When you ask people to take part in your evaluation – filling in a questionnaire, taking part in an interview, attending a focus group – you are asking them to give up some of their precious free time.
People will be flattered that you are interested in hearing their opinions. However, if you need 15 minutes or more of their time, you should offer something in return. The type and value of that incentive will depend on how much of their time you are asking for and what you are asking them to do. Not providing incentives risks annoying people or failing to recruit enough participants.
Incentives to be wary of
It is better to offer all participants the same small incentive, rather using prize draws. Most people will correctly assume that they will not win, so the prize draw is of little or no value to them. Prize draws also entail a lot of hassle. You will need to record people’s contact details in case they win a prize, so you must ensure your process is GDPR compliant. For more on this see What is GDPR and how does it affect my evaluation?
You will also need to ensure that the prize draw is run fairly and be prepared to provide evidence of this, if asked.
Always avoid “incentives” that require people to spend money. For example a “10% discount when you buy …”. These are not genuine incentives, they risk annoying people, and can be exclusionary – some people may not be able to afford the discounted items.
If you are asking for 10 minutes or less
Most people will be happy to spend 5 minutes taking part in an interview or completing a questionnaire, without receiving anything in return. But even in these cases it helps to offer a small token of thanks. If you need a bit more time, say 7 to 10 minutes, the following sorts of low cost incentives can make all the difference.
Badges: ideally with a colourful, attractive design, relevant to the event or venue where the evaluation is taking place. These can be especially effective if you have 3 or 4 different designs of badge for people to choose from
Stickers: cheaper than badges but still popular with children. The sticker should have a colourful, attractive design, relevant to the event or venue where the evaluation is taking place. They have the added benefit of help you identify who had already been interviewed so that you do not bother them again.
Branded pens or pencils: carrying the branding of the event or venue where the evaluation is taking place. As well as providing a cheap incentive, they will ensure everyone has something with which to complete their questionnaire.
If you are asking for more than 15 minutes
Sometimes you need to ask people to commit quite a lot of their time to your evaluation. For example you might want to conduct a telephone interview with teachers lasting 15 to 30 minutes, or recruit people to take part in a two hour focus group.
In these cases you must provide an incentive that compensates participants for the time they are giving up. This is standard practice in market research. Failing to provide an incentive runs a very considerable risk of nobody agreeing to take part in your evaluation.
Depth interviews
For an interview lasting more than 15 minutes we recommend providing incentives ranging from £5 to £30, depending on its duration. The incentive can be provided in the form of a voucher or e-voucher for a bookshop or other retailer but not a discount (see incentives to avoid above). We suggest offering the option of two different retailers to cater for people’s preferences.
Focus groups
People attending a focus group will expect a cash incentive to cover their travel costs, and recompense them for their time. If you do not provide this incentive, nobody will turn-up. Even when people say they are willing to give their time for free, when it comes to the day of the focus group, the hassle of attending outweighs their best intentions.
What you pay depends on the type of participants you are recruiting, but the fee will probably be around £40 per person or more. If you use a professional recruiter, they will add their admin fee.
When you recruit focus group participants, be clear that you will pay the incentive after the session. People who do not turn up, do not get paid.
You should also provide basic refreshments during the focus group – nothing elaborate just tea, coffee, water, fruit juice, biscuits etc. But make sure to check for food allergies, and provide gluten free and vegan options.