Becoming part of some focus groups provides a good opportunity to make some quick money on the internet. You will be given the chance to express your views about certain issues and you will also get paid for it.

Typically, you can expect to be paid around $100 for participating in a few hours of discussions about consumer products or problems. Companies that conduct market research look for participants in different demographic groups.

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You have to be within a certain age range or work in a particular industry before you can qualify for some focus groups. The following information will enable you to make money with online focus groups.

• How Focus groups work
• Finding focus groups
• 7 Online Focus Group Listings
• More Focus groups on Facebook
• You have to be committed
• What you can earn with Focus Group

How Focus groups work

In a traditional, in-person focus group, a moderator leads the discussion. Each participant answers questions and shares their opinion with others in the group.

With an online focus group, the discussion takes place via the web, video, chat, or your mobile device. When you sign up or are invited to participate, you will be given a link to access the focus group site. You’ll be able to join the discussion, ask questions, and give feedback to the moderator and other participants.

There are similar paid opportunities in which you provide individual feedback using video or web-based software.

Finding focus groups

If you are not employed right now or need part time work, you can make money with online focus groups. It can provide you with some extra income that will enable you to pay some bills.

If you can be committed to working at specified times on certain days, this opportunity is ideal for you. Joining a focus group is much better than participating in surveys because you will get more money for your time.

You can easily find positions by searching on the internet. A lot of positions are available because companies are always conducting market research for their products and services.

For some virtual focus groups, you’ll need to complete a survey to get an invitation to join. This is to ensure you’re a good match for the group.

For example, Focusgroup.com (see their Facebook page here) invites participants to groups based on their survey responses. When you click on the survey, you’ll get a list of survey questions to answer. Survey respondents will be considered for focus groups and invited by email if they are selected.

Other sites will let you skip the surveys and register directly to participate in focus groups or online or video interviews for particular companies. You’ll find the newest focus groups that are looking for participants on various Facebook pages.

7 Online Focus Group Listings

Here are seven legitimate websites you can use to find opportunities to participate in paid focus groups, along with their Facebook pages so that you can read reviews and find the latest groups seeking participants.

1.   2020 Research (Facebook) has paid opportunities for participants to share their opinions. You can sign up for local or online focus groups.

2.   Brand Institute (Facebook) seeks participants for pharmaceutical and consumer market research panel groups.

3.   Engage conducts consumer and healthcare market research studies, and pay ranges from $50 to $250. You’ll need to pick one category in which you’ll participate. 

4.   Mindswarms (Facebook) pays $50 for your insights. You’ll need to answer seven questions using a video software.

5.   User Interviews (Facebook) pays you for your feedback on real projects. After you sign up, you’ll be invited by email to complete surveys. If you qualify for a study, you’ll get paid to participate. You can search for certain projects online, including phone, in-person, and at-home paid opportunities.

6.   Probe Market Research (Facebook) pays $50-$400 for group, telephone, and online interviews for their clients’ advertising campaigns, products, and/or services.

7.   Recruit + Field (Facebook) holds nationwide webcam studies, as well as focus groups in a variety of locations.

More Focus groups on Facebook

You can also search Facebook for “focus group” to find a list of pages of companies looking for applicants. Here are some more companies below that might be worth checking out!

• FindFocusGroups.com: will help you to find focus groups near you in the US, by state.
• FocusGroups.org: another US-based website that will help you to find focus groups in your city.
• TakePartInResearch.co.uk: if you are in the UK, this is an amazing focus group finder! You can earn up to £150 for an hour of your time!
• SIS International Research: conducts focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and research studies all over the world.
• Advance Focus: a top-rated website that hosts focus groups and market research panels in New York City.
• Survey Squad: they have some great research studies and focus group opportunities on their Facebook page ranging from $50-$275.

You have to be committed

Individuals who make money with online focus groups must have a certain level of commitment. You will have to participate in groups that include other individuals. A particular time will be set for these meetings and every participant must be available at the same time.

You might be expected to be available once or twice per month. These sessions usually involve discussions, questions and answers about different subjects.

Groups can focus on a variety of subjects such as environmental matters, political topics, consumer behavior and so on. The average time of the meeting is about 1 to 2 hours. Each meeting has a moderator who is in charge of taking notes and sending reports back to the company that organized the focus group.

What you can earn

You can earn 75 to 150 dollars per group meeting depending on the focus group and the issues being discussed. Individuals who make money with online focus groups discover after some time that they can make more money if they sign up for a few groups. You too can take advantage of this opportunity to make some extra cash by expressing yourself appropriately in a group.

You can’t possibly join all groups. You will have to go through a screening process before being accepted into a focus group. The groups that you can join will depend on your gender, education, lifestyle and other factors.

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The screening might take up to a week especially if there are a lot of applicants. You might also be asked to take qualifying surveys before being accepted. The survey will provide the company with information that will be used to place you in the right category that will enable you to make money with online focus groups.

Focus groups are not going to make you rich overnight, but they are a nice side hustle to make some extra cash in your spare time!

And if you are not going to get a free coffee from an in-person focus group, you can sign up to Swagbucks and get free $5 credit that you can use for s Starbucks gift card!