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If you’re asking yourself, “Is Pinecone Research Legit?” You’ve come to the right place.
In this comprehensive review, you’re going to learn the most important things you need to know about Pinecone Research, so you can determine if this platform is right for you.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What is Pinecone Research?
Pinecone Research is an exclusive market research platform that allows users to earn cash rewards by taking surveys and testing products. The platform opened its doors in 1998, making it one of the oldest platforms of its kind.
The company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and managed by William Miller. Pinecone Research is the property of Nielsen Holdings.
Nelsen is an internationally renowned entity that generates billions of dollars in revenue every year. They also have over 45,000 employees in 100+ countries, and have been massively successful.
How Does Pinecone Research Work?
Pinecone has a relatively straightforward system. It works as follows:
- You have to sign up for their program.
- As a member, you can expect to receive survey notifications by email.
- If these surveys pique your interest, you can take them.
- You earn points that you can redeem for cash or prizes.
The rate at which surveys are sent to you isn’t astounding. However, it seems to be better than the rate at which most other survey companies send surveys to their users.
Survey programs have a tendency to flood the inboxes of their users with surveys to make it seem like they have such a high earning potential. Or they will put users through screening tests that determine whether or not they qualify for individual surveys. Only to later disqualify them from most surveys.
Ways To Make Money With Pinecone Research
Pinecone tries to stand out by only sending its members the surveys that they already qualify for. As such, even though a low amount of surveys may be sent, you can take comfort in the fact that every survey sent your way is a suitable match for your profile.
While the primary attraction of a Pinecone membership is the access it provides to exclusive market research surveys, the program also provides product testing opportunities to some of its users.
Product Testing
Product testing is quite attractive to people because it allows them to receive free products and services in return for an honest opinion. Many of these product testing opportunities are connected to the surveys that users take.
The way it works is, if you take a survey, the company that is conducting the survey might choose to gift you with the product during the survey to further fine-tune your responses. Some members are informed beforehand that they have been chosen for product testing.
Others are surprised with products on their doorstep. The products in question will usually come with instructions that give users a better understand of the company’s expectations.
Contests
While the surveys and product testing opportunities are the primary means through which Pinecone members can make money, the platform also holds regular contests that offer cash prizes to the winners.
Everyone that takes a survey is automatically entered into these bi-weekly contests.
The more surveys you take, the higher your chances of winning the contest.
How To Join Pinecone Research
To learn more about the platform, you can visit the Pinecone Research website.
Invite Only
Pinecone Research is one of the most exclusive survey programs in the world, so much so that you cannot simply join them on your own.
They have an official website, but it doesn’t have any registration links. If you want to join Pinecone Research, a pre-existing member of the organization must invite you.
One strategy you can try to get in through the back door is to use a banner ad with a referral link, if you can come across one. However, in most cases, a Pinecone panelist must invite you.
Sign Up
Only after you have received an invitation can you sign up and start building your profile. If you do find a link, you should know that they only accept a small number of new members per month.
When you do get in, you will have to provide some basic information that will be used to create your profile. Pinecone will also ask a few questions that will help them learn more about you.
They are going to ask you about your age, race, location, what you like, what you hate, and more. These questions are not a one-time thing.
Every so often, they will send you additional questionnaires. These are used to fine-tune their understanding of your profile.
Depending on the information you provide, additional opportunities for surveys and product testing could open up to you.
Another tip to increase your chances of securing a spot with Pinecone, is to apply at the beginning of the month rather than the end.
You should also know that they accept one panelist per household. And they do not hesitate to remove members from the platform if they violate this rule.
Your Pinecone Research membership is not permanent. They reserve the right to remove you if they determine that you no longer meet the criteria for their demographics.
Pinecone Research App
The company’s website is mobile-friendly. It has an app for both iOS and Android platforms that you can download and use to access surveys. The app will also update you on any new surveys as they become available.
It is a very convenient tool. Anyone that has experience with survey sites knows that surveys fill up quickly. The app will give you ample opportunity to secure your place in a lucrative survey before they start turning people away.
What Is Pinecone Research Looking For?
The company only accepts members from the UK, US, Germany, France, and Canada. Panelists from other countries cannot join.
You must be at least 18. Aside from these basic things, there is no way of knowing what Pinecone is looking for in its members.
The criteria by which they judge applicants changes regularly. If you apply to Pinecone and they reject you, it is most likely because you did not fit the particular demographic they wanted to target for that month.
But you have no way of knowing where you fell short as they don’t share that information with you.
How Much Can You Make from Pinecone Research?
When members take surveys with the platform, they will earn points. 100 points is the equivalent of $1.
Potential financial rewards for each survey range from $3 to $5. And it takes roughly 15 minutes to complete a single survey. For product testing, you can earn slightly more at around $6 per test.
A rate of $3 per survey is pretty good because the surveys are so short. If a user completes multiple surveys per day, they stand to earn some decent income.
That being said, surveys are not always available. Do not expect to receive multiple surveys on a daily basis.
The average user makes roughly $100 per month. This isn’t enough money for anyone to live on. But compared to other survey sites, this is solid.
Payments
Payments are made using PayPal, check, Amazon e-Cards, gift cards, and prepaid virtual visas.
Pinecone Research Competitors
Some notable competitors to Pinecone include:
This platform also gives its members money for taking surveys. It connects customers to brands that want to use their feedback to fine-tune their products and services.
Registration is free. The program won’t make you rich, but is easy to use and there is no invitation required to get started.
2) Vindale
This marketing research platform allows you to make money by taking surveys, completing orders, and recruiting friends. It also has a mechanism that you can use to search for job openings.
3) Swagbucks
This platform rewards you for performing basic activities that most people are already doing such as watching videos, buying things online, and searching the web.
You can also sign up for the free trials being offered by certain services. Whatever tasks you complete, the platform will pay you for doing it.
Is Pinecone Research Legit?
Pinecone Research is a legitimate company. It has the backing of Nielsen Holdings, an authentic business entity that enjoys international recognition.
It won’t make you rich. Although you can make some solid income compared to other survey sites if you work really hard. But for most people, Pinecone won’t earn them a full-time income.
TrustPilot
The Pinecone platform has a poor rating on TrustPilot, with 2.5 out of 5 stars. Many members hate the fact that they never qualify for surveys.
Others cannot find enough surveys on the platform to earn a significant income. You also have those that hate the hoops they have to jump through to join the company.
Better Business Bureau
At the time of this review, Pinecone has an F rating with the BBB and is not accredited at this time.
Pinecone Research Scam
One big reason why the company’s rating is so poor on some review platforms is because scammers have used the company’s likeness to defraud unsuspecting customers.
You can blame this on the fact that it has an invite-only registration system. One would suspect that this leaves desperate people vulnerable to scammers who are more than happy to offer fake links to Pinecone’s registration page.
Here’s communication on the Pinecone security notice on their site which addresses these concerns.
Pros and Cons of Pinecone Research
Pros
- Earn $3-$5 per survey, which is high compared to most survey sites.
- Surveys are short and don’t take long to complete with average surveys being 15 minutes.
- It’s free to join the platform once you get invited to sign up.
- You don’t have to worry about being disqualified from surveys as they only send you surveys you’re qualified for.
- Earn free product when you test products on the platform.
- There are many ways to redeem payments with PayPal, check, Amazon e-Cards, gift cards, and prepaid virtual visas
Cons
- The company carries an F-rating with the Better Business Bureau.
- The TrustPilot review site has the platform rated as poor with 2.5 out of 5 stars.
- Invite-only sign up process, which makes people jump through hoops to join.
- You can be removed from the platform for no longer meeting their demographics at any time.
- Surveys aren’t as plentiful as one would hope or need to earn a substantial income.
- Only available in the UK, US, Germany, France, and Canada at this time.
- Security concerns with the company as other shady outfits have used the companies names to defraud unsuspecting customers. Pinecone needs to do a better job here.
Conclusion
The Pinecone Research platform is an exclusive rewards site. The company does make you jump through hoops to get in, but they pay substantially higher than other survey sites in the space.
If you can get a spot, it might be worth a try. There are some things to watch out for, but if you’re looking to earn some extra income, this might be a great place to start.
I’ll leave you with a video overview of the Pinecone Research platform. Enjoy!
Pinecone Research FAQ
Is Pinecone Research legit?
Pinecone Research is a legitimate company. It has the backing of Nielsen Holdings, an authentic business entity that enjoys international recognition. It won’t make you rich. Although you can make some solid income compared to other survey sites if you work really hard. But for most people, Pinecone won’t earn them a full-time income.
How much can you make from Pinecone Research?
Potential financial rewards for each survey range from $3 to $5. And it takes roughly 15 minutes to complete a single survey. For product testing, you can earn slightly more at around $6 per test.
How do I join Pinecone Research?
Pinecone Research is one of the most exclusive survey programs in the world, so much so that you cannot simply choose to join them. They have an official website, but it doesn’t have any registration links. If you want to join Pinecone Research, a pre-existing member of the organization must invite you.
What is Pinecone Research looking for?
The company only accepts members from the UK, US, Germany, France, and Canada. Panelists from other countries cannot join. You must be at least 18. Aside from these basic things, there is no way of knowing what Pinecone is looking for in its members.
