Getting paid to share your opinion is a great way to make money on the side. All you need to do is share your thoughts on everyday products, services, and companies.
Businesses continuously seek to know what you think about their products and services. You get the chance to make a remarkable positive difference in the world, meet other like-minded people, and make money.
Essentially, you’re letting brands know what you think about their products, packaging, branding, and much more and get rewarded for it. It’s that simple.
However, if you’re new to this, you might wonder how getting paid for research participation works. We’ll take you through the entire process, from finding a market research company to taking part in the projects and getting paid.
Find a reputable paid market research company
Finding a reputable paid market research company is the first step to getting paid for sharing your thoughts. You want to engage with a well-known company that deals with reputable brands.
This will not only guarantee that you get paid but also ensure your personal information is safe.
But how can you tell if a market research company and its research projects are genuine?
- Ensure they are members of market research governing bodies. These monitor the industry, ensuring research companies adhere to the codes of conduct. Check whether the company is affiliated with governing bodies like AQR, and the Market Research Society (MRS)
- Is there enough information available about the company? Check out their “About Us” and “Contact” pages to learn more about the company. Look at the testimonials to see other people’s experiences with the company. And because you want to be extra sure, also look at their reviews on third-party review sites, such as Trustpilot and their social media accounts.
- How are they going to use your information? A genuine company will disclose on its site how they intend to keep your information safe and how it’ll use it. Also, ensure they have a privacy policy that complies with the set privacy standards like GDPR.
- How are you getting paid? Paid market research projects offer varying incentives for participating in the projects. Find out how they pay, when, and the payment forms.
Angelfish is a member of MRS and AQR, ensuring your data is safe, and every participant has received incentives for participating in our projects.
Participate in market research projects
After finding a reliable market research company, it’s time to participate in the projects. At Angelfish, you can take part in a variety of ways, whether in person or remotely via Teams or Zoom depending on the type of project, including:
Online communities
Paid online communities are made up of people participating in a discussion online on a private, secure platform. This form of research is gaining popularity due to technological advancement and convenience.
Unlike other forms of paid market research, the time required to participate varies. Participants are required to log in to the platform for about 15-20 minutes per day for around 7-10 days, depending on the project. Because of the little time required and the online convenience, these are easy to squeeze into your day. The tasks are also designed to be fun and engaging, including things like online discussions as well as photo and video tasks.
User experience testing
User experience testing, also known as user testing or UX testing, aims at helping brands see how a website or app is performing so they can improve them. They also help them understand what people are doing on these sites and why they are doing it.
You are given tasks to complete while a software captures and records what you are doing. Companies get insights into what works, what doesn’t, and why. Consequently, businesses will better understand why you’re abandoning your shopping cart, leaving the website, or even preferring their competitor.
Paid focus groups
Paid focus groups consist of about 6-10 people who engage in a discussion monitored by a moderator. It can be either online or face-to-face.
Because several people are involved, focus groups are the most informative for brands looking for opinions and perspectives about their product, service, or an idea they’re considering. You will meet and share ideas with like-minded people and get a chance to contribute to the future of a product in a fun environment.
Remote user research interviews
Unlike the other types of research that focus on the products, brands use user research interviews to find out more about the users of their products and services.
This includes their pain points, needs, and how brands can improve their products and services to serve users effectively. During the interview, you may be asked to test a product and then share your thoughts on what can be done to improve it to suit your needs.
In-home interviews
In-home interviews take place in the comfort of your home. Brands use these interviews to see how you use and interact with everyday products in the home setting.
A researcher will come to your home and conduct the interview. Depending on the project, it can take about one to three hours. In-home interviews are designed to be as less intrusive as possible and scheduled at your convenient time.
Accompanied shopping
In accompanied shopping, a researcher goes along with you while you shop in a retail store. They’ll observe your shopping habits and what you do without interfering. They may also engage you while you’re shopping, like asking some questions, for instance, to understand why you’re picking one brand over the other, but won’t try to influence your decision.
Get paid for participating
You will be paid incentives for participating in the project. At Angelfish Opinions, we really value your opinions and pay incentives that are proportional to the amount of time and effort you expend on the projects.
We pay incentives depending on the project. However, you will be told the amount you should expect to receive at the beginning of the project.
Below we’ve outlined general guidelines on how much you can expect to receive in incentives:
- focus groups pay between £50 and £65 for a generic 60 min focus group
- while in-home interviews pay between £50 and £100
- for accompanied shopping, you will receive £40-£150, depending on the length of the shop-along
- £40 – £150 for online communities
- £25 and £50 for user experience testing depending on how long it takes
- £40 – £100 for remote user research interviews
The incentives typically take the form on an eGift card, redeemable with a wide range of retailers and brands. Occasionally, incentives will be paid directly to you by our clients and this may take the form of cash or BACs. Check out our frequently asked questions about Angelfish Opinions incentives for more information.
Interested in joining us for paid market research?
Sign up today and look at our current projects to get started.
