Ben is a guy that uses his voice as a tool. He has clients around the world that will pay him to use his voice for audio advertising, podcasts or even to read books. Needless to say, Ben keeps pretty busy. There are times though when things slow down a bit and Ben has to work at finding new clients. So, in the grand spirit of marketing he seeks places where he can let others know about what he does. He pays to be included in some voice over services, but he has also been known to provide some work free of charge for prospective customers. He recently came across a site that was based in another country far removed from his native America. He signed up for the site, left his profile and placed audio samples for others to consider. He hadn’t expected much, but then the government of Romania came calling asking if he could help them with a project designed to assist them in educating the public about certain business opportunities that existed.

The point is the work was unexpected. When Ben put his profile up he did not have any reasonable expectation that he would ever hear from anyone. He did not place his hopes on the site and he did not spend time refreshing his email in hopes that someone would come calling. He simply went back to work. This is the picture associated with paid surveys. It certainly can’t hurt to fill out another profile on a paid survey site, but never allow that simple act to divert your attention away from life or the pursuits you may already have in place. Paid surveys are offered at the discretion of someone looking for a very specific profile. Like Ben you never know who will be coming across a profile and want to make contact. No one that I am aware of is making a living from paid surveys except perhaps those who are conducting them. Should you be fortunate enough to receive the offer of a paid survey rejoice in your good fortune, but refuse to consider paid surveys as a viable source of alternate family income. Too many good people have invested time and even finances in some cases trying to locate this proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow only to come to the conclusion that it is an elusive dream. There are multiple opportunities for finances through participation in affiliate revenue programs of by offering services you are skilled at in the arena of freelance work, but paid surveys should not be listed in your top ten ways to make extra income. In most cases it just won’t happen that way. Like Ben with his audio work it can’t hurt to submit a profile, but you should never allow yourself to get overly invested on an emotional level with something that can never be listed as a ‘sure thing’. When and if a paid survey is offered you can enjoy a little extra income and the satisfaction that you were allowed to give your opinion, but never let the potential keep you from other more worthy pursuits.