Opinions…every body’s got one, right? How would you feel about getting paid to tell others what you think? Seem to good to be true? It’s not. Online paid survey opportunities are a viable income source.

The question remains of how much you can earn by participating and the answer is: it varies. Legitimate companies can offer anything from an entry in a sweepstake drawing up to $25 depending on the contents of the survey and how long the survey takes to complete. Most research online shows the average survey pays between $2 and $10.

There are also companies that offer reward points for completing surveys online (and/or occasional via mail or phone) in which you can save up your points to cash in on a gift certificate or other prize of your liking from their selection. In addition, some companies will offer you a free product in exchange for your opinion.

How can this be possible that people are willing to pay you for your opinion? It’s all about market research. Larger companies have the tools and the medium now to reach out to the end users, to see what they want and don’t want in produces, and who exactly their target markets are and they aren’t afraid to pay big bucks for it.

Not only are they looking for information and opinions of those 18 years of age and older (the minimum age for most survey companies) there are numerous survey companies for teens and children as well.

To get started, know that legitimate survey sites are free to join, however, if you’re limited on time to do the research to weed out the best paying, most reliable survey sites, it might be beneficial to pay a company who does all the back end research for you. You’ll be able to make back your investment in no time at all. Most likely by completing just one survey.

Also, create a separate email address for your survey endeavors. Once you establish yourself with the research companies, you will start to see more and more requests come in for surveys they would like for you to take. Organizing your email before you begin will alleviate the headaches of too much email in the long run.

Once you’ve signed up with a few online paid survey sites, make sure that you complete your profile. Surveys are sent by matching criteria within the survey to your demographic profile. The sooner this is filled out, the sooner you will start receiving surveys.

As with any job, you’ll need to establish your reliability. Start off by completing all requests that are sent to you, even if there is no cash reward offered. By doing so, you’ll show the company that you really do want to offer your opinion and in turn, the larger paying surveys will soon follow.

While you won’t get rich quick with survey taking, you can pocket enough to supplement the main household income, have a little fun money or money to save for a rainy day. You’ll get out of it what you put in and as with any online venture, do your research. It will pay off in the long run.

posted by Chris Simpson