Step 1
Set Your Incentive
Choose your incentive amount when building your project. Set between $5 and $1,000 in $5 increments.
INCENTIVE PAYOUTS
Pay participants without the admin headache
Set the right incentive before you publish, mark attendance after the session, and issue payment in a few clicks. Respondent handles the rest.
- Payments via Tremendous virtual gift card
- Incentives from $5 to $1,000
- All payments processed in-platform
Trusted by the world's best research teams
Three steps to pay your participants
Send payments directly to your participants quickly and securely. No hassle, no delays.
Step 2
Mark Attendance
After the session, go to the Participants tab and mark each participant as Attended. Do this within 3–5 business days of the session.
Step 3
Issue Payment
Go to the Payments tab and issue incentives. Participants receive payment via a Tremendous virtual gift card.
Incentive management made easy
Setting Your Incentive
The incentive you post directly shapes who applies, how fast your project fills, and whether participants show up on time.
- Set any amount from $5 to $1,000 in $5 increments, paid in USD
- Use the Respondent Incentive Calculator to get a suggested amount based on study type and audience
- Incentives are charged separately to recruiting fees, and you’ll need to maintain a balance for both
Issuing Payments
It’s simple - just manually mark participants as attended at the end of their session, or turn on auto-pay and they’ll get paid right away.
- Mark the participant as Attended in the Participants tab within 3–5 business days of the session
- Go to the Payments tab and issue the incentive individually or in bulk for larger studies
- Payments are processed exclusively through Tremendous virtual gift card, delivered to the participant's primary email
Tracking & Statuses
Stay on top of every payment from your project dashboard. Participants can track their own status too, reducing the need for follow-up.
- Payment Sent: Incentive has been issued and is on its way
- Paid: Successfully delivered via Tremendous virtual gift card
- Error: Something went wrong, contact Respondent support
SETTING THE RIGHT INCENTIVE
Match your incentive to your audience and effort
A well-set incentive gets more applicants, better candidates, and higher show rates. Here's how to think about it.
Remote Studies
Incentives can be lower since participants don't need to travel. Still factor in any pre- or post-session tasks. A 60-minute interview with 30 minutes of prep should compensate for 90 minutes of time.
In-person Studies
Account for travel time, preparation, and the added effort of inviting a researcher into a personal space. A good baseline: $200 for a 1-hour in-home interview with a general population participant.
Industry Professionals & Executives
Benchmark against the participant's estimated hourly rate and pay at least twice that to motivate participation. Executives and C-suite participants have high opportunity costs - aim for sessions under 60 minutes and prioritize virtual formats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mark the participant as Attended in the Participants tab of your project, then go to the Payments tab and issue their incentive. Respondent recommends doing this within 3–5 business days of the session.
It depends on your audience, session type, and time required. Use Respondent's free Incentive Calculator as a starting point. For general population remote studies, incentives should reflect total time including prep. For industry professionals and executives, benchmark against their hourly rate and offer at least 2x that amount.
The minimum is $5 and the maximum is $1,000 per participant. Incentives are set in $5 increments and paid in USD.
No. All participant payments must be processed in-platform via Tremendous. Off-platform payments — including cash, external gift cards, PayPal transfers, and on-site payments — are strictly prohibited. Accounts found violating this policy may be suspended.
Incentive payments typically process within 7–10 business days of being issued. In some cases, delays may occur due to circumstances outside Respondent's control, as payments come directly from the researcher via the platform. If a payment is delayed beyond 10 business days, participants should contact the researcher directly via in-platform messaging.
Yes, but only new applicants will see the updated amount. Participants who have already applied will be paid the original incentive. If you need to update the incentive for all participants, contact Respondent support after marking participants Attended and before marking them Paid.
Participants can check their payment status in the "My Projects" section of their dashboard. If payment hasn't arrived within 10 business days of being marked Attended, they should message the researcher via Respondent's in-platform messaging. If the researcher is unresponsive, participants can contact Respondent support and the team will follow up on their behalf.
Customer Success Stories
Rated 4.6 from 400+ reviews on G2.com
John Whaley
Director, Research and Testing - Instrument
We tested out a few platforms and quickly realized that Respondent was getting us good people fast. That's frankly all we need.
Taylor Jennings
Lead UX Researcher - Chili Piper
Respondent helps me easily find the exactly-right participants for my projects. Further, it works for any type of research project with any kind of participant.
Jacqueline Jordan
GVP, Research at Huge
The participants have been who they say they are, we can verify them, and they're super responsive. Respondent has helped us do better research and be better researchers.
Find your first research participant in 15 minutes
Respondent is the fastest way to recruit, screen, and pay research participants - all in the same place
