A lot of people think that giving their opinions are not a great way to make money. After all, everyone has an opinion, so they must be cheap, right? Nope!
Businesses pay a lot of money doing market research for their products. When I ran my own escape room business, I was actually paid by one research company $750 for just about 4 hours of my time, sharing my experiences in getting it up and running.
But you don’t have to own your own business in order to make money. Depending on where you live, there are market research facilities that want your opinions on things such as new beverages, new fast food items, candy, and even home products such as paper towels, clothing, and BBQ pits (yes, BBQ pits). I’ve actually participated in all of these kinds of research studies, and more. While payment typically ranges between $35 and $75 for about an hour of your time for the food studies, other studies will pay you in excess of hundreds of dollars. Again, it all depends on the study itself.
How Does It Work?
First, you sign up to a list (you can sign up for as many lists as you want, as there are a lot of market research agencies around. Getting on a list is free (remember, you’re helping THEM and not the other way around).
Next, you request to get notified of new studies. Usually, just signing up will opt you in to these notices automatically.
Whenever you get notified of a new study, answer the questions they ask you to see if you qualify. Qualifications are determined by your demographics. For example, a business putting out a new roller coaster won’t qualify someone who is 85 years old, most likely.
When you get qualified, show up when they schedule you.
After the study is over (they usually last between 30 and 90 minutes), they give you a pre-loaded VISA card for the amount you were promised to be paid.
That’s it!
And, believe it or not, it’s actually very easy to get signed up to be on these lists, too. Market researchers are always looking to expand theirs, and you can always delete your profile if you don’t want to participate anymore.
Market Researchers
Focus Group By Schlesinger is one of the larger ones you’ll want to get signed up with. A lot of their clients are very big brand names, so when you do one of their studies, you know that your opinions can really make a change in the products that are going to market on a large scale.
Bryles Research mostly seems to have fast food companies and household wares companies as their clients. As such, you can expect to participate mostly in studies about food, or maybe products that they have you bring home to try out. The best thing, though, is that their studies seem to come in waves. So, you could be bombarded with tons of different opportunities at once. The downside? They are located only in Chicago and Dallas.
Plaza Research makes it very easy to join their database. They operate in several larger metro areas across the USA.
Acurian Health does health research studies. I actually had qualified for the trials of the Moderna vaccine through Acurian. Health studies tend to pay very well. They give you a preloaded credit card at the end of your first qualified visit, and if you continue to show up to additional studies, they simply load up the same card. Their health studies can include experimental medication, and sometimes just involve a small blood sample. Of course, what is required varies from study to study, so be sure to check with them beforehand to see what will be required.
