Using effective digital incentives in recruitment of a hidden population: Itunes gifting

Background: Recruitment is a challenging phase of research, especially when targeting hard-to-reach populations. Inefficient enrollment can lead to high costs and delays in achieving adequate sample size. To create an efficient and low-cost recruitment method, we incentivized participation with digital song-gifting. We recommend song-gifting as a powerful recruitment tool and present a brief guide for its use. Methods: We advertised our study in Internet message boards and chat rooms for participants likely to represent our target population of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) who engage in risky health behaviors. Participants were notified compensation would include receiving an iTunes song of their choice and being entered to win an iPod Touch. Participants indicated their song preference on a final online survey. Research personnel then purchased songs individually for participants via credit card through the iTunes “gifting feature.” Results: We enrolled 489 high risk MSM participants in less than five months with an average direct cost of only $1.01 per participant. This method effectively enrolled a sexually high-risk, hidden target population. Conclusions: We recommend song-gifting as an efficient, low-cost recruitment method. Song-gifting may offer experiential, intangible value for research participation, rather than providing solely monetary compensation. Our success with song-gifting recruitment highlights the importance of creative research marketing techniques, especially when targeting hard-to-reach populations.