Online surveys can be good for making a little extra money when you have spare time.

But, what if you wanted to make more than a little extra cash when you have a few minutes to spare?

Most people don’t think of online surveys as the way to do that, and, in most cases, they’d be correct.

However, there is a way that you can earn $10, $20, or even as much as $50 from taking just one survey, and I’m going to explain exactly how to do it in this article.

Is There Such a Thing as “Earn Big Money Surveys” That Pay $50?

I know – it’s hard enough to find jobs that pay 50 dollars an hour, let alone a survey company that’s going to pay you $50 just for completing a survey.

Most surveys pay a few dollars – or even a few pennies – for you to complete them, usually because they only last a few minutes and are just meant to be a side gig.

So, how is it possible that you can get paid $50 to complete one of these online surveys?

The answer is a place called Mindswarms, a new kind of survey site that not only lets you take surveys differently than you ever have before, but also lets you get paid differently.

What is Mindswarms?

Mindswarms started back in 2008, but it didn’t start making its presence known in the online survey world until just a few years ago.

Before Mindswarms, most online surveys were all text-based, question and answer surveys that had open-ended or multiple-choice questions you’d answer on a website.

Then, mobile surveys started becoming a thing – you know, the kind you’d take on your tablet or smartphone, giving you the chance to take surveys even when you weren’t near a computer.

Mindswarms is like the new age of the online survey, weaving technology into an area that we didn’t think would really evolve from its text-based history.

That’s because this survey site lets you take video surveys rather than the online surveys you’re used to.

That’s right – using your camera, you can answer your questions by showing your face and speaking your thoughts, giving you a better opportunity to really explain how you feel while letting your personality shine through.

Mindswarms is similar to other survey sites in that it does what it does for market research purposes.

In other words, Mindswarms has business clients who want to know more about consumers who might purchase their products or services.

By answering your thoughts in surveys, your opinions will go toward helping these businesses understand more about the people who buy their stuff, therefore letting the businesses shape their products to their ideal customers.

So, you’ll still be participating in surveys for the same reason you’re used to; you’ll just be doing it in a whole different way on this site.

And, you’ll get paid a lot more for your work!

Why Does Mindswarms Pay More Than Other Sites?

You might be wondering why Mindswarms is willing to pay up to 50 dollars per survey while other sites usually pay no more than a couple of dollars.

It gets even more confusing when you find out that Mindswarms surveys usually don’t take any longer than about 15 minutes to finish, while traditional surveys can go for 30 minutes or longer and still only pay $5.

What gives?

We can’t say for certain why Mindswarms chooses to pay so much more for its surveys, but we have a few logical guesses:

• Video surveys don’t take as much time and effort to set up as text-based surveys. Therefore, Mindswarms probably profits more from creating video surveys, which leaves more money to share with its survey takers.
• Showing your face is worth more to clients than answering questions through a screen. Mindswarms clients can actually see one of their ideal customers, get a sense of your personality, and feel more connected to you.
• Mindswarms clients probably pay more for these surveys than text-based ones, simply because they are able to get more out of them to help shape their brands.
• There’s a little more work on your part than there is with text-based surveys. You need to make sure all your technical stuff is working correctly, you look presentable, and there are no background noises and distractions that might mess up your videos.

Whatever the reason, we’re glad there’s a survey site that’s willing to pay more than a decent price to collect your thoughts.

How Mindswarms Works

Are you ready to start working with Mindswarms?

Here’s how it all works:

Signing Up

Mindswarms lets you sign up using its website or its mobile app, which is available for tablets and smartphones with the App Store or Google Play installed.

The form you fill out gathers your basic information and asks you some questions about yourself that helps the site form your demographics, or the information it’ll use to match you with surveys.

You’ll also need to set up your webcam or verify that your mobile device can shoot videos of you during the sign-up process.

Once you verify your email address you signed up with, you should be ready to start.

When signed in, you should see surveys that are available to you.

If there aren’t any, then just give it some time.

Some people will get more opportunities than others based on their location, demographics, and other factors, just like traditional survey sites.

Mindswarms also sends you survey invites via email, so be sure to check your inbox frequently to find them.

Be quick in responding, though, as Mindswarms surveys are available to a limited number of respondents.

Taking Surveys

Expectedly, surveys on Mindswarms are quite a bit different than the ones you’re used to.

All of them are video-based, but the ways you use your video can vary.

Some surveys, for example, might require you just to speak and share your thoughts from the comfort of your home.

Other surveys might ask you to visit a local store to show specific displays or walk around the store completing specific tasks and sharing your thoughts while you go.

Some companies might also send you a product or two and expect you to show that product on camera as you talk about it.

They can go a number of different ways depending on the specific needs of the client and what it’s looking for in your responses.

No matter what, you’ll be giving your answers over your webcam or your mobile device’s camera.

All surveys will have up to 10 questions, but some may have fewer.

You don’t have to answer all of the survey’s questions in one shot.

After you’re done responding to one, you can stop your video, move onto the next question, and make sure you understand the question completely before starting your video again and resuming the survey.

Getting Paid

Mindswarms pays $50 for a full 10-question survey, which should take somewhere between 15 to 20 minutes.

If you happen to have a survey that’s only 2 or 3 questions long, you can still get paid $10 per question, which is much more than you’d get on other survey sites for only a couple of minutes of your time.

Mindswarms pays only in PayPal cash at this time, which you can expect to receive within a couple of days after someone checks over your answers for quality.

During this check, they’ll look for things like:

• Complete, thoughtful responses for each question
• Lighting, to make sure they can see your face well
• Audio, to make sure every response is clear and easily heard
• Any technical difficulties that might make it challenging to hear your responses or see your video
• Relevant responses to the questions
• Making sure you followed all instructions you were given

If everything passes, you’ll get paid.

If not, you’ll still have a chance to correct the responses that didn’t qualify for payment before your final pay gets issues.

Helpful Mindswarms Survey Tips

Because there are so many technical issues that can stand in your way to get paid $50 for your surveys on Mindswarms, it’s important to understand exactly what the company expects from its respondents.

First, you need to make sure that your camera and the area in which you want to set it up meets the company’s requirements, which it outlines during the sign-up stage.

It’s crucial that you have:

• A camera or mobile device that meets Mindswarms requirements
• Excellent lighting that clearly shows your face
• No distracting stuff in the background or distracting noises
• Clear audio, so the client can understand everything you’re saying
• No offensive stuff in the camera’s view
• Casual dress (no need for anything fancy, but you also need to look presentable)
• No gum in your mouth

Stick with the guidelines Mindswarms sets and you should be good to go.

Next, it’s important to show real emotions when you’re shooting your video answers.

There’s no reason to be overly dramatic or stone-faced; clients want to see your real personality, so if something makes you happy or excited, show it!

Finally, be sure to pay attention to any specific instructions you’re given before you start shooting.

In some cases, you might need to showcase a product a certain way or talk about a specific point.

You’ll want to make sure you hit every point with accuracy in your answers so there’s less of a chance you’ll get your survey kicked back to you for edits.

What Do Others Say About Mindswarms?

Like most survey sites, there are some mixed reviews about Mindswarms.

One of the cons seems to be that the site makes you qualify for its surveys, much like you would need to with text-based ones.

Although I’m not exactly sure what the qualification process entails, we all know how frustrating it can be to spend time qualifying only to never make it to the full paying survey.

However, it appears that a lot of the negative reviews came from a few years ago when Mindswarms was really only getting started.

More recent reviews say that the company pays promptly and fairly.

There are still some issues with getting prompt responses from technical support, but it does appear that people get responded to relatively quickly on the company’s Facebook page, so you might want to try there first if you experience any issues.

You also might run into the problem of not getting many survey invites, but again, this really depends on where you live and if your demographics fit what each client is looking for.

How to Get Paid 50 Dollars Per Survey: Final Thoughts

Mindswarms isn’t perfect, but no survey site is going to be.

However, it’s definitely legit and it does work for many survey takers.

In fact, I’ve even read about some people getting more than one $50 survey invite in a day’s time and getting paid within two business days after completing them.

$100 for just a few minutes of taking surveys doesn’t sound bad does it?

Mindswarms is free to sign up, so you have nothing to lose for registering there and trying it out.

Good luck making your first $50!