Being paid for your opinion is not a new idea, but for many, it is a novel one.  Will people really pay you to tell them what you think?

The short answer is yes, but it may not work exactly the way you think it will.

Most often the pay is fair, but it doesn’t come regularly.  The highest paying opportunities only come occasionally, and the opportunities that come regularly do not pay nearly as well.

The end result is that it is very uncommon to be able to make a living answering surveys and participating in focus groups, but you can still make money.

Alan Newman Research is one company that pays other for their opinion.  This is a form of market research that their clients pay for, and you get the benefit when you participate.

What is Alan Newman Research?

They are a market research company located at 1025 Boulders Parkway, Suite 101, Richmond, VA.  From these facilities, they offer their clients services including:

• Focus Groups-These are those panels that meet, often in person, to see or try a new product or service. They discuss what they think about it amongst themselves, and the information gleaned from the group is pass on to the client.
• Ethnography– According to dictionary.com, this is “a branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of individual cultures” It plays out a little differently in the market research world, but this definition gets the point across. Basically, it is determining how a product or service will play against the culture of the market.
• Interviews– This is exactly what it says. They conduct interviews in person, over the telephone, and online.
• Discovery groups– Similar to a focus group but the purpose is different. In a discovery group, panelists are discussing issues with the purpose being to find a product to address the issue.  In a focus group, there is already a product, and the purpose is to get the market’s reaction to it.
• Independent response ad testing– This is where ads are shown to several individuals and their response to that ad is observed.
• Benefit/ Barrier testing– This is a way of measuring the benefits of a product or service against the things that make it difficult.
• Usability Testing– helps determine how the product can practically be used for its purpose by the average user.

Using Alan Newman Research allows producers access to difficult to reach audiences in one place at one time due to the expertise and resources provided.

What Kind of Clients does Alan Newman Work With?

They work will clients of all types and sizes, but some of their most well-known clients include:

• The Center for Disease Control (Yes, that is the CDC.)
• Christians Broadcasting Network (CBN)
• Susan G Komen
• Capital One
• Wells Fargo

Did you recognize any of the names on the list?  They are a pretty big deal for sure.

Better Business Bureau File

There wasn’t a lot of information available here.  Basically, they have no complaints and no reviews, and they are not accredited.

As such, they have an A+ rating.  I guess because no news is good news.

Who Can Join?

You must live in the Richman, VA area to join.  All other applicants will be discarded.

Sign Up

You can apply for the panel online.  It is a fairly standard process.  If you live in the area and you want to sign up, but sure to be thorough and carefully complete each question.

They will contact you when a study comes open that you are a good fit for, and they need all of the information they ask for in order to make that determination.

What About the Money?

Even after extensive research, I could not find an amount or even an average amount that panelists are paid for projects that they participate in.

I suspect this is because the projects vary so greatly.  What I can tell you is that most past participants feel the pay is fair, as is reflected in their 4.3-star Facebook rating.

Is Alan Newman Research a Scam, or Are They Legit?

They are definitely legit.  There is no indication that they require payment to participate or that they do not pay the incentives offered as promised.

It is important to remember if you do not live in the area, however, and you sign up anyway, that you are wasting your time.

They will simply discard your registration, and you will not receive any offers from them.

Conclusion

Alan Newman Research is great for those that live in the area.  Even the people that are eligible however many not see more than one or two opportunities per year.

This is just the nature of the business. Those that do not live in the area should search for similar companies in your own town.

If you want to participate in paid surveys online, we recommend SwagBucks and Toluna.

These seem to be the sites that offer the most success to those that are seeking to make as much as they can taking paid surveys online from home.