How to Make Money Testing Products

Before many major product manufacturers take a new product to market they test the item with a small sample of their target market. Knowing how to make money while helping these companies acquire feedback is something you might want to know.

Instructions

1. Contact market research firms and sign-up to be included on a database or consumer panel the company uses to recruit respondents. Market research companies or market research departments in larger manufacturing companies often recruit respondents to sample a new or improved product. Focus groups, in-home usage tests, intercepts and in-office product tests are many ways market researchers test products. At the completion of these tests, companies pay respondents a monetary cooperation for their time.

2. Sign up with product testing companies online. Product test companies such as ZoomPanel send participants surveys to complete after sampling a product to gain feedback about the product. The participant earns points for each product tested and later receives money or other prizes for different levels of points they achieve.

3. Become a secret shopper or mystery shopper. Some companies specialize in conducting mystery shops where they send in every day people to experience a company's service and products. Later, after they have shopped or conducted a product sample, the secret shopper completes and evaluation form. Once the mystery shopper turns in the evaluation form, they receive money for their time.

4. Write product reviews. As a contracted review writer, you complete a product test or sample, and then write a review for a dedicated web site. The web site is often sponsored by a manufacturer or retailer.

5. Check the classified ads online or in the local newspaper for companies searching for study participants. Many consumer products and pharmaceutical companies conduct research studies with a wide base of participants prior to launching a product to the mass market. Look for studies paying participants for using a product.

Tips & Warnings

• Many market research companies screen-out or choose not to recruit respondents they believe to be professional respondents who only make money from conducting market research studies.

Resources

• Sign-up to become a become a product tester on this site.