Making money by testing products or websites is not only a practical and achievable side hustle, but it’s also a fully-fledged role in its own right. Quality assurance is a respected part of any creative process and often leads to useful skills that can take you further in your career. However, how do you get involved with testing products from your home to get on that ladder or make a little extra money on the side?
This article will explain how to start earning money with product review jobs and what you can expect to get out of it. We will cover some of the best ways to make the most of such a job when you have it and how to leverage it for extras such as free samples or gift cards. So, discover the new side hustle paradigm and grab it with both hands today.
Understanding How Product Review Jobs Work
Product review roles involve testing products and providing feedback to the companies that make them. These products may be:
- Physical products
- Software
- Websites
- Services
The feedback you offer may come in many forms, too. Connecting with a dedicated product testing site may mean that you end up performing many different types of reviews, such as:
- Surveys
- Focus groups
- Product testing
- Recorded interactions with a product
These days, it is also very easy to get involved in such processes. You can sign up to a testing website very fast and start receiving testing offers based on your demographics. This means that you can get your hands on a product in a very short period and start working straight away.
These jobs don’t often demand any special skills or experience. Still, you should expect that clear communication can help you explain your feedback. You will also want to be comfortable with whatever hardware the job might need you to use.
What Product Testing Offers as a Great Side Hustle
Product testing via online platforms is a great way of working due to its flexibility. You can organize your work based on not only when you are available, but also where you can log in from. If you visit family, for example, you can often log in and test another product without any extra equipment.
This offers convenience to those needing a side hustle. Thus, you can earn extra money without requiring a large time commitment. Take on jobs when you know you have time, and scale back when you think you need to.
On top of this, many times such a side hustle will offer the products you test for free. You can often either keep the hardware, software, or products you used during the testing. Often, this can be a cost-saving benefit that makes the job something even more useful.
Another benefit several such roles offer is the ability to earn gift cards. Depending on the client, they may give you these to cash in at major retailers. This means you can supplement your income without cash, which can be beneficial depending on your personal situation. As these gift cards can sometimes be electronic, the transfer is fast too. Thus, you can enjoy the money faster than needing to wait for them in the post.
Discovering Product Testing Jobs
There are several platforms available online where you can find chances to start testing products. While it may suit you to sign up for several sites, it is often better to focus hard on one so that you can ensure you are well-known in that community. That way, people may return to you, seeking out your services again and again.
When you sign up, remember to create a detailed profile. Put information in every section that might define who you are.
Many sites will allow companies to send out based on various demographics. Thus, defining yourself clearly will make you a target for more opportunities.
Examples of the things companies might target include:
- Age
- Nationality
- Financial status
- Marriage status
- Number of children
- Age of children
- Career
This list is not exhaustive, though, so make sure to fill out as much as you can. You should then check back over time to see if roles have appeared. If possible, sign up for email notifications too to increase the chances of discovering good roles for you as fast as possible.
If you are looking for a specific site, ProductReviewJobs is one of the leading platforms available. It works with many global brands, offering good opportunities for you to make more cash from the comfort of your own home.
Once you have signed up, start applying for product testing jobs that match your interests and expertise. This will make it easier for you to continue to perform this role even long after you have started. You will continue to offer your skills and enjoy the process as you do so.
Types of Product Testing Jobs
There are many different forms a “product test” comes in. Not all of them are picking up the product, using it, and writing feedback about them. They may demand that you interact with them in very different ways or even give your feedback via a specific method.
Also, some jobs will focus on everyday goods that you might use, making the experience relatable. Others, on the other hand, might involve specialized items or products that you would not have otherwise known existed. The point of testing is to learn how easy it is for people to use such niche items, helping the producers refine them to make them simpler to get used to.
When it comes to actually giving feedback, the way you do it will depend on the specific company. Different groups like to engage via:
- Online surveys
- Focus groups
- Recorded interactions onscreen
- Recorded video of facial expressions and eye-tracking
- One-on-one interviews
The exact nature of what a different company might want might not always be obvious, so ensure that you research the role before accepting.
How to Get an Amazon Product Tester Job
Amazon Vine is a popular program for those who want to become product testers. It allows you to receive products and review them for others.
Unfortunately, these jobs are not for those only just getting into the review game. Instead, you’ll need to become known by Amazon as a top reviewer. This can take a lot of time, but once accepted you’ll start to receive products to test.
As it can be a lot of work to achieve this role, you may want to look elsewhere when you are starting this career.
Taking Paid Online Surveys
These are a fantastic and easy way to start earning money. Many product testing websites include survey opportunities. These allow you to give them insights into how you use products, often including theirs.
These surveys may cover a wide range of topics, from how satisfied you are with the product to how it makes you feel about the brand. They may also ask you if you had any specific issues using it.
If you dedicate yourself to this type of product testing, you can begin to create a steady stream of earnings built from such feedback. In some cases, you may also find yourself entered into prize draws or the recipient of other rewards, which can also help you out when it comes to income.
In some cases, the company may forgo a questionnaire and instead ask you to take part in a focus group. These involve discussions in which you will talk about the product and any ideas you may have about it with a small group of participants.
These groups can give much better insights to a company, as they can pivot questions partway to get more specific answers. This makes your feedback much more valuable in these circumstances and thus may offer more money.
If you involve yourself in these, provide thoughtful opinions. If you are articulate during the session it will make it much more likely you will receive an invite in the future. This can help you to turn them into a recurring source of income.
Earning Money Through Clinical Trials
Most people do not think of clinical trials as testing products, but new treatments are a form of product that demands perfection.
Trials for clinical institutions often offer higher compensation. This is due to the nature of the tasks involved and how impactful they can tend to be on a person’s life. Not only may you become ill or uncomfortable during them, but they may also involve several visits to a medical professional.
If these go well, though, you can feel good not only due to receiving your pay but also because you will have helped advance medical research.
Maximizing Your Testing Potential
To make the most of your product testing efforts, you must stay proactive and organize yourself well to ensure you continue to earn. Stepping back from such a role may cause you to lose your focus and fall behind in income.
First of all, make sure to update your profile on the site you choose to use now and then. If there are specific niches or areas of interest you discover, make sure to call them out if possible, this may help companies discover you.
At the same time, ensure that you respond to messages you receive from businesses who want you to test their products promptly. Companies like to work with people who have a professional attitude to communication. Thus, talking to them in an up-front way like this will help you network.
In a similar vein, becoming part of a testing community can also offer you insights and tips that may help you move forward. Many such groups will share the best opportunities with one another, as well as offer ways to speed up testing without impacting quality. Working with them could help you eke out more income over time and improve your situation.
Make Money From Home by Using It as a Testing Space
Most product testing does not need a dedicated area of office space. You can instead test and offer feedback from the comfort of your own home. This offers a level of convenience you will not get elsewhere and at the same time reduces expenses you need to deal with from traveling.
This is especially true as most in-home testing will include products like:
- Kitchen gadgets
- Cleaning supplies
- Home electronics
- Websites you can access from your browser
So, when you get started, try to set up a dedicated testing space. Not only will this separate the area from the rest of your items, but will help you to stay in the testing mindset. This can help you stay organized and increase your efficiency, boosting your income.
As you start testing make sure to have a nearby camera. This will help you to enhance the feedback you give and boost your reputation among the companies you work with.
Increasing Your Chances of Being Selected
Having a great work ethic doesn’t matter if you never get selected for a test. So, make sure that you complete your profile on the sites you use. Fill these in with all the information you have, making sure not to skip any demographic details.
When you are selected, participate actively. Build up your reputation so other companies will want to make use of you and offer high-quality feedback at the same time.
Give the company information they will find useful. This may not be obvious all the time, but in general, you will want to tell them how specific interactions made you feel. Do not tell them how to fix it, though, as that is their job.
Check Out the Best Sites for Product Review Jobs
Several sites exist on the Internet that will offer a comprehensive platform for finding product review jobs. As such, while you may choose to sign up for multiple platforms, make sure one is ProductReview Jobs.
Our site can help you find legitimate and rewarding roles in product testing, helping you to start earning faster. Get paid to test and provide feedback on some of the most interesting upcoming products. So, sign up and take the first steps towards boosting your income today.
