At first glance, the Esearch.com survey site looks a pinch outdated. However, it doesn’t mean it’s one worth joining. Just remember that adage, “never judge a book by its cover.” Yes, I know it’s so cliche, but it’s so true!
Esearch Survey Panel Review
In today’s review, I wanted to review the not-so-popular Esearch.com research panel. And, I’m not talking about being not-so-popular in a bad way; rather, it’s a company that many survey takers haven’t heard of.
As in all of my reviews, I will talk a pinch about the company, if it’s worth your time, and what you should expect to make. And, as always, I always strive to honest and never recommend something I personally wouldn’t join. I don’t push scams here.
If you’re a fan of surveys and want to make a few dollars a week/month, then let’s see if Esearch.com can do the trick.
What is the Esearch.com Survey Panel?
According to the company, Esearch has provided online market research since 1995, and they are said to be the first company to develop an online panel, continuing to be one of the best to this day.
Like most online survey panels, they will collect your data, mostly your demographics, and then pass it on to clients who are looking for someone like you. If your profile meets the wants of the client, then you can get matched with a project to answer very simple questions and get rewarded for your time.
As I write this, Esearch is said to have more than 800,000 panel members and is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the Market Research Association (MRA).
How to Sign Up for Esearch
If you’re interested in joining the panel, you will be asked to fill out a lengthy demographic profile before you can even join. I would say it’s about 20~ questions and will take you about a few minutes to complete.
This is much different than most panels as many just ask for your email and that’s about it. Then, once you join, they will ask you to complete your demographic profile at your convenience.
While there’s nothing wrong with this route, it’s always best to share your demographics to ensure you’re getting targeted surveys. Without this information, you may find you won’t get invites and/or the invites you do get will result in a denial since your demographics don’t fit. If the companies have your demographics ahead of time, then they can specifically request you since they know you are what they want. Simply put, always fill out your demographic profile!
To qualify as a participant, you must be at least 18 years old to join. As for country restrictions, it appears most survey invites come to US, UK and Canadian residents, so if you live outside of these three countries, the survey invites may be few and far between.
NOTE: When you do sign up, be sure to save that initial email as it will have your user ID in it. You will need this user ID if you want to edit your profile demographics in the future.
Esearch Surveys
Once you enter your personal information, Esearch will then invite you to a project any time they feel your demographic fits.
Unlike most survey sites, such as Swagbucks, which have a dashboard, you will not have a dashboard here. Rather, you will just have to wait for survey invites to arrive in your email.
So, you’re probably wondering, how can I keep track of how much I made?
Well, according to the company, they say they don’t keep track of the earnings by each respondent. Instead, they keep track by project. So, what you’re going to want to keep track of any earnings you do earn after you complete and qualify for the survey. After each survey, the company will send out your payment.
How Many Surveys Can I Expect?
According to the company, they usually send out one survey a month. And, the reason for this is that their clients don’t want them to “employ” professional survey takers. This is very low for the industry, so don’t expect to make a lot every month.
Any time there’s a survey opportunity, the company will send you an e-mail message, letting you know that you have been selected to take part in the research. It’s up to you whether or not you want to take the said survey as your participation is 100% voluntary.
If you receive an email invite, it doesn’t mean you automatically qualify, however. You will need to qualify, usually by answering the pre-screening questions to see if you fit the study. If so, you can then proceed to take the survey to receive your reward.
Most surveys will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
What Do the Surveys Pay?
Most survey incentives, according to the company’s FAQ, can range from $1 to $5.
No matter which survey you take, you will always know the incentive amount before you take it as it’s clearly stated.
Where Are the Surveys?
If you signed up and haven’t received an invite for quite some time, it could be for a myriad of reasons, according to the company.
For one, they want you to make sure you’re in the database. And, to make sure you’re in the database, you will want to make sure you received that first sign-up email. If you did, you’re in and there’s nothing to worry about. However, if you didn’t see that email, then your email could have bounced and they may have deleted your account information.
Also, be sure to check your spam folder as their emails, like the many survey panels can often end up in the spam folders. If it’s there, be sure to whitelist the domain.
How Do Does Esearch Pay?
Esearch only pays via PayPal via the email you gave them during the sign-up process. As soon as you complete the survey, payments are sent out.
If you don’t want the PayPal option, then you can request a check option, but in choosing this option, you will have to print out the PayPal.com email payment notification and mail it to their headquarters in California. In other words, it’s best to have a PayPal account.
Esearch Sweepstakes – Another Way to Earn
Aside from the survey invites, Esearch also offers a variety of sweepstakes opportunities, wherein you can win cash prizes.
For every survey you complete, they will give you one “entry ticket” and automatically enter you into a drawing.
The rewards vary from month to month, but in the case you win, you will be notified via email.
The Pros and Cons
As in all of my reviews, I love to dive in and see what the internet world is saying about the company. While I didn’t find much online, I did find some reviews, all of which I sum up below.
The Pros
- open worldwide (some countries limited in survey invites)
- paid after survey completes (no minimum balance)
- free to join
The Cons
- limited survey invites
- won’t make much due to survey limitations
- no dashboard
- have to watch email for invites
- limited customer support
- only PayPal (con to some)
Final Thoughts
5/10If you want to add your name to the panel, then I suppose there’s nothing wrong with it. However, don’t expect much out of it as they don’t send out many invites. I think you will be lucky enough to make maybe $1 to $5 a month, maybe a smidge more. This isn’t much in the survey world.While the company in itself is 100% legitimate, they don’t seem to keep up with the times and the design shows this. For now, I recommend much better options where you can earn a lot more, such as Swagbucks or even Survey Junkie. Heck, sign up for all of them if you want to.
For now, I’m not going to join, but I won’t stop you. Just don’t expect to make much, that’s all.
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Hey Tom, I must say I love your work.
Am one person that loves taking surveys. Here in Uganda, I have worked with companies collecting data in the field. However in this season I would love to work online. If you do know of good paying companies that target east Africa or Uganda in particular, kindly recommend some to me as long as they are legit.
Hi,
In the future, I would love to research countries outside of the U.S. 🙂 So much to write on!
Thanks for visiting.