Focus groups
Your first focus group: what to expect
A focus group is a friendly chat with a few people about a specific topic. Here is a step by step guide to how these sessions run.
What is a pre-screener? A plain guide to study invitations
Pre-screeners are the short questionnaires that decide who gets invited to focus groups, interviews and product tests. Here is how they work, why you sometimes do not qualify, and how Reward Hours rewards you either way.
Key points
- A pre-screener is a short set of questions, usually 2 to 5 minutes, that checks whether you match the people a study needs.
- Not qualifying is normal and says nothing about the quality of your answers.
- On Reward Hours every completed pre-screener earns 10 points, and qualifying leads to an invitation with the incentive shown upfront.
- Studies you qualify for are paid as soon as you complete them, with no minimum balance.
What a pre-screener is
Every study needs a specific mix of people. A snack brand testing a new flavour might need parents who buy snacks every week, live in certain cities and have not joined a food study in the last six months. A pre-screener is the short questionnaire that finds those people.
It asks a handful of questions about you, your habits and sometimes your opinions. Your answers decide whether the study is a good fit. If it is, you are invited to the full study: an online survey, a focus group, an in-depth interview, a product test at home or an online community.
Why you will not qualify for every study
Researchers set quotas: a fixed number of people for each age group, region or buying habit. Once a quota is full it closes, even if you would otherwise be a perfect match. Some studies need people who have never used a product, while others need heavy users.
That is why the same person can qualify one day and not for a very similar study the next week. Not qualifying is not a mark against you. It simply means this study needs a different group this time.
What you get for each pre-screener
On many panels, a screen-out earns nothing. On Reward Hours every completed pre-screener earns 10 points, whether you qualify or not.
Points are not cash. They raise your member level, and higher levels unlock earlier access to pre-screeners and more focus group and product test invitations. Insider and Elite members see new pre-screeners first, which matters because the best-paid places fill quickly.
What happens when you qualify
If your answers match, you receive an invitation that shows:
- the type of study, for example an online focus group, an interview or a product test at home
- the date, the time and how long it takes
- the incentive you will receive
You decide whether to accept. Nothing is booked until you say yes, and you can ask for support you need, such as captions or a text-based session, before you confirm.
How you get paid
Study incentives are paid as instant rewards. As soon as the study is complete and confirmed, the incentive is paid to you. It does not wait for your survey cash balance to reach $100, and there is no minimum.
Keep track in your ledger. Your account shows points, survey cash and instant rewards separately, with the status of every payment.
Tips for accurate pre-screeners
- Answer as yourself. Guessing what the researcher wants usually leads to being removed later, and repeated inconsistent answers can hold your level back.
- Keep your profile current. An up-to-date profile means you receive pre-screeners you are more likely to match.
- Respond quickly. Focus group places fill fast. Turning on WhatsApp alerts helps you see invitations in time.
- Tell us your access needs. If you need captions, a text-based session or an interpreter, add it to your profile and we will arrange it.
Common questions
How long does a pre-screener take?
Usually 2 to 5 minutes. The invitation tells you the expected time before you start.
Can I retake a pre-screener if I do not qualify?
No. Each pre-screener can be taken once, so the study gets an honest picture of who it is talking to. You keep the points either way.
Will I be told why I did not qualify?
Usually not in detail, because that could reveal what the study is looking for. New pre-screeners arrive often, so another one will come along.
