How does Intact Qualitative Research vet focus group participants?

IQR uses a 3-point vetting approach that goes well beyond a standard screener. Every participant gets a live conversation to assess their articulation, engagement, and energy. The team also uses social media intelligence to find niche demographics that traditional list buys miss, and actively screens out professional respondents who game recruitment systems. The result is a room full of genuine, qualified voices.

Can IQR recruit for hard-to-reach or niche demographics?

Yes, it's one of their specialties. IQR has deep experience recruiting IT professionals, B2B decision-makers, youth audiences (with full compliance protocols for minors), and other niche demographics that are notoriously difficult to source through standard databases. Their social networking strategies are specifically designed to reach audiences that traditional recruiting methods consistently miss.

What qualitative research methodologies does IQR recruit for?

IQR recruits for a wide range of qualitative formats including traditional focus groups, one-on-one in-depth interviews (IDIs), ethnographies, and friendship groups. Each methodology requires a different participant profile, and IQR tailors their sourcing and vetting process accordingly to make sure the right people show up for the right kind of study.

Does Intact Qualitative Research recruit participants outside of San Francisco?

Absolutely. While IQR is rooted in 20-plus years of recruiting in the San Francisco Bay Area, their reach is nationwide. They source participants from any U.S. region for both in-person and remote studies, and their global network extends to international markets across Asia and Europe as well.

NATIONWIDE REACH WITH SAN FRANCISCO ROOTS

Recruiting the right people to unlock better insights.

We bridge the gap between your questions and the consumers who hold the answers using rigorous, “beyond the screener” vetting to ensure authentic and articulate participants. That’s especially true when it comes to finding hard-to-find audiences.

Leverage our nationwide reach and 20+ years of recruiting experience in the San Francisco Bay Area to meet your needs–especially if you have a study with a hard-to-find respondents.
We don’t believe in “warm bodies”. We use a rigorous 3-point vetting approach that goes beyond simple database matches to ensure qualified respondents.
- Beyond the screener: We talk to every participant to assess articulation, engagement and energy.
- Social media intelligence: We use advanced social networking strategies to find niche demographics traditional list buys miss.
- Quality control: We vet participants to weed out “professional respondents”.
We specialize in recruiting for a wide array of qualitative methodologies:
- Focus groups: Assembling dynamic groups that foster conversation.
- Ethnographies: Finding participants comfortable with observation.
- One-on-one interviews: Sourcing articulate individuals for deep dives.
- Friendship groups: Recruiting pre-existing social pairs for organic dialogue.
- Youth studies: Strictly compliant recruiting for children, pre-teens, and teenagers.
- Nationwide recruiting: Sourcing participants from any region in the U.S. for remote or local studies.

Five business professionals having a meeting in a conference room with large windows and city view, some with laptops and coffee cups.

Articulate research respondent participating in a qualitative study

“IQR is able to reach demographics that other companies couldn’t. The quality of respondents is excellent, and I always trust Rich's work. His professional approach and adherence to global standards makes him an invaluable partner.”

Ready to find the right people?

Start Your Research

Recruiting the right people to unlock better insights.

We bridge the gap between your questions and the consumers who hold the answers using rigorous, “beyond the screener” vetting to ensure authentic and articulate participants. That’s especially true when it comes to finding hard-to-find audiences.

20+ years of recruiting in the global tech epicenter

Beyond database matches: Our 3-point vetting approach

Specialized recruitment for every methodology

Niche demographic recruiting specialists

“IQR is able to reach demographics that other companies couldn’t. The quality of respondents is excellent, and I always trust Rich's work. His professional approach and adherence to global standards makes him an invaluable partner.”

Ready to find the right people?