Applying to Respondent · researched 10 Oct 2026

How to apply to Respondent

Sign up free as a participant, verify your email and an SMS-capable mobile number, add a photo and fill in your profile (plus a work email for B2B studies), then answer the short unpaid screener on each study that fits you; if the researcher invites you, book or start the session, and after they mark you attended you are paid by a Tremendous gift card or virtual Visa, usually 7 to 10 business days later, minus a 5% fee.

Start your Respondent application

Applying to Respondent, step by step

Researched October 2026

Who can join

Be at least 18 years old: using Respondent means representing that you are, under its Participant Terms.
An email address and a mobile number from a traditional cellular carrier that can receive SMS. Respondent does not verify VoIP, Google Voice or other internet-based numbers, cannot verify numbers where SMS verification is blocked, and cannot verify either one manually, so without both it cannot finish your account.
A real profile photo of you: Respondent's profile checklist marks it as required, neutral and front-facing.
For B2B (Industry Professional) studies only: a work email on your company's own domain (not Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, iCloud, Proton or similar consumer addresses), re-verified every 90 days. Without one you can still take B2C (General Population) studies.
One account per person and honest answers: Respondent's rules forbid impersonation, duplicate accounts and AI-generated answers, and say never to pay to join a study.
The equipment for the session type: Respondent's code of conduct asks you to have a webcam, phone calls and a stable Wi-Fi or network connection where a study needs them.
Possibly a government ID and a live selfie: Respondent's fraud page lists a 'bank-grade government ID + live selfie for high-risk applicants'.

Step by step

1
Create a participant account
On the sign-up page ('Sign up to participate') enter your first name, last name, email and a password of at least 8 characters, then agree to Respondent's Terms and conditions and Privacy Policy and click Continue.
2
Verify your email and phone number
Confirm your primary email (your login, and the address your Tremendous payments are tied to) and the SMS code sent to your mobile. Verifying both lets you take B2C or 'general population' studies.
3
Fill in your profile
In Settings, complete Profile info (About me demographics and up to 5 'Topics you like'), the Profile insights categories, and Professional background (job title, seniority, industry, company size, skills and tools, including AI coding tools). Your completion percentage shows at the top right. Edited fields lock for 7 days.
4
Optional: verify a work email for B2B studies
Under Settings > Professional background, enter your work email, click Verify work email and confirm the email that arrives in that inbox. This unlocks B2B (Industry Professional) studies; Respondent asks you to re-verify every 90 days.
5
Apply: answer a study's screener
Find a study in Respondent, click 'Start Screener' and answer its unpaid questions (2 to 20). The researcher reviews the responses and decides whom to invite. Some projects run with trusted partners add a second, also unpaid, screener on the partner's platform.
6
Wait for an invitation
The study now shows as SUBMITTED on your dashboard, which only means the researcher has your screener, not that you are selected. If you are invited it changes to INVITED: look for the invitation email and the message thread on your participant dashboard.
7
Book or start the session
For a moderated study, pick a time on the researcher's calendar from the invitation email or the project card (if the email link fails, log in and book from the project). For an unmoderated study the email link starts the task, so begin soon to secure your spot.
8
Take part
Sessions can be a one-to-one video or phone interview (usually 15 to 90 minutes), a remote focus group, an unmoderated survey or usability task, a diary study over days or weeks, or an in-person interview or focus group.
9
If it is an AI interview
Some studies are a recorded session in your browser led by an AI Moderator. You may be asked to verify your identity first. Check that Microphone and Camera both show a green tick, select Start interview, then Start recording for each answer, and expect follow-up questions.
10
Get marked attended, then redeem your pay
After the researcher confirms you attended or completed the study, your project shows Payment Sent, then Paid, and an email from Tremendous arrives at your account email. Choose a gift card for your region (for example a prepaid Visa or Amazon) and redeem it. Most payments arrive 7 to 10 business days after confirmation.

Study screener (one per study)

There is no account-level test: each study has its own short, unpaid screener questionnaire, and the researcher reviews your answers and decides whom to invite. Some projects run with trusted partners add a second, also unpaid, screener on the partner's platform, and you can be turned down at either step. If you are invited and take part, your incentive still comes through Respondent and Tremendous.

Format

An in-app questionnaire of 2 to 20 questions that you open with 'Start Screener' on a study. If the researcher invites you, you schedule a time (interviews) or complete the tasks (unmoderated studies).

How to prepare

Complete your profile before applying. Respondent's profile checklist asks for a full, standard job title (for example 'Product Manager', not 'PM'), seniority, industry, company size, the tools you actually use weekly or monthly, and every language you can interview in.
Read each screener for its must-have criteria (region, company size, weekly tool use) and answer honestly and specifically; Respondent warns that exaggerating or guessing risks removal from the study or the platform.
Keep your screener answers, your Respondent profile and your LinkedIn consistent: Respondent's invitations article says a mismatch in job title, location, industry or employer is an immediate red flag for researchers.
Apply only to studies that match your background, and keep your profile up to date so your answers stay consistent with it.
Turn on notifications and accept invitations fast: Respondent lists responsiveness among the things that affect how often you are invited.

Why people get rejected

The study needed someone slightly different: Respondent's disqualification article says researchers often fill narrow quotas (for example set numbers per age band), so a strong candidate can still be marked Disqualified.
The study filled first: the same article says most projects recruit first come, first served while dozens or hundreds of people apply at once.
Screener answers that clash with your profile or LinkedIn, or that misrepresent your experience or location.
Answers a researcher believes came from a bot or AI tool, applying to several similar projects, an unstable connection, or language and communication problems (all named in the disqualification article).

How long it takes

Respondent publishes no time from sign-up to first payout and says earning is 'not guaranteed or daily': you are paid only when a researcher invites you and you attend or complete the study, and screeners are unpaid. After the researcher confirms you attended, payment is issued and typically arrives about 7 to 10 business days later through Tremendous.

When you get paid

Incentives are listed and paid in USD, after the researcher confirms you attended or completed the study. You receive an email from Tremendous and redeem it for a gift card such as a prepaid Visa or Amazon card, with options that depend on your country (some involve currency conversion). There is no balance to withdraw. A fulfillment fee of 5% (minimum $1) is deducted, so $60 becomes $57 and $10 becomes $9. Most payments arrive 7 to 10 business days after confirmation; your project shows Payment Sent, then Paid.

Tips to get accepted

Sign up as a Participant, not a Researcher: one email can hold only one account type, and fixing a wrong one means asking support to delete it, waiting 5 to 7 business days, then signing up again.
Use a regular mobile number, not VoIP or Google Voice: Respondent cannot verify internet-based numbers and support cannot push a verification through by hand.
Review profile edits before saving: each field you change locks for 7 days, and support cannot unlock it early.
Add your LinkedIn under Settings > Social accounts. Respondent says participants with verified social accounts, especially LinkedIn, are more likely to be selected, and researchers see your links only after you apply to their study.
Fill in your professional background: Respondent says it unlocks B2B (Industry Professional) studies, which typically offer higher incentives.
Keep everything on the platform. Never pay to join, accept payment off Respondent, install remote-access software or upload ID outside it; report anything like that to support@respondent.io.
If a researcher misses your booked session, message them in the project thread: Respondent says they still owe you the incentive, and support will step in if your status is not updated within 10 business days.
Redeem each Tremendous email promptly. The terms say Respondent's obligation ends once the incentive is issued, and an unredeemed one may expire.

What isn't public

Respondent's own pages disagree on payout timing: the participant page says '48 hrs' and 'within a few days', the paid-projects page says 5 to 7 business days, and the help center says 7 to 10 business days after the researcher confirms attendance.
The participant page says 'No fees', while the help center and the Participant Terms describe a processing fee of 5% of each incentive, minimum $1. This guide follows the help center and terms.
Respondent does not publish a selection rate. Its participant page says most participants get 1 to 3 invitations a month.
A help article mentions a daily screener limit but Respondent does not publish the number; one July 2026 Trustpilot reviewer said you can apply to 5 studies a day.
Identity checks are described inconsistently: the fraud page reserves a government ID and live selfie for 'high-risk applicants', the referral page says every participant goes through an identity check of about three minutes, and the AI interview guide says you 'may be asked' to verify. Respondent does not name the verification provider.
No list of countries where participants can sign up is published. The help center names about 20 primary markets for researcher targeting and says projects can also target 'Worldwide'; the sign-up page is English only, SMS verification fails where SMS is blocked, and Tremendous payout options vary by country.
Whether PayPal still exists anywhere is unclear: some help articles still mention PayPal or ask for a PayPal email, while others say every incentive goes out as a Tremendous gift card. A UK reviewer wrote in 2026 that amounts under 20 pounds could still go to PayPal.
Respondent sells AI model evaluation, red-teaming and preference data to AI companies from the same panel, but no participant-facing page explains how AI-training projects are offered to participants, what they pay, or how they differ from ordinary studies.
The login page offers LinkedIn, Facebook, Google and Outlook sign-in, but the participant sign-up form only shows name, email and password; whether a new participant can register with LinkedIn directly is not documented. LinkedIn does not replace a work email for B2B studies.

Sources (32)

Applying to Respondent: questions

Is it free to join Respondent as a participant?

Yes. Signing up as a participant is free and needs no credit card. Researcher accounts are the paid side and require a verified credit card and business information.

Are Respondent screeners paid?

No. Screeners are short unpaid questionnaires (2 to 20 questions) that researchers use to decide whom to invite. You are paid only after you attend or complete the study and the researcher confirms it.

Who decides whether I get selected?

The researcher. Respondent says it never selects, screens or disqualifies participants itself: researchers review your screener answers and profile and invite whom they want, a process that can take 5 to 8 days.

How many studies will I be invited to?

Respondent's participant page says most participants get 1 to 3 invitations a month and that you only hear from it when a real study matches your background.

How and when does Respondent pay?

In USD, through a Tremendous email you redeem for a gift card or prepaid Visa, usually 7 to 10 business days after the researcher confirms you attended. A 5% fee (minimum $1) is deducted, and there is no balance to withdraw.

Does Respondent still pay through PayPal?

Mostly not. From May 28, 2025 Respondent began moving participants from PayPal to Tremendous virtual gift cards and said it expected everyone to be paid through Tremendous; in some unique instances a PayPal payment through Tremendous may still be offered.

Can my LinkedIn replace a work email for B2B studies?

No. A verified business email is currently the only way to qualify for B2B Industry Professional studies. Respondent uses LinkedIn and experience data to match you to B2C studies and says it is looking into LinkedIn verification.

What is a Respondent AI interview?

A recorded one-to-one session in your browser, using your camera and microphone, where an AI Moderator shows the study's questions on screen (it can read them aloud), listens to your spoken answers and asks follow-ups. You may be asked to verify your identity first; Respondent says those details are not shared with researchers.

What if the researcher cancels or does not show up?

Respondent says a researcher who misses a scheduled session is still obligated to pay you. Message them in the project thread; if your status is not updated to Attended and then Paid within 10 business days, contact support.

How long does it take to hear back from Respondent?

Does Respondent have an assessment?

Yes: Study screener (one per study). There is no account-level test: each study has its own short, unpaid screener questionnaire, and the researcher reviews your answers and decides whom to invite. Some projects run with trusted partners add a second, also unpaid, screener on the partner's platform, and you can be turned down at either step. If you are invited and take part, your incentive still comes through Respondent and Tremendous.