Now that I am a Stay-at-Home Mom, I try to find all types of ways to make money so that I can continue to stay at home and raise my daughter. I will talk about all of the things I do in other posts but, for this particular post I am going to be talking about Focus Groups. This is a great and easy way for anyone to earn some extra income, not just moms. I am going to show you how to find focus groups & start making money.
What is a Focus Group?
To start off, what is a focus group? It is when a brand gets opinions and ideas from consumers just like you. They do care about what you think and want to know how they can get your business. Best of all, they pay you for these opinions! All of the focus groups that I have taken part in consist of around 8-12 people and the discussion is being led by a moderator. They will usually record the session and sometimes there is a one way mirror in the room and brand reps are sitting on the other side listening and taking note of what you say.
Focus Groups can be done in person, over the phone, or even online in forums. You can usually find the best in person opportunities if you live in or near a big city. Don’t worry if you live in a small area, you can still participate in other ways, you just have to search for them. I do live in a big city and I probably get picked to participate once every 3-6 months. They usually don’t want you to do more then that because they want to get new people in all the time but they do make exceptions if they need to fill a group. The discussions usually only last around 1-2 hours and you can get paid anywhere from $50-$150 depending on the group. I usually get around $125 for each group I have participated in. This will not replace your income but this is a nice and easy way to get some extra cash and spending money.
How to Get Chosen for a Focus Group
When you find a focus group company to sign up with, you will usually have to answer some basic questions about yourself. This will help them decide who to send out screener surveys to. Be honest when you answer! This is very important. You don’t want to keep getting screener surveys that don’t apply to you and cram up your inbox. Be sure to use an email address that you check everyday. Once you are sent a screener survey, you will answer this so they can see if you are the right fit for that particular group. If you are the type of person they are looking for then they will call you to verify your answers on the screener survey and see if you are available for that time and day.
I can’t stress enough to just be honest in the surveys. You don’t want to waste your time and theirs if you are not the right fit. Sign up for as many focus group companies as you can. Like I said before, they only want you to participate once every six months so the more companies you are apart of, the more opportunities you can participate in.
How to Find Focus Groups
The easiest way you can do this is to do a quick Google search. I live in Charlotte so I would do a search for ” Focus Groups in Charlotte, NC”. Just search for whatever city is closest to you. The bigger the city, the more results will come up. If you can’t find any near you, then you might want to search for “online focus groups”.
The ones that I personally use are AOC Research (only in Charlotte), 20/20 Research (Nashville, Charlotte, Miami), and L&E Research (Baltimore, Cincinnati, Charlotte, St. Louis, Tampa, Columbus, Raleigh, and Nationwide) for in person focus groups. If they ask for a referral when you sign up, please consider putting my name, Ashley Hewell. I have had good luck with all of these companies and they pay you cash right after the focus group is over.
If you are looking for some groups that you can do online. The ones I have used are Inspired Opinions ( they also have in person groups but I don’t live near them) and FocusGroup.com. I have been invited to do online forums and phone surveys from both of these companies. I am actually doing a phone program for Inspired Opinions right now. All I do is take pictures or record my answers on my phone for two weeks and it only takes 5 minutes per day. They are going to pay me $125 for this, not too bad for just a little bit of work!
This is a great way to earn money for college students, Stay-at-Home Moms, retirees, or anyone looking to get some extra cash. It doesn’t take a lot of your time but you do have to put in some effort. Search for the focus group companies near you, read the reviews on them and make sure they are legit, answer all of the surveys they send you, and answer the phone when they call to make sure you qualify.
If you know of any other good focus group companies, please feel free to leave them in the comments. You can leave a referral link or name if you want to as well. I think that we should all help each other out. I hope these tips will help you find some great focus group opportunities and get you some extra cash in your pocket!
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