If you’re in the business of taking surveys, odds are you want to be able to make as much money off of it as possible. Better yet, you want to make sure you can do more than one! However, in today’s age of cheaters, speedsters, and bots, it can be difficult to stand out as a real, honest human. Luckily, there are some tips to not only keep you on the right side of the survey police but also make the jobs of those working behind the scenes a little easier!

Be Truthful

The main purpose of surveys is to gauge the opinions of a population on a product, service, event, or phenomenon. Therefore, honesty is the most important trait to have while taking a survey. It might seem tempting to lie about your income, job history, or opinions on a product in the hopes that you’ll get more money or surveys out of it. In reality, all this does is skew the data incorrectly. It may alter the final analysis of the survey in a way you wouldn’t really like: if you say you’re from California when you’re really from Maine, then the product may never even ship to the East Coast. More importantly, being dishonest will stand out on your profile, leading to fewer surveys in the future and potentially even deactivation of your account. As always, honesty is the best policy.

Be Accurate

While it’s important to be truthful, it’s also important for that truth to be as factual as possible. The more accurate your information is, the more accurate the final results of the survey will be. If you’ve gotten married, had a child, moved houses, or quit a job, it’s important to update that as soon as it happens to ensure you’re receiving the right surveys for your new demographics. This not only goes for basic information you put into a survey, but for long-form answers as well. If you’re asked to “please describe your experience,” answering “ok” is correct but not at all accurate. Explaining why you liked it, how you experienced it, what you liked and disliked, and so on is a much better way to answer because it has much more depth and precision than a simple “ok.” It might take a little longer to do, but it’ll be worth it.

Be Thoughtful

Some surveys can certainly take a while to complete. However, that doesn’t mean you should rush through them in the hopes of a payout. It’s important to always take your time to understand each question and really think about the answer you want to provide. Know how you want to answer each question and why you’re choosing that particular answer. That way, you’ll be sure you’re choosing the right answer for the right reasons. Just like the previous tips, this helps surveyists finalize their decision to best meet the needs of the respondents. Being thoughtful ensures that you’re truthful and accurate; without either of these, you may skew the data. These decisions lead to the final product, so if their data is incorrect, that final product won’t be what you really want.

Be Kind

As you’ve no doubt heard before, a little kindness goes a long way. While that can be difficult in a survey setting (and sometimes even untrue!), it’s those rare moments outside of the survey that count. If payment is a little late, you can’t access a survey you qualified for, or you’re just having trouble with your account, a pleasant interaction with customer service is certain to get you farther than an unpleasant one. It can sometimes be difficult to keep a level head in a stressful situation, especially when money is on the line, but treating people with respect is always the right thing. Being courteous and kind to the people trying to help you will not only make the process speedier and easier, but it will make their day as well!