In 2026, BEAM Fieldwork celebrates ten years in business, a chance to reflect on the relationships, ideas and experiences that have shaped who we are today.
Give Opinions is an important part of that story.
We launched Give Opinions in 2020 with a simple idea: people should have a clear and rewarding way to share their views, while researchers should have a reliable way to connect with the people whose experiences matter.
Six years later, Give Opinions has grown into a network of more than 40,000 participants. Most are UK based, with our international community growing too.
But the Give Opinions story is about more than numbers. It is about what we have learned from participants, how we have developed alongside them and why knowing your network remains at the heart of great fieldwork.
THE BEAM BEGINNING
Since BEAM began in 2016, our job has been to connect research teams with people who can offer honest, meaningful insight.
A strong discussion guide matters. Skilled moderation matters. Careful analysis matters. Yet none of it can happen without participants willing to share their experiences and points of view.
During BEAM’s early years, we learned a lot about recruitment: the pressures clients face, the complexity behind seemingly simple briefs and, crucially, the value of a fuss-free, meaningful participant experience.
As BEAM grew, we saw an opportunity to create something specifically for participants; a recognisable place and friendly face where people could discover paid research.
In 2020, that idea became Give Opinions.
THE GO GETTERS
The Give Opinions story actually began a few years earlier.
After joining BEAM in 2017, Project Manager Vicki Thomas worked closely with Founder Amy Middleton across a range of projects. During one conversation, the first idea for Give Opinions emerged.
The name was registered, although it took a little longer for the concept to find its feet.
That changed in 2020, when Kirsty Antrobus took the helm. Her challenge was to establish Give Opinions as a consumer-facing brand beyond BEAM’s SK postcode roots. Using social media, recommendations, word of mouth and plenty of charm and wit, Kirsty grew the community from around 200 people to more than 11,000 by mid-2023.
When Kirsty moved into BEAM’s client and commercial work, Give Opinions entered its next chapter with Kay Middleton and Project Manager Pat Connolly. Together, they focused on developing the community alongside BEAM’s growing fieldwork needs, reaching more of the right people without losing the personal approach that had helped Give Opinions grow.
From Amy and Vicki’s first conversation to the community we have today, different people, skills and ideas have shaped each stage of the journey.
A PLACE AND A FRIENDLY FACE
Market research can feel unfamiliar if you have never taken part before.
What is a focus group? Why is someone interested in which car you drive or how you manage your mortgage? Why do you qualify for one project but not another?
Give Opinions was created to make that process more approachable.
For participants, that means a straightforward route into paid research, with clear information about each opportunity. For clients, it gives us a community through which we can find relevant audiences while applying the careful screening great research demands.
Good recruitment is not about finding the most people. It is about finding the right people. Someone can be a brilliant Give Opinions participant and still not be right for a particular project. Making that process clear and respectful is better for participants and better for the research.
FROM LIST TO COMMUNITY
Give Opinions began with around 200 people and grew quickly through social media, recommendations and word of mouth.
Hundreds became thousands. Thousands became tens of thousands. Today, more than 40,000 people are part of the community. That scale gives us greater reach when tackling difficult briefs, exploring feasibility or finding very specific audiences.
But size has never been the goal on its own.
Calling Give Opinions a database misses what makes it useful. Databases store information. Communities rely on relationships. Behind every profile is a person choosing to contribute their time and experience, whether through a survey, focus group, product test or longer-term project.
That is why relevant invitations, sensible screening and good communication matter. Research changes, timings move and projects sometimes pause; keeping people informed shows that their time is valued. An engaged participant is also more likely to arrive prepared and contribute confidently, helping clients get more from the research.
LISTENING AND A NEW LOOK
By 2026, Give Opinions looked very different from the community launched six years earlier. The audience had grown, the projects had expanded and the way people discovered opportunities had changed. The brand needed to catch up. So, we started where all great brands start: with a spot of market research.
We asked participants what worked, what caused uncertainty and what they wanted from Give Opinions. Trust, accessibility, fair rewards and clear communication consistently mattered. If we ask people to give researchers their honest opinions, it only makes sense that we listen to what they think about us too.
Those conversations helped shape the refreshed Give Opinions brand launched in 2026. We introduced a warmer tone, clearer language and a more distinctive visual identity, while making sure we did not assume visitors already understood market research jargon.
Someone discovering Give Opinions should quickly understand what taking part means, how opportunities work and what they can expect from us. The aim was simple: make Give Opinions easier to notice, understand and trust.
The response was encouraging, with new people discovering the community and existing participants returning to explore opportunities. Most importantly, the refresh gave Give Opinions an identity that finally matched the community it had become.
TWO BRANDS, ONE CONNECTION
The refresh also helped us explain the relationship between BEAM Fieldwork and Give Opinions more clearly. BEAM works with research teams to understand their requirements, solve recruitment challenges and deliver fieldwork.
Give Opinions is the participant-facing side of that relationship, a welcoming place where people can discover paid research and put themselves forward. The two brands have different audiences and roles, but they meet in the middle.
One brings the brief. The other brings the people who can help answer it. Connecting those two sides is what BEAM has spent the past ten years learning to do.
PARTNERSHIPS THAT REACH
Strong relationships have helped Give Opinions grow, and partnerships continue to introduce us to new audiences.
We work with HAP and MoneyMagpie on a project-by-project basis, giving us access to additional communities when a brief requires broader or more focused reach.
This season, we have also partnered with Manchester Storm ice hockey, with Give Opinions now appearing on a permanent advertising board at every home game. It puts the brand in front of an established local community and introduces paid research to people who may never have encountered it before.
Whether someone finds us through a friend, social media, one of our partners or a night at the ice hockey, the message is the same: their experiences and opinions have value.
CARE AT EVERY STEP
As Give Opinions has grown, one principle has remained constant: participants should feel informed, respected and supported. Sometimes that is as simple as clearly explaining the timing, location and incentive. Other projects require greater care, particularly when research involves young people, sensitive subjects or longer-term participation.
BEAM Fieldwork and Give Opinions are recognised through the Market Research Society’s Recruiter Accreditation Scheme, reflecting the standards that guide our approach to recruitment and participant care. Finding someone who matches the criteria is only part of the job. Creating an experience in which they feel comfortable taking part matters too.
WHAT TEN YEARS TAUGHT US
Give Opinions may have existed for six of BEAM’s ten years, but its development reflects many of the lessons we have learned since 2016.
Clarity matters. People want to know what they are signing up for and what they will receive in return.
Relevance beats volume. Thousands of unsuitable expressions of interest do not create a successful recruit. The right people do.
Communication builds trust. That applies when someone qualifies, when plans change and when they are not selected.
Feedback has to lead somewhere. Listening only has value if you act on what you hear.
And most importantly, communities need looking after.
Growing from hundreds of participants to more than 40,000 does not reduce that responsibility. It makes it even more important.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Give Opinions has come a long way since 2020.
What began as a new route into research is now a community of more than 40,000 people and a central part of how BEAM approaches recruitment. The next stage will not be defined by hitting another number.
We want to help more people discover relevant opportunities, continue improving how we communicate them and make market research easier to understand for people encountering it for the first time. Our partnerships will help us reach new communities, while the personal approach behind Give Opinions will remain just as important.
Research will continue to change. So will the platforms people use and the projects our clients want to run. Give Opinions will change with them.
What will stay the same is the principle behind it: great fieldwork depends on great people.
As BEAM celebrates its first ten years, we want to thank everyone who has registered with Give Opinions, completed a screener, attended a focus group, tested a product, joined a community or simply shared an opinion.
We are equally grateful to every client, partner and colleague who has trusted BEAM to find the people behind the research.
Give Opinions is an important part of what we have built over the past decade, and we are excited to see where the community takes us next.
If you would like to take part in paid research, visit Give Opinions to discover current opportunities.
If you are planning a research project, contact BEAM Fieldwork to discuss your audience and recruitment requirements.