how many survey companies you register with, how many surveys you actually take and/or qualify for, how you answer the survey questions, your personal demographics, your household’s demographics, the kinds of products you buy, the foods you eat, where you like to shop, your hobbies and interests, any health conditions you may have, how many and what type of surveys the market research companies are actually sponsoring, and a whole bunch of other things that would turn this into a seriously long post.

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