How Many Survey Panels is Enough?

2, 12, or 30? The Perfect Number of Panels

A new survey panel is announced and you are asked if you want to become a member. You might already have membership with a few different companies, and wonder if it’s worth joining yet another survey panel. How many survey panels then, is enough?

Profile Yourself
There’s no right or wrong answer to the ideal number of panels you should have membership with, but if you want to receive a steady stream of surveys, around half a dozen is a good number If you feel you’re already receiving too many surveys, then it might be time to pare down the memberships. If you keep waiting for surveys, ready and eager to take more, then sign up with more panels.

Drop the losers
Another way to go about this is to look at the survey panels you are already a member of. Have you had any problems with any of them? If some are slow to credit surveys, slow to pay, etc., it might be time to head for greener pastures. Don’t feel bad for cancelling a membership – you can always rejoin a panel later. If have points or cash sitting in your account, it’s wise to wait until you reach the minimum cashout level and cashout your hard earn rewards, before officially leaving a panel.
Find new winners

New survey panels, and especially those run by smaller companies, tend to try really hard to please their members. Market research is an extremely competitive field, so if a smaller panel can gain an advantage by having a solid group of survey takers, they will often try to go that route. Even if you think you’re a member of enough panels, but a new one that comes along offering better rewards, a neat interface, or a community that looks like fun, it might be worth giving it a try. You might even find that this new panel takes that spot of some of your old favourites.

Opportunities beyond surveys
Some new panels might offer opportunities to participate in research besides just online surveys. In home product testing, focus groups, and mobile phone surveys are all possibilities. If you’re looking to partake in these other forms of research, watch out to see if new panels offer these opportunities.

Conclusion
It’s a good idea to re-evaluate your current memberships with online survey panels, to see if they’re a good match for you. If not, drop the panels you’re not happy with, or if you’re looking for more surveys, consider joining online survey panels that are new to the game. New panels run by small companies are often little gems, and are often worth exploring. To ensure you receive a steady stream of surveys, make sure you’re a member of around 5-6 panels to get an accurate picture of online survey taking.