Someone once said that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Taking paid surveys is not exactly a free lunch, but it’s about as close as you can get to it. You can make money by completing surveys online. Each of the sites are a little different when it comes to payout methods and whether they pay in cash, gift cards or reward points that can be traded for merchandise. It all adds up to an extra income for you!

Entering the Unknown World of Surveys

There are numerous sites that offer paid surveys these days and it can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out how to get started. We have put together this simple guide to help you get started. Once you get started, you’ll find it quite rewarding and beneficial. Here are a few basics that can act as a guide to get you started. Work through these steps and fine tune them to make them work for you.

Create a Separate Email Account for Surveys

There are several reasons setting up a separate survey email account can be useful. You’ll want to use this email account solely for surveys. This keeps them all in one place and keeps them from getting mixed up with business, personal or spam emails. This is also a very good way to keep surveys and related information organized.

Sign up for PayPal

Go ahead and sign up for a PayPal account if you do not have one. It is free to sign up for an account and it is a secure way to transfer money. Not all of the paid survey sites will use PayPal, but many of the top sites do. On some sites, you will be asked if you already have a PayPal site and then you will be asked to give the email address associated with it. If you are setting up a new PayPal, use your new survey email to set up your PayPal account. This will keep everything organized and be much easier in the long run.

Choose Several Sites

It is wise to register on several survey sites so you will have a steady stream of surveys. There are plenty of legitimate sites to choose from. Elite Surveys offers a guide to the top legit paid surveys. Joining several of them will give you a variety of ways to earn as most sites offer payment for different online activities even though they focus on surveys. These sites do not have any gimmicks or scams; they are reputable and have paid out for years.

This is perhaps the most important step in making money with paid surveys. Not signing up for multiple sites is also the most common mistake newbys make. In order to make money taking surveys on paid survey sites, you will need to sign up for several of them. There is no penalty for being on numerous sites. The only caution here is to sign up only for the amount of surveys you can realistically handle. Actually, they will come at intervals so that you stay busy completing surveys. There are plenty of sites that can provide surveys to keep you busy. Start with at least two of the reputable sites that offer a free sign up like IPSOS I-Say and My Survey and Toluna .

Time Management is Essential

Try to manage your time when you are doing surveys. You can do them during times when you have nothing to do, or while waiting in doctor or lawyer offices. You can also choose a time each day when you just work on completing surveys.

Working the Surveys

There are some things you will need to do to ensure you make the most from the survey sites you sign up on. First, most sites will send you a confirmation email that asks you to confirm the registration. This is important so that the survey site will start sending you invites for surveys.

Secondly, make sure you fill out the profile on the survey site. This is important and should be done prior to starting to take surveys. These shouldn’t take too much of your time since they are usually very short and to the point.

Thirdly, take the time to become very familiar with each of the sites you decide to sign up for. Check out their FAQs page and of course their Terms and conditions page. This will let you know when and how you will be paid, any minimum payment amounts, etc.

Complete the Surveys

Now you are set up and ready to start taking surveys to earn some money. It can take a couple of days or even longer sometimes to start getting invites for surveys. When you start getting surveys and panels start trying to qualify for all of them. There may be s few that you do not qualify for; but always try to finish the ones for which you qualify. When survey panels see that you are willing to participate, they will send you more surveys to take.

Key to Success

Many wonder if there are any keys to being successful at making money completing paid surveys. Yes you can! Using legitimate sites you can earn an extra income. The main key to success is consistency. Sign up for the sites, using a survey-only email address. Then make sure to check your inbox on a regular basis. Another huge key factor is to complete the surveys as soon as you get them. This is because many of them have limits as far as how many people they want to take the survey. If they are looking for 300 participants and you are number 301, you missed the cutoff. The way to avoid this is to check your email frequently and complete the surveys as quickly as you receive them.

If you have more questions check out our blog for some answers. Paid Elite Survey Sites offers educational materials and direction particularly useful for those who are ready to give it a go.