Would you be willing to share your opinion on things like food and beauty products?
What about TV shows and public figures?
You could get paid up to $300 (or more!) an hour to share your opinions through focus groups.
Seriously, businesses are interested in hearing the opinions of potential customers to help make their products better so they will hire research companies to conduct online focus groups to gather the thoughts and opinions of participants.
I know this sounds like just a another crazy money making scheme that all the personal finance bloggers write about.
But it’s true! You really can earn money through online focus groups.
I recently participated in an online focus group and I earned $225 just for trying a product and giving my honest opinion!
Interested in doing this yourself? I’ll give you all the details about online focus groups including how you can
What is a focus group?
To make it simple, a focus group is a group of people that are brought together to share their opinions on something specific.
It’s sort of like a super-charged survey.
These groups are normally small (usually under 10 people), and they last longer than 30 minutes. Some focus groups can be all day, or even split up over several days.
I think when most people think about focus groups they imagine a bunch of people in one room discussing something – and that is how some focus groups work! But there are also paid online focus groups, too!
Online focus groups are becoming more common, which means there are more opportunities for you to participate! Woo hoo!
How much do focus groups pay?
How much you’re paid for participating in a focus group depends on how long it lasts and what you’re asked to do.
If you’re just giving your first impressions on something these could pay anywhere from $50-$150+
If you’re going to be spending time testing a product, you could earn $200 or more! In some cases, you could earn over $500!
How to Find (Legit) Online Focus Groups
Now a lot of these research companies will ask for personal details like your name, age, and other demographics information.
If you’re testing a product, then you will also be sharing your address, too.
So it’s incredibly important that you only work with legitimate companies that will keep your infomation safe.
How do you find legitimate online focus groups?
The first thing you should do is start with the list below. I’ve tried my best to find legitimate companies, so you can start your search here.
Once you’ve found a company (or two) that you’d like to work with, make sure to put it through your own vetting process.
Search for the company on other websites. Does it have reviews on Facebook, Trustpilot, and/or the Better Business Bureau? Are the reviews positive?
When signing up with a company check out all of the fine print. Will your data be safe? How will the companies use your data?
Also don’t forget to trust your gut. If something seems odd, don’t sign up. Do some more research first.
20 Companies That Will Pay You to Be a Part of a Online Focus Group
Here are 20+ different companies that offer online focus groups:
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is usually thought of as a survey panel, but you can also participate in focus groups and product testing.
Through Survey Junkie I’ve been paid over $50+ a few times just to test out a website or app and give my opinion about it!
Average Pay: $50 – $100+ Per Study
20|20
20|20 is a US-based research panel that has been around since 1986.
They have both surveys and paid research studies that you can participate in.
Average Pay: $50 – $350+ Per Study, $1 – $10 Per Survey
American Consumer Opinion
American Consumer Opinion is a research panel open to people worldwide. They’ve paid out over $30 MILLION to their members, and they have survey, product testing, and focus group opportunities available.
Average Pay: $50 – $250+ Per Study
Engage Studies
Engage is a research firm that is based out of Washington D.C., and they have focus groups and research panels for consumers, business professionals, and healthcare professionals.
Average Pay: $50 – $250+ Per Study
Forthright Surveys
Forthright is more of a survey panel but they do also have online focus group opportunities – this is where I got the $200+ focus group opportunity!
All you need to do is signup on Forthright and fill out your profile to be connected with future research studies and product testing surveys.
Average Pay: $50 – $350+ Per Study
Respondent.io
Repondent is a company that specializes in 1-on-1 type interviews (but they do have other types of studies available).
You can see their open projects here, and most projects pay $50-$500+ for an hour of your time.
Average Pay: $50 – $500+ Per Study
SIS International Research
SIS International is an international research firm that has consumer, business, and healthcare studies available for people worldwide.
Average Pay: $75+ Per Study
Springboard America
Springboard America is a survey panel similar to Survey Junkie – they are known for surveys but also have occasional focus groups and research studies available.
They are open to anyone located in the US over 18.
Average Pay: $50+ Per Study, $0.50 – $10+ Per Survey
Survey Feeds
Survey Feeds is a US-based company that conducts focus groups and surveys both in-person and online.
They have all kinds of focus groups including ones about social media, video games, health, and more.
Average Pay: $75 – $275+ Per Study
User Interviews
User Interviews is a research company that works with consumers in both Canada and in the US.
They conduct focus groups, 1-on-1 interviews, multiday studies, and other tasks.
On their site, I can see that they currently have studies that are open that pay at least $50+ for an hour of your time.
Average Pay: $50+ Per Study
WatchLab
WatchLab has offices in Chicago and Portland, and conducts online and in-person focus groups.
You can signup on their website to be notified of potential focus groups and studies, and you can also like their Facebook page.
One of their recent studies was a focus group about drinks that paid $175 for 90 minutes!
Average Pay: $100 – $250+ Per Study
Other Companies That Conduct Focus Groups:
- Brand Institute
- Experience Dynamics
- Fieldwork
- FocusGroup
- Google Usability
- Inspired Opinions
- Ipsos i-Say
- Mindswarms
- PingPong
- Plaza Research
- Probe Market Research
- Recruit and Field
Other Places to Find Online Paid Focus Groups
Here are some other places where you can find opportunities for focus groups:
You can search on Reddit to find focus groups that might be a good fit for.
You can also use the /r/beermoney subreddit to find studies. A lot of researchers will actually post on that subreddit themselves asking for participants.
Craigslist
Because it’s free to post on Craigslist, some researchers will actually post in the “jobs” or “gigs” section that they’re looking for participants for a focus group.
You can check your local Craigslist for in-person focus groups near your, and you can check the Craigslist in major cities for online focus group listings.
This site is like a directory for focus groups from other companies.
You can type in your location (or choose “online”), and it will show you focus groups in your area, how much they pay, and what the qualifications are.
How to Make Money With Focus Groups (Video)
Final Thoughts
If you’re interested in making some extra money by sharing your opinion, you can join an online focus group.
Remember to properly check out any website before joining (to make sure it’s legitimate).
Opportunities for paid focus groups won’t come along often, but you can increase your chances by joining multiple websites!
FAQ about Online Focus Groups
How much do focus groups pay?
Focus groups pay anywhere from $30-$500+ depending on if it’s an in-person focus group, an online focus group, and if you will be testing a product.
How do you find focus groups?
You can use a website like focusgroup.com to find focus groups that you qualify for.
Are paid focus groups legitimate?
Yes! You might not be able to qualify for one often, but there are companies that will pay to hear your opinion.