Most survey sites are an extension of a Market Research company. They first build a large pool of online panelists with diverse interests. Then they start moving their market research (survey) online. They also start looking for new clients who are looking at market research to get information from current or prospective users. The more panelists a company has is as important as the profiles of the panelists. Companies who want to get the information through surveys only want to conduct surveys with good survey sites/companies which have the panelist profile matching their needs. (A Profile of a panelist is dependent upon factors like age, location, gender, income, products used, profession, interests, etc. There is no ideal profile as different surveys require different profiles)
Then the survey site starts sending survey invitations to all the eligible panelists based on their profiles. Some surveys have a "screener". Under a screener they are asked a few questions to find out whether they are eligible for the survey. These screeners are used because some information is not present with these survey sites which is necessary to be eligible for surveys. For example a survey site is conducting a survey for Product X to find out why it is not selling & why its competing product (Product A) is selling very well. In the screener you are asked if you use either product X or A, all people who use either product X or A are selected.
All surveys do not have a screener. If there is a screener & you have cleared the screener, you are taken to the actual survey. In the survey you are asked questions like why you use product X or A (from the previous example), what are your expectations from this product, what you like & dislike about product X or A, what price would you be willing to pay for either product X or A, etc.
In other surveys you may be asked about other products or services. The questions would be:
What you like, what you don't like, what are your expectations, when do you use the product/service, etc. Lately there have also been surveys asking panelists what brand names will they like, what they don't, what brand name is easier to remember, etc. There are also surveys conducted for products/services which will be launched in the future. These surveys are aimed at finding out what are the needs of potential users, what is the price potential users are willing to pay, etc. Finally, there are surveys aimed at certain professions (doctors, IT professional, etc) & decision makers (people who make the buying decisions of various products & services).
Typically surveys take 15-45 minutes to complete.
Most surveys pay US$2-US$150 per survey. There are also survey sites which will offer you gifts or a chance to win a prize as incentive to complete surveys. The longer the duration of the survey, the better is the incentive. You can also earn a referral income if the person you have referred has completed a survey. The incentive may be cash, gifts or additional entries for the draws.
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