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Inspired Opinions Review: $150 Surveys?

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Inspired Opinions is an online community, operated by the very popular research company, the Schlesinger Group.  This is a company that has been around for more than 40 years, helping companies better understand their potential influences in the marketplace.

According to the FAQ, it’s a community compromised of people like you who are interested in sharing their opinions in exchange for rewards.  To date, they state that thousands of people share their opinions about products and services to help brands improve.

Yes, it’s another research company willing to pay you to answer questions, but is it worth your time?

Inspired Opinions Review

In today’s review, I wanted to talk about this very company, letting you know how it works as well as how much you could potentially make.  I will also talk about the many pros and cons I found online.  By the time you read this, you should know everything you need to know about it before deciding to join.

As in all of my reviews, I always offer my honest opinion, no matter what my relationship is with the company.  I would never promote a company I personally wouldn’t use.  Seeing I want to become the internet’s most honest money-making website, I would never mislead you in any way.

How Does It Work?

Inspired Opinions works a lot like the many research/survey companies I talked about.

You can either participate online, answering questions and/or you can even participate over the phone/webcam, answering questions with a moderator.  These tend to pay more, but you may have to commit to a certain time.

Aside from these options, the company also offers in person focus group opportunities if you have a venue nearby.  This requires you to show up in person at a dedicated time, but it pays the most out of the three.  As mentioned in my online focus group post, this is one of the best ways to make upwards of $50 to $250+ for about 60 to 90 minutes of your time.

Unlike a lot of research companies I talk about, they have a myriad of options to work with, offering a lot more variety than most.



Getting Started

To get started to see what’s available to you, the company will first ask you to join their panel by answering a few demographic-related questions.  And, to qualify, you must be at least 18+ years old.

During this sign-up process, you will also let them know what kind of studies you’re interested in, where you live in the case you want to show up in person for a focus group as well as upload a driver’s license to verify your identity.

Out of all the companies I have ever signed up, Inspired Opinions is the only company that has ever required me to upload my ID.  Again, this is required so that they can verify your identity to live up their high standards.  If you’re uncomfortable doing this, then, unfortunately, you will not be able to join; it is required.

The entire process takes about five minutes.

InspiredOpinions Dashboard

After you confirm your e-mail address, you can immediately access the dashboard, which will look something like this:

There’s not much to it, as you can see.  You can view the most recent surveys, the rewards as well as alter the profile if you choose to do so.  You can even refer a friend.  As in all of my reviews, I will talk about each option in detail below.

Before you even attempt to take the surveys, be sure to go directly to the profile tab and complete the information so that they can start to send you survey invites.  If you fail to do this, they will not send you anything and your dashboard may stay blank.  Filling out this profile option doesn’t take long at all, I promise.

The Surveys

This is where you’re going to make your money and will want to continue to check.  Here, you can find the most recent research surveys that relate to your experiences, interests and lifestyle.

As you can see, I have the opportunity to check out three surveys, all of which pay anywhere between $100 to $350.  Even though you see these surveys, don’t assume you will automatically qualify as you will have to pass a pre-screener to see if the researcher wants to work with you.  Like the many survey sites, plan on qualifying for about 5-10% of the surveys you take.  How you qualify will greatly depend on your demographics, so don’t be discouraged if you see a lot of disqualification errors.

If you are interested in any of the studies, you will want to click on that reference number located on the left-hand side.

If you were to click on a reference number, then you will be re-directed to a page that looks something like this:

Here, you can see the study location, the topic, the study date as well as the incentive.  If everything looks good to you, then you will agree to the terms and proceed to the pre-screener survey.

When you agree to the terms, you will then be asked some questions about the study.  This is commonplace and is designed so that a researcher can find the perfect candidate for their study.  At the end, after you submit your answers, a researcher will contact you if they feel you’re a fit for the study.  In this case, they will provide you with more information in regards to how you can start the study.

TIP:  You don’t need to log into your dashboard to find studies as the company will send you an e-mail whenever a new study pops up.  Just be sure to white list the emails so that you be aware the minute they come out.

How Many Surveys Will I Get?

From my personal experience and reading online, you can expect anywhere from as few as four to as many as 20+ survey invites throughout the month.

As I specify so many times, how many invites you receive greatly depend on your demographics.  Just because I receive 20+ invites, doesn’t mean you will see the same.

The best advice I can give you, at least for now, is to sign up and see how many invites you get throughout the month.  If you’re unhappy with the results, you can always cancel your account if need be.

Remember, even if you get the invite, it doesn’t mean you won’t qualify.  Out of the 20 or so invites, you may be lucky to qualify for one.  Again, your results will vary.

Rewards

The company pays out in points, with every 100 points equal to $1.  You can either cash out with gift cards or you can choose to donate to a charity if you so choose.  Each option has a minimum threshold, however.

While I was writing this, the cheapest gift card, being Amazon, only required 500 points ($5) to cash out.  This seems to be the industry standard when it comes to a minimum payout.

At the moment, they were offering the following gift card options.  Next to each, I put the minimum amount you needed for that reward as they all varied.

  • Amazon ($5)
  • Apple ($10)
  • Barnes & Noble ($5)
  • Fandango ($25)
  • GameStop ($10)
  • Google Play ($10)
  • Lowe’s ($10)
  • Reward Link Preferred ($5)
  • Sephora ($10)
  • Starbucks ($5)
  • Target ($5)
  • Home Depot ($5)
  • TJX ($5)
  • Visa ($50)
  • Walmart ($5)

They do offer a cash-like option, being in the form of a Visa gift card, but if you wanted this option, you would need to save at least $50 in points to redeem.  But, seeing most of your focus group options can pay upwards of $150 on average, it shouldn’t be hard to meet this threshold if you wanted that option.

The great thing is that your points never do expire, so don’t feel as if you have to use them in a certain time.

What the Internet Is Saying

As in all of my reviews, I like to hop online and see what the many current members are saying about the platform, both good and bad.

Listed below, I included everything I could find from various third-party websites, breaking it down by the pros and cons.

The Pros

  • high-paying survey/earning opportunities ($100-$200+)
  • very reputable company behind the scenes
  • variety of surveys (phone, webcam, focus groups, etc)
  • many gift card options
  • points don’t expire
  • physical locations for high-paying surveys


The Cons

  • $50 minimum if you want cash option
  • you have to upload an ID to get started

Final Thoughts

6/10While the website looks quite outdated in comparison to its competitors, it doesn’t mean it isn’t one worth joining.

What I like about Inspired Opinions is that they offer a lot of high-paying focus group opportunities, some of which you can take online.  While the invites are a rarity, I think I would be happy making $100 to $200 in one month.

If you don’t mind talking over the phone, meeting up in person or even participating in a webcam chat, then it’s one to consider.  I know you have to scan over your ID to get started, but this just shows you that they are serious about the participants.  When they are serious, then their clientele will take them more seriously.  Plus, this often means a better selection, meaning more work for you.  You are working with a very reputable company, so there’s no concern here.

In the end, give them a shot.  It’s free to join.  Worst case, you can always delete your account if you’re unhappy with the activity after a few weeks.

Now, I leave it up to you.

Have you ever joined?

If so, what did you like?  What did you hate?

As always, you’re free to vent in the comments below.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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